Detroit Lions Not a Cinderella Story, Just a Great Team

A Cinderella story is the underdog story. The small guys beat the big guys, the unexpected takes place.

Virginia Commonwealth were a Cinderella story in last year's March Madness championship. Only 0.4 percent of brackets had them making the Final Four, but they did. That's a Cinderella story. 

The Detroit Lions of this year, the 5-0 Detroit "Saving this American City" Lions, they are no Cinderella story, so let's stop treating them like one. They are just plain, damn good. 

ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, after Detroit's 24-13 win over the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, tweeted: "Just like everyone expected: Lions, 49ers and Bills are now a combined 13-2."

Sarcasm is obviously implied, but should it be? Why, in any way, shape, or form, should people by surprised by the Detroit Lions success?

The Buffalo Bills I can see. They have an Ivy League grad playing quarterback, a veteran running back who used to play in the National Indoor Football League and went 4-12 last season. They also had one of the worst defenses last year, giving up more than 26 points per game on average.

However, now they are 4-1. They are a Cinderella story. 

Not the Lions, though. Sure, they weren't good last year, but they had issues. Matthew Stafford was fighting injuries early on, so Shaun Hill was called up to quarterback. When he got hurt, it was Drew Stanton. No team is going to do well with three quarterbacks. Chemistry takes time to develop. Despite this, the Lions were easily one of the most competitive losing teams of 2011.

The Lions have given Detroit, a city filled with Americana, a reason to cheer once again.

Now fast-forward to their 2011 roster. They have a healthy, former first-round quarterback in Stafford. He has a great arm, accuracy and smarts. Perfect. They have the best wide receiver in pro football (nay-sayers need not comment) in Calvin Johnson. They have a dual-threat, former Heisman-candidate running back in Jahvid Best. They also have a huge multi-purpose tight end in Brandon Pettigrew, a veteran wide receiver in Nate Burleson and a young, quick, rookie receiver in Titus Young. That's the offense.

On defense, they have Ndamukong Suh, who is without question one of, if not the best, pass rushers in the game. Along with him they have veteran defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and a now-healthy Nick Fairley, who was the 13th overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. They also have DeAndre Levy and Stephen Tulloch, who have emerged as solid linebackers and are among the league's leaders in tackles. To top it off, Detroit has Chris Houston, who is a bright light in their relatively weak defensive secondary. He leads the league with three interceptions on the year.

So, if someone read you that roster and didn't tell you that it belonged to the Detroit Lions, would you really be surprised they are 5-0?

What the Lions are doing for Detroit is amazing. The city has been crippled in recent years by the economic downturn, and Lord knows the people need a reason to cheer.

Sure, the Lions are a historically bad team, but history is nothing more than stories about old people. Let's put the history behind us and stop acting like we are so shocked the Detroit Lions are so good.

They're no Cinderella story, they are just a stacked football team, and I for one am not at all shocked by their level of success. I'd be shocked if they didn't have the best record in the league.

Oh yeah, and their kicker, Jason Hanson, is a beast, too.