After a decades-long legacy of disappointing losses, dismal failures, and dashed hopes, there was nowhere for the Detroit Lions to go but up. Although the direction was clear, the path forward proved elusive. Until now. At long last, it appears the Lions have found the winning formula and it all began with the creation of a winning culture.
The Detroit Lions Are Creating a Winning Culture
If the Super Bowl is the Mount Everest of professional football, for too many years, the Lions never even left Base Camp. The lengthy history of loss and ineptitude hung over the team and the city of Detroit like a suffocating blanket.
The Lions’ culture was one of disappointment and misery. Languishing at the bottom of their division throughout their tumultuous history, the Lions ricocheted from one coach to the next. Talented but disgruntled players abandoned the team in disgust. Fans began showing up to games with paper bags over their faces, wearing T-shirts demanding that owner Martha Ford sell the team to someone else who could manage it properly.
Emerging From the Rubble of the Past
It might have been a coincidence, but that was the beginning of the team’s turnaround. After inheriting the team from her husband several years earlier, Martha Ford finally stepped aside in 2020 and appointed her daughter Sheila Ford-Hemp as her successor.
Assuming the role of the team’s principal owner and chairwoman, Ford-Hemp had a clear vision for what needed to be done and immediately began making moves. Mediocrity was no longer an acceptable goal for the team. After another rocky 4-7 start in the 2020 season, Ford-Hemp set a new bar for the team by firing the woefully ineffective duo of general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia.
In their place, she hired Executive Vice President and general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. Holmes, a successful football executive with an eye for scouting talent found a kindred spirit in Campbell, a passionate NFL Assistant Coach.
A former tight end for the Lions, Campbell knew the team’s history. During his introductory press conference, he made it clear that despite the challenges facing the team, he envisioned a time in the not-too-distant future when the Lions would claw their way to the top to become the last team standing.
Strengthening the Foundation
The pairing of Holmes and Campbell proved to be a brilliant partnership. They set out to prove that with proper management, this team could be successful and the Lions could emerge from the cellar of the NFL. But before the team could begin the climb upward, they had to build a stronger foundation. That meant recruiting and signing the right kind of players.
When it came to scouting talent, Holmes and Campbell have always been on the same page. They ignored the naysayers and made brilliant moves in the draft. Their first-round pick Aidan Hutchinson, the 6’7″ former U of M defensive standout and runner-up for the Heisman Trophy was an obvious choice. Offensive lineman Penei Sewell was another highly regarded draft choice. But the critics shook their heads over some of the other choices that followed. Trading up to take Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick in the 2022 draft provoked a lot of negative comments. But Gibbs turned out to be a brilliant acquisition and became a cornerstone of the Lions’ rebuilt offense.
Piece by piece, Holmes used his scouting talents to strengthen the team’s weakest positions through smart draft choices and free agency. The trade for quarterback Jared Goff brought talent, leadership, and a player with the Super Bowl experience and mentality that the team lacked. Meanwhile, Campbell and his coaching staff went to work, bringing out the best in their players and instilling in them the belief that this team would be successful.
A Cultural Shift
Rebuilding a winning team from the ground up doesn’t happen overnight. In the beginning, it was a painstaking process. In Campbell’s first year as head coach in 2021, the team finished with a record of 3-13-1. But the coach was confident his team was on the right path. He was building a team culture that had the mental and physical stamina to fight back and overcome adversity. Like the city they represented, this team was tough and filled with grit.
But to create that winning culture, Campbell needed each player to buy into his vision. Campbell’s passion and enthusiasm were contagious. Slowly, little by little, the Lions became a unified team, with every player focusing on their shared common objective.
By 2022, there was a seismic shift in the team’s performance. Instead of watching the Lions of old snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by self-destructing late in the game, suddenly fans saw a team that dug in to finish strong. Even when the Lions were down in the fourth quarter, they came right back, charging hard and emerging victorious. In 2023, after an outstanding season that saw the team claim the division title to reach the NFC Championship game for the first time in 30 years, the Lions fell just 30 minutes short of reaching the Super Bowl. There was still more work to do.
A Winning Culture at Last
After coming so close and just missing out, it only served to strengthen the Lions’ resolve. Although offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn had opportunities to pursue head coaching jobs elsewhere, they elected to stay and finish the job in Detroit. There was reason for optimism.
Once again, Holmes had used his scouting wizardry to patch up weaknesses in the draft and through free agency. Contract extensions were quietly addressed in the offseason, rewarding players with large payouts for a job well done. Unlike other teams in the league, the Lions training camp wasn’t distracted by ugly disputes or training camp holdouts.
At long last, all the pieces were coming together. Campbell felt confident enough in the Lions’ backup players to rest his starters throughout the pre-season. Relying solely on the strength of their bench, the Lions won two out of three pre-season games.
This could be the year the Lions finally reach the summit. The regular season opens on Sunday night and the Lions winning culture is on full display. The team is together, healthy, focused, and prepared. They share a single vision and a clear-cut mission. It’s time to bring the Lombardi trophy home to Detroit.
Main Photo: Junfu Han-USA TODAY NETWORK
