The Detroit Lions need more than a running back to be scary

Defense wins championships

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, defense wins championships. It has always been the case and always will be. Even though the NFL has made playing defense virtually illegal, championships are still about defense. If you disagree then consider this; if winning was completely about offenses and scoring then Kansas City would have advanced to the Super Bowl and won it last season.

Or at the very least the Los Angeles Rams would have upended the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Instead, it was about the defense. The Patriots were the best defensive team left playing when the conference championships came around. They were also the last ones standing to hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy.

This doesn’t mean I don’t think acquiring more talent for the Lions backfield is wrong. But I wouldn’t overspend on one now when clearly the Lions will need what picks they have in next year’s draft to find more help for their porous defense.

As of right now, they have seven picks. Which means it wouldn’t be surprising if the Lions did trade Darius Slay in the offseason searching for more picks. Because they will probably want to find another running back in case Kerryon Johnson continues to have injury issues and they may want to invest in the offensive line again as well, which doesn’t leave a whole lot to help out the defense.

Bob Quinn doesn’t want to mortgage the future for right now unless he absolutely believes the Lions are one player away from winning it all. Even then I must admit he would think very seriously about any moves before he actually made one.

Despite what some of Quinn’s critics might think, he isn’t stupid. He sees exactly what issues the defense is having and will need to make some hard moves sooner or later. While very gifted, Jarrad Davis continues to make mistakes. ‘Snacks’ Harrison hasn’t been the dominant force he was last season which means he may not be useful for too much longer.

Meanwhile, Jahlani Tavai has been impressive so far and certainly has a future. Da’Shawn Hand made a difference in his first game back from injury and should only improve. Tracy Walker is a keeper, Will Harris is raw but has good upside and we’re all waiting to see what rookie Austin Bryant can do.

Bob Quinn is willing to be patient and build this team into winners. Players who are underachieving will be sent packing while new, younger talent is drafted.

I admit I was in the camp that I would have liked to have seen the Lions acquire running back Rashaad Penny from the Seahawks. A young back with a few years left on his contract that has talent, despite whatever reason he seems to have fallen out of favor in Seattle.

But knowing how much work the defense seems to need, I wouldn’t have given up valuable draft picks just to get him. Not when the return of Kerryon next season along with either signing a talented free agent back or drafting one could do the job.

So the rest of this season the Lions will now not only be trying to flip the script but playing for their future in Detroit. In some cases saying good-bye won’t be a bad thing, in others, it may hurt a little, but if it improves the team it’s worth it.

One way or another the mandate is set; if the Lions can claw their way into the playoffs, great, but the biggest thing for Quinn right now seems to be building for next year. Because if next season is another case of mediocrity or failure, that will probably mean the end of the line for the Bob Quinn/Matt Patricia era.