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Detroit Lions
Overall: 112
Title track: 119
Ownership: 89
Coaching: 103
Players: 115
Fan relations: 117
Affordability: 95
Stadium experience: 112
Bang for the buck: 43
Change from last year: -23
For years now, the Detroit Lions have been toward the bottom of these rankings. Most of it has to do with the years -- decades, really -- of losing. They have had two of the best players in NFL history, and both retired close to their prime with only one sniff of a chance at a Super Bowl between them. They are a franchise that has shown loyalty to their front-office employees, sometimes to a fault. While some of that is changing, with new leadership in owner Martha Ford, team president Rod Wood and GM Bob Quinn, it is way too soon to tell the long-term effects of their presence with the franchise.
What's good
NFL tickets are usually pretty pricey, but if you can deal with the losing and the fact that you're watching a team that is unlikely to reach the playoffs on a yearly basis, Detroit's average ticket price of $79.16 is not a bad deal, explaining a 43rd-place ranking in bang for the buck. The amenities inside the stadium, from Slow's BBQ to gear that can only be purchased inside Ford Field, are good. There's a zip line outside, a somewhat horrific looking Big Blue Donut to eat inside, and Detroit has cheerleaders now for the first time in decades. It's worth taking a game in at the stadium -- so long as you're not banking on a Lions win.
What's bad
A title track ranking of 119th -- better only than the Browns in the NFL -- isn't exactly a surprise. The Lions are really no closer to winning a title this season than they were last season, or most any season since Barry Sanders retired. It's a franchise that hangs banners to celebrate playoff appearances and has won one playoff game in the Super Bowl era ... 25 years ago. The Lions have hired people with winning pedigrees, including Quinn, but the combination of the roster and the coaching is not there yet. With Quinn, the goal is to actually compete for a championship. Making the playoffs consistently and winning a playoff game first would be a start.
What's new
After the Lions hired Quinn, they decided to keep Jim Caldwell for the 2016 season. The coordinators, Jim Bob Cooter and Teryl Austin, are the same. Not much changed with the coaching staff other than a new running backs coach, David Walker. So this 41-spot drop in coaching -- all the way to 103rd -- really comes down to how much you believe in Caldwell and whether he is more the coach that went 11-5 in his first season or 7-9 in his second one. He's clearly on the warm-to-hot seat this season, and if Detroit doesn't do well, it could be searching for a new coach in 2017.
Next: San Diego Chargers | Full rankings