The worst team in the NFL

By Os Davis  |   Thursday, October 02, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

Detroit Lions
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Talk about a must-win: If ever a victory was needed for morale, this week’s Chicago Bears game is it for the Detroit Lions. Unfortunately, it’s tough to make the case that the Lions will get that ‘W’.

Commentary: In the post-Matt Millen era, pessimism is surely quite unwelcome among a fan base already forward-looking for decades. But hey, folks, let’s be realistic. That realism – unless, of course, the too-soon swaggering Bears come in overconfident, a picture hardly unrealistic – would include a Sunday full of Matt Forte romping, the Lions' offensive line collapsing, Rod Marinelli constantly looking from the sidelines appearing as though he’s trying to figure out this wacky game called football, and a few picks thrown by Jon Kitna followed by his replacement at QB -- who then will probably toss in one or two more for good measure.

It ain’t pretty, but that’s Detroit football these days, isn’t it?

With much of NFL fandom already penciling in the loss, Marinelli already practicing his lines for the post-game press conference (something like “Well, we just have to put it behind us, watch the tape, and get ready for next week"), and Detroit at very least psychologically eliminated from the playoff race, what’s at stake Sunday? How about status as the worst team in the NFL?

Going into last week and Detroit’s merciful bye, the three worst teams, head and shoulders below the crowd, were the Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams and your lovable losing Lions. The Chiefs dug themselves out of with a win over Denver, while the Cincinnati Bengals may have entered the discussion with a most impressive loss against the incredibly underwhelming Cleveland Browns.

In any case, anything short of a multi-touchdown loss by the Rams will certainly hand the Biggest Loser title to the Motor City Kitties. The difference, folks, is caring. Scott Linehan was canned for failing to deliver in his vision for the team; though Jim Haslett is hardly a swell choice (after giving up the most points in the league, Haslett’s ‘D’ is right on pace to match that ranking in 2008; depending on Detroit, that is) for the job, the fact that he immediately replaced Linehan’s silly choice of quarterback gives St. Louis fans some tangible reason for hope.

Sure, Millen’s gone. But not only are the Lions left with his mostly handpicked and undersized players, they’re stuck with a coach whose game plan simply doesn’t work but who insists on going “forward” with it. And after a game coached by Marinelli’s relatives and various underachievers, Detroit fans will get to hear more empty promises while wondering if big daddy Ford really cares at all about this franchise.

Can it get worse? Oh, yes. And it probably will before it gets better.

Fantasy Football Impact: You drafted Calvin Johnson? Sorry about that. P.S. My fantasy team hates everyone who drafted Matt Forte.
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's ...
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