Detroit Lions 2026

[MWmetalhead]

Campbell shouldn’t have been fired in 2024. I have argued he should have been gone at the end of last season. Some of those losses were squarely on him. If they go say 5-12 this season he has to go.

Ben Johnson took a head coaching job, a promotion. There’s only 32 of those around and I don’t blame him one bit for pursuing it.

Not to mention, he was offered a head coaching job a year prior and TURNED IT DOWN because he wanted to help the Lions reach the Super Bowl, which unfortunately, didn't happen.

I am grateful for the time he spent here. Ditto Aaron Glenn.

[MWmetalhead]

I'd like to know what Campbell did or said that you'd refer to him as a "clown".

I'll begin the list, although I will say referring to him as a "clown" is excessively harsh. Let's start with the decisions to keep the offense on the field on risky 4th downs when the Lions were in FG range and 3 points would've been tremendously helpful. Gee, a certain playoff game in San Francisco comes to mind.

The "clown" descriptor is much more aptly applied to Matt Patricia than to Dan Campbell.

[moldyoldie]

I'd like to know what Campbell did or said that you'd refer to him as a "clown".

I'll begin the list, although I will say referring to him as a "clown" is excessively harsh. Let's start with the decisions to keep the offense on the field on risky 4th downs when the Lions were in FG range and 3 points would've been tremendously helpful. Gee, a certain playoff game in San Francisco comes to mind.

The "clown" descriptor is much more aptly applied to Matt Patricia than to Dan Campbell.

I've previously addressed the "4th downs", that the players themselves, when asked about it, are all for it. I made the contention that the players would run through a wall for this coach and the value of that in itself should not be understated. It's been part of the dramatic culture shift of this team. That it happened unsuccessfully in the most important game in memory shouldn't preclude that.

[edj]

His bad coaching caused them to lose to Max Brosmer. Max. Brosmer.

No denying Patricia was a clown as well.

[moldyoldie]

Lions safety Avonte Maddox needs surgery (foot) and is out for the season. It just keeps getting better and better.

[MWmetalhead]

I'm doing my best not to type a certain three word phrase...

[Honeyman]

I'm doing my best not to type a certain three word phrase...

"Super Bowl bound!"?

[bmw]

I asked AI what it is like to be a Lions fan in 2026. This response is utterly hilarious and more accurate than anything ever put out by any of the Detroit sports media:

It is the most frustrating type of sports purgatory. Being good enough to cruise through a weak regular-season schedule because Vegas and the analytics models love your roster talent, but strategically fundamentally flawed enough that anyone paying attention knows exactly how the movie ends in January.

The most painful part is the institutional acceptance of mediocrity that sneaks back in. If a team has been terrible for 40 years, just making the playoffs, winning 11 games, and hosting a home game gets treated like a historic triumph by the media and casual observers. The bar gets lowered so far that a spectacular Divisional Round exit gets a pass, structural flaws get ignored, and the coaching staff gets a blank check to run the exact same broken formula back the following September. It is a vicious cycle of false hope. It kills any real accountability, because the moment anyone criticizes the situational coaching or the structural predictability, they get told they are "unreasonable" or "spoiled."

Until the franchise snaps out of that cycle and treats anything short of a Lombardi Trophy as a flat-out failure, it's just a polished up, slightly wealthier version of the "Same Old Lions." They've just upgraded from losing in October to shitting the bed in January.

[moldyoldie]

Joseph on the PUP list.

Here's a prediction I'll make that I hope I'm wrong about....he never plays another game.

The way Campbell is (non)talking, I'm afraid you may be right. . His actual words when asked about Joseph were something like, "There's nothing I can say to make anyone feel better."

[moldyoldie]

So far, Aaron Glenn's Jets defense is bending and BARELY breaking. The Lions O-line with regular pieces Mahogany and Miller back in place looks good.
That second sack on Goff was caused by a poor block on the blitzing linebacker by Gibbs. This is where we miss David "Knuckles" Montgomery, an excellent pass blocker.
Jacob Saylors is dynamic on kickoffs.

(Edit)
Whoa, Jahmyr Gibbs!

(Edit)
Damn, Garrett Wilson is eating our lunch Game is tied with four minutes to go.
Looks like it's coming down to a last second field goal.
(Edit) ... that's unless the Lions score seven in a minute and a half. It gives the Jets two and a half minutes to come down and score...with a two-point conversion

[SteveS]

31 points again for the win.

[moldyoldie]

31 points again for the win.

Losing that last timeout because of Wilson going down was hu-ge! Geno Smith couldn't call timeout when he saw safety Chuck Clark pinching down to blitz. Big, big defensive play!

[MWmetalhead]

I asked AI what it is like to be a Lions fan in 2026. This response is utterly hilarious and more accurate than anything ever put out by any of the Detroit sports media:

It is the most frustrating type of sports purgatory. Being good enough to cruise through a weak regular-season schedule because Vegas and the analytics models love your roster talent, but strategically fundamentally flawed enough that anyone paying attention knows exactly how the movie ends in January.

The most painful part is the institutional acceptance of mediocrity that sneaks back in. If a team has been terrible for 40 years, just making the playoffs, winning 11 games, and hosting a home game gets treated like a historic triumph by the media and casual observers. The bar gets lowered so far that a spectacular Divisional Round exit gets a pass, structural flaws get ignored, and the coaching staff gets a blank check to run the exact same broken formula back the following September. It is a vicious cycle of false hope. It kills any real accountability, because the moment anyone criticizes the situational coaching or the structural predictability, they get told they are "unreasonable" or "spoiled."

Until the franchise snaps out of that cycle and treats anything short of a Lombardi Trophy as a flat-out failure, it's just a polished up, slightly wealthier version of the "Same Old Lions." They've just upgraded from losing in October to shitting the bed in January.

Beautifully stated.

[moldyoldie]

HEY, YO, THE LIONS WON!!!

A.I. must be reading and interpreting all the bullshit SOL social media crap. Just shows how defective it can be.

[MWmetalhead]

A.I. isn't as delusional as some kool-aid drinking Lions fans.