It's been a great season

[Vic]

We came up short, a few head scratchers with some of the coaching decisions and lucky bounces for the 49ers


But its been a great season fellas, great to hear from the die hards and old friends, it's been a great ride.

We have a solid young core of players and if they handle the coordinators hires correctly we could be right back here next year.

[badnews3123]

I know the sting will fade, but this one hurts. Didn’t expect much and then they sucked me in only to crush it all and fall flat on their face. You just never know when you’ll get your shot again, it’s hard. Was a great season, but man that’s a shit way to end it.

[LionNation]

It was a great season. I'm not going to blame Dan Gamble. SF had a little luck and Gibbs fumble really hurt. The real story was the defense in the 2nd half. Purdy hurt them so bad with his runs.

The future is bright. Another solid draft class and a some free agents they should be right back in this position next season. Their window just opened, next few seasons will be fun to watch.

Need a DE opposite Hutch, a couple of CBs.Some more depth on the OL.

[Felix]

Jan 28, 2024 21:42:25 GMT -6 LionNation said:

It was a great season. I'm not going to blame Dan Gamble. SF had a little luck and Gibbs fumble really hurt. The real story was the defense in the 2nd half. Purdy hurt them so bad with his runs.

The future is bright. Another solid draft class and a some free agents they should be right back in this position next season. Their window just opened, next few seasons will be fun to watch.

Need a DE opposite Hutch, a couple of CBs.Some more depth on the OL.

man...that aiyak bomb was the difference to me....just feel it's a different game without that 50 yd energizer...

[Blaming Brad]

Jan 28, 2024 23:06:23 GMT -6 Felix said:

Jan 28, 2024 21:42:25 GMT -6 LionNation said:

It was a great season. I'm not going to blame Dan Gamble. SF had a little luck and Gibbs fumble really hurt. The real story was the defense in the 2nd half. Purdy hurt them so bad with his runs.

The future is bright. Another solid draft class and a some free agents they should be right back in this position next season. Their window just opened, next few seasons will be fun to watch.

Need a DE opposite Hutch, a couple of CBs.Some more depth on the OL.

man...that aiyak bomb was the difference to me....just feel it's a different game without that 50 yd energizer...

Or the 2 Reynolds drops...or the Gibbs fumble...take your pick...

[Felix]

Jan 28, 2024 23:36:54 GMT -6 Blaming Brad said:

Jan 28, 2024 23:06:23 GMT -6 Felix said:

man...that aiyak bomb was the difference to me....just feel it's a different game without that 50 yd energizer...

Or the 2 Reynolds drops...or the Gibbs fumble...take your pick...

the first Reynolds drop was the start, the aiyuk bomb was a few plays later...so yeah, 4th and 2 drop or the bomb....the rest was just the toppers...

[stuckincheeseland]

Jan 28, 2024 23:06:23 GMT -6 Felix said:

Jan 28, 2024 21:42:25 GMT -6 LionNation said:

It was a great season. I'm not going to blame Dan Gamble. SF had a little luck and Gibbs fumble really hurt. The real story was the defense in the 2nd half. Purdy hurt them so bad with his runs.

The future is bright. Another solid draft class and a some free agents they should be right back in this position next season. Their window just opened, next few seasons will be fun to watch.

Need a DE opposite Hutch, a couple of CBs.Some more depth on the OL.

man...that aiyak bomb was the difference to me....just feel it's a different game without that 50 yd energizer...

Gibbs fumble didn't help... Aiyuk should have been called for offensive PI on that play and the one early when Sutton was trying to pick it 

[goldenlions]

Jan 28, 2024 23:06:23 GMT -6 Felix said:

man...that aiyak bomb was the difference to me....just feel it's a different game without that 50 yd energizer...

How that isn’t OPI is beyond me and that changed the game, I agree.

[sanders97]

I said the only thing that would have bummed me out was a blowout. You would have never convinced me that DC would piss away a 17 point halftime lead with such shit decision making. Going up by 20 and kicking it back to SF, none of that other shit happens and I don't see the momentum shifting in their favor, at all. Of course the fumble and dropped balls hurt...after the fact. But it wouldn't have mattered if it wasn't for that terrible decision to walk away from points.

DC said he had no regrets in the post game presser. If that's true, we better get used to heartbreak in the playoffs, because he just gave a clinical workshop on how to blow a nice lead and lose a championship game.

Play aggressively through 18 weeks...Dan did that.
Play aggressively in the wild card game because, you're either going deep or you don't belong there. Dan did that.
Play smart in the division round for a chance to go to the conference game. Dan did that.
Play smart in the conference game to give you the best chance to get to the Super Bowl. Dan did NOT do that.

Love me some MCDC, but he's got to learn from this.

[icouldblion]

God dammit I am angry. I am even angrier this morning than I was last night. I had gotten to the point where this franchise had burned me so many times over the past 45+ years of fandom that I had given up. I had distanced myself from this miserable organization, and told myself I was never gonna let them take up space in my head and heart ever again. That way, they could never hurt me again.

Then Brad Holmes, DC, Sewell, Hutch, Goff, etc. got me believing again. This felt different. It felt like we had turned a corner. Sure, our HC was often too aggressive on 4th down and our OC would get too fuckin cute trying to prove he was the smartest guy in the room, but we had real grit. The roll through the playoffs had me starting to believe this team was different, not the same old lions. Then, a dominant first half against SF had me really believing that this could finally be the year the Lions made a Superbowl. What a fuckin fool I am for allowing myself to get sucked back in only to have the SOL show up in the second half and tear my heart out again.

I was here when Billy Sims blew out his knee. I was here when Mike Utley was paralyzed. I was actually in the front row when we left Sterling Sharpe wide open in the endzone to blow a divisional playoff game. I was here when Barry walked away at the start of training camp. I was here for 0-16. I was here for the bullshit pick-up-the-flag call against Dallas. Today I feel worse than I ever have as a Lions fan. Yesterday's loss was the gut-punch of all gut-punches with this team, mostly because we had a legitimate chance to wipe away decades of futility simply by playing one half of average football, and we couldn't even fucking do that. The curse of Bobby Lane is real, and continues to haunt this franchise. I told my wife last night that this one feels like it is going to stay with me for a long, long time. Ultimately, this is my own fault for allowing myself to be fooled yet again. But like the fucking addict junky, I will come back to the needle again and again, because no matter how much pain these fuckers cause me, I will always give them one more chance.

[goldenlions]

Jan 29, 2024 8:33:52 GMT -6 sanders97 said:

I said the only thing that would have bummed me out was a blowout. You would have never convinced me that DC would piss away a 17 point halftime lead with such shit decision making. Going up by 20 and kicking it back to SF, none of that other shit happens and I don't see the momentum shifting in their favor, at all. Of course the fumble and dropped balls hurt...after the fact. But it wouldn't have mattered if it wasn't for that terrible decision to walk away from points.

DC said he had no regrets in the post game presser. If that's true, we better get used to heartbreak in the playoffs, because he just gave a clinical workshop on how to blow a nice lead and lose a championship game.

Play aggressively through 18 weeks...Dan did that.
Play aggressively in the wild card game because, you're either going deep or you don't belong there. Dan did that.
Play smart in the division round for a chance to go to the conference game. Dan did that.
Play smart in the conference game to give you the best chance to get to the Super Bowl. Dan did NOT do that.

Love me some MCDC, but he's got to learn from this.

So where do the players executing ever come into play?  Dan Campbell did exactly what helped make the Lions what they were.  I have no issues with what Campbell did.  The players on the other hand did things they didn't do all year, fumbles, drops, more missed tackles than any other game.  

This lost is about 95% on the players.  And maybe <5% on playcalling and coaching.

[goldenlions]

This season was great with a shocking lost in the NFC Championship game. A place I doubt anyone on here thought they could be.  And if they lost in a back and forth game but the end result was still 34-31, not sure people would be as upset with this lost.  And I understand, it's the part that makes the lost hurt more for me,  that they had the game in hand and lost it.  

Despite having one of the worst defenses in the league, they managed to make it to the final four. Look at who was left this weekend, all top ten offenses and defenses. Except Detroit paltry defense.

But this staff has the team going in the right direction and I am hopeful for that to succeed again. I can't complain and this is what we hoped to be seeing the team. But like I have said, it is not going to be as easy as this year was. Up to Brad Holmes to fill in the holes (on defense mostly) and they have some cap room and some picks to make that happen.

Already looking forward to next season.

[Vic]

Jan 30, 2024 4:30:47 GMT -6 goldenlions said:

This season was great with a shocking lost in the NFC Championship game. A place I doubt anyone on here thought they could be. Despite having one of the worst defenses in the league, they managed to make it to the final four. Look at who was left this weekend, all top ten offenses and defenses. Except Detroit paltry defense.

But this staff has the team going in the right direction and I am hopeful for that to succeed again.

This


We were never expected to get this far

Our defense is bottom of the league

We have 4 rookies playing a lot of snaps and carrying this team.

We have overachived just to get this far

[Blaming Brad]

Now that BJ is back I think my biggest concern on offense is the O-line. Jackson and Glasgow UFAs, and who knows if Ragnow decides to hang it up?

[badnews3123]

Jan 30, 2024 13:29:45 GMT -6 Blaming Brad said:

Now that BJ is back I think my biggest concern on offense is the O-line. Jackson and Glasgow UFAs, and who knows if Ragnow decides to hang it up?

Ragnow is my biggest concern. Guy has been beaten up and as good as some other parts are individually. They’re a much better group with him.

[Felix]

I feel like he has 1 more yr left in him...I can't help but think the whole team feels this was left unfinished and as many as can be will be back

[def]

It's been an OK season. A great season is going to the SB. This one is tough to take. Feels like the football gods pulled a sleight of hand on us. I still can't believe what happened. At some point I need to rewatch the second half because it was like watching a building get demolished and there's nothing we could have done about it. Idk man. It's a bit hollow to be honest like a high school quickie I feel so unsatisfied. We almost made it to the dance but before we got in the cops arrested us for DUI. We need bail money

[TRUMP]

in Dans defense he stuck with what got us there. there were many plays other than his 4th down calls that should have gone better, drops, overthrows, missed tackles. so its not Dans faullt we lost. it was all the mistakes. happens when you have a super young roster with hardly any playoff experience.

[icouldblion]

Jan 30, 2024 15:29:35 GMT -6 TRUMP said:

in Dans defense he stuck with what got us there. there were many plays other than his 4th down calls that should have gone better, drops, overthrows, missed tackles. so its not Dans faullt we lost. it was all the mistakes. happens when you have a super young roster with hardly any playoff experience.

This type of loss will have one of two effects.  It will either break them or strengthen their resolve.  I think the character of this team and these young players will push them to work even harder.  It's important to remember that other than Sutton and Anzalone, all the contributors on our defense have 3 years or less of NFL experience.  I would expect another big step forward by the D next year, and very much the same offensive performance, with a potential improvement based on Jamo's development.

[def]

Jan 29, 2024 9:01:34 GMT -6 icouldblion said:

God dammit I am angry. I am even angrier this morning than I was last night. I had gotten to the point where this franchise had burned me so many times over the past 45+ years of fandom that I had given up. I had distanced myself from this miserable organization, and told myself I was never gonna let them take up space in my head and heart ever again. That way, they could never hurt me again.

Then Brad Holmes, DC, Sewell, Hutch, Goff, etc. got me believing again. This felt different. It felt like we had turned a corner. Sure, our HC was often too aggressive on 4th down and our OC would get too fuckin cute trying to prove he was the smartest guy in the room, but we had real grit. The roll through the playoffs had me starting to believe this team was different, not the same old lions. Then, a dominant first half against SF had me really believing that this could finally be the year the Lions made a Superbowl. What a fuckin fool I am for allowing myself to get sucked back in only to have the SOL show up in the second half and tear my heart out again.

I was here when Billy Sims blew out his knee. I was here when Mike Utley was paralyzed. I was actually in the front row when we left Sterling Sharpe wide open in the endzone to blow a divisional playoff game. I was here when Barry walked away at the start of training camp. I was here for 0-16. I was here for the bullshit pick-up-the-flag call against Dallas. Today I feel worse than I ever have as a Lions fan. Yesterday's loss was the gut-punch of all gut-punches with this team, mostly because we had a legitimate chance to wipe away decades of futility simply by playing one half of average football, and we couldn't even fucking do that. The curse of Bobby Lane is real, and continues to haunt this franchise. I told my wife last night that this one feels like it is going to stay with me for a long, long time. Ultimately, this is my own fault for allowing myself to be fooled yet again. But like the fucking addict junky, I will come back to the needle again and again, because no matter how much pain these fuckers cause me, I will always give them one more chance.

This

[rustyhilger]

Ben Johnson returning for another season.

This is the silver lining we were all hoping for, fellas.

It communicates the biggest message I've ever seen communicated on a Lions team in all my years. It says we have a good, quality organization that people believe in and want to be a part of. The loss in the playoffs doesn't mean dick. This is the single greatest victory I've seen as a Lions fan. We have an actual organization, fellas. We actually have a quality organization.

Get used to the playoff losses guys because we're going to be in the playoffs often!!

[Vic]

All coordinators returning

I've dogged AG earlier in the season, but he really put together some solid game plans in the second half. I think he still is the best bet we have for DC, just need a few more players.

[Blaming Brad]

Feb 3, 2024 11:01:31 GMT -6 Vic said:

All coordinators returning

I've dogged AG earlier in the season, but he really put together some solid game plans in the second half. I think he still is the best bet we have for DC, just need a few more players.

AG did more with less than BJ. Very few (if any) NFL level OCs would fail with the O-line the Lions have.

[Funkytown]

[Vic]

OL and D

I think overall we were happy with the Sewell pick around here. Some gripes but we understand the importance of the trenches. Look how that turned out! Best RT in the NFL.