Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
It really did happen. So bad, that it generated
a "reel feeling" from me, because it is just too real to not write about:
Bad is 6-10, 5-11, 4-12. Very bad is 3-13, 2-14, 1-15.
But "bad" or even "brutal" would not be sufficient enough to describe what was witnessed this year from the performances of the Detroit Lions. In their 75th year of existence, they performed lower than all expansions teams, then all bad teams, then even the all time losing teams of losing teams.
"Bad", "Brutal", and even "Losers" just aren't the words to label this inept amalgamation of freight.
"Utter rubbish" is what they are. "Utter rubbish" is what 0-16 is.
Rookie running back Kevin Smith was one of the few players Lions fans could be proud of, but when you are apart of the mess, you make the mess as well:
Smith decided it was in his best interest to taunt on the field in the 4th quarter. A player, on an 0-15 team, with a chance to go 0-16, taunting?
That's more idiotic than not wanting to kiss your spouse after you said, "I do."
And what do you know? That taunting led to a penalty being called on him, hurting the chances of a miracle win. On the next play, the very next play, Dan Orlovsky (blessed his soul too, because he tried as hard as he could, he really did) threw an interception to Nick Collins to basically bring out columns such as this one trying to comprehend the collage of terrible an 0-16 team can actually produce.
"It was a very bad, selfish decision," Smith said. "I let my emotions get the best of me. It was tough, but it is no excuse."
And believe it or not, there was one truly outstanding performer for this team. But really, what does that even mean to him?
"It's surreal to be 0-16 with guys you care about; guys that I've seen work hard," he said. "I've seen years past where we've had better records and we've been way worse, but who cares? Nobody cares. All of us have our names on this."
Read the full version on The Reel Feel, as I go over there and read it again myself, still in disbelief that this actually happened.
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