With the Lions playoff chances being reduced to next to nothing after seven weeks, fans are voicing their frustration with coach Dan Campbell, and- to a lesser extent- the roster construction by GM Brad Holmes. It is nothing new for Lions fans, but this season feels different than the others. Detroit’s fanbase, which is normally pessimistic/realistic, had real hope for improvement from the 2021 season. It was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but the improved roster was poised to make substantial progress towards playing winning football.
Even when the team was sitting at 1-3; they were competitive in every game, painting the picture of light at the end of the tunnel that the franchise has seemed to be in since the 90s. But after 2 embarrassing losses to the Patriots and Cowboys, any motivation to watch the Detroit Lions play on Sunday for me has diminished. Of course, like many others, I will still watch every play of every game.
They say the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Personally, I disagree. The Lions have done so many different things in the last couple of years, yet they still are stuck in the same cycle of old. Of course, it is early in the rebuild. To me- that is pure insanity. It’s even more maddening to have success dangled in front of you, just to be pulled away. Even more frustrating is how low the bar is for the 2022 season for “success” for Detroit.
I would argue that this is one of the most painful seasons in the team’s history, and depending on how it ends, it could be on par with 2008. Of course, nothing can be more embarrassing than being the first team to ever go 0-16, and being one of the only 2 teams to do so. But it has been absolutely agonizing to watch this team with so much potential regress in the last couple of weeks. This is why fans are so skeptical of positive things: because there has never been a step forward without 3 steps back for the same old Detroit Lions.
