Lions, then and now

By Os Davis  |   Thursday, May 11, 2006  |  Comments( 3 )

Detroit Lions
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!
Detroit Lions head coach Rod "Almighty" Marinelli may be a new guy, but he already carries the weight of a long and often painful history that has been Detroit football for fifty years.

Forty-nine years ago, to be exact, marked the last time the Lions took the NFL Championship. 1957 was the year of the third championship won by those silver-and-blue squads of the 1950s, dominant teams featuring seven Hall of Famers. Since then, the Motor City has seen twenty years of mostly .500 teams (the 1960s and 70s, with the exception of 1962 and their NFL third-best 11-3); the rise of fall of the last Lions QB to be named All-Pro, Greg Landry; the brilliant but ultimately unsatisfying career of Barry Sanders; the head coach shuffle of the 00s; and of course, Joey Harrington. Such futility caused ESPN to name them one of the most pitiable franchises in all of sports, representing the NFL along with the Arizona Cardinals. Enough said.

Yet things are optimistic in Detroit. And while it is ridiculously premature to compare these Lions with the immortal 1950s teams (after all, they're probably a couple of years away from competing with Chicago for the NFC North title), what else is early preseason for, aside from mad bantering, frivolous chatter and fanciful comparison?

Hall of Famers from the 1956 Lions include QB Bobby Layne; halfback Doak Walker; offensive linemen Lou Creekmur and Harley Sewell; linebacker Joe Schmidt; DT Darris McCord; and the awesome secondary combination of CBs Jack Christiansen, Yale Lary and Jim David.

This year's Detroit Lions will also be mean and lean in the secondary, due to Marinelli's preference for the modified Cover 2 scheme devised over on Chuckie Gruden's Tampa Bay teams. Dré Bly bolsters the secondary for today's Lions. Bly tied his career high six interceptions last season (despite wrist surgery) and the two-time Pro Bowler was named second-teamer last year. Jamar Fletcher was acquired from San Diego to pump up the DB corps, and Lions fans have got to be hoping that what appears to be Fletcher's inexorable rise continues; with steady improvement, this guy will be noticed. Eight-year man Fernando Bryant seeks to be back to his consistent starting form after two years of nagging injuries. On top of this solid corps, Millen, Marinelli and company added free safety/strong safety Daniel "Never Mind the" Bullocks, a guy who has really captured Coach's imagination; Bullocks would be the Christiansen of this team.

Darris McCord's parallel is no doubt No. 1 draft pick Ernie Sims. McCord actually debuted with the team in 1955 and came into his own in the sophomore year. McCord is typically noted for his "speed and agility" at his prime playing measurements of 6'4" and 245 pounds. Even by the standards of those days, Sims is small at 5'11" and 221, but then again, he would also be blindingly quick next to the old timers.

1950's Lions knew the secrets of the offensive line and thus built a mighty one with Creekmur and Sewell. As for the 2006 Lions' OL...well, every team has a weakness. Losing OT Kyle Kosier in the early free-agent signing period was a bad sign. Sure, franchise player Jeff Backus (6'5", 305) reminds old timers of a bigger Creekmur (6'4", 255), but he's got little support. Several sources say that Bobby Layne and Doak Walker (who, like Sanders, retired in his prime) owe their notoriety in part to Creekmur.

As for today's Layne and Walker, let's say that no one will mistake (tentatively) Jon Kitna and Kevin Jones for Hall of Famers; there is little chance that this team will be number 2 in points scored like their counterparts of fifty years ago.

Oh, and the 1950s version of Marinelli was Buddy Parker. In Parker's first full season as coach in 1951, he took a shoddy team of 4-8 two years previous and made them a 7-4-1 contender. He then began to build the dominant force of the 50s NFL; Marinelli (promises Millen) has been given carte blanche powers in the creation of his team. Marinelli is a rookie coach who was seven years old in 1956, a slate clean of the losing era of Detroit and, like Parker's rookie year, a new beginning for the team.
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (3)

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...
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report
CommentsComments: 3  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
James Dennis		02:41 PM
05/13/2006
I've waited 53 years to see a contender. Every year I am dissapointed but still keep hoping. I am a true Lions fan. I don't know...
No.2
Os		12:10 PM
05/14/2006
Y'know, Mr. Dennis, since i've been covering the Lions for RealFootball, i'm more and more optimistic about this team's chances....
No.3
Duncan Judson		08:09 PM
05/24/2006
There are two issues in Detroit that are critical. The mental game has suffered terribly in Detroit. It is sad to see poor...
Team News  |  View All Lions Content
Ndamukong Suh ready to roll...
After serious negotiations, National Football League 2010 second draft...
1 year, 5 months ago   |   Ndamukong Suh ready to roll for Lions in 2010 NFL season ( 0 )
Stafford Loses First Start…D...
As the first week of the season comes to a close, the second most talk...
2 years, 4 months ago   |   Stafford Loses First Start…Duh! ( 0 )
New unis, new logo, same old...
The unis have a sleeker look. The logo looks a little more menacing....
2 years, 6 months ago   |   New unis, new logo, same old results for Lions ( 0 )
Whatever you do, Lions fans,...
“Rod Marinelli won’t quit on 0-4 Lions” – article headline, ESPN.com,...
3 years, 4 months ago   |   Whatever you do, Lions fans, don’t look at the schedule ( 2 )
The worst team in the NFL
Talk about a must-win: If ever a victory was needed for morale, this w...
3 years, 4 months ago   |   The worst team in the NFL ( 2 )