Not lyin' in wait for Lions

'76 Buccaneers don't wish it on anybody

For years, members of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins uncorked champagne to toast another season in which their perfection wasn't matched.

This is the reverse of that tale.

Members of the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who endured the NFL's last winless season (0-14), are on the cusp of being joined by the woeful 2008 Detroit Lions.

Ready for the company, '76 Buccaneers?

"Oh no, I don't feel that way," said Mike Washington, a cornerback on that team who now serves as an on-field official in the Southeastern Conference. "I don't want to see a team go through that because it's tough to get over. I don't wish that on anybody."

Added former Buccaneers safety Mark Cotney, now in his 21st year running Cotney's All-Pro Cleaners in Tampa, "People ask that all the time, and it's hard to answer because I just want to see things happen the way they're supposed to happen. In this case, I would hate it for [head coach] Rod Marinelli, because I got to know him here when he was a coach with the Bucs, and he's a fine man and too good a football coach to be associated with that the rest of his life."

Indeed, Cotney said, going through a winless season follows a player forever - even if they go on to have successful pro careers, as Washington (nine years) and Cotney (nine years) did. Why else, he pointed out, would a Boston reporter be tracking him down?

The Lions (0-13) play today at Indianapolis (9-4), host New Orleans (7-7) next Sunday, then visit Green Bay (5-8) to close out their miserable campaign.

"I feel a lot worse for them than I did the '76 team," the 56-year-old Cotney said. "First of all, we didn't have much of a chance. We didn't have the players. We were a first-year team where all they had was an expansion draft, and that's where I got picked up, from the Houston Oilers. Other teams got to protect all their starters and it was a bunch of scrubs or special-teams types left and that's all you got to start your team with other than the first [college] draft.

"Everybody in Tampa expected a struggle, and that's probably the biggest difference of what Detroit is going through and what we went through. We were a new team in a town that was really hungry for NFL football. They supported us throughout the whole season and I don't remember it being a big burden. There was never any booing, or calling any people out, and the stadium was sold out. I see what's happened in Detroit, where some of the players are flipping fans off, and the fans are booing. That's something we didn't really experience."

Cotney pointed out that the 1977 season was actually tougher for the players, because the Buccaneers opened that year 0-12 before winning their final two games. Fans' expectations had shifted from simply being happy to have an NFL team to wanting victories.

"I think the worst part is just living in the town, going to the store, wherever you go you're hearing funny remarks, and commercials, and the news people get on you," the 55-year-old Washington recalled. "Even Johnny Carson was talking about us."

The Lions have indeed become a punch line. At a time when Detroit's Big Three automakers are seeking a federal bailout, some joke that the Lions should be included in any relief package.

Like the Buccaneers after their winless campaign, the Lions actually entered this season with raised expectations. Quarterback Jon Kitna, for the second season in a row, had predicted the team would win at least 10 games. Then the Lions went undefeated in the exhibition season, yet another reminder not to look too deeply into preseason results.

Instability and injuries at quarterback have contributed to their struggles, as has a smallish, porous defense that ranks 16th in passing and 31st in rushing yards. Despite Marinelli's reputation as a defensive guru, no team has given up more points (31.8 per game).

It's been 32 years since an NFL team went through a season winless, and Cotney figured the streak would actually run longer. The Dolphins were 0-13 last year before earning their first win, and perhaps the Lions will find a way to avoid becoming the first team to finish 0-16.

But it's not looking good.

"With the way they're running the league now with the parity and the way everything is set up - free agency and the salary cap - you have to do a really bad job," Cotney said. "I think it's easier to put a really good football team together and win them all than it is to put a bunch of professional athletes out on the field for 16 different weeks and you can't win one game."

This bucko was misplaced
He received the phone call 21 years ago, but former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon remembers it as if it was yesterday. Gannon, who will provide analysis on today's Patriots-Raiders telecast for CBS, had just been selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 1987 draft.

"I'll never forget, the call came in from [coach] Raymond Berry and his exact words were, 'Congratulations, we took you in the fourth round, we're real excited to get you, we think you're a great athlete, and we just want to find the best position for you,' " Gannon recalled.

"When he said that, honestly, my whole day was ruined. Then I looked at the Patriots and they were in pretty good shape at the time at quarterback, with Steve Grogan and Tony Eason, and they also had Tom Ramsey, who they kind of liked. I thought to myself, 'This has to be the worst possible place for me to go.' "

Gannon, who had just concluded a solid career at Delaware, called his agent and told him he didn't want to join the Patriots. Instead, he'd go to law school.

But before taking that step, Gannon reached out to an old friend for help.

"I called a guy I knew in Philadelphia, Leo Carlin," Gannon recalled. "He's the Eagles' ticket manager and he's been there forever and he was good friends with Bucko Kilroy. He picked up the phone and called Bucko Kilroy and said, 'A serious mistake has been made, this young man is like a son to me, and it should be rectified.' Six days later, I was traded to Minnesota."

So while Gannon went on to a solid 17-year career - playing quarterback for the Vikings, Redskins, Chiefs, and Raiders - he still carries a debt of gratitude for the late Kilroy, who worked for the Patriots for 36 years as a player personnel director, general manager, vice president, and consultant.

"As I later found out, Bucko Kilroy was a great guy," Gannon said.

Hot topics for when the season goes into cold storage
Football's "hot stove" (or should we say hot grill?) season is still a few months away, but sparked by baseball's winter meetings dominating headlines last week, here is one view of the top areas on the Patriots' offseason radar:

1. Assessing all possibilities with Matt Cassel. Cassel will be an unrestricted free agent, and it's rare for 26-year-old quarterbacks with a solid season's worth of starting experience to hit the open market. If the Patriots have concerns about Tom Brady's injured left knee, they could assign the franchise tag to Cassel (a team signing him would have to surrender two first-round draft choices, which makes it highly unlikely he'd move). But that would tie up about $28 million of the projected $123 million salary cap, possibly handcuffing other moves. A tag-and-trade is also a possibility, which could give the Patriots some additional return on their investment.

2. Not a bumper crop of 2009 free agents. Starting safety James Sanders, reserve defensive lineman Mike Wright, No. 3 receiver Jabar Gaffney, running back LaMont Jordan, fullback Heath Evans, safety Rodney Harrison, and long snapper Lonie Paxton are some of the top players scheduled for unrestricted free agency, so it's not a group in which major big-money decisions will be made. Still, as the team has shown this season with 60 players suiting up for at least one game, every part counts.

3. Exploring possibilities with 2010 free agents. The crop of players scheduled for unrestricted free agency after the 2009 season is significant, headlined by nose tackle Vince Wilfork, defensive end Richard Seymour, left guard Logan Mankins, and kicker Stephen Gostkowski. Some of the team's decision-making could be affected by longer-range considerations with these players, and it wouldn't be surprising if negotiations heat up on possible extensions. The uncertain NFL labor forecast is also a consideration.

4. Major focus on the defense, specifically the secondary. The Patriots enter today's game in Oakland ranked 30th out of 32 teams on third down, and 31st in red-zone defense. Those results figure to lead to a significant shake-up on defense. Look for the Patriots' brass to place a heavy emphasis on the secondary, where the void left by cornerback Asante Samuel's free agent departure was never filled this season, as well as the pass rush.

5. Crucial year for the draft. With selections in each round, plus an additional second-round pick from the Chargers and possible compensatory picks awarded for the net loss of free agents like Samuel, the opportunity is there to add an influx of young talent.

Etc.
Shut down by corner
Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, perhaps the Raiders' top defender, has quietly terminated his relationship with his agent, Steve Baker, according to paperwork filed with the NFL Players Association. A league source indicated last week that Asomugha is now strongly considering super agent Tom Condon. What does it all mean? Asomugha is scheduled for unrestricted free agency after the season, but the Raiders might restrict him for the second year in a row with the franchise tag. If they do, Asomugha might be more inclined to hold out in hopes of leaving Oakland, where he's clearly tired of losing.

No season for giving
One reason for the Dolphins' stellar turnaround: a lack of turnovers. Through 13 games, Miami has turned the ball over just 10 times, which puts them on pace to set the NFL record for fewest in a regular season, set by the Super Bowl champion Giants (14) in 1990. Only six teams in the history of the game have turned the ball over less than once per game.

Tripped up on Coast
The Jets are 0-3 on the West Coast this season, and that had coach Eric Mangini planning to alter the team's itinerary for next Sunday's game at Seattle. Instead of leaving Friday, Mangini wanted to push the departure to Saturday, but the flight couldn't be changed. One wonders if the Jets feel as if they got the short shrift in the NFL's schedule-making process, because unlike the Patriots - who played their West Coast games back to back and thus stayed out West both times - the Jets will end up making four trips to the West Coast this season. Perhaps if the Jets requested to go back to back, the league would have tried to help them out.

They're big-gain players
Two of the league's most impressive rookie running backs - Houston's Steve Slaton and Tennessee's Chris Johnson - go head to head today. Slaton is averaging 5 yards per carry this season, while Johnson is at 4.9, and both have already eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. How impressive is that? Consider that only nine rookies in the history of the NFL have hit the 1,000-yard mark and averaged more than 5 yards per carry in the process.

Alteration looms for Taylor
Running back Fred Taylor was brutally honest earlier this season when he called the Jaguars the worst team he's played on chemistry-wise, but that isn't affecting his desire to return next season. The 32-year-old Taylor is due to make $6 million in 2009, which he realizes the Jaguars are unlikely to pay. Taylor seems amenable to a pay cut, but the question will be if the sides can find a middle ground. "It is my plea, I don't want to go," said the 11-year Jaguar, who has been one of the NFL's underappreciated backs partially because he plays in a smaller media market. Taylor, who might require offseason thumb surgery and is now on injured reserve, said retirement is not an option.

Worthy of receiving a nod
Pro Bowl selections will be announced Tuesday, and while the game has become more and more irrelevant, the distinction for players remains significant. That's why it will be a shame if Patriots receiver Wes Welker does not get the nod (four receivers are picked). Despite entering today's action as the NFL leader with 96 receptions, Welker finished outside of the top five in fan voting, which accounts for one-third of the process. Coaches and players account for the other two-thirds, and here's hoping they acknowledge Welker's remarkable season, which has been borderline MVP-worthy.

Gessner's goal has changed
Former Brown University receiver Chas Gessner, who spent time with the Patriots, Jets, and Buccaneers from 2003-07, is still taking hits, only the sport has changed - he was the second selection in last week's Major League Lacrosse supplemental draft, tabbed by the Washington Bayhawks. Gessner, who played for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League this past season, was a two-year captain of the Brown lacrosse team.

Did you know?
The Baltimore Ravens have not allowed a rusher to gain 100 yards in 32 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL.

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.