They say Detroit is making a comeback. Consider its NFL team, the Lions, to be way ahead on that front.
The 2017 Lions, at 3-1, are likely headed to the NFC playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in more than 20 years. They are bound to end their 26-year playoff win drought soon.
Much of the attention, like it is with any consistent contending team in the league, is on the quarterback-coach combination of Matthew Stafford and Jim Caldwell. They have been key in reviving each other's careers and were rewarded with contract extensions — meaning they'll be around for a lot longer together.
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Don't confuse this edition of the Lions with the 2012 and '15 teams, which reverted to being less than lovable losers. There are many reasons to think the luau in Honolulu Blue will have some staying power this time.
Steadying of Stafford
After Stafford was drafted No. 1 overall in 2009, his big arm was immediately put to work for aggressive downfield passing. Once he came back from a sophomore season lost to a shoulder injury, he peaked with a prolific playoff-bound season (41 passing TDs, 5,038 passing yards) in 2011. While the numbers were there early under Scott Linehan, they also set up Stafford for extra wear, and the results quickly went from mixed to poor.
Stafford was headed in that bad direction again with Joe Lombardi in 2014 and '15, but he became an efficiency expert in Caldwell's wise move to JIm Bob Cooter. Because Stafford had gotten more into the zone of getting the ball out quickly and spreading it around to more receivers, it got to the point he could absorb Calvin Johnson's sudden retirement in 2016 without his play dropping off much.
The Stafford you see now is still hearing about that losing record against playoff teams, but he can throw eight fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives back in the faces of his remaining critics. He has matured and developed well beyond that cannon to be a complete QB deserving of the highest-paid status. Consistent excellence is the gateway to "elite" passing, and Staff is knocking on that door. At 29, he has plenty of good years left to keep the Lions dueling with Aaron Rodgers, who turns 34 in December.
Cool of Caldwell
Caldwell was seen as a modern-day George Seifert when he coached the Colts to Super Bowl XLIV during Stafford's rookie season in Detroit. As Seifert could pick up where Bill Walsh and Joe Montana were leaving off, that Indianapolis run had the feeling of extending what Tony Dungy had established with Peyton Manning.
In retrospect, Caldwell didn't get nearly enough credit for guiding a 14-2 team before getting stuck in the 2-14 "Suck for Luck" period. The Lions are thrilled they gave Caldwell a second chance to make an NFL name for himself. His calm demeanor and QB acumen has been critical to all of their success.
There's been nothing polarizing about Caldwell's personality, and the players love fighting for him. In a league where everyone is looking for that young hotshot, going cooler and older with Caldwell has been welcomed vs. the past forced fieriness.
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Quest of Quinn
The Lions made the playoffs in 2014, Caldwell's first season, while Martin Mayhew was still the general manager. They got there despite a shaky offense thanks to an overachieving veteran defense and a favorable schedule. Credit current GM Bob Quinn for knowing he had work to do in taking over in 2016 to take better advantage of the window with Stafford.
One clear focus of Quinn was to rebuild the offensive and defensive lines, a good place for every GM to start. In his first draft, he landed starting left tackle Taylor Decker and starting left guard Graham Glasgow. In that same class, he also got starting defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson and stole breakout end Anthony Zettel.
This year, Quinn went to free agency to upgrade the offensive line with right guard T.J. Lang and right tackle Rick Wagner. His first-round pick, Jarrad Davis, has filled a big void at middle linebacker, while former Falcon Paul Worrilow was signed for the outside. There also was the pickups of wideouts Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay in consecutive years to offset the loss of Megatron, and likewise, new deals in place for the irreplaceable veterans in the secondary, cornerback Darius Slay and free safety Glover Quin.
In just two offseasons, Quinn has delivered the team 10 of its current 22 starters. He and his scouting staff piled on the building blocks to improve the team's two biggest weaknesses in order — pass defense and rushing offense. That's the formula for consistent winning teams, something Quinn should know from his significant time in New England.
There's the right blend of experience and youth that will serve the team well. With it, Quinn has made things a lot easier on Stafford to win games.
Continuity of coordinators
The Lions can feel pretty confident that Cooter, still only 33, won't pull a Sean McVay quite yet and get his own head-coaching gig in the near future. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has seen his name come up in several head coach searches, but the Lions are lucky to have had him in place for the entire Caldwell tenure. As both are an extension of Caldwell, it's easy to get player-friendly schemes designed to bring out the best in each individual.
There has been dysfunction in the past in play-calling and producing complementary football in Detroit. That's no longer the case, as the plan is firmly in place to keep everyone on the same page week after week, season after season.
Fortitude of Ford
We're talking about the family and the field, folks. Team president Rod Wood has been a terrific hire to represent owner and chairman Martha Firestone Ford. The Fords are fully committed to putting out the best product for the long term. From the Quinn hire and the willingness to spend in a smart way, it's been backed up.
The Fords also have erased some of the bad feelings that date back to the Matt Millen era. A subtle one is getting black out of their uniforms with more of a nod to the silver standard of their best days.
With all of it, the Lions have seen their Ford Field advantage truly emerge for the first time, too. Stafford has always been better there, and with a strong overall team around him now, it's become a tough place for opponents to visit. The Lions were 6-2 at home last season and were inches and seconds away from knocking off Atlanta to be 2-0 there this season and 4-0 overall.
Before the season, Sporting News picked Detroit to win the NFC North over Green Bay with identical 11-5 records. That would mean the Lions would be only the second non-Packers team to win the division in eight seasons — and give them that elusive home playoff game.
Those Packers, Vikings and Bears fans expecting the Lions to go right back into their den better get used to them roaring for a while.
