NFL Analyst Hilariously Compares 2023 Detroit Lions to ‘Uncle Lenny’ [Video]
If you are a fan of the Detroit Lions, you have certainly heard of the phrase, “Same Old Lions.” It’s a phrase that many have used to describe the Lions whenever something goes wrong for the team, or when the team starts losing games. It’s also a phrase that I have NEVER once uttered because I have always been of the mindset that what a team did in the past has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the present or future success. One person who is on the same page as me is Kyle Brandt from Good Morning Football, who hilariously compared the Lions to “Uncle Lenny.”
Kyle Brandt Compares 2023 Detroit Lions to ‘Uncle Lenny’
Here is what Brandt had to say when asked if it’s crazy that the 2023 Detroit Lions are favored to win the NFC North.
“Here’s where I come out on this,” Brandt said. “It’s not crazy at all for the Lions to be the favorites…at all. And when the question is posed, my muscle memory goes to this place of, ‘Let me think about this, when is the last time the Lions won a playoff game? When is their last Super Bowl?’ And then I said, ‘What the hell am I doing?’ Who gives a damn when the last time they won the North, or when they were favored in the North? I hate it. I am so here for this resistance against holding teams’ distant past against their present. None of those players were there in the 90s, Dan Campbell wasn’t there in the 90s. This year, if the Lions get their thing going, and they’re doing well, all do respect, I don’t want to hear about Barry Sanders, I just don’t. He’s one of my favorite players ever and he has nothing to do with it. I don’t want to see a video of Wayne Fontes, I don’t want to see Herman Moore. I love those guys, I want to see THESE guys.”
“See, the Lions are like this old relative you have, the Lions,” Brandt added.” Like, Uncle Lenny. And he can’t get his act together, year after year. And you see him here or there, you see him every year on Thanksgiving, and it’s always like, ‘Man, I hope Lenny’s alright. He’s been fired, or he’s been dumped, or he’s been caught in some sort of sting, or he’s got legal problems or credit problems.’ Last year, Lenny showed up and he’s got a suit on, and he lost weight, and he has a haircut, and he’s shaved, and he’s got a date, and it’s like, ‘Damn, Lenny! You got your life together!’ Now do you sit down with Lenny and say, ‘Well, it’s been like 20 years since you’ve been clean and sober showing up here and since you’ve been coherent.’ Or do you say, ‘Nevermind that, Lenny, that’s in the past and I respect what you’re doing here, and you have a new direction and a new clarity.’ You’re an idiot and a jerk if you’re harping on Lenny’s past and his demons, the skeletons in his closet, and his good old days in high school when he was Uncle Rico. Now he’s got something going on.
“So, for the Love of God, can we please try and keep the focus on the 2023 Lions?” Brandt asked. “And if they start winning, it’s not necessary to say, ‘They haven’t had two wins since 1805, or whatever the hell it is.’ Just now, the current, the positive, the future, that’s what I want. So, to answer the question, it’s not crazy at all. It’s crazy to say if the 2004 Lions would win the North, but I don’t care about the 2004 Lions. It’s not crazy to say the 2023 Lions will win the North, and I think they’ll be in contention.”
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- The Detroit Lions have an enduring phrase, “Same Old Lions,” which fans and observers invoke every time the team faces challenges or undergoes a series of losses, highlighting a perception of repeated patterns of underperformance.
- Despite its popularity, the author staunchly opposes the use of this phrase. They believe in evaluating teams based on their current actions and potential, arguing that a team’s past failures or missteps shouldn’t be taken as indicators of their present or future prospects.
- Kyle Brandt, a commentator from Good Morning Football, resonates with the author’s perspective. He offered a humorous analogy, likening the Lions to “Uncle Lenny” to illustrate the unfairness of constantly tying a team to its past.
Bottom Line: Same Old Lions Is DEAD
If you were one (or still are one) to use the phrase, ‘Same Old Lions’, then I truly feel bad for you. What the Lions did in the past has ZERO to do with the 2023 Detroit Lions, or the 2024 Detroit Lions, or the 2026 Detroit Lions! Each year is a new beginning, and if you choose to believe that the 0-16 Lions, or any other Lions team that struggled in the past, somehow will impact what happens this coming season, then you have to live with that. That being said, when they win, AND WIN BIG, I will make sure to save a spot for you on the train.
