The Detroit Lions entered this NFL Season with lots of hope and promise after going 11-5 last season and getting to the playoffs. It was Coach Caldwell's first season as Lions HC and although his Offense wasn't as good as it should of been, everyone figured a year under new OC Joe Lombardi and this would be the breakout year for them! Moving forward to this past Sunday, the Lions were 0-4 and knew they had to make a statement and show everyone including themselves, the fans, and other teams that they were on the edge of turning around this Season and ending the losing streak! The Lions lost their last 2 games but the defense had played better and the offense showed a glimmer of hope in the last 5 minutes of the game against Seattle. Come Sunday afternoon, the Fans were into the game, rockin' the Den at Ford Field and the Lions came out looking ready to start the game ready to redeem themselves. That's where it all fell apart for the Lions!
The Debacle in the Den started with the first pass intercepted, the first fumble, the bad play of the offense and defense, the continued turnovers, penalties, giving up huge chunks of yardage through the air and on the ground. But the worst part of this game was that the Lions coming out unprepared, mentally flat, and midway through the 2nd quarter when things were falling apart, instead of fighting harder and persevering, the Lions actually gave up and chose to mail it in rather than tough it out and make a stand. This was the straw that broke the Fans back! The Lions have very loyal and dedicated fans who have stuck through years of bad, very bad teams only to see this team on a day they needed to fight and win, watched their beloved Lions give up and not put up a fight. The Lions not only embarrassed themselves but also embarrassed the fans as they were humiliated by the Cardinals. The fans booed the Lions hard and often for their lackluster performance and rightfully so, yet one Lion, Golden Tate took offense to this and called out the Lion fans for not standing behind the team. Tate's comments were met with allot of sarcasm and he was called out by many who saw this Debacle where the Lions never showed up to this important game. Now they are 0-5 and head on the road to Chicago where again this is a must win game for them. Some players are saying the Lions as a team need to hit the reset button, what the hell does that mean? Reset what? A Team that many are questioning if Coach Caldwell has lost? An offense that has taken 2 steps back in OC Lombardi's second year ( why not go back to the offensive style the year or two before Lombardi that lit up defenses and utilized Stafford to his ability)? Hold Players and Coaches accountable for their play and coaching! Yes, the Lions have had numerous injuries but it is part of the game. And most importantly, and I can't emphasize this enough, hold a team meeting, tell them enough is enough, never give up or quit in a game, find players who want to be leaders and mentors who care about winning and who will hold each other accountable and that they trust each other, get the team to play with a chip on their shoulders and a mean streak, and finally get aggressive with play calling on both offense and defense (take the kid gloves off) and be BOLD (What do the Lions have to lose at this point)!
The Fans will always support the Lions no matter what as long as they see the team playing hard every play, doing their best, representing the City of Detroit, and taking pride in being a Detroit Lion!! Come on Coach Jim Caldwell motivate the team and make the fans proud of the Detroit Lions. Lets never ever have another game like this past Sunday, lets move on and lets start with this upcoming Sunday against the Bears!! NOW is The Time to "DEFEND THE DEN"
@cupofjoeinthed
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