Tracy Walker: People 'Should've Been Believing in Us'

The Detroit Lions have become one of the teams in the league the national media believes has a chance to take a significant step forward this season.

With a long history of losing and several failed regimes, it has been tough for the Lions to be on the receiving end of positive press.

Now that they are receiving it, they are not letting the perspective of others impede their work to improve as a team.

Most athletes understand that winning cures all, and that racking up losses is not going to result in positive things being said about players or the team.

For safety Tracy Walker, the focus remains the same, but he is okay with acknowledging the 2022 team is better than last year's team.

“I appreciate all the status we’re getting right now and all the recognition, but at the end of the day, we’ve gotta go out there and still prove it," Walker told reporters this week at minicamp. "It’s a great thing to see that people are starting to believe in us, but they should’ve been believing in us.”

Head coach Dan Campbell took a slightly more subdued approach about the recent media attention. When asked, Detroit's second-year coach replied, "Yeah, just take it as it comes.”

With the national media embarking on the Motor City this summer for the filming of HBO's "Hard Knocks", the members of the roster are going to do their best to make sure to stay engaged mentally and to steer clear of paying too much attention to what is said about them.

"That’s one thing that I’ve always learned. You guys have your job to do and when we’re winning, it’s great. When we’re losing, it’s not," tight end T.J. Hockenson said. "So, it’s one of those things where you can’t really ride that train, the ebbs and the flows. You gotta stay steady and really listen to what the guys are saying in here and not on Twitter and social media. We see things, but you can’t really let that get to you, good or bad. I think guys in here are doing a really good job of staying focused on our jobs and staying steady with our mental preparation. But, it’s good, obviously, to have good media.”