Disclaimer:  I cannot be held responsible for what is written in this column this morning.  I am suffering from a severe medical condition known as Incessant Giddiness.  The only known cure is watching the end of the Bears game from Week 1, so I've chosen to suffer through the side-effects - which includes putting my foot in my mouth, evil laughing, excessive positivity (even by my standards) and making over-the-top statements.

One of the good things, if there are any, about not winning very often, is how sweet it is when you finally get one.  This is the one we've been waiting quite a while for too.  You know... the one that finally tells us that we are on the right track.  Not just a win, but an unmistakable, undeniable beating that, regardless of the opponent, says we have weapons and talent on both sides of the ball.  It wasn't perfect, but it was one of the most complete games that I've seen by the Lions in quite some time.  This win was good for the coaches, it was good for the players and it was great for the fans.

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Disclaimer:  I'm going to try hard to stay optimistic despite the urge to cross the picket line.  So while you read this, please do so with mindset of disappointment versus pessimism... as that is how I'm feeling as I write.

I'm going to leave the flair for the dramatic in my back pocket this morning.  Yesterday's game was simply a ho-hum loss where we got beat by both the Vikings and ourselves.  Both teams had opportunities handed to them and the Vikings were able to make more of theirs.  I could sit and blame the refs and pine over all the "could haves" and "should haves" and while I may do a little of that, the bottom line is still about lack of talent.  And while losses are becoming increasingly tougher to swallow and as casual fans become even more apathetic, I still see more or less what I expected with this team... in context, of course.  And that expectation I speak of is progress.  

I know it's probably frustrating for some of you to listen to me talk about progress after starting 0-3.  And I know it's probably just as difficult to hear me "lecture" about expectations and context all the time as well.  I understand that... I really do.  I'm sure I'll hear some of that incongruity against the position I'm about to take in the comments section, but I firmly believe that all three of those things are very significant to the relative position of the Lions right now.  You can't have a pertinent conversation about the Lions without including those factors.  So let's start with a simple, yet loaded question... what team is worse, the 1-2 2009 Lions or the 0-3 2010 Lions?  Some of you won't even answer that question, because you feel that both teams are worthless.  Some of you will feel that by record alone, the 2009 team was better.  I take the position of this year's team being much better than last year's team because of progress in many areas.  I say this fully understanding that we won more games to this point last year and with the very likely reality that this time next week, we are 0-4. 

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Disclaimer:  Once again, I'm posting this the night before due to scheduling conflicts.  This may turn into a regular deal as Monday mornings have turned into chronic nightmares for me.  Maybe I re-name this column The Sunday Night Soiree?  It's got a ring to it...

I've been under the weather for the last few days, so I had a rough time getting up for the game this morning (both literally and figuratively).  These beautiful fall conditions love to wreak havoc on my sinuses.  But like the trooper that I am, I gave it my best try to get into the game-watching mood by pumping myself with three hours of NFL Gameday, five cups of Sumatra-blend Starbucks coffee, hitting about fifty golf balls in the backyard (I love my new Callaway Diablo driver, by the way) and then finishing up by throwing the football around with my son for a half hour or so.  Yet when I sat down to watch the game, I was still not in my characteristic "game form".  It wasn't until my pre-game ritual was complete that I realized that I was still feeling the effects of the emotional drain from the week before.  It was that full depletion of passion coupled with knowing that Stafford was not playing, that spoiled my mood somewhat.  I felt like I was watching a game that didn't matter... subconsciously, of course.  I knew full well what a win could do for the team, but it still felt like a preseason game until the team took the field.  Two minutes into it and that old familiar feeling came back again and I eased into game mode.  But much to my dismay, as the closing seconds of the game came and went, another old familiar feeling came back... losing a close game.        

So I guess that the 2010 Lions are the newest incarnation of the Cardiac Cats, hey?  The only difference being that the Lions are getting us psyched for a last minute win only to come up short.  I know that two games does not a trend make, but I think this is what we fans should get used to for this year - close, competitive games that they still don't have the overall talent to win.  As I sit here today, I'm not really sure if I'm supposed to be über-disappointed or slightly encouraged by another spirited effort that fell short?  We really had every chance at being 2-0 right now; we just couldn't get it done for a number of different reasons.  At times, the Lions look like the squad we have become accustomed to watching - one that is lacking in both discipline and self-assurance.  But only moments later, we see the flashes of what could be with this team. 

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 Disclaimer: Because I may not be available tomorrow until later in the day, I'm posting my inaugural Monday Morning Microscope tonight.  I'm taking the band-aid approach.  Just get it done quickly and maybe it won't hurt as much.

As I sit here staring at a blank page, I feel as if I scarcely have the heart to start writing.  Today's game has rocked me to my core as a Lions fan.  When Stafford went down, I honestly got nauseous.  No lie.  I think that's a sign that I have a real problem, but that's another discussion best left for a future psychotherapy session.  I watched all the hope and optimism that I've carried since the end of the 2009 season come crashing down as hard as Julius Peppers on Stafford's shoulder.  All the cheering and excitement came to an abrupt halt and the vision of Shaun Hill warming up after halftime chilled me to the bone.  Little did I know, that disturbing mental snapshot was not going to be the worst sight of the day.  Still clinging to the hope that Stafford would emerge after a quick, precautionary MRI to lead this team to a victory, my heart sank deep into my chest as he emerged from the tunnel... no pads and his arm in a sling under his shirt.  For nearly the entire third quarter, I sat motionless... staring at the television, completely comatose.

A few weeks back, I playfully commented in someone's fanpost about a nightmare scenario with Stafford going down for the year.  Now I was staring at that scenario in week one.  In my mind, there was no worse situation.  This was it.  The season is lost.  My optimism was completely drained from my body.  Right or wrong, that is the way I felt.  My mind started to reel at the thought of all of the lost progress losing Stafford would mean.  I came unraveled.  

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