'I Think It Fuels Our Fire': Dan Campbell Reacts to S.O.L.

These are not the "Same Old Lions" entering the 2022 NFL season.

The phrase "Same Old Lions" is synonymous with the losing culture of an organization that has won only one playoff game in the modern NFL era.  

Any talk of potential success is met with a raised eyebrow, especially since supporters of the Detroit Lions have been let down on many occasions. 

Each new NFL season is met with a renewed optimism, only to be met with the realization that further pain and suffering are the net outcomes. 

In the second year of the rebuild, Lions head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes find themselves receiving a significant amount of positive press, mostly from the national media, which is strongly considering the Lions a football team which can approach seven-eight victories in 2022. 

For Campbell, the recent victory at the Kentucky Derby by Rich Strike was "inspiring" and inspirational. 

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In a recent feature story by Peter King of NBC Sports, Campbell and Holmes both reiterate the players on the roster are dedicated to turning things around and the roster is comprised of players who are capable of surprising many skeptics, similar to the Derby winner. 

“I just think I’ve got guys like Rich Strike. Every time we hear the S-O-L, same old Lions, and all the stuff, I think it fuels our fire," Campbell told King. "We love it. I think that’s how we all feel. That’s how we all talk. That’s how we all think. There’s nothing fake about it.”

The genuine optimism is real, but now the time has come to leave the rhetoric at the door. 

Training camp for the Lions is soon approaching.

The time for optimism will be nearing an end. 

Detroit's NFL team must come together and work to change all of the negative narratives out on the field. 

While the roster has drastically improved, the identity of this football team must be truly established out on the field for all to see. 

“I know that people are probably tired of hearing foundation and the culture, but I do feel like we set that in year one. I do feel like that for us was the primary goal," Campbell said. "We have to create our own style, our own identity, our own culture of who we are, what we accept, what we don’t accept, and now let’s build from there. Now, in year two, we feel like we have that foundation built now. Let’s start stacking on top of it.”