Detroit - Motor City football fans are used to losing, so Sunday’s 37-31 loss to the Green Bay Packers was nothing new.
But Lions fans had another reason to cheer, as the game marked the regular-season debut of the $500-million Ford Field and Detroit’s first regular-season game downtown since 1974.
“I love the fact that its down in Detroit,” Mike Emke said of the new facility. “That to me says it’s a Detroit team.”
The Royal Oak resident is in his fifth year as a season-ticket-holder. He gave Ford Field a thorough tour during the first two preseason games and declared, “It’s great.”
“I like the whole layout,” Emke said. “It used to be real confined in the Silverdome. Now, everything is real accessible.
“It’s a top-flight facility - but it’s the same old team.”
Emke isn’t alone in his desire to see a winning team call Ford Field home. Several fans expressed their desire to see the Lions finally reverse their misfortunes.
In the first start of his NFL career, No. 3 overall pick Joey Harrington almost led the Lions to a fourth-quarter comeback. But the rookie threw his fourth interception of the game on Detroit’s 3-yard line as the Lions were looking to connect on the game-winning touchdown.
On the previous play, Harrington missed tight end Mikhael Ricks for what would have been the winning touchdown. Ricks only was able to get a fingertip on the ball.
“It’s a game of inches,” Lions head coach Marty Mornhinweg said.
“It was an exciting game to open up Ford Field.”
But 2002 MSU graduate Ashlee Cesul said the Lions just need time to get used to their new digs before they start winning.
Cesul said her family has held season tickets for as long as she can remember. She doesn’t remember her first Lions’ experience, but said Ford Field is definitely more enjoyable than the Pontiac Silverdome.
“I think the atmosphere is a lot better than the Silverdome,” she said. “It seems more homey.
“They did a great job.”
Helping to give the new facility that homey feel is a seven-story atrium, which provides natural lighting. And at the southwest corner of the stadium is a 65-foot glass wall where the 65,000-plus fans can take in the Detroit skyline.
Emke said both are nice, but he said the best part of the 1.8 million-square foot facility is the 27-foot-by-96-foot video boards at each end zone.
“They were the first things I noticed,” he said.
“It’s the clarity of what you see. I brought my wife to the game this time, and she couldn’t believe how clear they were either.”
And it’s not just the fans who are enjoying the video boards. Jeff King, a rookie beer vendor from Flint, said the screens make it easy for him to catch all the big plays he misses while serving the fans.
“The best part of the stadium is the replay screens,” King said. “They’re just incredible.
“But the whole place is amazing.”
With the mention of beer comes the biggest complaint most fans have with most facilities: the bathrooms.
But with 105 public restrooms, 21 suite restrooms and 13 club restrooms available there were no complaints at the Lion’s new home.
In fact, there were very few noticeable lines for anything.
And if any fans were unfortunate enough to find themselves stuck in a line, there were more than 1,000 televisions throughout the facility to catch the action.
The only major complaint heard had nothing to do with Ford Field itself.
“The worst seat is getting a parking spot - and that’s the truth,” said Emke, who had to compete with 61,504 other football fans and another 23,930 people watching the Tigers play the Yankees at neighboring Comerica Park.
“But overall, it’s still a great facility.”
