’08 Lions relate to Browns
Players on NFL’s only 0-16 team call experience brutal.
DETROIT — Detroit long snapper Don Muhlbach was with the Lions back in 2008, when they became the fifirst — and so far, the only — NFL team to go 0-16.
This season, as the Cleveland Browns approach that mark of infamy, Muhlbach wo u l d r a t h e r n o t s e e a sequel.
“That was a brutal year,” Muhlbach said. “As a football player to another football player, I hope no one else has to go through that.”
The Browns have three more chances to avoid a winless season, starting with this weekend’s game at Buffalo. If Cleveland does fifinish 0-16, those 2008 Lions would have company in that pitiable club, but Detroit isn’t exactly buzzing with anticipation.
“Can we wait for them to go 0-16 before I pop champagne?” joked Dominic Raiola, who played center for the Lions from 2001-2014.
Kidding aside, it’s not like an 0-16 season in Cleveland would change what the Lions endured eight years ago.
“I haven’t been following what they’ve been doing, and I don’t really care if they win a game or not,” said Raiola, now an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Lions.
The Browns have a chance to surpass the 2008 Lions in one measure of futility. Cleve- land also lost all four of its preseason games this season. Before Detroit’s 0-16 nightmare under Rod Marinelli eight years ago, the Lions managed to win the four games that didn’t count.
Of course, even that may have come with a cost.
“We were 4-0 in the pres e a s o n a n d s h owe d o u r whole hand,” said Roy Williams, a wide receiver for that team. “We used all our plays and didn’t change anything when the season started.”
Williams got offff easy that year. He was traded in October to Dallas. But he has some, well, interesting tales.
“What really sums it up is what happened in Atlanta in our fifirst game,” Williams said. “We were about to score and (quarterback Jon) Kitna was gesturing to the sideline to let them know he wasn’t hearing a play in his headset. Rod says into the headset, ‘Come in, Jim! Jim! Colletto!’ And Colletto fifinally answered and said, ‘Sorry, coach. I must’ve dozed offff.’”
Colletto, Detroit’s offffensive coordinator that year, says he doesn’t remember that incident. He says in their Thanksgiving loss to Tennessee, the Lions were penalized for delay of game immediately after a timeout, and he had to apologize to Marinelli because he’d drawn a blank on what play to call.
Colletto can empathize w i t h w h a t C l e v e l a n d ’ s coaches are facing now.
I know Browns coach) Hue Jackson. There’s a lot of good coaches there,” Colletto said. “It’s hard. It’s really hard. I know what they’re going through.”
The 2008 Lions had their chances to win. During one stretch, they lost to Minnesota, Houston, Washington and Chic ago, all by eight points or fewer. Detroit was even tied in the fourth quarter of the season finale at Green Bay before falling 31-21.
“Every week it just kept building and building,” Muhlbach said.
Muhlbach and quarterback Dan Orlovsky are the only current Lions players with the team in 2008. It’s hard to stay hopeful during a season like that, and players — both in Detroit in 2008 and Cleveland this year — are put to an unenviable test.
“Be a pro. You have a job to do,” said Tampa Bay offffensive lineman Gosder Cherilus, who played for the Lions in 2008. “Every day you wake up, don’t look at the record. Know you’re a big part of the team and every time you have a chance, you want to be a part of the reason they’re winning — not part of the reason why they’re losing.”