Of course everyone knows about the Detroit Lions' 0-16 season. There wasn't a week that went by this year that some sports talking head didn't mention it. And with good reason, they were the first team to do so. Not the first team to go without a win in a season, that would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, just the first to go 0-16. This year was great for the Lions as they went 10-6 and made it to the playoffs. They played last night and were bested by the better team, the New Orleans Saints. Going in, there was a small part of me that believed they could pull it off, but for the most part, I knew that they were major underdogs. My wife put it best with this: 'Your heart wanted them to win, but your brain knew better.' And it's true, if I were to have bet on the game, I would have gone with New Orleans. It was a good season and they have come a long way from three years ago going 0-16. The bar has been set for years to come with this playoff berth and it reminds me of one other team.
The Detroit Tigers in 2006 started playing unconscious baseball in October and made it to the World Series only to lose to St. Louis. Three years prior to the World Series, they put up the most losses by an American League team in the history of baseball. After 2006, Tigers fans have expectations that their team will make it to the post season. They got that taste and now want it every year. They were close for several years before getting back this year. It use to be that if the Tigers won half of the games during the year it was successful. Now, making it to the playoffs is a successful year. If the playoff runs continue, how long before making it to the World Series is considered normal and expected?
The Lions might be on the same path. Their fans have tasted the playoffs for the first time since 1999 and even though they didn't win, it was a successful season. The fans will want postseason play every year now. It is going to be very difficult for them to make the playoffs every year because they play in a conference with Green Bay (same division) and New Orleans, two very tough teams built to go to the Super Bowl every year. The Tigers have an advantage because they are on top of their division and built to stay there for some time.
There is a shorter season in the NFL, so mistakes are more glaring than during the MLB season. Going through a six or seven game losing streak in baseball can be recoverable, not in football. A three game losing skid can derail a team's playoff hopes. If the Lions continue to stay healthy, draft smart, beat the teams they are suppose to beat (and beat one or two that they aren't suppose to) they will continue to make their fan base happy.
Seven and eight wins in a season is not going to be the rule anymore for the Lions. Nine or ten wins will be. Making the playoffs is a good start and a good turn around for the franchise and it'll do for a few years, but it will only be a matter of time before just making the playoffs won't be enough. The fans will want wins. One win, then two, then a conference championship. And who knows, eventually they will make a run to the Super Bowl.
And win.
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