National Football League

Lowly Lions quietly still losing a lot of games

Published Oct. 24, 2009 5:03 a.m. ET

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The Detroit Lions finally won a game this season, pushing their plight out of the national spotlight. Quietly, though, they're still pretty bad. The team looks radically different than it did during its infamous 0-16 season, but Matt Millen's missteps and the front office's inability to make magical moves since he was fired a year ago leaves the franchise with a 1-5 record and a lot problems. Is new coach Jim Schwartz pleased with anything going into this weekend's bye? "No," Schwartz said simply. Then, he explained his blunt answer. "We're 1-5. There's not a good feeling from that," Schwartz said. "It doesn't change your work ethic. It doesn't change the way you approach your job. It doesn't change your optimism for what will happen in the future. "But to sit here and say, 'Oh, we're right where we thought we'd be,' or 'We're right on track and we're just going to keep on plugging away,' I think that's hollow." Center and captain Dominic Raiola - who has endured a 32-102 record since Detroit drafted him in 2001 - usually provides an optimistic view or a silver lining when it's difficult for anyone outside the organization to see one. A day after the latest loss, a 26-0 embarrassment at Green Bay, Raiola was at a loss for words. "I got nothing for you," Raiola said. The Lions might win their next game, hosting St. Louis, but their predicaments aren't going away soon. Detroit's defense last year was one of the worst in league history and despite revamping it, bottom-line results are similar. The Lions gave up an average of 32.3 points last year - threatening the NFL record for points allowed in a season - and are allowing 31.3 a game in 2009. Detroit's offense isn't faring much better, averaging just 17 points a game, and its play on special teams has been poor. Those facts, though, have not knocked the confidence out of the locker room. "We still got a chance to get into the playoffs," linebacker Julian Peterson said. "Who's to say you can't run nine or 10 games off in a row? "Everything is possible." Detroit did the impossible last season, becoming the first NFL team inept enough to go 0-16. The Lions' story transcended sports, as evidenced by a crew from ABC's "Good Morning America," showing up to chronicle their tale toward the end of the infamous season. Just when some started to project their chances of approaching Tampa Bay's record 26-game losing streak, Detroit stopped its skid at 19 with a win last month against the Washington Redskins. The Lions failed to generate any momentum from the victory, losing at Chicago by 24, competing against Pittsburgh and getting blanked at Green Bay. Three winless teams - Tennessee, Tampa Bay and St. Louis - are the ones getting the unwanted attention while the Lions keep losing in the shadows. "Yeah, the one win makes a big difference," defensive end Dewayne White said. "It feels a whole lot better not having to hear about THAT again." Nothing is quite as eye-catching as a big, fat zero in the win column, but Detroit is in some dubious company with its losing ways. The Lions are 2-28 since midway through the 2007 season, joining the current Kansas City Chiefs as the only teams to struggle that much in a 30-game stretch in the last 25 years, according to STATS LLC. Detroit's' .239 winning percentage since 2001 is the worst nine-year stretch by a team since the Philadelphia Eagles won just .223 of their games from 1933-1941, according to STATS. The Lions are pinning their hopes for the future on new general manager Martin Mayhew, Millen's assistant for seven-plus seasons, Schwartz and quarterback Matthew Stafford. Mayhew, though, has a lot of holes to fill because only one player - linebacker Ernie Sims - drafted by Detroit between 2002-06 is on the active roster. Schwartz may be a capable coach, but the lack of talent he has to work with is making his coaching relatively moot. Stafford, the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, has missed two games with an injured right knee and no one in the organization is even suggesting a timetable for his return. Offensive guard Stephen Peterman is confident one win will not be the only thing that will separate this season from last year. "It's totally different, nothing is the same," Peterman insisted. "It's a process to build a winner. Look at the teams that spend money, like Washington. It shows you can't buy a winner. "It might not look like that to some people, but we really believe we're headed in the right direction."

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