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The Detroit Lions Quiz (2000-2009): Test your fandom!

By Payne Schanski

DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 11: A fan looks on with a bag on his head during a game between the Detroit Lions and the Arizona Cardinals at Ford Field on October 11, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 11: A fan looks on with a bag on his head during a game between the Detroit Lions and the Arizona Cardinals at Ford Field on October 11, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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12 Dec 1999: Gus Frerotte #12 of the Detroit Lions looks to pass the ball during the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. The Buccaneers defeated the Lions 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport
12 Dec 1999: Gus Frerotte #12 of the Detroit Lions looks to pass the ball during the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. The Buccaneers defeated the Lions 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport /

Answer: Gus Frerotte

As we saw in Question #5, Frerotte didn’t have a very good go of it against his former team in 2008. Well, this was also the case in January 2000, facing his former team, the Washington Redskins.

Following Barry Sanders‘s unexpected retirement in 1999, the Lions defied expectations for most of the year. Despite being all but left for dead in the preseason, the Honolulu Blues sat at 8-4 heading into the final month.

In a sense, it was sort of like the 2016 season. The team didn’t appear to be very good, but they kept winning. Similar to 2016, it seemed a little too good to last. and in the end, didn’t last. Similar to 2016, the Lions ran out of gas down the stretch and sputtered into the playoffs despite four straight losses.

Besides all that…they looked great heading to the Wild Card round at Washington. Shockingly, they didn’t come anywhere close to putting up a fight.

Gus Frerotte got sacked on the first play from scrimmage and the rout was on. The score was 27-0 Redskins by halftime. A couple cheap touchdowns in the 4th quarter made the 27-13 final score look respectable, but nothing about this performance actually was. Frerotte finished 21 for 46 passing with 2 interceptions. He had a QB rating of 52, in case anyone was wondering.

Next: The Detroit Lions Quiz (2010-2017) – Test your fan knowledge!

Why exactly had I been excited when the Lions backed into the playoffs despite four straight losses?

Even so, that was as good as it got for Lions football for the remainder of the decade.

My next Detroit Lions Quiz will cover the 1990s, an era of relative prosperity for the franchise. If you still have a Wayne Fontes-esque Apex brand Lions jacket hanging somewhere in your closet, a perfect score next time is inevitable.

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