Detroit Lions: Defense needs to develop ‘thug’ identity

The Detroit Lions are showing signs on defense of being tough and disciplined over the past several weeks. Will it be enough to start winning?

The Detroit Lions were trounced 27-9 by the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. With so much on the line playoff-wise for the Vikings, it was hard to envision a win for Detroit.

This loss drops the Lions to 5-10 on the season. A record that is disappointing after what was deemed an unacceptable 9-7 campaign by head coach Jim Caldwell last year.

Somehow, new head coach Matt Patricia has lowered the bar for this season, but has probably raised the expectations next year. That doesn’t make sense – even as a I type it – but the truth is that another year like this will be Patricia’s last.

And yes, general manager Bob Quinn has a relationship with Patricia. But, to be honest, if Quinn’s fourth season is anything less than playoff bound (and hopefully division and playoff win included), it will also mean his demise.

Teams go through growing pains, rebuilds, and even unfortunate injuries. And the fan base will give some understanding along those lines. But Quinn and Patricia have used up any good will in just one season together.

They need to build a winner. And hopefully the lessons of this season coupled with a high draft pick (still at pick #5 according to Tankathon.com) will result in winning next year.

THUG LIFE

Since Patricia is a defensive minded coach, the hope was for improvement on that side of the ball. There have been plenty of reports about improved defense over the past four games, although it hasn’t always shown up in the final score.

Still, the run defense has improved. And because there are no reports of a good offense this season – and if there are any reports like this, they are categorically untrue – the defense has had a tough job for the entire year. Too much time out on the field, and the deflation of minuscule scores from the offense can be exhausting for any defense.

The MMQB’s Andy Benoit talked about the Detroit Lions defense on Monday’s “The Rich Eisen Show” (12-24-18, Hour 3), and he said the following to guest host Jody Ohler:

"“This past week against Detroit, (the Vikings) run into a team that has Damon Harrison. That has Devon Kennard – all these gap-filling thug players. These really hard players to move and fist fight against. And we saw the Vikings have to abandon their running game.”"

This is one of the few times that “thug” can be seen as a compliment. Hearing that the Detroit Lions defensive players are ‘hard to move’ and using a term like ‘fist fight’ makes me genuinely happy.

This is the kind of personality that would be nice for this team moving forward: tough, hard-nosed, resilient, and tenacious. It is much more befitting a town like Detroit and a state like Michigan – people here work hard and want their teams to do the same.

The specific mentions of defensive tackle Damon Harrison and linebacker Devon Kennard are great because they are both part of the Quinn/Patricia plan. This is what the fans want from this team: an identity. And these two guys are building blocks for a new tougher personality.

While it would have been nice for that new Detroit Lions identity to come from a talent like linebacker Khalil Mack – who has transformed the Chicago Bears defense this season – this upcoming draft is a good opportunity to find Detroit’s version of Mack. And that is what the team needs: an impact player that changes the defense.

AND NEXT YEAR?

This is my last post for 2018, so let’s hope ‘next year’ is the one that these jungle cats finally make a leap in the standings. ‘Next year’ is a tongue-in-cheek phrase, but I sincerely hope one day it will click for this franchise.

The Detroit Lions have been my undying passion since the days of Barry Sanders, and I can’t see that changing anytime soon – after all, I’ve made it this far. Hopefully, this terrible season will be a distant memory come next December – as the Lions are fighting for a first round bye and have already secured the division. Sounds good, right?

Happy holidays to all Detroit fans in the great state of Michigan (and beyond). Go Lions! (But not against the Packers, secure that Top 5 pick – yes, I had to say it)