Detroit Lions: Bob Quinn must establish moratorium on wins
TEAR IT DOWN
If the Detroit Lions remain at just four wins this season, it might be the right step towards rebuilding the roster. A 4 and 12 record would all but guarantee a very needed ‘Top 5’ pick for this franchise. Every win beyond that will push them lower and lower in the draft, and probably cost them a turnaround next year.
Bob Wojnowksi (also known simply as “Wojo”) from the Detroit News explained the Detroit Lions predicament quite succinctly in his column on Sunday:
"“Remember, it was Quinn who declared the talent level better than 9-7, not Patricia. It also was Quinn who let tight end Eric Ebron leave without a suitable replacement, and later traded Golden Tate for a third-round pick. Those (moves) might have made business sense, but also were acknowledgements nothing substantial was going to be won now.”"
Since nothing will be “won now,” it is up to Quinn to make sure that this team understands what is important moving forward. These last four games are about talent evaluation, protecting players from injuries (even if that means being shut down for the season), and determining what are the biggest areas of need going forward.
Wins cannot be the goal anymore. The Detroit Lions need to play this right. The Lions have already officially blown the division (25 years straight), and their chances of making the playoffs are very slim, even if they win their last four.
Moving down the draft board will not help this team. In my opinion, Wojo would agree with that assessment, as he wrote the following:
"“Without explicitly saying so, it was a veiled plea for patience, as reality settles in. Players know the record means nothing now, the playoffs are beyond reach, and jobs are on the line. For the final four games, starting with a trip to Arizona this week, expectations are altered, and everyone starts eyeing the future.”"
That ‘future’ only gets brighter by losing the remaining games. The Detroit Lions have to start thinking macro (getting better 2019 and beyond) instead of micro (we beat Arizona, Buffalo, Minnesota, and/or Green Bay – Yay! Let’s throw a parade!). Even one extra win this season will be costly for this team’s future. Losing sucks, but it is all about patience.
By the way, that useless win over the Carolina Panthers will probably keep Detroit out of the ‘Top 3’ picks. That really would have been something good for this franchise. But Carolina coach Ron Rivera‘s missed 2-point conversion at the end of that game only harmed the Lions (not the Panthers) in the long-run. (By the way, if it did harm the Panthers, do you really think I care?)