Editor’s Column: The Third Wheel Super Bowl

Congrats to Lions fans! In two weeks, you will be as close as you will probably ever get to experiencing a Super Bowl as a fan.

Are the Lions in the Super Bowl? Not even close, in fact, they are sitting next to the Jaguars as the worst team in the league. A familiar place for the franchise. But luckily, the franchise’s former golden boy, Matthew Stafford, is solidifying his place among the NFL’s elite. Instead of leading the Lions to glory, it is with the Los Angeles Rams.

On March 18, the Lions granted Stafford the sweet release of a trade. A rarity for a franchise that likes to suck the life out of their superstars until they retire early with less fanfare. Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders were probably punching the air when they saw the trade notification pop up.

This trade to the LA Rams not only gave the Rams a potential star QB but also gave Stafford a new lease on life in the NFL. Finally, he would get his shot to prove to everyone that he was better than the Lions had made him out to be.

Still, there were people that doubted him. The Huge Show still has a tweet up from July 14 saying that Jared Goff would have more wins in Detroit than Stafford would in LA. Though the Huge Show has about as much talent at making predictions as I do. (I am the one who put down Ohio State as my pick to win the NCAA tournament.)

It was hilarious to hear everyone say that the Rams were making a mistake trading for this guy as if he has not thrown for the 5th most passing yards in a single season. He also lead the Lions to two playoff berths when the Lions hadn’t been to the playoffs since the 1990s.

It showed that there were people that genuinely believed that Stafford was the problem in Detroit. Some were even so blind as to believe Goff was the better QB out of the two. Both ideas are ludicrous.

The Lions did everything possible to stunt Stafford’s career. From putting him behind patchwork offensive lines to having no running game and only one good receiver to throw to, the Lions consistently shot Stafford in the foot.
And when they finally had a coach that could actually make the team compete with Jim Caldwell?

They got greedy and decided that they were better than a 9-7 team, firing Caldwell with the best win percentage of any Lions head coach since 1972. (.563)

And who did they hire to replace the best head coach they have had since 1972? Some Bill Belichick disciple named Matt Patricia. People really believed that this Belichick follower would make Detroit greater.

As you can imagine, it failed. After firing Jim Caldwell after a 9-7 season, the Lions would win 13 games in the next three years. Patricia would get rid of nearly every talented player the Lions had on the roster and bring in Patriots players instead, alongside Jesse James.

Once the Patricia era came to a predictable end then they brought in Dan Campbell, who I do not dislike, yet they still won only 3 games this season.

I will never forgive the Lions for being so stupid with their team management. From hiring clowns as general managers to hiring jokes at head coach, then firing the only decent one they have had. They have wasted countless players’ careers over my lifetime because of their general ineptitude to put together a competent squad.

Now, Lions fans get to play as third-wheel Rams fans since quarterback Matthew Stafford escaped the clown show that is the Detroit Lions. Because of this, people are going to be partying here in Michigan, even more so if Stafford ends up winning this game.

Lion’s fans should be sympathetic to the plight of Matthew Stafford. An amazing talent whose skills were wasted on mediocrity. Many people grew up watching this QB try to drag the home state team to places that they did not deserve to be. They saw him put his body on the line in a futile attempt at greatness.

Then he finally got a real shot outside of Detroit, and he is flourishing. I am rooting hard for Stafford to win this Super Bowl. It proves that Stafford was not the reason the Lions could not win. The Lions are the reason the Lions cannot win.