Former NFL GM says the Lions should not listen to the hype
Former Atlanta Falcons GM Scott Pioli has been a fan of the Detroit Lions all offseason. He praised the Lions after what they did in the draft. He seems to be a guy that wants to see the Lions succeed. On Tuesday he went on Good Morning Football and offered some advice to Dan Campbell and […]
Former Atlanta Falcons GM Scott Pioli has been a fan of the Detroit Lions all offseason. He praised the Lions after what they did in the draft. He seems to be a guy that wants to see the Lions succeed. On Tuesday he went on Good Morning Football and offered some advice to Dan Campbell and the Lions. Here's what he had to say:
"Here's the big thing there. It's going to start with their head coach and their front office, they cannot believe the hype, if they believe the hype, they are going to become public enemy." Pioli said. "And what I'm saying is Dan Campbell, their head coach is going to have to make sure that he manages a young football team, a team that is not very mature in years. If you look at their roster, they've got only four players, including their long snapper that are 30 years old or older. So mentally, and emotionally This is a young football team. Dan and the front office is going to have to make sure that they manage to manage their expectations, play with confidence and feel like they're a good team because they are a good team and they're a well coached team. But they're going to have to be reminded that they can't just come out there and win games just because the public is saying something."
That's some advice the Lions should heed. This team has been hit with a barrage of hype all offseason. To the extent of something we've never seen here before. Can they handle it? Or will they crumble underneath the weight of it?
For now it seems like its the former for the Lions. By all outward appearances, the Lions are handling it pretty well and are saying all the right things about it.
Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown told Sports Illustrated over the weekend that he's embracing the hype and Jared Goff talked about how their aren't any favorites to win anything in April. The voice that matters the most though is Dan Cambell's. Here's what he said about the hype at the start of OTA's.
That really says it all right there. At the end of the day, the Lions plan to go out there and work and ignore the hype or anything thing else that could be to their detriment. This could wind up paying off in the end. Of course if the Lions go out and beat the Super Bowl champions in prime time Week 1, I don't know how anyone in the building will be able to tune out the noise that win will produce.
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Featured image by Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK
