You can feel misery lurking for the Detroit Lions, even as they sit in first place in their division, with control of a post-season berth in their own hands.
“We are right where we want to be, still,” said wide receiver Golden Tate confidently this week.
Should not someone tell him? Things never work out for the NFL’s least successful Super Bowl-era franchise.
Only four teams in the league have not made at least one trip to the NFL’s biggest game since its inauguration in 1967. Of the quartet, the Lions are the only continuously existing franchise from that time.
Their 0-for-50 legacy is not sprinkled with just-misses, either. They have reached the playoffs just 11 times since the first Super Bowl, and have an embarrassing 1-11 post-season record.
The Lions’s 0-16 record in 2008 has no equal in futility, although the 0-14 Cleveland Browns are currently working on matching it.
There is some glimmer of hope. Today’s Lions are 9-5, leading the NFC North by one game over the Green Bay Packers with two games to play, and in position to snag a Wild Card spot, even if they do not hold off the Packers, the division’s traditional bully.
Detroit also might take heart knowing there has been a phenomenal wave of joy in team sports sweeping through previously morose outposts.
Long-suffering organisations such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Leicester City in English football and the Chicago Cubs in baseball bear the name “champions” right this minute after preposterously long waits.
The Lions cannot be thinking in those terms, yet. The immediate problem is reaching the post-season.
Their final two games are against the NFC’s best team, the 12-2 Dallas Cowboys, on the road, then at home against Green Bay, who are getting stronger as the season winds down.
The Packers stumbled out of the gate, but have won their last four, including a 38-10 dismantling of the NFC West champion Seattle Seahawks.
Two losses would mean a 9-7 finish for Detroit, and, most likely, a seat on the sidelines when the play-offs begin next month.
“I’m not concerned about any of that,” coach Jim Caldwell assured reporters. “I’m looking straight forward at the team we have to face.”
Easy for the coach to say. Certainly anxiety is running high among loyalists who are used to bad things happening.
The last time the Lions were in the play-offs, two seasons ago, they led Dallas in the fourth quarter, were moving the ball for a possible game-clinching score and had the drive extended by an obvious pass interference call against the Cowboys.
However, the referees decided to huddle, then inexplicably reversed the call. Detroit punted, Dallas drove to the game-winning score and the wronged Lions were eliminated.
Even the officials cannot believe the Lions are any good judging by that incident and recent ones this year.
An internet word search for “NFL worst call of the year” will reveal a pair of comically bad decisions by referee Jeff Triplette against Detroit each of the past two weeks.
The one decidedly good thing about Detroit is quarterback Matthew Stafford. The eight-year veteran has led the Lions to eight, fourth-quarter, game-winning scores this season, an NFL record.
In keeping with their doom-and-gloom theme, however, he is playing the final three games, including last week’s road loss to the New York Giants, with a dislocated finger on his throwing hand.
Yes, the Lions do have a rare opportunity these finishing weeks to call themselves a play-off team and chip away at their legacy of despair.
No one, however, really anticipates this will be fun to watch.
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Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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The Disaster Artist
Director: James Franco
Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogan
Four stars
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Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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6 UNDERGROUND
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco
2.5 / 5 stars
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
