The Detroit Lions are still mathematically alive for the playoffs. But with the odds being against them, what do these games really mean to this franchise?
Matt Patricia and the Detroit Lions would be the first to tell you that they still have something to play for.
Yet for those of us watching from home, it seems pretty clear that the odds are are extremely against the Lions finding their way into the playoffs. Stranger things have happened, but considering that they need to win out and get a lot of help, it doesn’t seem very likely .
If Matt Patricia is going to lead the Lions to the playoffs, it seems much more likely that it would occur in future seasons and not this one.
Now being eliminated from playoff contention immediately brings fans to the thought process of wanting that higher draft pick, but getting that higher draft pick doesn’t insure becoming a winning franchise.
Think about it, the Detroit Lions have a lot of high draft picks, but that hasn’t stopped them from having losing seasons. If you believe that the one key player that will turn around the franchise is sitting at the top of the draft, then you haven’t been paying attention.
Lions fans have dreams of finding franchise players like Tom Brady, Charles Haley, John Randle, Joe Montana, Richard Dent or even the second coming of Dick ‘Night Train’ Lane or Joe Schmidt. Yet here’s the secret; while all of those are or will be Hall of Famers, none of them were drafted higher than the third round.
As a matter of fact ‘Night Train’ and Randle weren’t even drafted at all.
The point is this; for the Detroit Lions to finally turn the corner and become a real contender, it’s not going to happen at the top of the draft. It’s going to happen in their front office and on the sidelines.
Smart drafting that finds the right talent that not only fit the teams system, but excel in it and coaching that maximizes the potential of those players.