Karma Is A....Lions Fan!

I am pretty excited to be a Chicagoan. I am pretty excited to be BACK living in Chicago, having grown up here, after having lived in Los Angeles for the past 9 years. However, I am also pretty excited to have the opportunity to write a weekly blog for an NFL site....and cover the Green Bay Packers.

This wasn't as big of a deal when I lived in LA, as LA doesn't have it's own NFL team, so I didn't feel like such a traitor each week, cheering on the Packers, and tweeting #GoPackGo as I live tweeted each game. It's not as easy to be a Green Bay Packers fan now that I live back in Chicago. My dad likes to remind me how I would so cheerfully recite the 1985 Bears roster, while doing the Superbowl shuffle as a precocious 7-year old. I try to save face, mentioning some of the Chicago Bears on the current roster that I personally know, and have contacts of in my cell phone, but I know he still feels a slight twinge in his already weakened heart.

Last Thanksgiving, I had flown in earlier in the week, to take my dad with me to Ndamukong Suh's suite, to watch the Detroit Lions take on the Packers, as I am friends with Suh's agent. While my dad feasted inside the suite, easily making friends with Suh's friends and family, I sat in my seat below him, secretly cheering on Green Bay. This year, grateful I was closer and a simple car ride from my parents house, I came over early so my dad and I could watch the annual game together in the den while my mom cooked. Again, though not as secretly, I cheered on Green Bay, while my dad marveled at the prowess the Detroit Lions showed, over my team.

I have to agree, the Lions played an incredible game, and their win was well deserved. I'm sure Detroit Lions fans' turkey dinners will taste just that much sweeter this evening, having been able to watch their favorite team win over a team that they have not been able to beat in, well, almost ever. The Lions haven't won on Thanksgiving since Nov. 27, 2003, also against the Packers. They also haven't scored 40 points on Thanksgiving since a 55-20 win over the Bears in 1997. A nine year losing streak was ended this afternoon at Ford Field, as the Detroit Lions embarrassed the Green Bay Packers to the tune of a 40-10 score.

I hate to make excuses for my team, (and here comes the but, where I WILL begin to offer up some excuses) are we really surprised that the Packers have now lost five straight games, ever since losing Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone injury in early November against our (yes, I DO still claim them as my official team) Chicago Bears? While I have always been a Matt Flynn fan, he is still the fourth quarterback to suit up in green and gold in four short weeks. The Pack also had their shortest turnaround between games that they will see this season, and it was obvious the players were worn out.

Detroit took advantage of Green Bay's lack of starters that were out due to injuries and the mistakes the team made at every turn. The Lions were able to sack Flynn an impressive seven times, and outgained the Packers by over 400 yards. This is a larger margin than any other game the NFL has seen this entire season thus far.

So - what does this all mean? I will now start deleting tweets that I posted bemoaning my Packers that might embarrass me. I will sit quietly and take the "I told you so's" when given them, by Chicago friends that are still unsettled by my Green Bay love. I will try to swallow the fact that for the first time in four years, the Packers might not make the playoffs. I wish I could tell you that I have seen the light and begin to once again bleed orange and navy, but "on any given Sunday," anything can happen, and at 9-6-1, I still could end up in green and gold at a Superbowl party this season.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!