You might think that those who played for the 2008 Detroit Lions, the only 0-16 team in NFL history, would quietly hope that the 2016 Cleveland Browns match that achievement, thus giving them some company in holding that unwelcome title. That, however, is not the case.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press spoke to several members of that 2008 team, and those interviewed are unanimously hoping that this year’s Browns can find a way to win one of their final two games.
“I feel for them,” former Lions linebacker Ryan Nece said of the Browns. “To be where they are now, there’s only a few men and a few coaches that have gone through what they’ve gone through. It is extremely challenging and it’s something that I’m actually hoping that they find a way to get a win, because just to be able to get that monkey off their back in the next two games, I think will be tremendous for them.”
Long snapper Don Muhlbach, one of just two members of the 2008 Lions who remain with the organization, agreed.
“I don’t want to have anyone have to go through that,” Muhlbach said. “I just remember how rough that was. Just every week, having to just — it just kept building and building. That’s not football, in my mind. There’s too much other stuff going on, too. I hope they get one.”
Former defensive end Dewayne White also agreed, and added another reason – he felt his NFL reputation was permanently tarnished after 2008 and fears the same for Cleveland’s current crop of players.
“As an athlete, you’re as good as your last performance or your last team and you become a loser, essentially, in the minds of people,” White said.
It sounds like Browns players are already coping with similar emotions that these Lions once did. Frankly, it reads like one of the worst experiences you could go through in pro sports.
