Detroit Lions are poised to give NFL a wake-up call

The Detroit Lions have seemed to be a forgotten franchise once again in 2019, but could Detroit be poised to provide the NFL with a wake-up call instead?

The Detroit Lions are nearly every sports personality’s bottom-of-the-barrel type NFL team in 2019, just as they have been in years past. No matter how many significant improvements this franchise seems to pull off, a very limited amount of reports have them even going .500 in the win column this season.

To kick off the 2019 offseason, Lions general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia brought in a huge hull of high-quality free agents with the likes of defensive end Trey Flowers, slot corner Justin Coleman, outside corner Rashaan Melvin, wide receiver Danny Amendola, tight end Jesse James, power running back C.J. Anderson, and most recently, defensive tackle Mike Daniels. That’s a whole lot of talent and I’m not even going to discuss the excellent work Detroit did in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia also retooled the coaching staff with an all-star cast. They have brought in offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and paired him with running backs coach Kyle Kaskey and quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan. All these coaches have had notable careers and they all possess that one particular skill that the Lions seem to cherish, versatility. These coaches are incredibly accomplished in many roles.

The Detroit Lions kinda flew under the radar in 2018 as they got better and better towards the end of the season. Especially on the defensive side of the ball. Detroit finished the season ranked 10th in total defense and then they went ahead and got much better in the offseason through free agency and the draft. The Lions total offense ranked just 24th with a roster decimated by injuries, which has apparently been forgotten as so many obviously still see the Lions of 2018.

This Detroit Lions team is not the same team that we all seen last year. This is a new offense with plenty of new personnel and talent. This is a team that is becoming a destination for great players and coaches alike. Guys want to come and play for Detroit, they want to play for Matt Patricia. As the saying goes, “The proof is in the pudding” and I drizzled that all over this article.

The media has yet to realize what the Detroit Lions have been doing over the past few years, but players and coaches around the league seem to be taking notice. We have all seen what Mike Daniels had to say when he signed with Detroit just a few weeks ago. Detroit has been putting the pieces together. Take another look at the coaches and players listed above, or the “pudding” if you will.

You may think I’m just too optimistic for the Detroit Lions future, although I just don’t suspect that to be true. I don’t foresee the perfect season this year by any means, but I honestly don’t see a bad campaign coming up either. I can realistically see 10 or 11 wins for the Motor City in 2019.

Detroit may even have the chance at that all-elusive playoff win this season as well. I say this with caution as I’m not ready to commit to saying that they will go on a deep playoff run, however. There are still holes to be filled at a few positions and some depth concern, but Detroit has been rebuilding nicely and it’s just incredible how unnoticed it has gone.

The NFL should be aware of the Detroit Lions in 2019 and beyond. This Lions franchise is building a bright future for the long term.