The 2008 lions were 0-16 when the season ended. They were 4-0 in the preseason. Everyone praised them for their progress, and they were excited to see what all that talent could do. They were so bad that everyone was calling for them to lose all their games when it was obvious how bad they were. The Colts used to lose games in the preseason left and right under Peyton Manning. The Patriots couldn't care less if they win preseason games, and the NFL must reserve full judgement until the teams have played real games. It is simply fun to guess how teams will play if you write this column as I do.
They were just trying things
Trying things out in the preseason is an easy thing to do, and the team could win a game here or there because the other team is not prepared for what they see. That means that a team that experiments a lot could win a lot of preseason games. They would not do those things in a regular season game, and the opposing team will have regular tape on them.
They cared too much
Caring too much in the preseason gets people hurt, and it will ultimately waste time for certain teams. Someone like Bill Belichick has no idea if he will win a preseason game, and he does not care. He wants to make sure that the team is doing what he thinks it should do so that he can coach them properly.
He has to set the roster, and he has to see people perform. At no point does he think of winning because he does not need the ego boost.
The Lions were poorly coached
The Lions were poorly coached, and they were not very many years removed from their fans boycotting the team. People were wearing bags on their heads, and they were ashamed of the Lions before they even got close to losing all 16 games.
They could see that the team was not very good, and they wanted Matthew Stafford to do everything knowing that he was not capable of that.
Despair sets in
Teams that have planned to tank usually do a good job because teams fall into a pit of despair that makes them feel like they will never win. The locker room is really glum, and the team does not have anything to play for because it is clear that they will not be going anywhere after the season is over.
The players merely want to pack up their lockers and go home. No one can blame them, and they often go through the motions because they also do not want to get hurt. That is where the Lions found themselves after they started with such promise. Even this season, they will not make the playoffs because they cannot compete with the Packers or Vikings.
