I’m not a football fan, but I thought I’d post this joke, which will likely be new to exactly no one in this thread. I saw it on the signboard for some business here in Cincinnati:
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Owen.
Owen who?
0-8.
Until that moment, I had no idea the Bengles were so bad this year. Yikes.
Owen Eight!
HA!
Love it.
Looks like the Lionesses are still in the running. Go Daytwah!
Yes please take the number one overall pick away from us, otherwise Mike Brown will draft another running back! Plus, Detroit needs receivers!
OK guys- I don’t want to Jinx it, but I think the Lions have a solid shot at running the table. Not only do they stink, but their remaining schedule is legitimately tough.
Tennessee
Minnesota
@Indy
New Orleans
@Green Bay
The only thing in their favor is that 3 of the last 5 are home games.
Hopefully after this season they can rinse the stink of Matt Millen off their organization.
if the lions run the table im getting an owen jersey with 16 as my number
Home field does not have impact on the Lions. They used to have an advantage at the Silverdome but Ford Field does not work for us. We act like renters.
Home games are no longer televised. Somehow the league thinks depriving the home fans of the chance to watch the debacles will make them go away. Sports talk radio is ugly. There is almost no one who has kept a sliver of hope.
We need to hire a new GM. How many are available that start with M? That appears to be our main criterion.
GM =Millan
Last 4 coaches
Marinelli
Mariucci
Morninhweg
Moeller
Moeller was the only keeper in the bunch.
I’ve let my own thread lie fallow too long.
Now, with only three games left to go in this magical season, we have but one contender for the title of Owen Sixteen. But what a contender it is! The Detroit Lions have the worst scoring defense and second worst yards defense in the league, combined with one of the worst offenses. AND they’re riddled with injuries.
The remaining games:
at Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are battling for a wildcard spot. There is no way the Lions can’t lose this game. They’ve given up career games to mediocre quarterbacks; look for an off-year Peyton Manning to have an easy 300 yards if he wants.
home vs New Orleans Saints
The Saints are pretty much out of the running in a strong NFC South, but they have the top offense in the league going against the worst defense. Even if the Saints phone it in it’ll be a blowout.
at Green Bay Packers
The Packers fell off mid-season, but still, it’s a winter game in Wisconsis against an already-bad dome team in the division. Look for Aaron Rodgers to try to make himself look good in the final game of the season while trying to finish out 8-8.
All things considered, the Lions will have a lot more to play for in Week 17 than the Packers. Should be an interesting game.
How nasty are the rivalries in the NFC North? I know that if the (extreme hypothetical, I know) Browns had a playoff spot locked up and the Ravens or Steelers were at 0-15, I would play full out, every starter, as aggressive as possible, to crush them and see them hit 0-16.
On the other hand, there are pussies like Tony Dungy who will lay down so that a team from their divison could get to the playoffs.
Do the NFC North teams care enough to do the former?
Hahahaha… bitter much? You know Dungy didn’t give a shit about getting the Titans into the playoffs.
That was my point. Some divisions have a real animosity and will attempt to stifle the success of the other teams, and some don’t really care. Which is the NFC North?
No modern NFL coach would do that. Some might not rest their starters, but none would say, “we really need to win this meaningless game to make sure the team I might be working for in three years stays out of the playoffs!”
The Lions will beat the Packers on the last week. Call your bookie immediately. The Lions have snatched defeat from victory over and over. The Packers will be sleepwalking a little because they have nothing to play for. The Lions are not as bad as their record.(how can they be) If they can find someone to pass they will have a chance. Culpepper is undergoing an MRI due to a bad right arm. That one is handy for when he throws. If Stanton is still hurt (broken fingers) it will be on Drew Hensons back. That is unless he gets hurt Sunday, then who knows?
Teams will play for pride or other reasons sometimes. I think laying down for a game can pussify your team. Last year’s giants didn’t need to play the last game of the season for anything but pride, and I don’t doubt it’s a factor in how they took off in the playoffs. If they’d have treated it like a preseason game it would’ve dulled their attitude and espirit de corps.
In this case, the Packers won’t have the playoffs on the line, but it’s not a given that the game will be meaningless to them.
I didn’t say that, just that they will have a lot less to play for than the Lions will.
For a practical example, at the end of the season Pittsburgh may have their seed locked up and the Browns who haven’t beat them since they did it like 80 times in a row going into 1970 or so will be their last matchup. I suspect even with the Browns being the only team with something to play for in that case, Pittsburgh will still probably expend the effort to kick our ass. I’m not sure about Tomlin. Cowher definitely would’ve - he’d have tried to score 50. I hated him for it, but I respected that will to stomp on your rivals. The AFC North (aside from Cinci, who everyone just laughs at or feels sorry for) is pretty brutal to each other.
The last time the Lions had a chance to go to the playoffs the Bears who were done, beat them on a 51 yard field goal. The NFC central is not friendly. I do not think Green Bay wants to be the team. But, is that enough incentive compared to going 0-16.
The NFC Norris is every bit as bitter as any in the NFL. When coaches are hired, their opening press conferences always include the proclamation that they will beat the “Packers”, “Bears” and “Vikings” respectively. Note that the Lions aren’t included in that diatribe, and if the Packers had a playoff spot clinched and a legitimate chance at the Super Bowl they’d be resting people to guard against injury. That’s true of every single “rival” though, AFC North, NFC East, whatever, they would all protect their stars.
However, that won’t be the case here. Both the Packers and Lions will be playing for nothing, which in effect means they will be playing for everything. There’s no reason to hold anything back and you can be assured that the fans and players will be killing themselves to win the divisional game for bragging rights. Because it’s the Lions the Packers would probably be a little less fired up than if it were the Bears or Vikes, but because they’ll be afraid of being the team that got the Lions off the schnied it will boost their motivation to compensate. If the Lions were 1-14 then perhaps the Pack could let down, but at 0-15 you can be sure that they’ll be busting their asses to keep them that way, especially after the MNF beatdown they’ll be taking the week prior.
I think the Lions will have a decent shot with the Pack eliminated and having a short week to prepare and bad weather in Lambeau could actually do more to hurt the Pack’s passing game (we’ve never seen Rodgers throw in the cold) than it would the Lions. Would anyone be shocked by a 10-9 final?