Fans Blaming The Refs Is Such A 'Same Old Lions' Thing To Do [BLOG]
By Craig Peterson
97.1 The Ticket
Forget the S.O.L. mantra that has branded the Detroit Lions franchise and become the bane of existence in the Motor City.
Stop retweeting screenshots of Paul Richardson clutching Tavon Wilson's facemask en route to a go-ahead touchdown in the second quarter.
Don't share GIFs of Russell Wilson's phantom block in the back downfield on Rafael Bush during Thomas Rawls' 34-yard run in the third quarter.
Quit nitpicking every possible error the officials could have possibly made. Pointing the finger at referees and fuming over missed or blown calls is such a "Same Old Lions Fan" thing to do.
Even before Matthew Stafford could get off the field following his first 3-and-out of the game, the narrative was already becoming "How will the refs screw us this time?"
The Lions lost their Wild Card playoff game to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday for a litany of reasons, none of which had to do with the men in stripes.
Start with a receiving corps that combined for five dropped passes — two on third-down attempts — and a defense that allowed Rawls to have a career day on the ground despite the Seahawks having the 25th ranked rushing offense. Not to mention the fact the Lions offense never reached the Seattle 30-yard line or that Super Bowl-winning coach Jim Caldwell got completely out-coached by, uh, Super Bowl-winning coach Pete Carroll.
If you want to assign blame after yet another disappointing Same Old Lions season, do it right and hold the players you cheer for, hold the coach, hold your franchise accountable. Throwing shade at the refs lets the boys in Honolulu blue off the hook.
Good teams find ways to overcome. Good teams find ways to win. Good teams produce more than SIX points on the road.
The Lions are not a good team. Until they are, performances like Saturday night's will continue to happen and fans, albeit misguided, will continue to use refs as their scapegoats.
The "Same Old Lions Fan" excuse factory needs to end in order for the "Same Old Lions" brand to cease.
