It’s about time someone felt comfortable enough to say the words that Lions fans are afraid to tackle.

Super Bowl.

Lion’s offensive lineman Penei Sewell said it and he meant it. The Lions, in his eyes, are good enough to go to the Super Bowl this season. Those words make this community cringe because nobody believed this team was good enough to win one playoff game, let alone string together a bunch of playoff wins to make the Super Bowl.

“The sky is the limit to be honest,” Sewell told reporters over the weekend. “Whatever is out there like the Super Bowl I think we’ve got the guys to do it. The sky is the limit. I can’t wait to see what we can do this year.”

Sewell said it. How many of you believe it? How many of you are laughing? I’m sure not laughing. I am not putting a big bet any time soon on the Lions making the Super Bowl. However, I would only be slightly stunned if the breaks broke right, and they actually made it.

The Lions are one of only four NFL teams to have never played in the Super Bowl.

Two are expansion teams. (Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans). The third team, the Cleveland Browns, moved to Baltimore where the Ravens have made a Super Bowl.

The Lions are the only franchise to play every year of the Super Bowl era and not make it. The closet they came was in January of 1992 when the Lions were stomped 41-10 by the Washington Redskins.

I was at that game. The Redskins overwhelmed the Lions so much in the second half, especially defensively, Redskins Stadium shook from the passion of fervent fans after every big play. The Lions were close to a Super Bowl. But were they really?

I caught heat from Lions fans in 1999 when rookie running back Sedrick Irvin was caught on tape saying he believed that Lions were good enough to make the Super Bowl. I caught flak when I said incredulously to Irvin “this year?”

The Lions were in no position to talk Super Bowl, so I made fun of the rookie. I am not making fun of Sewell. It is about time someone could say those words and have something to back them.

My prediction is the Lions will not make the Super Bowl but will win their first playoff game since 1992. That’s a start.

The expectations will grow along with the Lions chances to play in a Super Bowl. If that day comes, I want you to remember who started the roar. It was Penei Sewell, a guy who believed when many others did not.

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For more from the author Terry Foster, check him out on Twitter here: @terryfosterdet

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Original Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel – USA TODAY Sports