(DETROIT) Following their 26-0 defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions have been okayed by the NFL to play with an extra man on both offense and defense.
"With the extra man, we think the Lions might actually be competitive with other teams in the league," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Lions President Bill Ford Jr. was unhappy with the ruling.
"We had asked to get two extra players. I mean, have you see our roster? Have you seen us play? One extra player isn't going to help," Ford said.
The Lions have lost 26 of their last 28 games, including a NFL futility record 0-16 in 2008. The franchise has lost more games than any NFL club since 2001.
Goodell said he wants the Lions to get back to their glory years, the 1950s, when it won three NFL titles. Those, of course, were the years when the Lions were the only team in the league. Since the NFL started including other teams, the Lions haven't even reached the title game.
"Our hope is to restore the roar of this once-proud franchise," Goodell said.
Ford again objected, however, saying, "This franchise was never proud."
After practice this morning, Lions players said they hoped the 12th person on offense is New England quarterback Tom Brady.