Exactly this
Until we win a playoff game or the Division we are the SOL no matter how much Blue Koolaid gets guzzled here
We are the SOL until we aren’t not just until people “feel good about the direction” they think we are heading
PROVE this isn’t the SOL Dan. Win something that matters
SOL is dead.
Long live VL
No, not at all. It’s going to take a lot more than a 3 win season and a lot of off-season fluff to heal 30+ years (my Lions fandom) of Lions fan scar tissue.
Sure they “seem” to be headed on the right track and there’s some players I’m excited about (as well as the coaches) but…Show Me The Money.
With that said, I’m pumped for Sunday. Interested to see what these guys bring. I think they’ll give the Eagles a tussle if nothing else.
I just found out that the game will be showed here locally (New York) probably due to Philly’s proximity which is a rare treat for me to see the Lions on Fox so… LFG and may they extinguish SOL.
Oof, thanks for bringing up that memory. That was probably the most hopeful I was as a Lions fan, I thought Mooch was the next great coach although I was a lot less cynical back then so it was easier for me to chug that Honolulu blue Kool aid. The Win Killer Ms Mariucci, Morininweg, Marinelli, (anger rises) Millen beat the hope out of me, still haven’t recovered.
The Killer Ms were banished from my conscious memory until you rekindled it. I was primed to hate Ms, so Mayhew got some of that from me, much more than he deserved.
I don’t think I will put my fist through a wall this season at least, so that’s good.
The biggest difference in my culture is I feel like we can finally beat good teams again. We haven’t really had that in a long time. We may only win 6-7 games but we can beat a team like Buffalo during the season.
Dan’s message is resonating in my ears.
It’s not Kool-Aid. I know exactly what that deceiving, bitter taste of blue hope tastes like. This is not it.
It’s not a “hope we win” on Sunday.
It’s “you better bring your best or we will whoop that ass up and down the field” on Sunday.
Maybe the OP was a little to rah-rah. I get it…a bit much.
But the original point still stands - Dan’s message to his team has also changed MY mindset as a fan. I don’t fear any team in the NFL, no matter what roster of talent we field on Sunday.
The Lions are clearly a team on the rise but that really hasn’t changed my culture at all. I still sit in front of the big screen with a brew and pizza. If they win some more games, maybe I’ll upgrade to Mellow Mushroom. How’s that for a culture change?
Great post OP! Regardless of whether on not the sentiment is agreed upon, it’s posts and thoughts like this one that make forums worth reading.
Too many one to ten word “thought bubble” posts which often function like w group text. We all have buddies who love football, Lions football, but few to the depth and commitment of the Den brothers…
To answer your question-
My expectations have always been the same, which is why I stay more positive than most…. I never expect too much…. I’ve got tons of buddies, family, and employees that have attended most universities you can imagine. My best friends wife is a Clemson grad, one of my sales reps and close friends is an OSU grad. They both “EXPECT” to win every game, every year- kind of like Our guys said on Hard Knocks…. OSU had guys sit in the Rose Bowl for crying out loud.
Michigan fans (like me) celebrated winning the OSU game almost like it was a National Championship- and no one I knew, not even Alumni thought they would challenge Georgia…
Winning Franchises-
Lakers, Celtics, Warriors, Bulls… we are talking LA, Boston, SF, and Chicago….
Yankees, Cardinals, Red Sox, Dodgers, Athletics, Giants…
New England, Pittsburgh, SF, Dallas, NYG, GB…
Let’s face it most championships are being won in states with warm weather, or massive media markets, or both….no state income tax helps too in recent years as free agency progresses.
The Steelers, Packers, and Cardinals are the outliers… and frankly we have had more than our share given the Tigers, Wings, and Pistons have brought us 7 parades in the last 40 years….
When will it be then Lions time? We need lightning in a bottle…. And we sure are overdue for it!
2021- on this day one best players were Ragnow, Okwara, Hock, Swift, and hopefully Sewell…. That was likely the weakest top 4 in the league!
2022- I would say our best players are Sewell, Ragnow, Hutch, ASB, Jamo, Swift, Hock…. and I won’t be shocked it Harris has a better year this year than Okwara did in 20’…. I also won’t be shocked to see Goff have a top 10-12 QB season, and that’s about what we got from Stafford most years.
If we stay healthy-ish…. We win 7-10 games. I predict the rams for 11-6 or worse.
Picking #13 and #25 could easily land us an elite DT and a top safety…. A LB in 2, and an OG in 3 and this team could now have 10-11 names on that elite players list.
Once half the team are 70 plus PFF graded guys. You win
Ehhhhh my fan culture is still very much wait and see
After over 50 years of misery, they have to give me more than some koolaid.
And I always predict lofty goals with my heart, but in my mind I hear reality.
Give us some championships. We all want it to happen.
I have geek juice running down my chin in anticipation of kickoff Sunday.
But, and i mean BUTT, if the Lions finish last in the NFCN again, I’m done. I will watch Premier League Soccer instead.
I’ve been watching a ton of PL since it’s been on peacock. Fantastic product. Exciting, great tension, no ads. An absolute blast to follow.
New England? Pittsburgh? Seattle? Denver? Indianapolis? Philadelphia? Green Bay? New York?
I will claim that warm weather might be a detriment in the NFL. Chicago gets there. Minnesota has gotten damned close. There is no reason Detroit can’t compete for the title.
Add KC to your list
Baltimore too
I thought about KC. Forgot about Baltimore. KC has some brutal weather sometimes. Not warm weather at all.
You won’t go from MCDC juice down your chin to walking away cold turkey. See you next year.