Usually, it's clear by second quarter of the Lions annual Thanksgiving Day game. There is no NFL franchise in Detroit.
Barry Sanders has been gone since 1998, but even then, there was no NFL franchise. There was an NFL player -- one of the greatest of all time -- but no team. Over the past 10 or 20 or 30 years -- depending on how old you are -- you can call the Detroit Lions a lot of things. But not an NFL franchise.
But you know, Detroiters play fantasy football, too. And that's fun. But we've always known there was more. On Sundays we peep NFL teams on television, like an adolescent boy peeps pretty girls on the beach. We know there's an Edenic garden of football delights out there that we've yet to enter into. What if I had me one of them, we think.
Finally, last night, it became official. Detroit has an NFL franchise. The Detroit Lions. Ever heard of them?
The 4-0 start was a lot of fun. Last week we saw a full-blown Tony Romo collapse, and that was almost enough to make it official. If Tony Romo blows it against you, you must be an NFL team.
But here it was last night, in all its glory -- Monday Night. Division rival. At home.
The hearts of the city sank last night when Nelson Cruz crushed a meek Ryan Perry fastball for a grandslam in Texas, putting the Tigers season on the brink. But then we flip the channel, and there it is: an NFL franchise.
We swtich over to football just in time to see the Bears second false start penalty. Look promising. And then it happens: within a couple minutes more Calvin Johnson has run straight past the entire Bears defense. Matthew Stafford hits him in stride. Megatron stiff-arms a Bears defender to the ground. Touchdown Lions. Welcome to the NFL, Detroit.
The Lions defensive line dazzled and dominated for four quarters. Stafford was nearly flawless -- making the throws he needed to, and not making the throws he shouldn't. You know -- a real live NFL quarterback.
And Lions fans went berzerk. The Bears offensive line commited nine false start penalties -- the Lions D-Line savaged Jay Cutler on damn near every pass attempt, as Ford Field roared with a stadium full of folks who were so rabidly joyous they literally didn't know what to do with themselves.
Through the Wayne Fontes years, the Barry Sanders retirement, the Silverdome. Through the Scott Mitchell years, the Joey Harrington years, the Gus Frerrote years. Through Rod Marinelli, through Marty Mornhinweig, through Matt Millen -- Lions fans dutifully trudged out and watched the home games. Sometimes in protest. Sometimes with the paper bags over heads. It wasn't out of loyalty to the team so much, because there was no team. Lions fans kept showing up out of loyalty to the hope that one day there could be a team. A real NFL team.
Usually, when a city gets a new NFL franchise it's because it was "awarded" to them. But not the Lions. Detroit earned this one. Enjoy it, folks.
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