LOL
I have only seen him in one light, with a halo over his head
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I view web news in a general sense but I’ve never had to follow the “breaking news” guys personally because that information is ALWAYS relayed here nearly instantly after it becomes available. We don’t have an issue with people relaying information here, and the people here follow many sources. Typically when something big breaks you will se a thread titled “delete this” because the guy who started the thread 6 minutes after the news broke realizes there are already 2 other threads started on it 4 minutes before he did.
Here are some general things I would want someone to tell me if I were brand new to Lions fandom and this message board:
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The name “Dave Birkett” is one you should know and it carries more weight than just about anyone else who talks about the Lions. He’s not always the first and he’s not always the best. But when he says something it comes from a genuine source he has access to.
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This is a “politics free zone.” Things got really, really heated recently so all political references have been taken off the table. Posts with political references and repeat offenders are removed aggressively.
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We have only won 1 playoff game since 1957. So when you hear “Rebuilding since 1957,” that’s what they are talking about. That was the 1991 Lions. We were a powerhouse thru the 1950’s with several championships. Which leads me to #4.
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We had a QB named Bobby Layne who won several championships for us in the 50’s. His last year ended with a championship in 1957. We traded him after that. When he left he said he cursed us bad luck for the next 50 years. Bobby was a QB from Highland Park High School in Texas. In the 51st year after the curse we drafted a QB from that same high school named Matthew Stafford. If anyone refers to the Curse of Bobby Layne, that’s what they are referencing.
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William Clay Ford bought the team in 1964 and his entire tenure as an owner was a disaster. Don’t think of the Willie as a successful business man because he was rich and had the Ford name. He wasn’t. He was a family member that couldn’t quite fit in at the company in a legit role, so he kind of fell into being the owner of the Lions back when the buy in was cheaper. Willie died in 2014. William made terrible decisions to hire “friends” and people who sounded good when they talked. But his biggest fault was he was WAY too loyal. He hired a former Lions player and radio announcer named Russ Thomas to be the GM. He never won a single playoff game and nearly every season was a losing one. Yet he kept hs job from 1967 to 1989.
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Because of Willie we have a cousin franchise named the Buffalo Bills. Willie and Bills founder Ralph Wilson were good friends. Wilson was actually from Detroit and only took a team in Buffalo because his buddy Willie already owned the Lions. Ralph Wilson still maintained his home in Michigan and that’s where he died. When the Bills needs something we don’t hesitate to help them out. When they needed a place to play a football game in 2014 and again in 2022, we rolled out the red carpet (literally…red…for Bills).
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When Willie died his wife Martha a took over the team. Martha comes from money as well, as her maiden name is Firestone. She has since taken a step back and one of her daughters…Sheila Ford Hamp…now runs the team from the ownership spot.
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Sites that you are going to want to learn if you haven’t already are pro-football-reference.com … overthecap.com and drafthistory.com . We are going to get into some really deep discussions and you will want to know how to navigate the information that’s being thrown out. The first site is for a statistical history of NFL football. The second is for a detailed breakdown of salary cap information. The third is the historical data for every NFL draft pick from every year.
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Whenever you can get in a “that’s what she said” reference…you do it and you go for the jugular!
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That halo is getting brighter, cuz there’s less hair there to downgrade the halo
Welcome dude! As mentioned already, Pride of Detroit, Mlive, Detroit free press or Detroit news are good other places, Pride of Detroit was my go to before I found this site, so you’re already a step ahead!
As far as beat writers, Justin Rogers, Kyle meinke, Dave birkett, jeff Risdon are all pretty darn good. Jeremy Reisman runs POD and I think he also is now a beat writer. I’m forgetting the Athletic beat writers names off the top of my head.
I used to live in Dearborn! Loved it, so much good food and a hop skip and jump from downtown. The wife and I used to go to town on platters from Beirut by Night on Ford rd. There is a ton of great stuff. And there’s also Dearborn Music for all your music needs if that’s your thing too!
But this place is the best place to come. Like everyone has said everything gets posted here just about, often stuff I would never see or think to look for. So you already came to the A#1 best place.
This is an excellent summary! Although just wanted to add one small detail to point #5, WCF also bought the team on the same day as some other historic event in US history… which probably also hasn’t done us any favors in the karma world 
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FUARK I forgot about that!!!
Okay new guy, here’s another nugget of Lions bad omens and foreshadowing the future that I totally forgot to mention. Willie Ford bought the Lions the same day JFK was assasinated.
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Haha you nailed everything else and a couple things I forgot about!
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Toronto
Some obvious things that have been recurring themes here BUT may be behind us given the apparent upward trajectory of the franchise …
After every loss someone starts a “Fire —-!!” thread — whoever the scapegoat of the week is.
After every draft the GM is clueless if he passed on your favourite players
Recurring themes that won’t die:
Any thread that has “QB” in it will invariably turn into a Stafford vs Goff vs Draft a QB thread
If Goff throws a passer rating < 98 he sucks
Given all the information in this thread, you are thoroughly oriented.
Welcome!
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Welcome Toronto. I will also add that if you “can’t get enough of your team”, the Lions website posts all kind of pressers and interviews all the time; coaches, players, mic’d up, etc. They have one of the best video sections I believe in the entire NFL. Whoever is running that ship is running it right.
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Hold on one freaking minute!!! We could have just changed teams we were rooting for? I didn’t know that was an option, and would have been nice to know that during the 0-16 run!
Welcome aboard! You’re signing up at the perfect time… next year we’re winning the Super Bowl!
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ChatGPT is pretty close to the Moon Landing kind of moment, yes?
Average American has No Blocking Idea What I am Talking About.
UP NEXT ON TV’s #1 Show, THE MASKED FARTER, WHO COULD THE DANCING BIDET BE???
Streaming now on Ad Infested because People Can’t afford $9.99/mo FoxNN+
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Welcome @torontofan. your welcome here though it may take a bit of time to get used to all the functions.
Welcome aboard
Before you can truly be a Lions fan you must first watch 6 hours of Barry Sanders highlights. Followed by 3 hours of Calvin Johnson highlights. Then you must watch the best come from behind victories of Matt Stafford.
Lastly you must do this 1000 times.
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if I ever go learn from the monks, I will be sure to research well, BEFORE choosing where to go. LOL
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Let us add that William Clay “Mr. Burns” Ford bought the team within hours, literally, of JFK being assassinated.
So to recap, our best player ever until Barry Sanders showed up, put an actual curse on the team, likely in a drunken haze, which is the state he played a good % of his games in.
The owner decided to not shut things down for the day on 11/23/63 and just went along with his business while the POTUS had his skull blown apart.
The next best player since Layne before Barry Sanders, Billy Sims, was on his way to being the next Walter Payton until he turned his knee into a science experiment. Although Walter Payton probably would have never juked one defender to start a leap onto a second defender, using him as a base to Chuck Norris karate kick a 3rd defender in the face, at face level, then come back down and run a bit more.
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Tonto stopped posting already. I think he’s gone Brown again.
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Did he not even get flagged?
Men were men in 1983…unless they were Boy George.
besides…what could be called? Unneccessary awesomeness?
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We might’ve overwhelmed him lol… but can’t say we weren’t friendly! In fact it turned into a nice rehash of lions history!
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