This past NFL season, fans experienced a new side of the Detroit Lions. They reigned as NFC North Champions and ended their season in the playoffs for the first time since 1993 with their final score being 12-5. As a state, Michigan recently has had many athletic wins including the University of Michigan becoming National Champions and the Red Wings having a six-game winning streak for the first time in five years. This overwhelming success especially for the Lions recently made Metro Detroit have an energy that was inconceivable, since the Lions have been struggling for most of their history.
Jack Jones resides in a senior living facility in Sterling Heights and has been a life-long Lions fan. “Every year at the beginning of the year we were always getting hyped up about the changes they made and how good they were going to do,” he said. “After the first three or four games, we knew that wasn’t happening. This year was different.”
The 103-year-old Michigan native also stated,“It’s been so long since we’ve had a winning team that I’m very very excited.”
People were especially emotional over the Detroit football team because of the city’s personal hardships. The new head coach, Dan Campbell, made this his main motivator, to give the city what they deserved.
“This team is going to take on the idea of the city. And the city’s been down and found a way to get up. It’s found a way to overcome adversity.”
There can be many reasons for the team’s recent achievements. The Lions are praised for their draft picks in recent years. In 2021, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jared Goff were two of the seven players drafted. Brown is exceptional in his route-running and is known for his adaptability to various offensive schemes and Goff’s extraordinary accuracy as a Quarterback.
Campbell is also frequently credited for reviving the team.
“I thought he’s like one of the perfect motivators I’ve seen, it seems like his team takes his personality, which is kind of the mark of a coach.” Christopher Frasier, the Troy High School football coach, shared.
“It seems like it’s a good match between Campbell and the General Manager Brad Holmes, they seem like that they’re looking for the same person, the same type of cuts, and they’re kind of like all pushing in the same direction.”
The Lions going to the playoffs made a massive impact on the community, so much so that people who previously didn’t follow football became Lions fans. Sasha Zangrele, a Troy High School student, weighed in.
“Even though I personally don’t keep up with it, my dad definitely does and locally it is a great team. I really liked a lot of the Michigan spirit that I saw with the Detroit Lions T-shirts. The fact that we made it so close to the superbowl is super fulfilling.”
Although the Lions are one out of four teams in the entire NFL that never made it to the superbowl, people are hopeful for a more prosperous future for the team.
Zangrele shared, “It gave Detroit the light that they deserve. We’ve proved people wrong. Detroit has a certain wrap but it’s wrong and we’re getting better.”
