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| Detroit Lions |
Detroit has always been a city of superlatives. In the U.S. state of Michigan, it was the first individual telephone numbers, the first mile of paved road, the first traffic light. There are stories that exemplify American ingenuity, a society on the move - there are stories of bygone days. Today, the city where once lived nearly two million people, only 700,000 inhabitants. Just as the Motor City as a symbol of the economic, real estate and automotive crisis in the U.S. is, so were the Footballer of the city, the Detroit Lions, for many years been synonymous with spectacular failure in American sports.
2008 brought the Lions as the first and only team in the National Football League (NFL) completed the feat, losing all 16 games this season, joined the club from 2001 to 2010 game time with a positive balance sheet. "It was a lost decade for all football fans of the city," says Mike O'Hara. For more than 30 years of the Detroit News journalist accompanied the Lions now. "The more I am pleased that the negative series finally comes to an end, that euphoria in the city again," says O'Hara. On the night of Sunday, the Lions their first play-off game contest since 1999. As a prelude to the knockout stages of the team coach Jim Schwartz hits the Super Bowl winner in 2010, the New Orleans Saints.
While the Lions are before the duel in the Superdome in New Orleans as an outsider, but only reaching the play-offs may be recorded after a decade of poor personnel decisions and numerous coaching change as a medium-weight wonders. The keyword for success is: continuity. "Team and coaches have given time to evolve in order to improve coordination," says Mike O'Hara - in a highly complex team sport in which are sometimes 150-pound behemoths like chess pieces across the field is moving, is the a basic requirement.
The worst team gets the best young players
In addition, the Lions benefited from the draft system in the U.S., after the team must commit the worst of the season the following year as the first talented young players from the college. "There is an unwritten law in U.S. sports, only a few years that you must be really bad to build a good team," says Mike O'Hara. In this way secured the Lions, the services of two players, which most experts a place in the Hall of Fame forecast of football: Quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson stand for spectacular offensive football, and equally for a paradigm shift in the favorite sport of Americans. "The times when most teams put on tough defense and a solid running game is over," says Mike O'Hara. Offensive is the new label - also has the league at the moment because of so many outstanding quarterbacks as probably never before.
So it is not the only success in itself, but especially the aggressive tactic with which the Lions are finally out of the shadow of the other teams entered the city. Detroit is one of twelve metropolitan areas, which has in any major league sport on a team. The Red Wings are the hockey team ever in the States and a steady championship contender, the Tigers (baseball) achieved in the current season also the play-offs, only the Pistons (basketball) fight after years of success, including champion 2004 sports against the meaninglessness . "In times of economic crisis, the sports teams of the city to ensure that the people a little bit better, that they can forget the cares of everyday life for a moment," says Mike O'Hara. "At the moment," added the NFL expert, "comes to this role to the Lions." Football is and remains the game of the Americans. "Therefore we are especially proud when the team plays along from his home town for the title." And why is half Detroit on Saturday also sit in front of the TV, press the thumb and chips cram into themselves. According to official figures, the administration is the Motor City the city with the world's highest consumption of potato chips. Yet another superlative.
