The Lions culture seems to be an everchanging thing. In 2022 we saw the team culture go through the grit era. The grit era was all about working hard. 

While we hate talking about the whole knee cap biting thing these days after it was beaten to death at a national level, this is what the grit culture was really all about. 

It was about not caring if your opponent has one ass cheek and three toes, we will beat your ass and sink you into the abyss with us. 

The grit era is over. Brad Holmes took the stage at the combine with a shirt that featured the Lions logo with the word Villain pasted it over. Suddenly, the villain era was born. Although, after looking at the one ass cheek and three toes comment, maybe there was always a little villainy there. 

To be honest, I didn't really know what this whole villain thing meant or how the Lions were going to get it over. My first feeling for the team was fear. The Lions did something similar to this in the Matt Patricia era with the whole dagger time. The only thing that got a dagger stuck in it was the Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn era. 

After OTA's and mandatory mini camp, I know now how the villain era is going to really get itself over. I certainly didn't expect it to come from a spot on the Lions that took a lot of beating in 2022, but it has. The Lions secondary is leading the charge when it comes to being the bad guys. 

It's all about swagger and the every single player in the Lions secondary seems to have it. From C.J. Gardner-Johnson's trash talk to Jerry Jacobs unwavering belief in himself, this unit is ready to go out there and live its best life. 

This stuff matters. It might not seem like it does, but it really does. Swagger and belief in yourself goes a long way. Trash talk might go even further. 

The Lions secondary is going to look to get inside the heads of what I believe to be the most confident position in the entire NFL. There's probably not receiver alive that doesn't think he's the best in the league. At least there shouldn't be. 

If you have an entire group chirping in your ear all game and every time you miss a pass or drop a ball, that's going to eat at you regardless or how confident you are. 

The thing this new attitude that the Lions secondary seems to be adopting more than any other unit on the team is showing me the most is that this unit is communicating with each other. 

This was a problem the Lions really had there in 2022.There were many times where players were out of place or they weren't adjusting to how things were playing out and they wound up getting burnt because of it. 

This is showing that this unit is now forming a relationship and a bond with each other and that they're all on the same page. That should only going to make communication on the field better and, in turn, yield better play. Which is something the Lions really need to see from this group after a bad 2022. 

Featured image by Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK