It'll be interesting to see how full the stands are in Detroit today, when the Lions play Tennessee in their traditional Thanksgiving Day game.

It's the NFL's best team, the Titans, who are 10-1, against the NFL's worst team, the Lions, who are 0-11.

How much of Detroit is going to show up to see the Lions get creamed, especially when the team is like a metaphor for a city that's getting creamed economically due to dwindling auto sales?

It's an interesting game set on the day society invented for reflection and bonding.

It's not interesting just for Detroit, but for the U.S., which is getting pounded economically almost daily because banks fear loaning money to people who might not be able to pay it back.

In Detroit, most fans are looking directly at coach Rob Marinelli, who is 10-33 in his fourth season as coach, as a key reason the team is a mess.

Out in society, a lot of people look at President George Bush as a key reason the economy is a mess because of too little attention to the banking industry and too much attention on Iraq.

In Detroit, another coach is likely to take over the Lions in the near future just like Barack Obama is going to take over as coach of the U.S. government in January.

What a job they're each going to inherit, but they're each going to tackle the job with the same game plan -- look to the future.

Looking ahead is when people are tested the most, something every coach passes on to his/her team whether it involves winning or losing on a scoreboard or in a financial ledger.

Thanksgiving is a great day to reflect on where you've been and where you're going, where the has been and where it's going.

In the Detroit locker room, with or without Marinelli, and in the White House, they're going to talk about the same thing -- resiliency.

In Detroit, they're going to work on retooling their game plan and roster, just like the auto industry is retooling it's roster of cars from luxury SUVs to fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles.

In the long term, the economic slowdown looks like a great thing for the auto industry and the environment, too, as long it survives to reap those rewards.

The U.S. economy might benefit from the slowdown, too, because people are learning or relearning to manage their money better.

The nation's new coach, Obama, is pointing to the environment as a key to creating jobs, the kind involved in developing the nation's infrastructure for power generation.

This focus on "green" power was going to happen in the future, but it looks like it's going to happen a lot sooner because the government needs to create jobs and the public will always need power.

Harnessing renewable energy is going to help take care of the planet, which is like a sports team taking care of its gym or field or track or pool.

The coach in Detroit, where it's Marinelli or someone new, is going to be challenged to focus on what hasn't happened yet and what the Lions can do to change it in their favor.

This is a huge challenge for Obama and the nation, especially after going through a long campaign, which involves tarnishing the opponent.

It's a lot easier to tear an opponent down, than it is to build your team because that involves work.

There's more than a few coaches who look at the nation's leadership, from the local level, to the state level to the U.S. government, and cringe at what the political process says about our society.

Why try to win when you can just make the opposition lose?

In Detroit, a lot of fans might stay away from today's game -- the last three Lions games haven't sold out -- because the team loses so much. But, whether they lose or not, it's still entertainment, which is why people go to a sporting event, to have fun.

That's the goal for society, too, to have fun, especially in a group setting like an NFL game.

As you reflect on what makes your world great today, take a moment to think about what's going to make the world great tomorrow, too.

And, if you're going to watch this morning's game, root for the Lions, not against the Titans.

Sports Editor Cliff Pfenning: 447-4070 or cliff.pfenning@helenair.com