How this season will unfold should become apparent pretty quickly. With games against the Dolphins, Seahawks, Vikings, and Bears on deck, it won’t take long to figure out if there is a playoff push in these Lions or not.
Yet whether they do make a run or not, the real key in terms of the big picture will be how they develop. The offense needs to continue to get better at running the ball and the defense simply has to find a way to stop it.
Despite the need for more talent in the Lions defensive front seven, if they can simply play better, then that should be a turning point in itself.
I think most rational Lions fans understood even before the season began that this team would probably not win the Super Bowl. The change in a scheme and the usual resulting roster turnover that come with it, just makes it not very feasible.
The big thing at this point is really development. Not only players developing, but the coaching staff and front office. The ability of this franchise to become a fairly well oiled-team that doesn’t beat themselves is all on Matt Patricia.
Player acquisitions, whether they be free agent signings, draft picks or trades, will fall on the shoulders of both Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia.
This season is the start of the Matt Patrica era. It’s a journey that could eventually end in great joy and happiness as the Lions finally become winners and, dare I say it, champions. Or it could end with the same frustration and disappointment that so many other eras in Lions history have.
The point is, that we are way too early to say if the negatives or positives outweigh each other overall. We can only say we agree that Matt Patricia and his staff need to coach better and that his players need to play better. At least if this journey is going to lead them to a positive ending.