Are the Lions edging towards relevance with blood-and-thunder Dan Campbell?

A compelling run on HBO’s Hard Knocks has thrust the Detroit Lions into the spotlight. With the regular season days away, Dan Campbell’s young roster have high hopes after a dismal 2021 campaign, when they won just three games, the latest episode in an extraordinary run of mediocrity that has seen the Lions fail to win a playoff game since the 1991 season. General manager Brad Holmes chose against making any splashy signings in free agency, and the regime is counting on continuity breeding better results after going 3-13-1 last season. The focus appears to be on balancing established veterans with younger prospects to build on encouraging signs from last season, not least the 37-30 victory over Green Bay on the final day.Jared Goff once again leads the Lions at quarterback with pressure growing on him to rebound from a so-so year as a salary cap hit north of $30m looms large. Campbell’s profane praise of Goff in practice – “You’re on fire right now. I’m telling you, man, I feel ... fuck”– in the penultimate episode of Hard Knocks is what you would expect when the cameras are rolling. But Goff has been a minor player in the series, perhaps signaling a desire from the Lions to keep the underachieving QB focused on delivering better results.

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Even with Goff at the peak of his powers, a high-powered Lions’ passing attack look slim. The numbers from his debut season with the Lions were poor (3,245 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions), suggesting the periods of success he enjoyed with the Rams earlier in his career were mainly down to the quality of his teammates and head coach.The 27-year-old may