'Unshakeable' Lions Never Lost Belief
The Detroit Lions' roster and coaching staff never wavered from their belief the team would have success in 2022, even after starting the season with a 1-6 record.
"I know how close we are, because we are still talking about one play," Dan Campbell said, after his team was defeated by the Miami Dolphins. "And, the hard thing is to just keep doing your job and staying in the thick of the storm, and the easy thing is to go down below and get under the blanket, eat all the food and whatever. Guys who are going on the deck and just continue to do their part, because they know the sun’s coming, those are the guys we’re looking for. So, that’s how I choose to think of this."
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Quarterback Jared Goff is playing the best football of his career, and has earned the right to be in the conversation to be the team's long-term signal-caller, even beyond 2023.
“You never know how long the bad times are going to last, I guess,” Goff told the MMQB's Albert Breer Sunday. “The work we were putting in and the players we have and the coaches we have, we always believed in it. It was just a matter of time. In some ways, we were like, 'When is it going to pop?' A lot of it is trust and belief, no doubt.”
Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes set out to build a roster with young players who are hungry, enjoy putting in the work to develop their game and who are the right fit, both on and off the field.
“It’s an unshakable group of players and coaches,” Campbell texted Breer. “They never wavered, none of them!”
Among the reasons the offense has executed at a high level this month has been the play of Goff, along with Detroit's talented running backs, receivers and one of the league's best offensive lines.
Jamaal Williams is having a career season, and the team is just now learning what rookie Jameson Williams is capable of.
“I can speak offensively, just the O-line we have, the receivers we have and the running backs we have are as good as I've been around,” said Goff. “And, I've been on some good offenses. And, those guys together, it’s like, O.K., it’s going to come. Like, we have the pieces, we have the players, we believe in Ben (Johnson). He’s calling good things during training camp and early on in the season, and it was even when we were struggling. That belief was never lost. Ever.”
