Detroit Lions 2020 season: Playing ‘Would you rather … ‘

Sorting out some of the best case and worst case scenarios for the Detroit Lions’ 2020 season, using the format of an old conversation starter activity.

May and June, after the draft but before training camp, are the months of the NFL calendar where it feels like anything is possible. So many times, I’ve taken my first look at the Detroit Lions schedule when it gets released and convinced myself that twelve wins in the upcoming season is a foregone conclusion, even a basic right.

May and June are the months in the NFL calendar where our team (and everyone else’s team too) is going to remain undefeated for several more months, and the best case scenario for the season is still on the table.

That’s what makes the atmosphere surrounding the 2020 season so much different than in years past. The best case scenarios? Sure, those are still on the table. The problem is, with the havoc that the ongoing COVID-19 crisis has caused on day to day life (and of course, the national sports and recreation landscape), the worst case scenarios have never felt closer either.

Forget having a bad season … now there are legitimate questions about having a season at all. And if so, to what extent will the team’s fans and even their own cities be able to feel involved?

With this rigid contrast between offseason optimism and real world worry, it made me think of an old conversation starter, the Would you rather … ? game. Basically, one person gives two scenarios that play off each other in some way or another, and everyone answers which scenario they would rather have and explains their reasoning.

For this week’s post, I’m taking that simple idea and applying it to a series of hypotheticals related to the Lions season and assuming that it’s completed as scheduled. Is it a little bit childish? Absolutely. Do I think it will generate some great discussions and a small dose of perspective? Absolutely.

Here’s my Detroit Lions edition of ‘Would you rather…?’