Detroit sports talk guys are saying Lions have to go to a Superbowl before they’ll stop saying SOL!
Have we been so traumatized that the Lions have to be The Best before we stop believing they’re the worst or conversely that if they just get to .500 we declare they’re the Brand New Lions.
Everyone has their horror stories or hope stories.
What is the reality here?
They are right, unfortunately. Anyone who witnessed the 90’s Lions going on a 7 game tear to make the playoffs, only to get DESTROYED in the wildcard by Rodney Peete and the Eagles knows and understands.
SOL will not die until they reach the Super Bowl
Too me SOL was the inability to put a management and coaching team in place that could build a franchise from the ground up in a sustainable manner. I think we finally have that. I am sure the team will have ups and downs over the years but I have confidence that most of the decisions will not be knee jerk but well thought out and good for the long term for the franchise. This is not the SOL’s.
SOL isn’t because they’ve never been to a Super Bowl. It’s a disturbing blend of, “Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” and a steady stream of embarrassing seasons since 1995.
I do think some of us are overly optimistic, myself included, but that’s more of a reaction to the beginning of the season and the vast improvement we’ve seen over a short period of time. What’s not to love?
I’ll be ready to put a fork in SOL if they can continue this strong play through the remainder of this season, and next, with at least one playoff win.
I think that’s pretty key, what you touched on with a playoff win. Achieving something done only once since 1963 is pretty special. However, I think that only makes SOL go dormant, not extinct. The 91 squad made it to the NFC Championship game, but SOL refused to die and came back stronger than ever.
SOL is ingrained deeply into the fan base and is like a carving in the trunk of a tree. IMO, a Super Bowl appearance MIGHT do the trick, but a Super Bowl victory is the only wooden stake for this vampire mantra that sucks the joy out of young fans and turns them into @BitterSyd 
This right here, if they finish strong (say 2-1) and carry this momentum to next year with a 10-12 win season and playoff win then put a fork in it.
It’s comical that this is coming from Detroit sports talk guys because it’s arguable that the only group that has been historically worse than the Detroit Lions has been Detroit sports talk guys.
B N L!!!
So you are saying it is still the Same Old Lions Sports Talk Guys? SOLSTG
I think that’s true in this context.
The Lions did a mostly poor job of drafting during the Schwartz era.
The first round picks did well, but other than Stafford (and Suh to a lesser extent because he left), it wasn’t sustainable. For example, Delmas and Best both flashed early as extremely talented rookies, but they only lasted about 2 seasons before injuries diminished Delmas’s effectiveness and Best’s career was over.
However, the later round picks were largely non-existent. Too many Jason Foxes, Amari Spieveys, etc., taken in the mid-rounds who literally contributed nothing.
The Holmes-Campbell regime is different. They’re getting substantial contributions from most of the draft picks over the past two seasons, especially those from 2022. It’s remarkable and refreshing and definitely not SOL.
For it to be sustainable, we just need these guys to stay healthy. If they do, I don’t think we will see the SOL rear its’ head.
The thing is, no matter what we think, this question will answer itself, one way or the other.
That quote is one my dad taught me as a kid in regards to the Lions - “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.”
SOL is many things, roundly described as ineptitude/blowing it. Choking away winnable games, or going on a losing streak when the playoffs are in reach are just two versions of it. Bad drafting is another. I have come to expect that the Lions will mess it up, some how or some way. SOL will be dead to me when I can consistently have faith in the team and its management.
This year has been encouraging, and this team has been downright fun in the second half of the season. I believe in this group for right now.
But unfortunately I am not there yet emotionally. If we blow a big game, I know I will have to fight that SOL feeling. I hope I get out of the pit soon!
Most of those guys aren’t from Detroit.
That sounds like something Valenti would say. He’s a New Yorker.
I’d love to get at least playoff win this year, then, when they are done (hopefully after their superbowl win) They should plant a big SOL flag on the 50 yard line at Ford Field, invite fans in to watch and burn that bad boy to the ground.
Far from dead.
The layering of SOL has been layered like an Eisenhower interstate over the decades. A solid part of the NFL upon opening. Then age arose, like most everything without proper maintenance. Haphazardly rebuilt, rinse & repeat created a nightmare scenario.
Finally, a complete rebuild was in order, long failed structure and integrity laid to rest. It is a long process to fix the woes of decades of neglect. Fast forward to today, the bedrock has been rebuilt and a solid base installed. Taking two years to just get to this point.
Now the finishing touches are being installed and all is looking good. With all this being said, I will concider SOL dead when we get through the first winter and see if potholes appear.
I’m a believer…
THIS!
ridiculous notion.
SOL died with WCF, fellas.
Literally everything has been shifting since Sheila took over…
She put forth muuuch More effort with the Patricia hire, sought outside help. Even with muuuch more energetic expenditure and effort, it wasn’t nearly enough.
So…next time around, in comes the office LB’r, whose brother was a GM!
Lots more effort
Much more sense of urgency
Much more direct involvement
Much more support
Much more hands on
Love Sheila!
Its Rico Beard specifically who said that they gotta be in the SB before he can retire it.
I think this isn’t the SOL just because of Sheila, Brad, Dan and Ben.
I believe in each more than I’ve believed in any Lions Owner, GM, or Coach in my lifetime.
This is the right regime. They’ll have ups and downs since they’re ALL new at their roles. But if we stick with this crew SOL is dead.