By Mark Wilson
January 4, 2015

It’s always something with them. It really is.

The Detroit Lions just can’t lose gracefully like most other NFL teams. Or, better yet, they can’t WIN so that we don’t have to analyze another failure in Lions’ lore.

On Sunday, it was a pass interference call that the referees simply didn’t want to call on the Dallas Cowboys.

You know… those mighty Cowboys that continue to be America’s Team.

Certainly the league HATES the Lions and wants them to lose in the worst way.

Oh, brother.

I was on a radio show when that play happened in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys come from behind 24-20 victory over our favorite post-season patsies.

Calls came in with anger and ire over the “non call.”

“They cost us the game!” was the prevailing theme.

“Damn those zebras!”

At that point I asked three questions.

Did the non call wipe out a touchdown?

Nope.

Did the non call wipe out a field goal?

Nope.

Was there ANY OTHER spot in the game where the Lions could have scored points and won?

Of course.

Over the years, the Lions have become the poster children for excuse making. When they are lucky enough to play in January, they usually find a way to muck it up and then put the blame on everyone but themselves.

Since winning the NFL Championship in 1957 (SOOO tired of typing that) consider these examples.

In 1970, a 5-0 loss to those dastardly Cowboys came on an unusually cold day in Texas. Oh sure, it was the same weather for Dallas but who’s counting?

Cold.

In 1982, three consecutive Joe Theismann to Alvin Garrett touchdown passes added up to a 31-7 Redskins victory. Forget the fact that Detroit even MADE the playoffs on the heels of a strike-shortened 4-and-5 season.

1n 1983 it was the infamous Eddie Murray wide-right field goal attempt with Coach Monte Clark praying on the sidelines that gave San Francisco a 24-23 triumph. Some Lions players said a wind gust hit just as Murray… didn’t.

Wind.

Hey, Marty Mornhinweg? Remember the “wind” excuse?

In the 1991 season, the Lions lone playoff WIN was followed up a week later by a brutal effort against the Redskins again. Erik Kramer fumbled on the first series. Some blamed bad turf at RFK Stadium; the same turf Washington was playing on and scored 41 points on.

Grass.

In 1993, Sterling Sharpe was wide open in the end zone. Brett Favre found him for the 40-yard game winning bomb.

In 1994, the same Packers were at home on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field and Barry Sanders was hampered by that freeze and rushed 13 times for MINUS-1 yard.

Cold. Again.

In 1995, Lomas Brown guaranteed victory against the Eagles in Philadelphia only to encounter his former teammate Rodney Peete who threw a Hail Mary touchdown at HALFTIME en route to a 58-37 rout.

In 1997, it was a “phantom” concussion to Scott Mitchell that forced the quarterback out of the 20-10 loss at Tampa.

News flash, kids. Mitchell WAS actually hurt.

Fake concussion.

In 1999, yet ANOTHER blowout loss at Washington in which the Lions didn’t score at all until the fourth quarter when Ron Rice returned a blocked Brett Conway field goal 94 yards.

The blame went to playing in D.C.

That’s right… blame it on Bill Clinton.

Thanks a lot, Obama!

Then we have 2011 when a pair of 45 point efforts ended the season; second of which came in the playoffs at New Orleans.

Yikes.

I just wrapped up the pathetic Lions playoff history the past 57 years.

TWELVE post season games. ONE win.

Maybe Bobby Layne DID curse the franchise on his way out of Motown to Pittsburgh.

Matthew Stafford was playing in his hometown (Layne’s hometown too) and started things at A T & T Stadium with a 51-yard touchdown to Golden Tate.

At the end of the first quarter, Stafford engineered the first 99 yard drive in the NFL playoffs since Michigan’s Elvis Grbac did it for Baltimore 13 years ago.

Actually, it was 99 AND A HALF yards.

Reggie Bush finished it off with an 18 yard run to pay dirt.

All good in the Dallas hood.

No complaints.

Former Lions’ coach Rod Marinelli is now the Cowboys defensive coordinator and his defense looked awful in that first 15 minutes. I even tweeted a few 0-and-16 jokes in regards to “Mr. Pad Level.”

Teryl Austin’s Lions defense was looking just fine in Dallas on the other sideline.

They stopped Tony Romo time and again. Problem is, Joe Lombardi’s offensive attack started letting up on the gas. Romo finally broke through with a 76-yard pass play to Terrence Williams.

Even though Dez Bryant was ineffective, Williams was able to capitalize on a Lions defensive breakdown to put points on the board with 1:37 to go before the half.

Stafford drove Detroit 59 yards with just a few ticks to go and Matt Prater banged home a 39 yard field goal and it was 17-7 at the break.

Nothing wrong with that halftime lead.

Chris Christie wasn’t back from the owners’ suite buffet when Dallas got the ball back after the third quarter kick.

Yeah, Christie was sitting with Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones and looked ridiculous with each passing FOX camera shot. New Jersey must have been very proud.

Kyle Wilber picked off Stafford on the first play from scrimmage.

Uh oh.

Luckily, Romo and DeMarco Murray couldn’t move the Cowboys and they settled for a Dan Bailey field goal try.

Normally Bailey is automatic from 41 yards.

Not this time.

Wide right, Eddie Murray.

Stafford spent the next four minutes leading the Lions to another Prater field goal and it was 20-7 with 8:41 to go in the third.

At this point, a “three and out” would have been greatly appreciated. There is no reason during a season in which the Lions’ defense came into national view that we shouldn’t expect a few of those in the playoffs.

Wrong.

Romo… 80 yard drive. Murray touchdown.

A Jason Whitten holding penalty nullified the first Murray score but Dallas scored anyhow.

The Cowboys were trying to HELP the Lions but Detroit wouldn’t take the charity.

It was still 20-14 Lions into the fourth quarter.

Ndamukong Suh owned the Cowboys first possession of the fourth. He got to Romo twice on sacks that left Garrett calling for a Bailey field goal try.

This time he nailed it from 51.

STILL the Lions led 20-17.

Anytime you wanna head back into the end zone, fellas… you go right ahead. Don’t wait for us.

A crappy kick return on the ensuing kickoff didn’t help.

Jeremy Ross brought it out to the five.

By now, Lombardi’s offense had deflated a bit. When the non call was made on pass interference, it left Stafford rattled.

Each time I see that play, I say less flagrant fouls are called in the NFL every 12 minutes. It really is a mystery as to why that wasn’t a simple, run of the mill, pass interference.

Hell, it might not have been a big deal.

The Lions were only at their own 46 and there was no Jim Harbaugh guarantee that they would have scored. No one would have said “boo.”

Instead, it was the play of the day.

The refs picked up the flag, Sam Martin shanked a ten yard punt, Romo took 5:38 to drive 59 yards before hitting Williams on an eight yard TD and the Cowboys recovered a Stafford fumble off a sack and that was it.

One paragraph. One shank. One score. One sack. One fumble. One BIG loss.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Dominic Raiola told the media afterwards referring to the non-P.I. call.

“It’s not my call,” added Brandon Pettigrew who was the non-interferee.

Suh was so broken up about the outcome; he welled up with tears at the podium and walked off rubbing his eyes. He took solace with friends outside the visitors’ locker room.

Stafford?

Another defeat and failure at the hands of a winning team. Dallas makes it 0-and-18 for Matthew against squads with records over the .500 mark.

0-and-18.

That seems almost impossible.

For all his numbers and Lions’ passing records, Stafford can’t shake his history. At age 26, he is at a crossroads. A playoff victory would have gone a long ways to show this is HIS team and he’s going to direct it for many years to come.

2014 is now over.

The Lions will go into hibernation mode as they always do when the Super Bowl looms.

Caldwell will assess his first season at the helm.

It was a season filled with victories over “also-rans.”

In a nutshell, the Lions didn’t win a division title, didn’t beat more than ONE winning team (Packers at home in September) and didn’t win a playoff game for the seventh straight time.

They won 11 games and Caldwell became the first rookie Lions head coach to win that many in his first season with the organization.

It was a year which saw the death of longtime owner William Clay Ford. He would have liked most of it.

Austin may take a head coaching gig himself and leave the Caldwell nest. A new D.C. may be coming.

General Manager Martin Mayhew may look at other opportunities.

Suh, most likely, is on his way to a new city.

Others will be gone as well.

After the game in Dallas, Raiola said it wasn’t fair to evaluate his future this quickly.

On paper, the Lions leave ’14 more talented than they began it.

They will pick low in the draft.

A consolation prize could be free agency.

The additions of Golden Tate and James Ighedibo may show other potential candidates that Detroit is a good place to call home. Caldwell is a good guy to play for.

Are they still just a couple of pieces away from finally winning a game like Sunday?

Arguable.

Some of these same things were said after 2011. No one saw two years of going backwards under Jim Schwartz. The 2015 schedule is expected to be tougher than it was for Schwartz in 2012.

We know one thing.

When the Cowboys play at Green Bay on Sunday afternoon, the Lions will be watching on TV; if they can stand to watch.

Only once in 57 years has Detroit been involved in the NFL playoffs second round.

This was as good a chance as any of those years to continue forward.

A missed pass interference call is NOT why the Lions have no practice this week. It is their inability to let it all hang out when the hanging is staring them straight in the face.

Caldwell may kick himself for not going for it late on 4th down instead of punting. He may second guess himself on a few things over these last two weeks.

As good as things looked in 2014, the streak of losses in Wisconsin continues as does that elusive playoff victory.

11 wins doesn’t change the ultimate goal.

It only magnifies how desperate the franchise has become to get past futility.

Caldwell is the 16th different Lions coach to try and get this football deal to the magic stage in the Super Bowl. 15 have come and gone and couldn’t figure it out.

Only Wayne Fontes was able to celebrate even ONE measly playoff triumph.

Captain Wayne-O!

We’ve got to wait eight long months for this to begin all over again. Eight months until another NFL opening day when Lions fans will forget everything and stir up another pitcher of that sweet Honolulu Blue Kool Aid.

Many of us drank it on Sunday.

It was going down smooth at 20-7.

When it was 24-20 Dallas, it was like poison.

By the time Jerry Jones, Romo, Governor Christie of New Jersey and Cowboy Nation were celebrating THEIR first playoff victory in a while, most of Detroit was bracing for a long, cold winter.

One question became bigger than all the rest on that final knee taken in A T & T Stadium Sunday evening. It’s an annual question Lions’ faithful has asked mostly in December but on rare occasions in January.

It’s a simple, basic question.

When do pitchers and catchers report to Lakeland, Florida?

Take comfort. The Tigers are only 46 days away.