I hear the whispers from everyone who claims to be a Detroit Lions fan. Two straight losses, the defense is giving up points in bunches, Stafford is on his back more than he is on his feet. It seems like this is where the train goes off the tracks. The Lions have a 3-3 record and is a team that can’t seem to run the ball or stay healthy. Well… yes, we have lost two in a row and the offensive line has looked horrible in those games. Our defense can’t seem to sack the quarterback and our run defense is atrocious at best. Our best receiver, Golden Tate, was last seen giving an interview with his arm in a sling.
Is this the end?
Simply put, no team has ever won a Super Bowl in Week 7. The best thing that could have happened to this team is losing two games before the bye week. Far too often in this league, I have seen teams go 5-0, 5-1, 6-0, 6-1, and stumble in the second half of the season. The Philadelphia Eagles’ last season started out 4-0 and by their bye week, they were 5-2. Their season record ended up 7-9. Starting off hot doesn’t necessarily mean a team will end that way.
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This league is a war of attrition. Take the Lions last loss for example. New Orleans scored 21 points on defense. Take out those 21 points, and the Lions win by a touchdown. Consider that they had Golden Tate for out for the second half. No T.J. Lang, Taylor Decker, and the offensive line could barely block a high school defensive line – and the Lions still had a chance to win that game. This team has the heart. Matthew Stafford could have said he was injured and pulled out of the game but instead, he went out there and took a beating to give his team the best chance to win and he almost pulled it off. With Carolina, same thing. We had chances but the offensive line could not get anything right, and again, Stafford took a beating. Yet, we were one stop away from pulling off another late-game comeback.
We will get healthy. Taylor Decker is set to start practice again and looks to return either week 8 or week 9. T.J. Lang and Rick Wagner should be back as well. When these guys are healthy and on the same page it should mean that Stafford will have time to find his target and not land on his back. Tate will return from his injury and the Lions will be back to a playoff team. We already have a head to head win over the Vikings, and when the Lions play Green Bay without Aaron Rodgers, a team that just can’t stay healthy if they wanted to, that win should come easily. You never want injuries, but if they happen you would rather they happen early in the season rather than later. So again, I say to Lions fans… no need to panic.
Lastly, Bob Quinn is no dummy. He was a part of the New England teams that won Super Bowls. He played a part in those Super Bowls and he knows what it takes to get there. My bet is that he is working on something behind the scenes right now to help give us that little push to help get these Detroit Lions to the playoffs and maybe even our first playoff win since 1991. So, don’t panic, get ready for something big. I can tell you this: these are not your dad’s Lions anymore.
