Detroit Lions: Matt Patricia isn’t going anywhere unless …

Can Sheila Ford Hamp do what her parents couldn’t?

So everything is lined up for the Lions to simply be mediocre and still fulfill the mandate to play meaningful games in December. Everything is lined up for this franchise to continue on the same course they have been on for that last 60 plus years. Unless…

There are two possibilities that could alter what seems to be a pretty clear cut case of Sheila keeping the band together.

The first would be the Lions just being the Lions. By that, I mean squandering games against other mediocre to bad teams.

If the Lions do piddle away winnable games this wouldn’t be the first time they’ve done that. If we’re being honest, the Lions probably lose over half the games they ‘should win’. Just look at their history since that big win in the NFL title game back in 1957.

It’s not pretty and hardly bearable for the Honolulu Blue and Silver fan base. Yet it’s what the Lions continually do. Would any die-hard fan that’s been around the block with this team actually be surprised if these Lions drop two, three, or more games over the next five they play?

The added element of the Lions being the Lions, which has not changed under Matt Patricia’s guidance, could ultimately change the course this franchise is now on.

The other possibility is the one that all Lions fans should hope is the case. Maybe Sheila Ford Hamp isn’t just the latest incarnation of the Ford family leadership. Maybe she actually is able to understand what she sees. Maybe instead of just being duped by hollow wins during an unacceptable season and rewarding it as has been the case in the past, she can imagine this franchise doing better.

For every fan who has openly begged the Ford family to sell this franchise, maybe the next generation of the Ford family can turn this team around.

The Arizona Cardinals, from their birth in Chicago and days in St. Louis before escaping to the desert were an even more pedestrian team than the Lions. Then owner Bill Bidwell was cheap and couldn’t get the right people in place to create a winner. When his son Michael Bidwell took over the team, he saw the error of his Father’s ways and was able to build a contender that even came close to defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl.

For Lions fans, we can only hope that much like Michael Bidwell, Sheila has learned from her parent’s mistakes and can make the necessary moves needed to build a real contender.

If not, then I think we should all accept that Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia may very well continue their reign in Detroit. Unless the Lions continue to be the Lions.