Herman Moore was named the Detroit Lions best player not in the Hall of Fame. Could that nod have gone to someone else?
The Detroit Lions have been the NFL’s symbol of futility for the last 60 years. Winning hasn’t come often and when it has it only led to quick and painful postseason heartbreak.
Being a Lions fan isn’t for the faint of heart. Only the strong can survive the type of pain this franchise deals out to their fans on a yearly basis.
It’s hard to blame the fans who have decided they couldn’t take anymore and have jumped ship to find a new favorite team. Fans who claim they are ‘Lions free’. Yet if these Motor City cats made a playoff run to a championship, those fans would be celebrating along with everyone who has managed to stay on the bandwagon.
However, if history has taught us anything, it’s that the brightest and best of Lions seasons have ended like the Titanic, sunk to the bottom of an ocean of Honolulu Blue and Silver tears.
So despite our deepest hopes being dashed on a regular basis by the Lions typically being eliminated from playoff contention by the sixth week of the season, this franchise has frequently given their fans something to cheer about.
Maybe not in the form of wins and losses, but by outstanding players that have excelled in the face of certain failure by their team. Players that have not only caused the Motor City faithful to stand up and cheer but fans around the country.
The Lions 1950s dynasty was the envy of the league, but even though they haven’t challenged for anything other than the first selection in the draft since those glorious days, they have fielded some transcendent stars like Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson.
Those might be two of the most obvious but there are many more that could be listed. Several of whom now reside in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. And others who are deserving of possibly gaining entrance themselves one day.