From 1-7 to potential wild-card contenders, Lions pushing for incredible turnaround
ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Inside the locker room of the Detroit Lions this week, between a morning of practice and an afternoon of meetings, offensive linemen Larry Warford and LaAdrian Waddle engaged in a quick, but heated, game of table tennis.
Soon linebacker Travis Lewis and wideout Corey Fuller had their own game of tossing bean bags going and later cornerback Darius Slay and safety James Ihedigbo debated who was better – Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.
"Jordan," Ihedigbo said dismissively, like it shouldn't even be up for argument.
"Kobe," Slay countered. "He's the GOAT."
"Ridiculous," Ihedigbo, who turns 32 Thursday, responded, arguing that Slay, who is just 24, is too young to appreciate MJ and thus doesn't know any better.
The two laughed through the dispute, as did everyone else listening in. It was a brief moment of levity in a packed workday, the product of an unlikely three-game win streak that has turned the 4-7 Lions into the NFL's most unlikely playoff contender heading into Thursday's home date with the Green Bay Packers.
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"It's always fun when you win" linebacker Josh Bynes said. "It always brings some laughter."
For much of the season this may have been the most laugh-free and miserable room in the league. The Lions went from playoffs a season ago to a pathetic, nothing-is-working 1-7 start, capped by an ugly 45-10 loss to Kansas City in London.
Along the way, franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford was benched for a half and three assistant coaches were fired, including the offensive coordinator. Head coach Jim Caldwell remained, but only, it seemed, because someone had to coach the team.
In lieu of that, 90-year-old owner Martha Firestone Ford came out and dumped the general manager and team president. She then wrote a letter of apology to season-ticket holders for the Lions' prevailing repugnance.
"You deserve much better," Ford wrote.
Pretty much everyone's job was on the line, from coaches and scouts, to veteran starters, right down through support staff and secretaries. Ford looked ready to clean house. She still may be.
Fans were apoplectic. The media nuclear. The players couldn't really argue.
"Frustrating," Stafford said. "Obviously."
As such, no one was ready to spend a minute looking like they were having any fun.
Then the Lions went and won a road game vs. Green Bay for the first time in 25 tries. Then they beat the Oakland Raiders at home. Then they crushed the Philadelphia Eagles, 45-14, on Thanksgiving.
And now comes a December game with actual postseason implications. Seriously.
"Why not us?" Ihedigbo said.
Sure, why not? Detroit's path to the playoffs is long and narrow, of course. The Lions almost assuredly need to win out, which would mean putting together an eight-game win streak to get to 9-7.
Getting past Green Bay is the tallest order, yet it's at home, they just beat the Packers and it's not like Aaron Rodgers' club is playing all that great right now. Win Thursday and Detroit's remaining schedule is at St. Louis, at New Orleans, San Francisco and at Chicago – not exactly a murderer's row.
Is it probable to run the table? Of course not. Possible? Sure.
If the wild card is determined at 9-7, the Lions would be in decent shape. Two wins over Green Bay would break any possible deadlocks. An 8-4 conference record would be formidable as the second tiebreaker against almost everyone else. The problem might lie with the Seattle Seahawks, who beat the Lions early in the season in part because of a missed batted-ball call. Who thought that long ago ref error could matter?
No one here is talking playoffs. None even seemed aware of the postseason scenarios. They don't appear focused on anything except Green Bay. There is realism across the board, not bold promises. After all, they woke on Nov. 15 with one victory.
On how they got in the hole originally: "It's by our own doing," Ihedigbo said.
On how they haven't really done much since: "We've only won three in a row," safety Glover Quin said.
On how the season is hardly been saved: "Our record is not 7-4, it's 4-7," Bynes noted.
On how only so much can be made of the offense hanging 45 on Philly: "We scored 18 points in our first two wins [with new offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter]," Stafford said. "We weren't lighting the world on fire then."
Still, better is better. When you've been through a depressed trans-Atlantic flight sitting at 1-7 with everyone wondering about their jobs, this is a good alternative. One thing echoed here was that the Lions didn't believe they were as bad as their record. Some games were close. Some plays just didn't work. The schedule was frontloaded. New play-calling made an immediate difference. Plus, no matter the tumult, everyone stayed the course.
"Good steady work habits," said coach Jim Caldwell, whose calm demeanor was an asset here.
And there was a level of professionalism, of the realization that no matter how bleak the season got this was still a chance to play professional football.
"It's just pride and respect for this game," Bynes said. "I hope no one says, 'Oh, we're not doing well, let's tank this season.' Because at the end of the day, you're putting yourself on film. Some guys might not be here next year and if it is a new regime coming in, they are going to look at the guys who have previously played hard … you have to take pride in yourself."
"You've got to keep playing," Quin said. "As a leader you have to keep the guys focused. Some guys might get scared with all the firings and lose focus. You just have to keep showing them that the work that you put in will eventually pay off."
So Detroit has won three consecutive games. That won't get you much in the NFL, but it will get you enough levity to play some quick ping pong or argue about the NBA before getting back to business.
And for the Lions, it will get you an actual big game on Thursday, an unexpected bit of relevance in what once looked like a hopeless season.
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