Detroit's Last Lions Fan Can Turn Off the Lights on the Way Out

Detroit Lions fans have always been a fiercely loyal bunch, and they've endured a lot.

We've kept watching through the tragically early retirement of Barry Sanders and the ridiculous extension of Matt Millen's contract. From Wayne Fontes to Rod Marinelli, and from Scott Mitchell to Dan Orlovsky and every quarterback in-between. 

Through all of that, through every horrible, aching, heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, losing, embarrassing, tragic, and downright awful moment, we've continued to support this team. We've kept purchasing tickets, we've kept purchasing the jerseys of that new draft pick, and we've kept watching and repeating the "Just wait 'til next year!" mantra.

That is, until today.

The first bit of news to come out of the Lions' front office was long expected: the firing of coach Rod Marinelli. What came next, I don't think even the most pessimistic Lions fan could have seen coming.

William Clay Ford swiftly and inexplicably promoted from within. Tom Lewand, a long-time numbers cruncher with the team was promoted to President of Football Operations. Martin Mayhew will reprise his role as General Manager.

Now, before I get into the questionable mental health of Ford Sr., let me first say that when a team goes 0-16 (and this is reality, folks, the Lions have gone 0-16!) no one, and I mean no one, should be keeping their jobs.

0-16 is something that calls for blowing up the front office on a scale never before seen in the NFL. They need to be calling in nuclear options, here.

Not only did Ford promote long tenured front office personnel who were directly associated with an 0-16 season, he actually retained some remnants of the coaching staff, too! Jim Coletto will, in fact, remain on staff as offensive line coordinator!

This is shocking. This is outrageous.

I can think of only a few explanations. Either William Clay Ford has seriously lost his mind, or he has some kind of personal vendetta against the fans and is trying to punish us. Or he'd rather hire his buddies than people who would be right for the job. 

I'm thinking it must be the latter, and it's truly a betrayal to not only the fans, but to the team as well. Ford would rather hire golf buddies than someone who would clean house and change the dynamic of the franchise.

The most disgusting fact about all of this is that earlier today, Bill Parcells announced that he might be leaving the Miami Dolphins and that he was interested in coming to Detroit.

The Lions didn't so much as perk an ear up or glance in his direction. Scott Pioli was also a possibility, but Ford didn't care to listen.

When you have two of the best minds in football available and interested, and you don't even ask about them, let alone interview them, it can only be defined as insanity. Either one of them would have been a fantastic hire, which is exactly the reason why Ford didn't hire them.

I call into question Ford Sr.'s mental health, because at bare minimum you would think the man cares about making money, right? Well, six out of eight home games were blacked out this season.

In the Lions' last home game, there were over 10,000 empty seats in that stadium. When people stop coming, you need to change. Ford didn't, yet he expects people will flock back. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly, expecting different results.

I love the Lions as much as anyone, and I would have continued supporting this team even after an 0-16 season as long as the Lions followed logic and cleaned house. What actually happened was an act that came from abandoning all logic and reason and betrayed every remaining Lions fan in existence.

In the coming months, we will hear about how Martin Mayhew is the anti-Millen. We will hear about how he's a smart guy who fleeced Dallas in the Roy Williams trade and is a good man to build this team the right way.

In the coming months, we will hear about how the Lions acquired some great players with "real football character" in the 2009 draft. We will probably hear about how (insert star quarterback here) is going to be a bona fide star in this league who will lead a Lions resurgence, restore the roar, and all that good stuff.

In the coming months, we will hear about how (insert coach here) is the right man for the job and how he's going to give us a team we can be proud of. We'll hear how he and Mayhew are "on the same page" and that they're going to erase the stain of 0-16.

Don't buy it. Don't buy any of it. Nothing will change. William Clay Ford assured us of that today.

Martin Mayhew might be a smart guy, and he might have learned from Millen's mistakes, but he was still in the draft room with him for all those years and his influence was still felt on this team. Truthfully, honestly, he should have been fired today.

The draft? I promise you, I promise you, that the Lions are going to take that No. 1 overall pick in the draft and blow it on a quarterback. Why? Because there is always hope in the next young quarterback, because a new quarterback means people will watch, buy jerseys, and purchase tickets.

Don't do it.

That quarterback will have no protection and no surrounding talent. Even if he does have flashy numbers, the defense is still dead-last in the league and devoid of talent.

A new coach? What does it matter?

Anyone that comes in here is going to have to deal with this team that is devoid of talent, and a Millen protégé will be depended on to build it anew.

Are you feeling the faith?

What can you do?

You can do what I'm going to do: walk away. Turn your back on this franchise. It's dead.

I briefly toyed with the idea of becoming a Chicago Bears fan. In my area, I would still get to watch all their games, the conversion wouldn't be that hard. Then I started thinking, and I remembered Barry Sanders.

Barry Sanders could have switched teams. He could have played and started for any team in the league, and he would have been welcomed with open arms, but he didn't. He retired. He walked away, and he turned his back on this franchise.

We should do what Barry Sanders did.

Find something else to do with your Sundays, Lions fans; there's a whole world out there, with three other major sports to watch. We'll lead happier lives too without the heavy burden of being fans of this franchise to weigh us down and decide our moods for the week.

Nothing will change until William Clay Ford is no longer making decisions for this franchise, and so I will return only when Ford Sr. steps down. I will sever all emotional attachment to this team and stop watching and living vicariously through them.

I will not purchase anything Lions-related. I will hang my Barry Sanders jersey up in my closet and leave it be. I will not watch another game or entertain the thought of purchasing tickets.

I encourage you all to do the same. Perhaps then William Clay Ford will become so embarrassed as the empty seats continuously mount and this franchise loses value, that he will finally realize he is the inept owner that he is.

Until then, I will be waiting, and I hope I won't be alone. Just be sure to tell the last Lions fan to turn off the lights on the way out.