Twenty-three years is such a long time in NFL years, especially these days when turn-arounds can happen in a season or two.
In that 23-year span the Detroit Lions have had nine coaches (including Jim Caldwell), innumerable coordinators, bunches of quarterbacks and one Hall of Famer, maybe two.
Still they have been unable to win a division title since the 1993 season.
On Sunday night, of course, they have a chance to change that with a win over the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field.
Winner takes the division.
“I do think it’s preparation, not luck. I really do believe. You know how they say luck is where opportunity meets preparation or Branch Rickey says, ‘Luck is the residue of (opportunity and) design.’ I think that falls into place here,” Caldwell said on Friday.
After so many years of covering the NFL, I’m convinced it’s details, preparation and mind-set that make the difference.
One play can be the difference between winning a division or making the playoffs.
Caldwell prepares his teams to excel at the end of the season and yet they have lost two straight on the road.
Matthew Stafford has helped lead the Lions to the playoffs in three of the last five seasons. Can they make it four of six?
Let’s go to the way-back machine: On Jan, 2, 1994, the Lions won the NFC Central by beating the Green Bay Packers 30-20 at the Pontiac Silverdome. The Lions finished 10-6 and moved on to lose to the Packers six days later in a wild-card game, also at the Silverdome.
It was far from a perfect Lions team that won the division title.
The Lions had started the 1993 season 7-2, but had lost four of the last five before they played the Packers in the season finale. Hall of Famer Barry Sanders missed the final five games with a knee injury.
Wayne Fontes was the coach. Great guy, but let’s just say he was not one who burned the candle at both ends.
The Lions had three quarterbacks (Andre Ware, Rodney Peete and Erik Kramer) which means they really didn’t have one.
Kramer got the call for the big game.
With Sanders in the press box, 23-year-old seldom-used running back Eric Lynch got the nod.
It just was not the perfect set-up for the Lions.
And yet, they won.
Kramer threw for 182 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Lynch, in one of his four games played that season, had 30 carries for 115 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. The pride of Grand Valley State also had five catches for 29 yards. As it turns out those were the only two touchdowns of his five-year career. In his other three games in 1993 he had 23 carries and 92 yards.
He ran behind an incredibly talented offensive line that featured center Kevin Glover and left tackle Lomas Brown. They opened holes for Lynch just like they did for Sanders.
The Lions 3-4 defense was the strength of the team that day. Robert Porcher, Marc Spindler and Kelvin Pritchett were up front with Chris Spielman at linebacker along with Pat Swilling, George Jamison and Dennis Gibson.
Brett Favre, who was in his third season, was intercepted four times that day. It was the only game that season that he was picked off four times. He was also sacked twice.
The Silverdome was packed to the rafters with 77,510 fans. It was electric, everything you can imagine. (Yes, I was there.)
Who would have possibly known it would take the Lions so long to win another division title.
Starting with the 1993 season, the Lions went to the playoffs five of seven years. And they had just won the division in 1991. So on that Sunday in 1993 it was a big deal, but it’s not like fans had been waiting forever – or for 23 years.
The Lions have had chances – most recently in 2014. They had clinched a wild-card playoff berth in a big win against the San Diego Chargers at Ford Field on Dec. 24 and then they went to Lambeau with the NFC North on the line.
The Lions lost 30-20 (the identical score but not result from the 1993 game). The game was tied in the third quarter but the Lions didn’t have enough to get across the finish line.
So now on Sunday, in the final game of the NFL schedule, the Packers are the only team that stands in the way of a long-awaited division title.
Kind of fitting, eh?
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