New rivalry.

[Jayzee1981]

Congratulations to the Detroit Lions. Boys and girls, we are entering a new era. It's no longer the Chicago Bears as our rivals. We have a new, yet old rivalry coming back and it's the Detroit Lions. What a world. Yesterday's debacle, albeit heartbreaking, tragic, upsetting or whatever adjective you see fit to describe it, you better recognize the upswing of both of these teams. The Packers, this year, if anything they accomplished, they've proven now a regular contender for the division again. It's great for football. Good for a refreshing change of the guards within the division. Yes, last night was heartbreaking. I for one am excited for this offseason and, future.

 

[El Guapo]

Agreed. Some very well-respected members on this forum at the beginning of the season downplayed the Lions, using the 'same old Lions' line to justify what they still had to prove. While they haven't won the Super Bowl yet, they did well enough in the regular season to win the division, lock up the 3rd seed, and are now going to play in the NFCCG. Say what you want about the team or their coach, but you can't dispute any of the above. They have taken a big step forward. I don't think that they are elite and I don't think that they will beat the 49ers, but they could, and that shows how far they've come.

The Vikings will get Cousins back next season and will have playmakers at WR and TE. However, they still lack a good OL, RB, and really don't have any playmakers on defense except for Hunter (who is a FA). The Bears are the Bears, the p00p stain of the NFC North.

 

[Dantés]

The Lions' ascension is going to be a flash in the pan.

 

[El Guapo]

Based on what? Who they've been since Barry Sanders retired??

They have a GM and coach that have devised a player acquisition plan that revolves around drafting tough, hard-workers with the intangibles to back up their skills. Brad Holmes (GM) and Campbell are in perfect unison, looking for tough players. It's plain to see that panning out in most of their young players. Goff's toughness is the lightning rod unifying their team.

...and if you think it'll all end with Goff, don't forget that Hendon Hooker fell to them down in the third round last season. He is on the Aaron Rodgers/Jordan Love track of acclimating to the NFL. The Lions have turned things around and have a long range plan for the future.

Like his aggressiveness or not, the majority of NFL fans would love to have a head coach with Dan Campbell's passion. As long as he keeps good coordinators around him he will continue to excel.

Read more about Brad Holmes philosophy here:

How Aaron Donald shaped Lions GM Brad Holmes' draft philosophy

Brad Holmes shared the details of the scouting process that shaped him in a 70-minute interview with Peter Schrager on “The Season.”

www.detroitnews.com

 

[lambeaulambo]

oh my goodness the kitties fans have suffered. lol lets not quibble

 

[Wi. Mike now in Florida]

The Lions' ascension is going to be a flash in the pan.

I sure hope not.
If the Packers aren't good enough to play passed the 49's, let's
cheer for a team that never been to a Super Bowl.

What worries me is they never been this far in the play-offs before
and will be overwhelmed and choke because they can't handle all the attention
it takes to win it all.

Go Lions

 

[Dantés]

I sure hope not.
If the Packers aren't good enough to play passed the 49's, let's
cheer for a team that never been to a Super Bowl.

What worries me is they never been this far in the play-offs before
and will be overwhelmed and choke because they can't handle all the attention
it takes to win it all.

Go Lions

Screw that!

Niners by three scores.

 

[Pugger]

A lot of folks I've talked to that are fans of other teams are cheering for the Lions because they haven't been relative since I was in diapers. Too bad so sad (not). IMO this year it won't matter who wins the NFC this year if they have to face the Ravens in the SB.

 

[Jonty]

A lot of folks I've talked to that are fans of other teams are cheering for the Lions because they haven't been relative since I was in diapers. Too bad so sad (not). IMO this year it won't matter who wins the NFC this year if they have to face the Ravens in the SB.

Heck, I am pushing 60, and I can remember only a time or two that the Lions were relevant in my lifetime.

 

[weeds]

A lot of folks I've talked to that are fans of other teams are cheering for the Lions because they haven't been relative since I was in diapers. Too bad so sad (not). IMO this year it won't matter who wins the NFC this year if they have to face the Ravens in the SB.

Or, the Chiefs who just marched their opening drive right down Baltimore's pie hole.

 

[Pugger]

Or, the Chiefs who just marched their opening drive right down Baltimore's pie hole.

The way the Ravens played in that AFCC game yesterday was a real head scratcher I wonder if they felt they had to out-throw Mahomes instead of playing their brand of football and used their running game. I truly thought Baltimore was going to be the team to beat.

 

[Pugger]

I sure hope not.
If the Packers aren't good enough to play passed the 49's, let's
cheer for a team that never been to a Super Bowl.

What worries me is they never been this far in the play-offs before
and will be overwhelmed and choke because they can't handle all the attention
it takes to win it all.

Go Lions

What a colossal choke job by Detroit. I lay a lot of this at the feet of their wacky HC and his over-aggressiveness.

 

[Jonty]

What a colossal choke job by Detroit. I lay a lot of this at the feet of their wacky HC and his over-aggressiveness.

I agree. When Campbell elected to go for it on 4th and up 14, I thought it was a mistake to pass up the FG and go up by 3 scores. It would have been different if the lead had been 10 or something, where the 3 points wouldn’t have changed much. But then Detroit has played aggressively like that all season, and it has worked for them overall. Not what I would do, but I am not the coach.

The decision to go for it late in the game was indefensible. If you are down by 3 in a conference championship, you can’t pass up the chance to tie the game, unless you are inches from the goal line or something like that. Live by the sword, die by the sword, I suppose.

 

[OUpackfan]

Based on what? Who they've been since Barry Sanders retired??

They have a GM and coach that have devised a player acquisition plan that revolves around drafting tough, hard-workers with the intangibles to back up their skills. Brad Holmes (GM) and Campbell are in perfect unison, looking for tough players. It's plain to see that panning out in most of their young players. Goff's toughness is the lightning rod unifying their team.

...and if you think it'll all end with Goff, don't forget that Hendon Hooker fell to them down in the third round last season. He is on the Aaron Rodgers/Jordan Love track of acclimating to the NFL. The Lions have turned things around and have a long range plan for the future.

Like his aggressiveness or not, the majority of NFL fans would love to have a head coach with Dan Campbell's passion. As long as he keeps good coordinators around him he will continue to excel.

Read more about Brad Holmes philosophy here:

How Aaron Donald shaped Lions GM Brad Holmes' draft philosophy

Brad Holmes shared the details of the scouting process that shaped him in a 70-minute interview with Peter Schrager on “The Season.”

www.detroitnews.com

Dan needs a game manager consultant. I like his style but his decisions cost the Lions a seat at the Super Bowl.
His decision to kick a FG at the end of the first half up 14 doesn’t correlate with his two decisions to go for it on 4th down in the second half.
I personally would have kicked a field goal in the second half, but that is just my opinion.
I agree the Lions are not a flash in the pan and will be a rival for us in years to come.

 

[Curly Calhoun]

Dan needs a game manager consultant. I like his style but his decisions cost the Lions a seat at the Super Bowl.
His decision to kick a FG at the end of the first half up 14 doesn’t correlate with his two decisions to go for it on 4th down in the second half.
I personally would have kicked a field goal in the second half, but that is just my opinion.
I agree the Lions are not a flash in the pan and will be a rival for us in years to come.

That was an epic choke.

Motor City Kitties...Still not ready for prime time.

 

[PikeBadger]

That was an epic choke.

Motor City Kitties...Still not ready for prime time.

Coaches got to learn too. We'll see if he does.

 

[XPack]

I'm still not convinced on Goff. Rams has a similar season in 2018 and then decided to trade Goff 2 years after. He's like a better version of Cousins, but still not good enough to be a franchise QB (at least not yet). Plus he becomes UFA next season, so on with the contract talks ...

Will hold judgement on Lions for now.

 

[Guacamole]

The Lions' ascension is going to be a flash in the pan.

I agree,,,their record will be worse than 12-5.....

 

[Dantés]

I agree,,,their record will be worse than 12-5.....

Don't get me wrong, they're not going to disappear overnight, but their offense will lose Ben Johnson, they will have to pay Jared Goff, and they will lose pieces around him because they'll become too expensive.

This season...

Penei Sewell's hit was 6.6M and he's entering year 4.
Amon-Ra St. Brown's hit was 1.3M and he's entering year 4.
Jameson William's hit was 4.8M and he's entering year 4.
Jonah Jackson's hit was 3.3M and he's now a UFA.
Josh Reynolds' hit was 4M and he's now a UFA.
Taylor Decker is on a veteran deal already, but he is also a free agent in 2025.

So they will be a very good/tough team next season. They could easily be back in the playoffs. But they likely lose Johnson, play a tougher schedule, and take a step back.

Then it gets really difficult, trying to keep enough around Goff when he's expensive and the weapons/OL are also largely on veteran deals.

This is why, in my opinion, the Lions screwed themselves last year in the draft. That sounds absurd now because the players they drafted have largely been really good. But they had a shot to go up and take Anthony Richardson, but they decided to tie themselves to Goff. He's the exact type of QB that should be avoided at all costs. He's good enough to keep you picking in the teens and 20's, he's good enough to get paid, he's good enough to get a fan base believing... but he isn't good enough to elevate a less than ideal supporting cast. He can't deal with pressure, he can't create 2nd reaction plays, he can't hurt teams with his legs... he's very good in his limited ability, but he's limited nonetheless.

 

[El Guapo]

The Lions are testing the core beliefs of most NFL coaches and executives. I'm not sold either, but don't believe that there is ever only one way to do things in sports. A top QB will hamstring your cap much more than any other position. If they can build a team of 21 very good players around a game-manager QB, then they might be able to do it. It's a small sample size of the '85 Bears and the 2000 Ravens that won it all with sub-par QBs, but it is possible.

 

[Jayzee1981]

Screw that!

Niners by three scores.

Well this didn't age well...

 

[Dantés]

Well this didn't age well...

Aged better than cheering for the Detroit freaking Lions... yeesh.

 

[Jayzee1981]

Screw that!

Niners by three scores.

Well this didnt age well...

Aged better than cheering for the Detroit freaking Lions... yeesh.

How’s that? They didn’t get killed by 3 TDs…… Yeeesh! I know admitting wrong is hard for some.

 

[Dantés]

Well this didnt age well...

How’s that? They didn’t get killed by 3 TDs…… Yeeesh! I know admitting wrong is hard for some.

Admitting I'm wrong? About the thing I said that everyone in the world knows did not happen? Do you also need me to admit to typing this post or being a Packer fan?

Pulling for a divisional rival is gross. I wanted the Niners to crush them. It was close, but they lost. Good enough.

 

[Jayzee1981]

Well you did say they’d lose by 3 TDs did you not? Also I never once said I was rooting for them, I clearly said that they should be our next rivalry in the division.

That being said, pulling for a divisional rival in a playoff game that’s playing the team that beat your favorite team isn’t cootie filled “gross” either. It won’t give you football cooties I swear.

Admitting I'm wrong? About the thing I said that everyone in the world knows did not happen? Do you also need me to admit to typing this post or being a Packer fan?

Pulling for a divisional rival is gross. I wanted the Niners to crush them. It was close, but they lost. Good enough.