Winless 2008 Lions rooting for Browns to get their first victory
You’d think the only team in NFL history to go 0-16 would want some company for the dubious distinction. But some members of the 2008 Detroit Lions don’t want to see the 2016 Cleveland Browns go through the “extremely challenging” journey of tasting only defeat for an entire season.
“I feel for them,” former Lions linebacker Ryan Nece told the Detroit Free Press this week. “To be where they are now, there’s only a few men and a few coaches that have gone through what they’ve gone through. It is extremely challenging and it’s something that I’m actually hoping that they find a way to get a win, because just to be able to get that monkey off their back in the next two games, I think, will be tremendous for them.”
The Browns, who are 31st in scoring offense and scoring defense, have been outscored by a league-high 188 points. Barring an unexpected victory over either the Chargers on Saturday or the Steelers in Week 17, the Browns will live in infamy alongside the Lions, whose players still remember the dejection of each loss.
“I don’t want to have anyone have to go through that,” Lions long snapper Don Muhlbach said. “I just remember how rough that was. Just every week, having to just — it just kept building and building. That’s not football, in my mind. There’s too much other stuff going on, too. I hope they get one.”
Much like this year’s Browns, the 2008 Lions rarely were competitive in any of their 16 losses. They were outscored by 249 points and 10 of their 16 losses were by double digits. It's a pain that haunted more than just the players.
“It was a rough season in my life, and I can only imagine what those coaches and players are going through — and their families, 'cause it affects not only them but their families,” defensive end Dewayne White said. “I wouldn’t want anyone to join me in that misery whatsoever.”
