NEW COACH, NEW UNIFORM, SAME OLD LIONS

Less than two minutes. That's all it took for the Detroit Lions during Saturday night's preseason game at Cleveland to prove why they just might be the worst franchise not only in football, but in all of sports.

It took less than 10 seconds to show why the Lions have the worst special teams in football when the Brown's Josh Cribbs returned the opening kickoff 95-yards. Thankfully it was called back on a holding call, but the play reminded me of those football movies such as "Best of Times" and "The Water Boy" where the team is so bad it looks like high school kids playing with men. That is Hollywood's way of showing us just how bad this team we're watching really is before they get things turned around. Unfortunately for Lions fans those teams in the movies always find a way to win in the end - not so in this case.  

The Lions continued their stellar play on the ensuing kickoff, drawing a penalty for illegal use of hands which put them deep into their own territory to start their first drive (sound familar Lions fans?) which ended very quickly when Bobby Lane (oops) Matthew Stafford threw an interception with his first pass as a starter. Note to Lions staff: when you run play-action, it actually has to resemble a running play when the quarterback and runner come together for the fake.

Cleveland kicked the field goal to make it 10-0 following the Stafford interception and just like that the game was over. Sure there were more plays to come like Cribbs returning a punt 84-yards for a touchdown after the Lions went three-and-out on their next possession and rookie Jame Davis going 81-yards on a thrid and long play, but for all intent and purpose this game, like so many last year, was over already in less than 2:00. By the way, how does special teams coach Stan Kwan keep his job? 

To be fair to new coach Jim Swartz, he did inherit a complete disaster, but it doesn't seem to matter who coaches this team - they keep making the same mistakes over and over which makes it so maddening.

So what's the solution you ask? Well to see that, all they had to do was look across the field. Detroit drafts receivers, while Cleveland and everybody else, drafts lineman. The Lions are small and get beat up, up front, and nothing is going change that Lion's fans until the front office and ownership realizes what everyone else seems to in football and that is, its' what's up front that counts. 

It doesn't get any better for Detroit this week as they entertain Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts Saturday at home. As you all know, the third preseason game is when things get a little serious with starters playing most of the game, but don't worry it will be over quickly. And, just like last year you can get back to whatever you were doing before you decided to make yourself nauseous.