The Detroit Lions are on a journey to a completely new era
By Robert Jones
The Detroit Lions have gone all out with the old and in with the new so far in 2021. This is a franchise that desperately needed to be rebuilt from the ground up and now it will be.
The history of the Detroit Lions reads like a tale from Ripley’s Believe it or Not! It is almost impossible for a professional sports franchise to have the lack of success these Motor City cats have had over the last 60 plus years.
Yet as we look at the unvarnished history of the Lions since their last title in 1957, there are two things that absolutely stand out. The first is the record of futility. The second is how consistently this team has made the wrong moves, year after year, decade after decade.
Now Lions principle owner Sheila Ford Hamp is putting all her eggs in the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell basket. An untested basket that individually has drawn some positive feedback from insiders around the league.
However, it doesn’t stop at the arranged marriage between Holmes and Campbell. There is the addition of John Dorsey as the senior personnel executive and Ray Agnew as an assistant to the general manager. The front office is getting crowded, but the talent inhabiting it is intriguing.
Then there’s the addition of Duce Staley as the Lions assistant head coach/running backs coach, Anthony Lynn as offensive coordinator, and Aaron Glenn as defensive coordinator. Another interesting balance.
Then of course there is the piece de resistance; After a dozen seasons of loyal service, the Lions franchise quarterback, Matthew Stafford, has requested a trade. Considering the state of the Honolulu Blue and Silver, can anyone blame him? In a way, it’s like a two-way parting gift.
At this stage of Matthew’s career, his talents would be wasted on a team that is in such need of being torn down to the studs. And quite frankly it’s basically there already.
Instead, the Lions will send him to a contender in need of a quarterback and Detroit will get valuable draft assets in return. Provided that Holmes and his office posse get fair market value, then this will be a trade that everyone wins.