The Least Motivated Team in NFL History

During week 17 of the 1996 NFL season, the Detroit Lions played the San Francisco 49ers. And starting quarterback Scott Mitchell was telling the press before the game why he was playing this regular season finale. The answer? Well... he didn't know. He was playing for nothing. The team was playing for nothing. And they were dumb enough to admit it
Videos Mentioned:
Jaguars/Lions 1995: • The MOST DISRESPECTFUL...
1984 Giants: • 1984 Giants: The LUCKI...
Scott Mitchell Ravens: • The MOST CONTROVERSIAL...
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#nfl #lions #detroitlions #detroit #1996 #football #sports #highlights #nflhighlights #nflfootball #americanfootball #nflnews #nflfilms #motivation #motivational

[@ALTAIR2]

Fast forward 20+ years later: we're on the cusp of something special and we have high expectations for the first time since 92.

[@le1er133]

That’s what the cowboys say every year the lions ain’t going nowhere

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

@@le1er133probably not, but at least we can say they’ll likely win 10 games and a wild card spot this year

[@TylerDonitzen-777]

​@marcusmcgraw3519 we're likely not more like we're gonna repeat the 2023 season

[@thecatwrangler9448]

@@TylerDonitzen-777bro… your English is so butchered that I don’t know what else to say besides maybe get a proof reader

[@chevy4x466]

As a lifelong lions fan, there r many possible ways the lions will screw this up. The schedule will be tougher, we may no have injury luck.

[@americanidol30]

Good joke. Playing for pride. A group of lions is called a pride.

[@cs1992]

Pride...one of the 7 deadly sins.

[@gregd4633]

My cousin is a die hard Detroit Lions fan, he goes way back to when Billy Sims played for Detroit Lions. I will never forget watching Monday Night Football with my cousin when Scott Mitchell threw an interception. Now we’re both watching the game at my grandmas house and she’s a 4’9 woman but she was tough as nails. Well Detroit threw a nasty interception and my cousin yelled *”SCOOOOTTTT MITCHELLLL YOU MF!!”* and that set my grandma on fire lol 😂. She rushed into the living room with her broom and started hitting my cousin and all he kept saying while getting hit with a broom, man Scott caused this man damn Scott🤣. Now we’re both young men in our early twenties and he was home on leave because he was in the Army at the time and I was a student at University Of Florida. Rest in Paradise grandma 🙏🏾

[@ALTAIR2]

I would've been laughing hard

[@gregd4633]

@@ALTAIR2 🤣🤣🤣👍🏾

[@lancetheb.m.c]

Talk about laying down the law!

[@gregd4633]

@@lancetheb.m.c Grandma knew how to lay down the law 🤣

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

I love the fact that they just came straight out and admitted it. The NFL already knew that putting the Lions @ 49ers on MNF in the last week of the season was a bad idea, given that it happened 4 years prior in 1992, when the Lions were also 5-11 And that game was just as much of a waste of everyone’s time. There is nobody to blame for this but the league. They set up to fail once again

[@matthewdaley746]

The 49ers normally would have rested their starters, but, they, seriously, wanted to have a better record than the Cowboys, history would prove their, 14-2, record, to be entirely fraudulent.

[@marcus813]

Mitchell messed up royally. He forgot that he still had to put good stuff on film and he forgot that he and his teammates had that as some form of motivation. No wonder the Lions couldn't sell out many home games that season.

[@davidlafleche1142]

He would get shut out playing pinball.

[@andrewpadaetz5549]

The 1986 Pats-Fins game was also historic because it was the last game the Dolphins played at the Orange Bowl before moving to what is now Hard Rock for the '87 season.

[@robeymann538]

Fontes should have benched Mitchell, talk about a dumb decisions

[@JonPITBZN]

In Week 17, the guys on losing teams are playing for their jobs! Scott Mitchell had to be pretty out of touch with his teammates if he didn't know that

[@DolFan316]

Lomas Brown sure didn't seem to be playing for his job when he admitted he let Mitchell get sacked repeatedly on purpose.

[@arizonawrestlinginterviews1040]

JG9, imma need you to come out with that Wayne Fontes Dumb Decisions homie!

[@anthonyjkenn6319]

And now you know why Baltimore Ravens fans were so ticked off when Mitchell was traded to the Ravens, and attempted to retain his jersey number 19....same one worn by ex-Baltimore Colts/NFL icon QB Johnny Unitas. OOPS.

[@johncate9541]

Wayne Fontes should have just spiked Mitchell to the ground and played a different quarterback on every single play.

[@DolFan316]

4:25 I remember that game!!! I was visiting my DolFan grandparents in south Florida and there were record cold temps there that year, to the point where the entire citrus crop was in severe danger of being wiped out. The Dolphins played the coldest home game in franchise history the day before. I'm not sure it's ever been as cold in south Florida since. I also got an original Nintendo for Christmas and some funky late '80s style shades. Also, I rooted for the Bengals since they were an AFC team and back then that still actually mattered to me.

[@footwork216]

I feel like the title of this video could double as an NFL Films documentary on the Lions franchise in the post-merger era.

[@mrmoose6619]

Obviously, Herm Edwards was never Scott Mitchell's HC.

[@Wildcat_Media]

Fair play to Mitchell - that was just the Lions in the 90s 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@michaelvandeginste3497]

Signing another team's backup quarterback to be your starter is seldom a good idea. Heck, even the Packers didn't do that when it came to Brett Favre; he was intended to back up Don Majkowski.

[@marcus813]

All it took was Majkowski being injured in a home game vs. the Bengals for NFL history to change forever. Things can work out sometimes.

[@michaelvandeginste3497]

@@marcus813 I suppose that's what the Lions were thinking when it came to Scott Mitchell. They perhaps thought Mitchell was the next Favre, based on his performance while filling in for Dan Marino. They should have paid closer attention to the fact that the Dolphins lost their last five games in '93 with him at the helm.

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

The Packers intended for Favre to be in their future plans of some sort. They traded a 1st round pick for him. They clearly wanted to invest something in his arm to see if he could be the guy

[@johncate9541]

Matt Hasselbeck turned out OK when Mike Holmgren moved to Seattle and acquired him from his old team. Of course, Holmgren already first-hand knew Hasselbeck's ability in that case.

[@mangrove]

Ironically enough, Mitchell's back-up that season was...Don Majkowski.

[@robeymann538]

Always will be candlestick to me

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

It will be 3Com to me. But that’s mainly cuz I have such an attachment to the Garrison Hearst run in overtime

[@DolFan316]

@@marcusmcgraw3519 I saw that run while sitting in a place that doubled as a bar and a laundromat. I kid you not.

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

@@DolFan316 what a great idea tbh. I never thought of combining the two, but it sounds like a nice way to pass the time while you wait for your clothes to finish

[@trashboat8381]

I knows it’s the off-season when I’m here every single time you drop 😂

[@de_sng5285]

Nice video, but easily could have been half the length

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

That’s the thing about JG9’s videos. You’ll come for the headlines. You’ll leave cuz you lost interest well before he got to the point

[@aaronholcomb237]

Wayne Fontes always seemed to do just enough not to get fired as Lions head coach. It finally caught up to him in 1996.

[@matthewdaley746]

The thing about it is, if not for a legendary, Washington, team, the Lions almost certainly make SB 26, and, even a massive drubbing, meant, they would very, likely, keep him for another decade, really, The, Bar, Was, The, Floor.

[@mangrove]

The Big Buck finally got bagged. WCF was rarely seen on camera, the opposite of Jerry Jones, but the one time that the camera panned to him at his Silverdome suite, he showed disgust at his team for maybe the first time. I forget the play, but it was likely some Mitchell-engineered boneheadedness, with Ford shaking his head and waving dismissively. Everyone knew that Fontes was toast after the season.

[@matthewdaley746]

​​​@@mangroveReally an absolute, relief.

[@DolFan316]

People had way more patience back then. The exact same coaching job would've gotten Fontes fired maybe even during his first season today.

[@matthewdaley746]

​@DolFan316 Eras really absolutely, altering.

[@mikemoore5263]

Scott Mitchell might very well be the reason (growing up in Michigan in the mid 90s) that i became a Packers fan, lol those mid 90s Lions teams were a hard watch besides a declining Barry Sanders

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

Let’s not go there. They had one of the most exciting offenses in football. Herman Moore could have been a HOF’er if his prime had extended another 2 seasons. This was a fun team to watch regardless

[@ravex24]

Declining Barry Sanders? 96 was the third best season of his career and 97 was his best, rushing for over 2000 yards. He retired before he ever declined.

[@matthewdaley746]

​​​​@@ravex24Yeah, just like Calvin Johnson, The, Ford, Family, made him, Rage Quit, because he got completely fed up with them, they, seriously, have all the horrendous ineptitude of, The, Rooney, Family, Pre-1969, only they never lucked into a transcendent coach.

[@fortynights1513]

@@ravex2498 wasn’t as good as 97 (and I would hardly call that a decline even).

[@matthewdaley746]

​@fortynights1513 Emotions really decided, it-circular.

[@DolFan316]

To this day I call a backup QB coming in due to injury, playing much better than expected, then crashing to earth after teams get 3-4 games' worth of tape on him to figure him out the Mitchell Effect. Even after over a decade of following the NFL at that point, it was the first time I'd ever really noticed this.

[@fortynights1513]

Some players could play initially, but didn’t hold up once their opponents had seen enough of them

[@lancetheb.m.c]

I remember playing Madden 95 against the Lions and Mitchell thew a interception. As I was running back the interception for a touchdown, the one man to beat was Mitchell and he just ran out of bounds without even trying! You KNOW it's bad when even the Games CPU gives up on Mitchell!!!!!!

[@quantumfootball]

That was the Monday night game where the hype was about whether or not Herman Moore or Jerry Rice would end up with that season’s reception title, right?

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

It was. And it was the only thing about this game that even mattered

[@mangrove]

Also, Barry won the rushing title over Terrell Davis that game, as well.

[@kenb2703]

Basically, he was being honest and you just don’t like it.

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

Agreed. I blame the league for setting this up to happen much more than I blame Mitchell for being blunt about the situation

[@DolFan316]

As I pointed out in another comment, just 4 years earlier a Lions team with the same record faced the same opponent in the same situation and lost by a worse score. And Scott Mitchell wasn't around to blame. Not to mention it seems like half the games every week these days are played by totally unmotivated teams.

[@matthewdaley746]

​​​​@DolFan316 Really gigantic fraudulent, "powerhouse."

[@Metalthrashingnate]

I mean, the dude literally quit on the team. Would you like it as a fan or teammate if your quarterback did that? 🤷

[@matthewdaley746]

​@Metalthrashingnate Really, it's, indescribably, disappointing-woeful.

[@jonathanezell2280]

As a lions fan I'm sure glad I didn't grow up with this era of Lions football

[@DolFan316]

This era was a golden age compared to the 21st century before last season. At least back then Barry Sanders made the Lions exciting to watch. They made the playoffs as many times from '91-98 as they have in the last 23 years BTW.

[@jonathanezell2280]

@@DolFan316 true

[@J69user]

The Lions should have never paid Scott Mitchell. They should have just stuck with Kramer in 1993 as the starter and he would have gotten the contract instead of signing with the Bears in 1994. He went 3-1 in 1993 with 1,000 yards in only 4 games. If they stick with him as the starter he would probably given them a better chance at winning a Super Bowl in the 90’s. Kramer already dismantled the Cowboys once maybe he does it in 1995 and they sweep the Packers that year and they get the 2 seed. Next thing you know they beat Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl and the Lions actually get a Super Bowl with Barry Sanders. Kramer almost threw for almost 4,000 yards and 30 TD’s with the Bears in 1995 with a old beat up roster with almost no weapons.

[@matthewdaley746]

Possibly, but, while, I despised the Cowboys, I'd much rather they win SB 30 than a Steelers team that shouldn't have been there in the first place, the Colts were absolutely owed an apology, by, the, officials, and, the, NFL.

[@ryanjacobson2508]

​@@matthewdaley746Wow you're suggesting the league favors the Stiller's? Sorcery!

[@matthewdaley746]

​​​​@@ryanjacobson2508Patriots had antidote, wonderfully-crazy.

[@aaronholcomb237]

Wasn't the first pass attempt for Scott Mitchell as an NFL QB a pick 6 when he played for the Dolphins?

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

It was. And it was the play after Dan Marino tore his Achilles

[@DamonNomad82]

I'll admit that I was expecting the game to be one from the Matt Millen as General Mis-Manager era. Mitchell, though takes the poisoned cake with that ridiculous "means nothing" comment.

[@mangrove]

Reminder that the Lions could have had Joe Montana, who contacted Wayne and expressed interest in playing with Barry and Co. Mitchell was unmotivated, but other players showed up that game. Barry ran for 175 and won the rushing title that night. Herman Moore finished 2 catches shy of Jerry Rice for the receptions lead. Bennie Blades and Brett Perriman played their last games as Detroit Lions that night

[@matthewdaley746]

The Dolphins could have had Barry Sanders, but, The, Ford, Family, stubbornly refused their trade offers, even when Jimmy Johnson agreed to grossly overpay, as a result, two, HOFers, would retire, Ringless.

[@takodabostwick8507]

In my fantasy, we won both games against the Raiders and Chiefs. In addition we always win against both these teams. Favoritism obviously. I have my favorites.

[@yourboyken7871]

EA Sports: We Aren't in the Game...

[@TylerDonitzen-777]

It's not in the game more at it

[@chriswheatley3146]

So, you're blaming him for being brutally honest? There's a ton to criticize Mitchell for, but his comment was a non-issue. Their season was essentially over and they knew they were going to be making changes in the offseason with Fontes being out. This was also the season where all people were talking about was Green Bay and Favre. If I was Detroit, I would have never started my starters that game, unless they wanted to, and started early preparation for the next season.

[@architect011_3]

Playing for draft status? Nope. Players and coaches who do that are on bad teams and they typcially get fired and find themselves out of the league selling insurance.

[@luisreyes1963]

Had it not been for their fiercely loyal fans, the Detroit Lions might have bolted to another city...maybe St. Louis? 😕

[@Metalthrashingnate]

Scott Mitchell Trubisky

[@powerofk]

The joke was that the only person who could stop Barry Sanders was Scott Mitchell. He was that bad. When the worst part of your team’s offense is your QB…

[@jovongarrison974]

Love the fact he didn't show one of the greatest Barry Sanders run that he had in this game

[@KK-eg3em]

Why are you calling Nick Foles a bust? He's always been streaky. He was a journeyman for a reason, even though he played his best for the Eagles.

[@matthewdaley746]

Patriots' fans absolutely, agree.

[@CTubeMan]

This unofficial Official Jaguar Gator 9 historian will remind everyone you made a video about…umm, nothing you didn’t mention already in this video. I’m just not motivated to come up with anything else.

[@andrewschultz6608]

Other people saw what you did there but probably weren't motivated to comment.

[@DolFan316]

Meh. The 5-11 Lions of '92 lost their finale to the 49ers by an even worse score of 24-6. Surely they were even less motivated?

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

Thank you. The NFL already knew this matchup was a bad idea based on this result, and they did it anyways. How can we blame the Lions here? Neither team had anything to play for, so it’s not like they could use the spoiler factor

[@matthewdaley746]

Speaking of which, that 49ers team was the most fraudulent, 14-2, team, ever, the Cowboys had a worse record by virtue of better competition, they never had a prayer against them, they only won SB 29 because of flukiness, the following year, they destroyed the Cowboys again, but, it proved immaterial because they later ran into a Packers team that they couldn't, (legitimately), beat.

[@matthewdaley746]

​@marcusmcgraw3519 Lions are frequently, disengaged.

[@DolFan316]

I haven't watched the video yet, but I've reached the point where I now expect charts and graphs, and will be disappointed if I don't see one. That is all. 7:04 And once again, OJG9 delivers better than the US Postal Service 🤘🤘🤘

[@rushbroussard5399]

The Detroit Lions Weren't A Bad Team They Just Had Bad Coaches Wayne Fontes Was Not A Bad Coach In Detroit When Detroit Had Bobby Ross As There Head Coach They Were Bad I Think The Lions Are Better With Dan Campbell The Lions Are Way Better They Have Won The Nfc North Jarrett Goff Has Sign A New Contract With Lions Putting The Retirement Curse To An End

[@chevy4x466]

I would like to add some context: The lions brass ran Eric Kramer out of town in favor of a back up qb which they paid a kings ransome. The lions may have one a Super Bowl with Kramer. The roster was loaded with stars. However the run with many great players produced nothing. The game was the end of a disappointing and failed run and everyone knew it. In all fairness to Mitchell, he did not have the emotional and psychological make up to play qb in the nfl. He had the physical tools. The locker room was fairly toxic. Mitchell wasn’t able too handle it, so it spiraled out….

[@matthewdaley746]

Their best chance was 1991, and, they ran into a, Washington, team that was totally invincible, they were swept aside, twice, and, adding insult to injury, after barely making the Playoffs the following year, they were done, The, Lions In A Nutshell.

[@mangrove]

PS. Joe Montana called Fontes after the '92 season and said that he was interested in playing with Barry. Chuck Schmidt said no, thnking Montana was done.

[@matthewdaley746]

​​​@@mangroveReally, it's, just, quintessential-Lions.

[@rocketmanVA703]

The REAL travesty is that, in 1999, Brian Billick somehow thought Scott Mitchell would be a good starting QB in Baltimore! He lasted less than 2 games.

[@matthewdaley746]

Or, the real travesty is that it took the Ravens until 2008 to realize that he couldn't coach, at all, he lucked into a truly legendary defense, he's almost as bad as Mike Shanahan, who would win only one Playoff Game in his last ten years with the Broncos, tragedy, it is.

[@DolFan316]

@@matthewdaley746 I'm convinced Billick had "orders from above" to not go for it on 4th and goal from inside the 1 late in that '08 Dolphins game. It's the only explanation that makes any kind of sense. Then again, he did get blackballed from coaching for that loss.

[@matthewdaley746]

​@DolFan316 It's, certainly, possible, unknowable.

[@preachaman2005]

Pretty bold statement to say this is one of Scott Mitchell's worst games.

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

Yeah this wasn’t a particularly good game for Mitchell. But he had a far worse game that year when he melted down in the 2nd quarter against the Giants with 3 picks. That game changed the complexion of the season. And it took an easy game that nobody cared about to one that left the Lions at 4-4, looking up at the rest of the conference with a schedule that would only grow tougher down the stretch

[@gjohnsonplayer123]

Don't forget about the horrible, absolutely horrible offensive line

[@randytracy1742]

Detroit lions in 1996 : 4-2 - good! 1-9 suck-5-11-terrible! Jg9-you mentioned the lions‘game against the chiefs that season-I’d like you to make a dumb decision video about it! 😂😂😂😂😊😊😊😊

[@Lcngopher]

16:17 and vice versa

[@jedimasterbones]

Nick Foles is a FA bust?

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

100% Got $88 million from the Jaguars, started 4 games, went 0-4, and looked awful

[@arizonawrestlinginterviews1040]

He wasn't a bust for my Birds 🦅🦅🦅

[@DolFan316]

@@arizonawrestlinginterviews1040 I'd much rather be the worst QB to ever win a Super Bowl than the best QB who never did.

[@matthewdaley746]

​@DolFan316 Yeah, I'd much rather be Nick Foles, who literally has never lost a Game to Tom Brady, than Russell Wilson, who, (possibly), played himself out of the, HOF, beginning with SB 49, or, Kurt Warner, who not only started this whole misery to begin with, but, is one defensive play away from being, Ringless.

[@TheDevilsKnot]

Ill never understand why there are Detroit Lions fans. No organization has done less to give a shit about their fans, yet they keep coming back. Now, thinking, Goff is your Savior. It's laughable. But go ahead, keep giving the Ford family your money. They're happy to take it.

[@TylerDonitzen-777]

It's laughable we got to an nfc title game this past January 😂 and we went 12 and 5

[@jimmderby5772]

15:36 This should be The Scott Mitchell Show Theme Song. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3qxiXluh7CanbMsi=_3yekXh09e7CX8OJ

[@davidlafleche1142]

"Dare to be Stupid."

[@frankperkin124]

Scott Mitchell was just an ass.