Where Have you Gone Barry Sanders??

The NFL has its traditions, but as an organization it's also done a pretty good job of evolving over the years - with one glaring exception. Seriously, this is the last season I want to climb into the lazyboy with a plate of holiday bird and be subjected to the stinky Lions on TV. Can we all just agree on this one?

Every year I look forward to a hard hitting holiday tradition - and every year I find myself surfing for Andy Griffith reruns by the end of the first quarter of the Lions game. For the uneducated, the Lions have never been to the Super Bowl. They hardly ever make the playoffs. They are 3-7 in their last 10 T-day games.

Enough. For the love of God, enough. Television programming is all about putting stuff on the air that people want to watch. We want to see thinking man's football, with a lot of back-stories simultaneously unfolding. We don't want to see the Lions, a team so bad that they've taken to wearing throwback uniforms almost exclusively (I swear this is to conceal their identity). The Lions have no back stories. They have no side stories, no front stories. As a franchise the Lions never seem to string together 3-4 consecutive seasons of good football. Their current quarterback was retired in week 8, yet starting for the Lions by week 10. Watching the Lions play is a bit like watching a Danny Bonaduce reality show. (wincing) "Please get help Danny. Please!" (wincing) "Please get some draft day rehab, Lions. Please!" So let's move on, shall we? Give us the Patriots. Feed us the Steelers. Heck, give us Donnie & Marie reruns...we'll take it!