Detroit Lions fans: Are you a Kool-Aid Drinker or S.O.L.?

I Like It, I Love it: The Kool-Aid Drinker Fan

The Kool-Aid Drinker fan, like the Jonestown victims that spawned the reference, is 100% sold on every move, swallows every word from every coach, player, ticket salesman, and representative of the team, and is sure that anything done by Detroit general manager Bob Quinn or the organization is sheer genius. Every suggestion that a player is better than last year is honey in their ear.

There is no small criticism of the organization which will not draw the ire of this fan. They may respond, “When were you ever a General Manager of an NFL team?”  Often, this overly wishful thinking outlook comes with the hope of a new season.

We all want the Lions to win. After all, why be negative about the roster before they ever take the field, right? If you have something contrary to say, you obviously aren’t a real fan in my opinion. Many people start out the season as Kool-Aid fans.

Why You Can Sympathize

You can’t blame some people for this position. I have, indeed, never been a GM. Quinn looks more than competent. The franchise has an almost unsettling feeling of stability, to a veteran fan.

Stafford is in his prime (29 years-old) and he was just ranked #31 on the NFL Top 100 list, which is compiled by votes from current players. He looks like a bonafide, upper-echelon quarterback, and the Lions’ roster is improving.

Stafford’s combined 66% completion percentage, his almost 4,300 yard passing yard average, and his 56-23 touchdown to interception ratio over the last two years suggest that he is personally ready to be the quarterback for a contender.

Did we do enough to put a team around Stafford? Maybe. The offensive line is better, the secondary looks deeper and the defense didn’t lose any pieces. The ownership is transitioning away from the old guard due to the passing of William Clay Ford. Times they are a-changing…we are due.