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The Detroit Lions are an American football team based in Detroit , Michigan . Originally based in Portsmouth , Ohio and called the Portsmouth Spartans, the team began play in 1929 as an independent professional team, one of many such teams in the Ohio and Scioto River valleys. For the 1930 season, the Spartans formally joined the NFL as the other area independents folded because of the Great Depression. Despite success within the NFL, they could not survive in Portsmouth , then the NFL's smallest city. The team was purchased and moved to Detroit for the 1934 season.

The Lions have won four pre-Super Bowl NFL Championships, the last in 1957, and have yet to qualify for the Super Bowl.

OP BLOGROLL: Justin Verlander, the Detroit Lions and more signing-day follies (The Oakland Press) Another day, another blog. Well, actually, several blogs. The Oakland Press' sports bloggers on Friday touched on everything from Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, to why the New Orleans Saints found success before the Detroit Lions, to Eastern Michigan University backing out on a local recruit at the last minute.

Detroit Lions Team Report (USA Today) Did the Lions improve in 2009? That depends. Their performance hardly improved, but their positioning for the future might have improved greatly.

Bears make ex-Lions head coach Rod Marinelli defensive coordinator (USA Today) Unable to find outside help, the Chicago Bears have promoted Rod Marinelli to defensive coordinator while rounding out their coaching staff. Marinelli, who retained his assistant head coach title, worked with the Bears' defensive line this season after spending three years as the Detroit Lions' head coach.

Lions can learn from Saints', Colts' rebuilding (Detroit Free Press) Think the Lions are hopeless? Last year, the Cardinals made it. This year, the Saints made it. Two former laughingstocks in a row.