The Detroit Lions are in a race against time

Time

The indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.

The Detroit Lions find themselves in a situation where time is of the essence. In 2007 the Detroit Lions opened a window. A window by definition is an interval or opportunity for action. This window represents the Detroit Lions time to contend for a Super Bowl.

I’m sure you’re thinking “2007? That’s the year before the Lions went 0-16” There are two ways to look at the Detroit Lions infamous 2008 season:

1. The most popular thought is “same old Lions” or that the Lions were a disgrace to the city of Detroit and the game of football.

2. The Lions needed to hit rock bottom to begin their ascension to the top.

I can’t argue with anyone about the former. That s a perfectly good way to feel about a team that couldn’t win a game. The latter on the other hand, I can argue all day long. The Lions hitting rock bottom in 2008 opened the window a little farther and changed the landscape of the entire franchise. It was almost as if the previous 78 years of the Detroit Lions franchise was an old man who finally let go and passed on and left his business to his young son.

What the son initially did was make his fathers mistakes. By that I mean the Lions still were making the mistakes of having losing seasons. But all along the window continued to open with the draft picks and the free agent signings that have made this team what it is now. The problem is that time always catches up.

Jan 25, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Team Irvin quarterback Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions (9) after the 2015 Pro Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Lions are now seeing that  the window that opened in 2007, has begun to close. At this moment, even without Suh, the Lions have the best team the franchise has ever assembled. The problem is that the average age of the Lions in 2013 was 27.15. Which at the time made them the oldest team in the NFL. As of today the average age is 25.44, which is a lot better.  But the average age of the Lions current starters is back up to  26.05. Not much of a change. But when you consider that Calvin Johnson, DeAndre Levy, Glover Quin and Matthew Stafford are all approaching the age of 30. You’ll see what I mean.

The Lions have another three to five years to lock up a Super Bowl before it’s time to start over and head another direction. The hope is that they can find a way to become an anomaly like the New England Patriots. The key to the Patriots has been developing talent and spending wisely. The Lions have started moving that direction as well as of late.

Nov 9, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions outside linebacker DeAndre Levy (54) before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Can the Lions answer the bell? is the question. with essentially 3-5 years before a potential rebuild, the Lions have to realize that they have to step up and lean from the past mistakes. It’s time to take advantage of the gift of time that has been given to them. This is not to say the Lions will win a Super Bowl in the next 3-5 years. It’s also not saying the Lions are headed towards a cliff and will just fall off in 3-5 years. The Lions are a completely different franchise than they were after past success. The Lions can still be a nice playoff team years from now and will undoubtably open up a new window. As for this window, it’s time for the Lions to use it or lose it.

What do you think? Do the Lions have more time than it seems? Or has the opportunity already passed? Leave your comments below and be sure to follow me on Twitter @Lionmike26