(Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Something happened today in the #20 Lions lounge on Facebook that really ticked me off.

It brought back memories of all the hater fans that I had arguments with over the last 12 years or so while I tried in futility to defend my beloved Detroit Lions against friendly fire.

Back when I had these battles, it wasn’t that I was trying to convince anybody that the Lions were good because they weren’t and I knew it. I just couldn’t understand for the life of me how someone could call themselves a true Detroit Lions fan, but be oh so happy to throw dirt on the Lions and laugh and jeer at their own hometown team.

But never mind the past, here’s what happened today in the Lounge…

One of my fellow Lions fans posed the question “how many wins do you predict the Lions to get this season?” Now of course, having over 800 diehard Lions fans in the #20 Detroit Lions Lounge the answers were quite predictable for the most part. You’re going to see the majority of the guesses and approximations be on the high side, most predictions came in between 10 and 13 wins.

Yes, we are a bunch of slappies but if there is ever a year to be a slappy it’s THIS year!

One member of the Lounge, created a bit of a stir though. One of the members (who shall remain nameless) predicted that the Lions will go 6-10 this year because they have the “worse secondary in the league” and because “these are the Lions.”

What the what???

I can half-way accept the doubt about the secondary, even though saying they will be the worst in the league is reaching, the thing that got my goat was the quote about “these are the Lions”.
Continue reading “Help Me Understand “Hater” Detroit Lions Fans…” »

I’m an old fogey, I’ll admit it. Hi, my name is Lee Torre, I’m 34 years old and I’ve been spoiled by the GREATNESS of Herman Moore.

I’m a little pissed that the Detroit Lions have decided to adorn the new rookie WR Ryan Broyles in Herman Moore’s classic #84. I tried not to let it bother me, but deep down inside it just does.

I know the NFL chooses not to recognize most Detroit Lion’s greats from the latter half of the 20th century that aren’t named Barry Sanders, but why are our beloved Detroit Lions following suit? What the heck?!?

Judging greatness is mostly an unscientific procedure. It’s simple, you see greatness and you just KNOW that it’s greatness. Well as a young, lanky Detroit Lions fan growing up in the D, I got to see greatness, not only in Barry Sanders but in all of the 6’4″, 218 lbs frame of the velcro-handed, 3rd down ball-catching, scooping “Mitchell balls” off the turf, Lions great Herman Moore. A.K.A. # 84.

The fact that another new guy is going to wear the #84, well… I just don’t like it, and it’s not the first time Herman’s number has been given out. I didn’t like it when a scrub like Shaun McDonald wore it and I didn’t like it when a stud like Brandon Pettigrew wore it(early in his career). It’s not right.

The Detroit Lions organization needs to have more pride in their LEGITIMATELY great players of the past, if they don’t then who will?
Continue reading “Moore Disrespect? Rookie WR Ryan Broyles Is Being Given Herman Moore’s #84” »

As Detroit Lions fans, we have come to appreciate nearly everything Barry Sanders does and that’s not changing anytime soon. Many don’t know that there is a Barry Sanders Honda dealership in Oklahoma but there is one and they have a brand new commercial that made me chuckle a bit, I am pretty sure you’ll get a kick out of it too.

Barry Sanders has never been a laugh-a-minute kind of guy and even in this commercial he’s Barry-like demure but he manages to play his part as “Jerry Sanders” pretty well. Check it out!

Barry Sanders Funny Car Dealership Commercial

OK Lions fans, all together now chant with me…. “JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!”

Today was an interesting day, if I can say anything I can say that Detroit Lions fans are a passionate crowd about their team and their “guys”. I started a little bit of an argument today over at the mlive forums when I introduced the idea that Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford have a very good chance of becoming more iconic in Detroit Lions football lore than the great, great, GREAT(3 times for emphasis) Barry Sanders.

Wow, you would have thought I called somebodies mom fat or something! (well I probably did but that’s beside the point, lol!)

Most Lions fans were having NO PARTS OF IT, it was hilarious! But is the premise that far-fetched? I think not.

By nature almost, Barry Sanders is BY FAR my favorite Detroit Lion of all time and he’s known as arguably the greatest Lion the ever played the game of Football. Barry Sanders is the reason I was able to stay loyal to the Lions throughout the Millen decade of despair, Detroit Lions football was absolutely epic to witness when #20 hit the field. Every time Barry Sanders touched the ball I would stop breathing for a split second because he made me forget to breathe, I was too busy waiting for the amazing to happen and it usually did. I’ve never seen anyone like him.

So when I pose the question of whether his greatness can be eclipsed it seems almost like a Lions fan cardinal sin, but it’s not. The reason that I believe Megatron and Stafford have an opportunity to pass Barry in greatness is because they are just that good. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson are once-in-a-generation types of talent, it’s that simple.

Barring injury, Calvin Johnson will go down as the greatest wide receiver to have ever played the game, the man is literally playing on another level than the competition. What other wide receiver have you ever seen that gets bracketed at the goal line to the point that it looks like the gunner positions in punt coverage? You haven’t seen it, only with CJ because he’s that special of a player.

On the mlive forums I heard everything from the idiotic “Barry makes more phenomenal plays in one season than these two will in their careers combined” to the true “Barry Sanders is still seen as one of the best at his position EVER”.

People get too emotional when considering Barry Sanders and the pleasure he brought the entire NFL on Sundays, this is about the here and now and the same statement made about Barry’s rank amongst his position all-time will be said about Calvin Johnson. The difference? Megatron will be hailed as the greatest at his position ever, not only top 5.

Now Matt Stafford obviously has more to prove, he needs to still stay healthy in which is as likely as any other quarterback in the NFL, he had fluke injuries that painted him in a bad light amongst crybaby fans that probably wanted the Lions to draft Aaron Curry and are just desperate to be right for once in their lives. The kids is as tough as nails and just a true winner. Throwing to Calvin Johnson AND being supremely talented adds up to a future of AMAZING plays, big game victories and chances at Super Bowl victories.

With spectacular plays being equal, the winning will propel these two current Lions to the head of the class in regards to legendary status in Detroit Lions history as well as the NFL record books.

What do you think, am I right or am I right?

And with all that having been said…. “Bar-ry, Bar-ry, Bar-ry!!!”