I respect Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and left tackle Taylor Decker. I value what they say, how they carry themselves and the leadership they’ve shown through tough times while playing two of football’s hardest positions.
But something they said Tuesday was deeply concerning, because it speaks to potentially being unprepared to face the best effort from every one of their opponents this season.
Because that’s what the Lions are going to get. Maybe it’s been so long since this team was not only relevant but actually respected throughout the NFL that players don’t know how to respond to these expectations.
You don’t have to look hard to find pundits singing the Lions’ praises after a 9-8 season capped by an 8-2 finish. They were an upright-doinking 46-yard Los Angeles Rams field goal attempt in Seattle away from making the playoffs. Their 5-1 record was the best in a weak NFC North that’s about to get weaker, which is a big reason why they’re expected to win their first division title in 30 years.
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But if you ask Goff — and reporters did on Tuesday — the Lions don’t have to concern themselves with anyone coming for them.
“I don’t think we have a bullseye,” he said. “We missed the playoffs. Why would we have a bullseye?
“I mean, we played better, we played better last year and have a lot of work to do still. But yeah, we’re a better team. We’ll get teams’ better shots maybe.”
So I asked Goff if he believes the Lions are the favorites to win the NFC North.
“I don’t believe there are any favorites to win anything in April,” he said, “although I know luck can change from now until August or whatever.
“We like what we’ve done in the offseason and last year, but there’s plenty of stuff to get better at and work on.”
I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Anywhere you go, in Detroit or nationally, it’s impossible to escape the lovefest for the Lions. Some of it is misplaced because of the misunderstood “Hard Knocks” hype. But much of it is deserved, precisely because of Goff, who elevated his game and consequently lifted the entire team.
Now, suddenly, there aren’t any favorites? For a minute, I thought Goff had missed the lovefest while going to some sort of darkness retreat. Maybe it’s a Cal quarterback thing.
But Goff assured me he was aware of all the buzz about the Lions being division favorites.
“Of course there’s a sense of it,” he said. “We finished 9-8 and had a good finish to our year. We finished 8-2 in our last 10 games, but that doesn’t mean anything for us now. It really doesn’t.”
He’s right — to a point. Goff mentioned attrition and that there’s a lot of work to be done, before he conceded “there’s an overwhelming feeling of optimism and excitement for what we think we can do, that’s for sure.”
It’s funny. When teams and players are disrespected, they love nothing more than to shut down and shut up naysayers. But when things are looking up, they’re just as quick to tamp down expectations.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not gonna sit here and say that we’re like the team to chase,” said Decker, who bristled at the idea of the being the same old Lions after last year’s Thanksgiving loss to Buffalo. “Do I think we have a good football team? Yeah.
“But that statement is coming from what we did last year. I mean, you see it with teams all the time. Maybe they have a great year and then they don’t the following year because it’s like, what have you done for me lately? What have you done today? I don’t care what you did last year. I don’t care what you did two years ago.”
Instead, Decker preferred to only say the team has expectations, a foundation has been laid and “excitement for what the future could hold.”
“I don’t necessarily think we’re like the team to chase,” he said. “We haven’t gotten there yet.”
No one is saying the Lions have unlocked dynasty level. They’re hardly the Tom Brady-era New England Patriots.
But they aren’t the same old Lions, either. Yes, anything can happen and the Lions, like all NFL teams, have a lot of work to do. But they also have key, solid players such as Goff and Decker, an inspiring head coach and an elite offensive coordinator — as well as plenty of questions about the defense.
And there’s another question facing this team, perhaps the most important one. Can the Lions make the transition from being a scrappy underdog to a top dog fending off everyone’s best shot? Can they take the next step while carrying the yoke of heightened expectations? Because that’s the next step for this team, and it’s often the hardest one to take.
So get ready, Lions. The chase is on. The bullseye is on your back. Anything but a playoff appearance will be a disappointment, if not a downright a failure this season. And if you don’t like these expectations, you only have your own success to blame.
Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.