There was much optimism when Shiela Ford Hamp became the Detroit Lions’ principal owner.
Fans saw it as a dawn of a new era, and Dan Campbell’s hiring made them excited for the 2021 NFL season.
Campbell quickly built rapport with his players by copying their drills during practice.
He’s also a media darling who shares his preferred coffee and declares that they will “bite off knee caps” in every game.
Dan Campbell has bittne his first knee caps of the season pic.twitter.com/oGoKIw78eo
— Korked Bats (@korkedbats) October 10, 2021
Unfortunately, they haven’t won after five games even though they fought to the end in three of them.
The once jovial Campbell shed some tears during his Week 5 post-game conference because he can’t handle seeing his team lose every week.
That gesture by their head coach may inspire the Lions players to fight harder.
But even if they give their all on the field, perhaps they don’t have enough talent to win a game.
Dan Campbell looks like he broke his own knee cap #Skol pic.twitter.com/SzXFZl7MZr
— 10,000 Takes (@10kTakes_) October 11, 2021
Maybe, the curses hovering above the franchise make the Lions like Hades.
Everyone who enters must abandon their hopes of winning.
A New Curse Against The Lions
Younger fans might not know the alleged Curse of Bobby Layne.
The quarterback was one of the NFL’s best players in the 1950s and led the Lions to three league championships.
However, the team traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers two games into the 1958 season.
The trade came as a shock for Layne, who had much football left in his tank.
They gotta get the Ouija board and beg Bobby Layne to end the curse https://t.co/hjsFSgZJhh
— SpookyDJ ⚫️⚪️🎃 (@kingdj_5297) October 11, 2021
Therefore, Layne uttered that the Lions would not win another championship in 50 years as he was emptying his locker.
The legend became more famous as the team suffered one disappointing season after another.
Since then, the team won four of their last 16 playoff games, their latest victory coming in 1991.
Worst, the Lions went 0-16 in the 50th year after the curse.
Lions went 0-16 that 2008 season 😭😭😭😭 https://t.co/OWSB2iD3s7
— 🗣Winky Spanish!!! (@MrMach5) October 11, 2021
During that infamous season, they had four games with a losing margin of seven points or fewer.
But perhaps the football gods wanted the final year of the curse to be harsh.
However, the playoff drought continued even if the Lions had players like Ndamukong Suh and Matthew Stafford.
Then there’s Pro Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson, who might be the central figure of a new curse against the team.
While there’s no official name for this spell, “The Curse of the Signing Bonus” is the most appropriate working title.
Calvin Johnson turns 36 today:
🏈 6x Pro Bowler
🏈 3x All-Pro
🏈 Hall of FamerMegatron was a human highlight reel 🎥
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/wE0rGNX98k
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 29, 2021
The Lions forced Johnson to return $1.6 million of his signing bonus when he surprisingly retired in 2016.
Johnson demanded that the team repay him up front because he had already worked for that money.
Instead, the Lions wanted him to earn back the money through three years’ worth of guest appearances and charity donations.
Megatron may not publicly declare that the Lions won’t win until he gets his money back.
But the trend is going in that direction.
Storm The Heavens, Lions Fans
Based on their remaining schedule, it’s tough to see when the Lions can get their breakthrough victory of 2021.
They still have to play the Los Angeles Rams, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, and Seattle Seahawks.
The Lions also have one game left apiece against division rivals Chicago, Minnesota, and Green Bay.
.@Lions look what you’re doing to people pic.twitter.com/luQTKbRRLp
— Boston Connor (@BostonConnr) October 10, 2021
They’re struggling on offense, ranking 23rd in passing offense at 236.6 yards per game and 25th in points per game at 19.6.
On defense, they rank 25th in points allowed per game (27.6) and 23rd in rushing defense (130.2 yards per game).
It’s too early to tell, but the Lions are moving toward the third winless season in the Super Bowl era.
Once again, their roar will sound more like a purr.
NEXT: Lions Simply Not Doing Enough To Win In 2021
