In his first season, the Lions entered December with an 0-10-1 record.
They had just lost to the Bears at Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day — four days after Baker Mayfield struck out Tim Boyle in a loss to the Browns.
All the excitement surrounding Campbell, Brad Holmes and their new hires had all but evaporated.It certainly looked like the Same Old Lions.
Two years later, the same Lions are playing for a spot in the Super Bowl.It’s incredible how far this franchise has come in such a short time.
Last year, the future looked hopeless when the Lions finished October with a 1-6 record.
But the Lions are 22-7 in their last 29 games, including the playoffs. They ended a 30-year losing streak without a home playoff game, a 32-year streak without a playoff victory and a 30-year streak without a division title.
All of those obstacles were overcome this season, just two years after the Lions went three full months without winning a single game.
Detroit’s football futility was so persistent that it was difficult to get excited about this new regime. Sure, Campbell and Holmes said the right things, but we’d heard them before.
Coaches who said the right things have only brought this franchise one playoff victory in over 60 years.
But Holmes did exactly what he said he would do: build a strong foundation through the draft while targeting players who fit a particular culture’s vision.
Campbell kept his promise to build a team that symbolizes this city and makes its fans proud.
The Lions hadn’t won a single playoff game in my life before this year, and now they’ve done it twice in eight days.
There are only four teams left in the NFL, including the two powerful No. 1 seeds and the defending Super Bowl champions.
And then there is Detroit. One of the few remaining NFL franchises to never appear in a Super Bowl.It’s hard to believe, but the Lions are just one win away from clearing another hurdle and reaching the biggest stage in North American sports.
Can you imagine Honolulu Blue on TV at your Super Bowl parties? Can you imagine actually cheering for your hometown team instead of placing your bets on game day?
Two years ago, the Lions were sad, helpless, a team to be pitied. But now they are on the doorstep of something many thought they would never see.
Honolulu Blue is omnipresent on national television, flooding grocery stores and adorning signs along I-94.
The entire state is celebrating a race that seemed impossible for decades.
