Getting from awful to pretty good is not an easy road, as Lions fans know well. 2011 was the team’s first “pretty good” season in more than a decade.
The road from pretty good to champion is even tougher. A random playoff team pops up every season. (Looking at you ’08 Dolphins, ’09 Bengals, and ’10 Chiefs.) Finding sustained, title-contending success is much tougher.
The Lions seemingly have the foundation to be around a long time. The coaching staff is solid with a defensive-minded coach complemented by an excellent offensive coordinator in Scott Linehan. They have a number of pass rushers and a 5,000-yard quarterback. (Yes, that’s worth something.) The best players on the team are young and G.M. Martin Mayhew has methodically built up the roster through the draft and free agency.
With success comes good problems. Everyone wants to get paid. The Lions are taking the right approach, viewing their playoff appearance as a step in the process, rather than the destination.
During Thursday’s PFT Live, Florio looked at what the Lions need to do next to take that next step.
