If you're a die-hard Detroit Lions fan, or a football lover who can't get enough stories, statistics, and commentary about Detroit's hometown team, then Armchair Assessments: Existing as a Detroit Lions Fan may soon rank as one of your favorite books. With wit and wisdom, author Mark McCarthy chronicles decades of losses with game highlights, news stories, and controversies around coaches and players. And now that the Lions are roaring back as potential Super Bowl contenders, this book is an especially powerful tribute to the long overdue victories that are igniting football fervor in Ford Field and stadiums across America. So sit back, crack open this book, and enjoy these Armchair Assessments.

I did not decide to write this book because of the sudden success of the Detroit Lions. That approach would have been too simplistic. Rather, it is about the journey of the unpaved road that was traveled. This project began immediately after the 2024 NFC Championship game. A sleepless night, where the ghosts of my Lions past came back to haunt me, in a fashion that no words can describe. The finished product is the result of motivation, and not inspiration. We, as true Lions fans, are now in a decidedly better place.

Much more of my life is in the rear-view mirror, than is ahead of me. As such, it remains important to pause, look behind myself at the path traveled, and pay homage to anything and everyone who has been a part of it. Yes, both good and bad. And the Lions are a huge part of those memories. Past, present, and

God willing, many more in the future...