Lions News

[froot loops]

I don't think so, I thought they had to be in the position more than a year.

[CGVT]

I mean peak like offensively.and defensively. The DVOA defensively for the team looked like it was going down the Top Thrill Dragster since mid October and it really dropped when Anzalone got hurt. By that Washington game they were in the mindset you often saw in the first couple years where they had to pull out all stops to score because the defense couldn't be trusted.

Emotionally they may have peaked in week 18 but they were just not the same team. They have got to get to the playoffs in the future with a team that has a defense good enough that they aren't afraid of punting to a good offensive team.

Absolutely

[-Deborah-]

Sheila Ford Hamp sends letter to Detroit Lions season ticket holders: 'Pieces will change, but we are confident in where we are going’
Ken Haddad, Manager, Coverage and Content

Published: January 21, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Updated: January 21, 2025 at 4:13 PM

Detroit Lions principal owner Sheila Ford Hamp sent an open letter to season ticket holders following the team’s stunning loss to Washington last weekend.

Here’s what it said:

Dear Lions Loyal Member,

This is not the letter I was hoping to write to you this year. It’s not the ending we wanted or were expecting. The fact of the matter is this: we had a great year, a record-setting season but fell short of our ultimate goal.

What never falls short is your support. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the support we have received from all of you, the city of Detroit and the entire state of Michigan. Ford Field is a legitimate home field advantage and that is because of you. It also felt like you gave us a home field advantage in most of the away stadiums we played in this year. We appreciate you more than you will ever know. Your support continues to fuel us toward bigger things.

I am proud of the year we had. I am proud of our players, our coaches, our personnel department and our entire staff, because at the Lions we live the One Pride concept and truly win and lose together.

I know this weekend was difficult and the next few weeks will be hard to watch as other teams walk the path we envisioned, but please know that we have never been more motivated. I know the future will look different and the team that brought us so much success this year will never be together again. Pieces will change, but we are confident in where we are going and more aligned than ever as to how we get there.

One of the goals I set for our franchise was to create sustained success. The last two years have started that process. Back-to-back NFC North Division Championships and home playoff appearances are the type of successes that we envisioned, and we are on the path to continuing that.

Thank you for your continued support, thank you for donning your Honolulu Blue and thank you for continuing to be the driving force behind One Pride.

Go Lions!

Sheila Hamp

Hamp has been the principal owner for the Lions since 2020, when she took over for her mother, Martha Firestone Ford.

Since Hamp took over the team, the Lions have entered the most successful era of football in the modern NFL era.

[Trickalicious]

Wait a minute. That's the same letter I got when my Ford Pinto blew up.

[-Deborah-]

Well, someone agrees with me.

[-Deborah-]

Some good digs at Detroit here.

[whatever_gong82]

Some good digs at Detroit here.

Like her Packers did anything vs. the Philadelphia Eagles a week earlier.

[kayrone]

I am with you, Deb. At the moment, I am super salty that Ben Johnson went to the Bears, and I have been waffling between wanting him to flame out spectacularly, or to be just good enough to stick around for a few years so we can LeFleur him on the regular. Yes, he has creativity and can probably do a lot to develop Caleb Williams, but that creativity can be a bit much; it's like he's always trying to prove he's the smartest guy in the room. I do wonder if he has the motivational "it" factor to be a good head coach; in that sense I think Aaron Glenn is better suited for the next step - and I will be cheering him on, I would love to see Aaron Glenn be a successful head coach. He seems like a genuinely good guy and I wish him the best.

With all of that said, I still think that Brad Holmes is the best thing that has ever happened to this franchise, and he's still here. We have a great YOUNG core of players, and I trust Holmes to keep on drafting pieces to build on that. Plus everyone wants to play for / work with Dan Campbell, so the future still looks bright.

So peace out, BJ, I hope you suck.

[chemiclord]

Personally, if I had to write the rule about head coach hirings, I'd just say no team should be able to communicate or contact any candidate for their positions until the end of the season. But that would be impossible to enforce, and not letting playoff coordinators talk to teams was what led to them getting constantly shut out of jobs because teams with openings simply didn't want to wait that long to get their replacements in place.

[Mainevent]

A big part of the problem is the rest of the league is not going to stop hiring staff and coaches at all other levels. New head coaches are competing with other teams in the NFL and college to fill out their staff. These teams need to be up and running as soon as they can because the offseason comes quick - all star games, draft combine, free agency. And there is a shit ton of work to be done.

Remember how we thought the Lions had a drawn out process for hiring when they finally picked DC? He was announced on Jan 20th, the same day as Ben Johnson, the Monday after the Saints lost a divisional round game.

[froot loops]

For me to be mad, I would have to see some evidence that they weren't preparing like it was a big game. I didn't see anything to that.

[chemiclord]

Right? Even if they are negotiating another job, there is no way in hell any coach worth their salt is going to abandon prep for the here and now, and any coach that would isn't going to be long in the NFL anyway.

Long story short, if Johnson and/or Glenn were neglecting their current duties to prepare for next year... then it's probably a good thing they're leaving, because those aren't guys that are going to last even if they stayed.

[Mainevent]

That would also have to mean that DC was letting his staff slack off. Does anybody even remotely think that was happening?

[Coop]

The loss to the 49ers hurt worse because we were relatively healthy during the 2023 playoff run. Things just fell apart. The whole team did not play well against Washington, Goff included. I sulked about it Sunday, but I am over it. In Sheila, Brad, and Dan I trust

[DanO]

Everyone keeps saying that Ford Field is such a huge home field advantage but the only three games we lost all year were at home. Undefeated on the road. Sounds like they may take home games a little for granted and their concentration and preparedness is higher for away games.