Thread: The Curse of Bobby Layne

[size=14pt]The Curse of Bobby Layne[/size]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Layne

In 1958, the Lions traded Layne to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Layne responded to the trade by supposedly saying that the Lions would "not win for 50 years," although it has never been officially confirmed.

As of the end of the 2008 season, it has been 50 years since the trade, and indeed the Lions have not won a championship in that time. Interestingly, the final season of the curse concluded with the worst season in Lions' and NFL history, at 0-16, and shortly after the season free agent and Lions' player from 2006-2008 Corey Smith perished in the Gulf of Mexico, and former QB Jeff Komlo died in a car accident in Greece. During this 50 year period, the Lions have accumulated the worst winning percentage of any team in the NFL. They are one of only three franchises that have been in the NFL since 1970 that have not played in a Super Bowl. (The other teams are the Cleveland Browns and the New Orleans Saints.) The Lions made the playoffs nine times in the last 50 seasons, have one post-season win (1991), and three Division titles (1983, 1991, and 1993). The 1st time the Detroit Lions returned to the playoffs after the Layne era was in 1970. This ended a 13 year drought. The Detroit Lions lost to the Dallas Cowboys 5-0 in what is still the lowest scoring playoff game of all time.

In the 2009 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions drafted University of Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford #1 overall. He came from Highland Park High School, the same high school as Layne.

Should we be worried about this?

"NodakPaul" wrote:

[size=14pt]The Curse of Bobby Layne[/size]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Layne

In 1958, the Lions traded Layne to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Layne responded to the trade by supposedly saying that the Lions would "not win for 50 years," although it has never been officially confirmed.

As of the end of the 2008 season, it has been 50 years since the trade, and indeed the Lions have not won a championship in that time. Interestingly, the final season of the curse concluded with the worst season in Lions' and NFL history, at 0-16, and shortly after the season free agent and Lions' player from 2006-2008 Corey Smith perished in the Gulf of Mexico, and former QB Jeff Komlo died in a car accident in Greece. During this 50 year period, the Lions have accumulated the worst winning percentage of any team in the NFL. They are one of only three franchises that have been in the NFL since 1970 that have not played in a Super Bowl. (The other teams are the Cleveland Browns and the New Orleans Saints.) The Lions made the playoffs nine times in the last 50 seasons, have one post-season win (1991), and three Division titles (1983, 1991, and 1993). The 1st time the Detroit Lions returned to the playoffs after the Layne era was in 1970. This ended a 13 year drought. The Detroit Lions lost to the Dallas Cowboys 5-0 in what is still the lowest scoring playoff game of all time.

In the 2009 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions drafted University of Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford #1 overall. He came from Highland Park High School, the same high school as Layne.

That was a good read thanks for sharing

What a great piece of football lore. I think the Lions will actually be better than most people are giving them credit for. It's funny that I was just having a conversation about this with a buddy last night. With Matt Millen gone, and a decent looking QB coming in, the Lions could really start to turn it around this year. I wouldn't go so far as to say that now that the curse is lifted, the Lions are Super Bowl bound, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they win a semi-respectable amount of games. Going through their schedule last night, I predicted five wins. But honestly I wouldn't be blown over if they won eight or nine.

"The" wrote:

What a great piece of football lore. I think the Lions will actually be better than most people are giving them credit for. It's funny that I was just having a conversation about this with a buddy last night. With Matt Millen gone, and a decent looking QB coming in, the Lions could really start to turn it around this year. I wouldn't go so far as to say that now that the curse is lifted, the Lions are Super Bowl bound, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they win a semi-respectable amount of games. Going through their schedule last night, I predicted five wins. But honestly I wouldn't be blown over if they won eight or nine.

Agreed.
Primarily because Calvin Johnson is a BEAST>