I guarantee a bunch of dumb people will comment without opening and reading this first. Don’t share your opinion without reading. Yes the Detroit Lions are awful, but fans of the franchise can be even worse. They want second year head coach Matt Patricia gone before his system has even had time to fully develop. Martha Firestone Ford penned a letter along with Sheila Ford Hamp and Rod Wood, explaining they will be bringing the coach back for 2020.
It likely is in response to members of the crowd waving a “sell the team” banner over the weekend at the game.
https://twitter.com/abdulamemon/status/1206315704246525953
The only thing worse then the current impatience of Detroit fans is the eagerness of Pittsburgh Steeler fans to fire Tomlin every time the wind changes direction. I’m usually not so brash in my opinions, but these people are under my skin. How can anyone be so ridiculous? This is the National Football League. You’re going to struggle to find success. We’re talking about some of the most brilliant sports minds on the planet and some of the very greatest athletes.
I’m not afraid to call people “dumb” for this notion. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Looking at other top coaches around the league, you can already get a sense for how difficult it is to be consistent.
The Detroit Lions haven’t been good since I’ve been alive.
It’s tough.
It sucks.
But changing coaches every five minutes is not the solution.
“But we have a right to be upset. They’ve been bad for so long.” Look I get that. Look up like three lines. They’ve sucked my whole life. It’s awful. I’ve never seen my favorite sports franchise win a playoff game. It’s tough. But you’re not helping the team out that you claim to love so much by throwing a fit on social media. You’re driving them to consider starting over. Again.
Please put the pitchforks away.
Jim Caldwell led Detroit to three winning records in his four seasons at the helm, but the team’s inability to do anything more ultimately cost him his job. And many fans miss him. They now understand things could be worse. Because they are. But moving on immediately won’t solve anything. You’ll just be hitting the rest button all over again.
Below is the letter as it was published to detroitlions.com:
“Our 2019 season has not gone as anticipated by anyone in our organization. Our team has played hard and well enough to be very competitive. It has been well-documented that we are one of only three teams to have held the lead in each of our first 12 games. Unfortunately, all too often, we have come up a few plays short of victory. Our current win-loss record is ultimately very disappointing.
As we evaluate this season, we look beyond just our record. We are striving to build a team with a strong foundation of high-character players and coaches, that is physically and mentally tough, with depth at every position and one that can be successful over many years, not just one season. We see signs of this foundation in our team’s toughness, competitiveness and culture. Injuries happen in the NFL and are never an excuse. Nonetheless, our team has played through serious injuries this season to some of our best players. Despite the injuries, we have remained competitive in each game and our team depth showed up as a strength.
We also believe that the most successful teams in our league have a long-term plan, stability in leadership and exhibit patience to follow their plan. To that end, we are committed to year three of Coach Patricia’s plan. To be clear, our expectation is for the Lions to be a playoff contender in 2020.
Open letter to Lions fans: https://t.co/QP1cAVRSzt pic.twitter.com/FeZPyo44ti
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 18, 2019
To our dedicated fans: You deserve a winning team that you are excited to cheer for and proud to represent. Our entire organization is working to make the Lions a consistently winning team.
To our loyal season ticket members: Thank you for your continued support. We are announcing today that once again there will be no price increases for season tickets at Ford Field and several sections at the stadium will see price decreases. We want our fans to fill Ford Field for every game, continuing to make it the great home field advantage that inspires our players and makes it difficult for our opponents.
Thank you for your continued support, Happy Holidays and GO LIONS!”
Lions fans. Stop being awful for five minutes and have some patience.
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