Here we go again.

Over the years, Detroit Lions fans have run their fair share of athletes and coaches out of town.

This time last year, fans were in a frenzy, with the focus of their frustration aimed at head coach Jim Caldwell and tight end Eric Ebron. Fans often lambasted Caldwell despite the fact he recorded winning seasons in three of his four years and developed Matthew Stafford into a pro-bowl quarterback.

Ebron, meanwhile, was called a bust and was mocked and booed each time he made a mistake.

Now both are gone and fans are still trying to find someone to blame. Their focus has now shifted to Stafford and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter.

It wasn't long ago that Cooter was credited as the catalyst of the Lions' offensive success as a way of overlooking Caldwell's impact. Remember when fans and media personalities joined together to praise Cooter while refusing to credit Caldwell for Stafford's progress?

Yet without Caldwell, Stafford has clearly regressed and so has Cooter in his handling of the offense Caldwell established. It hasn't been the only area the Lions have struggled. Under first-year coach Matt Patricia, the Lions have regressed in nearly every way imaginable. That includes quarterback play, where Stafford has struggled to copy the success he had under Caldwell.

So many fans have said its now time to move on from Stafford. Those calls from fans have led to media speculation and more pressure for the Lions to contend with. Somehow, these fans don't remember what the team looked like before Stafford brought stability to the quarterback position.

Detroit went without a single victory before Stafford and without him, it would instantly become one of the worst teams in the NFL. Stafford is the least of Detroit's problems. But if you were to listen to fans, he's the top issue facing the franchise.

Somehow they ignore general manager Bob Quinn and his handling of the roster. Or Patricia's handling of nearly everything on the field. Playing for the Lions now means navigating through a toxic environment established from a fan base that can turn on you at a moment's notice.

At the first hint of adversity, fans are ready to jump ship and say in unison, 'Same ole Lions' and hiss and boo the players.

Somehow they overlook the fact that the common denominator in all of the Lions' lack of success this past half-century has been its toxic fans.

Each week, they say they hate the Lions and then show up at games waiting to unleash their pent-up frustrations. Each week they pressure the media to blame someone, and every couple of years they are faced with yet another rebuilding project.

These are the same fans that have experienced dark days with every Detroit sports franchise. The Detroit Pistons were terrible before Isiah Thomas and after he retired. The Detroit Red Wings were terrible before Steve Yzerman for how many years? Even now, the Red Wings will get beat, 5-1, and fans will still be willing to give the team another chance.

The Detroit Tigers were so bad for so long before Mike Ilitch became George Steinbrenner and spent money in droves.

But somehow, despite all of these struggles, fans became the most toxic toward the Lions. I still remember how fast they turned on Barry Sanders when he retired, or how they chided Calvin Johnson and said he was expendable during his final year, only to complain when he retired.

This toxic fan base has become the biggest impediment to the team's progress. Detroit's players may never say it, but they see just how fast fans here turn on them. It's become so easy to point the finger as a Lions fans. But one of these days fans will have to account for the damage they also caused.

There have been many Eric Ebrons who didn't realize their potential here before moving on to greener pastures. I hope Matthew Stafford isn't next.

Contact Joseph Hayes at (810) 989-6268 or at jahayes@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Joseph_Hayes11.