LADIES & GENTLEMEN, I GIVE YOU THE WORST FRANCHISE IN PRO SPORTS
Drew Sharp, Detroit Free Press Columnist
The ball hung in the air, seemingly forever.
The perfect throw for the perfect prayer answered.
Green Bay got an extra play after the game clock struck 0:00 due to an idiotic Detroit defensive penalty. Aaron Rodgers got one more chance. He escaped the Lions’ defensive pressure, scrambled to his right and catapulted a throw more than 60 yards into a growing scrum in the Lions’ end zone.
Inexplicably, the Lions only had safety Glover Quin camped near the goal line.
Where was the 6-foot-5 Calvin Johnson?
Somebody positioned in front of any potential Packers receivers to contest the pass. Instead, Green Bay tight end Richard Rodgers found himself in front of the defense when gravity finally brought down Aaron Rodgers’ lunar launch of a Hail Mary.
Of course, he came down with the game-winning pass.
It’s the Lions. They can’t simply lose. They must find the most emotionally torturous way to kiss away a game that should’ve been theirs. Johnson’s knees collapsed as he stood on the sideline watching the play unfold, incredulous that a 20-0 Lions’ lead midway through the third quarter could result in a 27-23 loss.
“I don’t have the words to explain this,” safety Glover Quin said afterwards, a blank stare enveloping his face.
How about these words? Inexcusable. Pathetic. Damning.
“All I saw was the dude catching the ball,” said cornerback Darius Slay. “Limited words. I don’t know what to say. I’m just in shock mode. It is what it is.”
And for the third time this season involving a local team, the victor didn’t claim its first lead until the game clock read 0:00.
Michigan State beat Michigan, 27-23 in October. The Spartans beat Ohio State, 17-14 just 12 days ago. And now the Packers stunned the Lions.
“Man, I’m still in shock,” said Golden Tate. “I really don’t know how to feel about what just happened. That’s crazy, but it just shows the game is not over until there are zero seconds on the clock and even sometimes then, it’s not over. It’s tough to swallow.”
The Lions have only themselves to blame for this loss. Don’t blame the officiating. There was the standard immediate post-game response that the officials potentially erred throwing a personal foul face mask penalty on Lions’ defensive end Devin Taylor. Replays suggested Taylor got more of Aaron Rodgers’ shoulder pads than his face mask on what should’ve been the last play of the game – a failed multiple lateral attempt.
But it was a dumb play on Taylor’s part. There was no reason for him lunging high on the quarterback, especially considering how much the officials protect the quarterback. But that still shouldn’t have been a fatal mistake.
Jim Caldwell didn’t think it was a penalty
“But (just) because you don’t think it was or I don't think it was, it was called.” Caldwell said. “So therefore, it is (a penalty). And we’ve just got to find a way to make the play.”
Perhaps something encouraging could emerge from this collapse. The loss mercifully silenced the nonsense that the Lions were still a playoff contender following a three-game winning streak. Their inability to score more than 20 points in three quarters kept Green Bay closer than necessary. It underscored the principal insufficiencies. There’s enough talent to offer satisfying, yet teasing glimpses of competence. But there isn’t enough good talent, nor enough good coaching to maintain good execution over extended periods of time.
An explosive first quarter (17 points) soon fizzled. An aggressive defense that regularly hounded and harassed Aaron Rodgers through the first half soon weakened.
Perhaps something this embarrassing will impress upon owner Martha Firestone Ford to further swing a machete through the front office and the locker room. Her impatience was widely hailed when she fired team president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew last month.
A new, exciting narrative emerged. Unlike her late husband, she wouldn’t passively sit back and wait for favorable results. There was an impulsiveness with her missing from William Clay Ford, Sr. There was a seething anger rising to the surface that bonded her with the longtime frustrated fans. Perhaps there was finally someone in the Ford family capable of bringing forth the radically sweeping change that this franchise has needed for decades.
But there’s even more anger fomenting following this loss. The blown 20-point third quarter lead should sting more than the 61-yard Hail Mary with no time left. It should remind Mrs. Ford that she shouldn’t fool herself with how her football team finishes its final four games. Dramatic changes must come.
The perfect throw for the perfect prayer answered.
Green Bay got an extra play after the game clock struck 0:00 due to an idiotic Detroit defensive penalty. Aaron Rodgers got one more chance. He escaped the Lions’ defensive pressure, scrambled to his right and catapulted a throw more than 60 yards into a growing scrum in the Lions’ end zone.
Inexplicably, the Lions only had safety Glover Quin camped near the goal line.
Where was the 6-foot-5 Calvin Johnson?
Somebody positioned in front of any potential Packers receivers to contest the pass. Instead, Green Bay tight end Richard Rodgers found himself in front of the defense when gravity finally brought down Aaron Rodgers’ lunar launch of a Hail Mary.
Of course, he came down with the game-winning pass.
It’s the Lions. They can’t simply lose. They must find the most emotionally torturous way to kiss away a game that should’ve been theirs. Johnson’s knees collapsed as he stood on the sideline watching the play unfold, incredulous that a 20-0 Lions’ lead midway through the third quarter could result in a 27-23 loss.
“I don’t have the words to explain this,” safety Glover Quin said afterwards, a blank stare enveloping his face.
How about these words? Inexcusable. Pathetic. Damning.
“All I saw was the dude catching the ball,” said cornerback Darius Slay. “Limited words. I don’t know what to say. I’m just in shock mode. It is what it is.”
And for the third time this season involving a local team, the victor didn’t claim its first lead until the game clock read 0:00.
Michigan State beat Michigan, 27-23 in October. The Spartans beat Ohio State, 17-14 just 12 days ago. And now the Packers stunned the Lions.
“Man, I’m still in shock,” said Golden Tate. “I really don’t know how to feel about what just happened. That’s crazy, but it just shows the game is not over until there are zero seconds on the clock and even sometimes then, it’s not over. It’s tough to swallow.”
The Lions have only themselves to blame for this loss. Don’t blame the officiating. There was the standard immediate post-game response that the officials potentially erred throwing a personal foul face mask penalty on Lions’ defensive end Devin Taylor. Replays suggested Taylor got more of Aaron Rodgers’ shoulder pads than his face mask on what should’ve been the last play of the game – a failed multiple lateral attempt.
But it was a dumb play on Taylor’s part. There was no reason for him lunging high on the quarterback, especially considering how much the officials protect the quarterback. But that still shouldn’t have been a fatal mistake.
Jim Caldwell didn’t think it was a penalty
“But (just) because you don’t think it was or I don't think it was, it was called.” Caldwell said. “So therefore, it is (a penalty). And we’ve just got to find a way to make the play.”
Perhaps something encouraging could emerge from this collapse. The loss mercifully silenced the nonsense that the Lions were still a playoff contender following a three-game winning streak. Their inability to score more than 20 points in three quarters kept Green Bay closer than necessary. It underscored the principal insufficiencies. There’s enough talent to offer satisfying, yet teasing glimpses of competence. But there isn’t enough good talent, nor enough good coaching to maintain good execution over extended periods of time.
An explosive first quarter (17 points) soon fizzled. An aggressive defense that regularly hounded and harassed Aaron Rodgers through the first half soon weakened.
Perhaps something this embarrassing will impress upon owner Martha Firestone Ford to further swing a machete through the front office and the locker room. Her impatience was widely hailed when she fired team president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew last month.
A new, exciting narrative emerged. Unlike her late husband, she wouldn’t passively sit back and wait for favorable results. There was an impulsiveness with her missing from William Clay Ford, Sr. There was a seething anger rising to the surface that bonded her with the longtime frustrated fans. Perhaps there was finally someone in the Ford family capable of bringing forth the radically sweeping change that this franchise has needed for decades.
But there’s even more anger fomenting following this loss. The blown 20-point third quarter lead should sting more than the 61-yard Hail Mary with no time left. It should remind Mrs. Ford that she shouldn’t fool herself with how her football team finishes its final four games. Dramatic changes must come.
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