I’m in my 50’s and have never enjoyed true success with the lions, as I suspect most non-boomer fans can relate. We had a few good seasons but no structural success was ever built into the team….that is until now.

This team feels different and I suspect this mostly has to do with MCDC, BH, and SFH. This is what gave me hope last year for this year’s season, and they have met expectations…mostly.

That is why the games since the Ravens have been so disheartening. It is enormously frustrating to see a team struggle against inferior teams when they can do better. It’s a let down. We know this team is different. We know they can succeed, but for some reason they can’t help but get in their own way, whether it’s offense, defense, and more likely, coaching.

In the past, watching the lions was kind of a masochistic affair. I enjoyed the game but when they lost it was SOL. Now? It hurts. It hurts because the organization is a real team…top to bottom and they’ve given this city and it’s fans REAL hope.

We want them to succeed so badly because it’s been so long since this city and fans have enjoyed anything positive. Detroit and southeast Michigan are full of awesome people and great history. But we’ve been the punching bag for the rest of the nation. Whether it’s being the poster child of urban blight and decline, or high crime and unemployment, or simply being has-beens that aren’t worthy of anything good, this city has endured endless ridicule and humiliation on a national level.

And I’m tired of it. That is why the lion’s shortcomings are so much more hard to take right now.

That being said, I do think this team embodies the best of this city and state. I believe we will make it there if we stay the course, maybe with a few tweaks and adjustments. In the end, I know I will be completely done with this team if they lose their focus and revert to SOL. But for now, I have faith in them and belief that Detroit’s best days are ahead of her.

  • AWizardofEarthSeaBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    I’m an older fan like the OP. I’ve watched this team for decades. For most of us, we’ve had incredible patience. We are the ones that were shunned because we supported the Lions in the bad times. We continued to fill their stadiums when they were absolute garbage. We would fill their coffers just because of Calvin or Barry.

    And we were the best, and the worst, fandom, in all of the NFL. The addicts who couldn’t put down the bad stuff.

    But now we’re in a new era and aren’t really sure how to react. We’ve got a really good team that’s not quite to the brink of a championship level yet.

    I know I’ve let myself get caught up in all the hype. All the stuff I read online and see on TV. I’m just gonna try and dial it back to my off-season expectations and hope we can win the division and maybe a playoff game. I know there’s a lot more good things to come.