The Detroit Lions are arguably the worst team in the NFL, which is a concept their fans have become all too familiar with over the past decade-plus. But even with a 1-7 record and virtually no shot at making the playoffs, the team apparently has a certain unrealistic level of expectation for the media.
On Tuesday, Jim Caldwell made headlines when he complained that the Detroit media is the most negative he has ever been around. When asked about his coach’s comments, Matthew Stafford essentially agreed.
“I don’t have the experience that coach Caldwell does, not only in this league, but in life, but I would back that,” Stafford told WJR’s The Mitch Albom Show, according to Justin Rogers of MLive.com.
Stafford’s issue seemed to be with reporters overreacting.
“The second we’re 0-4, it’s like, ‘Hey, do you remember 0-16?’ to all the guys that were there,” he said. “Things like that. That’s the fact of the matter, in 2008, they went 0-16. I understand the factual aspect of that question, but 0-4 is 0-4, it’s not 0-16. That kind of stuff happens quite often.
“Then you’re on a winning streak and it’s, ‘Are they for real?’ Things like that.”
Caldwell and Stafford are conveniently ignoring the context. Fans want to see improvement from their team. Lions fans have grown to expect that their team probably won’t win playoff games (which is pretty sad), but when you start out 0-4 or 1-7 a year removed from an 11-5 season that ended with a 24-20 loss in the playoffs, you can’t expect positive things to be written and said about the team.
Lions fans want to see their team moving forward. Instead, they have been treated to members of the team turning on each other and making excuses. If Caldwell and Stafford are tired of hearing that, they should try finding ways to win games.
