Rarified Air In Detroit

This season has been one for the ages for the Detroit Lions. They clinched home field advantage and the number one seed for the first time in franchise history. They won 15 games for the first time and showed the rest of the NFC that they mean business with their dominant performance against the Minnesota Vikings. Detroit’s defense played beyond what their personnel is capable of. That’s not to say they are awful players, but compared to the ones they are replacing it was a surprise. RB Jahmyr Gibbs proved to anyone that criticized the Lions for drafting him in the first round that he was worth the investment. If QB Jared Goff can stop from throwing random interceptions in the playoffs, the Lions should be able to punch that ticket to New Orleans for Super Bowl 59.

A Gigantic Problem In Pittsburgh

They picked a hell of a time to fall completely flat on offense. In their last four games of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers scored no more than 17 points. The defense was outmatched against the Eagles, Ravens and Chiefs in consecutive weeks. Their season finale was at home against the Cincinnati Bengals, who were another offensive showcase. The Steelers’ defense played very well and aside from the opening drive of the game, they kept the Bengals offense at bay. The same couldn’t be said for the Steelers offense. WR George Pickens was just pathetic and QB Russell Wilson looked lost for most of the game. The play-calling was awful and they apparently don’t trust RB Najee Harris anymore. This all spells doom for them to be a one-and-done team in the playoffs as they will play the Baltimore Ravens for the third time this season.

You’re Fired

First and foremost, any mention of racism having anything to do with anyone being fired is ludicrous and unwarranted. It’s someone’s opinion sure, but it’s a dumb and lazy one. When it comes to football head coaches they are supposed to be leaders of men. When a head coach loses the locker room, it spells doom for them in the long run. That’s what happened to the likes of Jerod Mayo, Doug Pederson and Antonio Pierce when the regular season was concluded. To go along with Matt Eberflus, Dennis Allen and Robert Saleh who were fired during the season, that makes six head coaching vacancies going into the offseason. In the case of Antonio Pierce, I can only assume that the players first perspective fell flat for a full season after he took over on an interim basis last season after the Las Vegas Raiders fired Josh McDaniels. Yes, there wasn’t a viable option at quarterback, but he brought in an awful offensive coordinator in Luke Getsy who was with the Chicago Bears in the prior season. Getsy was fired during the season, but it was too late for the Raiders to salvage anything. Doug Pederson essentially lost the team after the collapse last season losing five of their last six games. This season wasn’t any better with the Jaguars struggling in all aspects and seeing QB Trevor Lawrence regress once again. For Jerod Mayo he was given only one season, but he clearly wasn’t ready for the task of being a head coach. In his opening press conference he gave a bizarre answer about ‘seeing color’ in every situation. When it came to the output on the field he was outmatched and outclassed in every aspect. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft deserves a lot of criticism for his decision making in hiring Mayo when he clearly wasn’t up to this task. He will need more time to hone his craft before being a head coach again. If he proves himself as a coordinator for a defense, maybe he will get another chance. That’s the beauty of the sport. Many coaches still get opportunities regardless of what they had done before and if they’re good, they’ll learn and adjust to get another chance to be a head coach later on. Stop pushing a narrative that doesn’t exist.