COLUMN: One Call will not Define Lions Season
It’s over and done with, nothing can change it. That doesn’t mean it won’t be engrained in the minds of Lions’ fans for years to come.
Pass interference or face guarding?
To be honest I’ve never heard of the latter until now. NFL referee Pete Morelli said that was indeed the reason his crew picked up that dreaded yellow flag lying lonely on the Cowboy Stadium turf Jan. 4.
Many of us are left confused looking for accountability and answers. The NFL hasn’t said much and questions still surround the decisions.
It was a blown call. It was pass interference. We all saw the contact, the defender never played the ball.
But that call did not define this Detroit Lions season.
There were many other situations that led up to that moment in the game that doomed this team.
The game was a final reminder: Everything that could go wrong for the Lions, will go wrong for the Lions.
The season was a success. The way it ended was disappointing but at 11-5 along with making the playoffs it was a success for many reasons with the biggest being Head Coach Jim Caldwell.
In his first season at the helm, Caldwell transformed not only the on-field performance of this underachieving team but altered the mental attitude.
This team was gritty and for the most part successful. The inconsistencies of the offense will be pointed out, but when that group had to come through to grab a win they showed up.
From Glover Quin to DeAndre Levy to Ndamukong Suh, this Lions defense was solid all season. All season long they were the rock that held this team together.
The defensive line was the talking point but it was an all-around effort all season on defense.
And then there are the free agents.
Suh, Nick Fairley, Rob Sims, Rashin Mathis, C.J. Mosley and Daryl Tapp.
Take a few moments to digest that.
That’s six starters that will either have to be signed or let go. It sounds simple but with the salary cap it’s not. We will leave those decisions up to General Manager Martin Mayhew and President Tom Lewand. It won’t be easy.
When it comes to Suh’s situation, you have to re-sign this guy. A once in a lifetime player that is the center-piece on a top-notch defense. He is a large part as to why this Lions team is moving forward, not back.
Great players are great to have, but without great coaches you won’t be able to tap into that talent as much as you would with coaches like the Lions currently have. The system has to be right for players to succeed.
This is not the same old Lions. This is a team progressing and developing a winning attitude. Losing is no longer an accepted outcome as it has been for the better part of 50 years. Winning is making a comeback.
The basic building blocks for fielding a competitive team have been put in place.
For those Lions fans out there, that should be refreshing.
