Detroit Lions Roundtable: 0-16?

Our Detroit Lions have found new ways to lose every week. The latest? Dan Orlovsky giving himself a safety when he ran himself out of bounds in the end zone.

The 0-5 Lions, up until the loss against Minnesota, were off to a historically bad start. The Lions have been 0-5 before but the point differential has never been as bad as this year's team.

0-16 looks to be at least a possibility. Finishing dead last in the NFL looks like a stronger possibility. With Houston winning today, only Detroit and Cincinnati remain winless.

Today's panel features the opinions of three of Bleacher Report's Detroit Lions writers on the possibility of 0-16.

Daniel Muth

Well, I’ve seen a lot of bad Lions teams in my day, but this particular unit may take the cake. Not only are they lacking talent, they are also very quickly falling into a funk that seems to be diminishing whatever pieces they DO have. Even Roy Williams, who has been a class act during his tenure with the Lions, seems to have completely thrown in the towel.

I can’t say that I blame him. I’d be frustrated too, if I was watching my promising career wasted year after year with a team that’s redefined the word futility. Now he knows how Barry felt and why, in the final analysis, he retired in his prime rather than play another down for this farce of an organization.

But beyond all this, there is now an argument to be made that this is the worst start in Lions HISTORY. That’s a mouthful, folks, coming from a team that has had more poor starts than any other franchise in the league.

Lets look at the recent numbers:

The woeful 2001 team finished 2-14 and also lost its first four games, losing by a combined score of 118-46, and by a combined total of 72 points while only scoring at a 39 percent clip compared to their opponents.

The dreadful 2006 team finished 3-13 and lost its first four games, losing by a combined score of 115-71 and by a combined 44 points while only scoring at a 62 percent clip, compared to their opponents.

The horrific 2002 team that finished 3-13 actually won one of its first four games, though lost by a combined score of 138-85, and by a combined 53 points while again scoring at a 62 percent clip compared to their opponents.

And now we look at the absolutely abysmal 2008 team that has now lost its first five games (thank God for the bye week or it would be six), losing by a combined score of 147-66, and by a combined 81 points while scoring at a 45 percent clip compared to their opponents. It also must be noted that most of their points were conceded AFTER they had already surrendered a nearly insurmountable lead.

A look at some of the classically terrible Lions squads, such as the 1987 (4-11) team, the 1988 (4-12) team, and the 1979 (2-14) team, all show them performing marginally better than the 2008 squad.

So really, the only competition here seems to be with the 2001 team, but a look at the opposition tells a different story. The 2001 team lost to an eventual 13-5 Green Bay team that lost in the Divisional Playoff series that year, and to the “greatest show on turf” Rams team that sported a 16-3 record and barely lost in the Super Bowl.

Is there anyone that the Lions have lost to so far that can claim to be that good? Certainly not Atlanta, or San Francisco, though I would imagine that either the Bears or Packers will make it to the playoffs, but not the Super Bowl.

Face it; this is the worst start in team history.

Of course, the bad news is that the early part of the schedule was relatively easy compared to the later part of the schedule. This includes a Thanksgiving Day game against the now formidable Tennessee Titans, which should compliment the turkey so very nicely.

In the final analysis, I don’t think the Lions will end the season winless, as throughout the years and the litany of terrible teams, this is something they’ve never managed to do. But who knows? 

What does seem clear, however, is that the Lions are likely the worst team in the league and can prove it by securing the league's worst record and the No. 1 pick in the draft. Only the completely dysfunctional St. Louis Rams will challenge them in what is now a neck-and-neck, two-horse race.

Ja Tonio

The Detroit Lions will not go 0-16. I know all roads currently lead to that destination, but every winding road has an eventual exit. The Lions' performance thus far has been just awful.

However, I still see the accrued talent present and accounted for. It is my gut feeling, these guys are putting their backs against the wall so they can prove to themselves; they actually do have the fight to win.

How is it that fans and analyst alike look at this team that started last season 6-2 and assume they are worse than they were? I mean, I have always been under the impression that failure is first, then success is next.

The Lions started last season with success, but ended with failure. That means, the next phase is success again. I know they are 0-5, but if I am right, they are confidently calculating their prey.

They are patiently watching the supposed stronger teams, while perfecting their own talent. I know their history is a good enough reason for some to simply shout, “Oh God!! The Lions are 0-5!! Better scrap this team and start over.” Has this argument worked in the last 10 years?

The ownership/management simply needs to focus on the poorly assembled (or poorly performing) parts of this team, while the fans shut their mouths with all of this tanking the season talk. The game of football is played to win!! And when you are not winning, you suck it up, support your team, because victory is coming. T

hat is why I believe the Lions are not going to go 0-16. They are more talented than 0-16, but the current situation call for them to be an 0-5 team.

Kitna gives them the “best chance” of winning, so it would be foolish to yank him if we want to win. The receivers must remember to get a hold on the ball before they try to start running. The O-line...Well, this is one of the components that may need a little more work.

This is still a professional football team, but the fans are not acting like it. They wanted Millen gone, and no sooner than his car left Allen Park, the fans began calling for the head of Marinelli. This is why it is hard for the city of Detroit to get quality free agents.

We are the most ruthless fans in the U.S. We hate our Red Wings after a three-game skid. We hate our Pistons after another exit from the NBA version of the final four. We hate our Tigers after they start the season off terribly.

The fans should take pride in what we have. The Detroit Lions have a future, and it is not 0-16. We must be patient. Just watch and wait...They will not disappoint. 

Keith Shelton

Well, I will say that the Lions have improved slightly since being 0-4. Maybe Orlovsky starting his first game sparked the defense to play better, or maybe Minnesota just overlooked the Lions. Regardless, the Lions are still finding new ways to lose.

Orlovsky's safety was possibly the worst bungle by a Lions player in years. Didn't anyone tell him to not step in the white area in the end zone? I mean, it's pretty hard to miss. Conveniently, the Lions ended up losing by two points.

I don't know who the Lions' starter will be next week. Drew Stanton is inevitably the future at quarterback for this team, but only the Lions know when his time will come. It might be next week, it might be next season. Kitna or Orlovsky, its hard to say which gives the team the best chance of winning.

Orlovsky was mostly efficient today aside from his safety gaffe; Kitna is a turnover machine.

Can 0-16 happen to this team? You bet. There's not a game on the schedule in which the Lions will be favored. There's not even a game on the schedule that looks winnable.

Now, I don't necessarily think the Lions will go 0-16. They could very well be 0-14 heading into the last two weeks of the season, but if either of their last two opponents is playoff bound, they could rest their starters and give the Lions a good shot at a win or two. That would be a worst possible scenario at that point because it could cost the team the No. 1 overall pick.

I have little doubt that this year's team will at least finish as the worst team in the NFL. Cincinnati is 0-6 right now, but a healthy Carson Palmer will assure this team of at least a few wins.

Well, as long as you're going to be the worst team in the NFL, you might as well be the best damn worst team you can be. 0-16 would be a feat never before accomplished in the NFL. It would be just as impressive as the Patriots 16-0 season.

I would even go out and buy myself a custom Detroit Lions jersey with 0-16 on the back nameplate, and I'd wear it proudly.

For a short time during the Minnesota game, I held out hope that the end of the Bobby Layne curse would actually give Detroit a win on the road today. It sure looked that way, but curse or not, these Lions are still a bad, bad team.

They will be until they prove otherwise with convincing wins against the upper echelon of the NFL. I think they're a ways off from doing that.