Latest Criticism of Detroit Lions Is Pointless

As ex-Lions players continue to criticize their former team, read more about the negative impact of their constant gripes.

Ripping and tearing into the Lions for their erroneous ways and mismanagement of players is far from anything new. 

There have been members of the franchise over the years that have griped so much about the perceived mistreatment they've received from the organization that it's felt like they've made it a side gig -- i.e. ex-Lions cornerback Darius Slay. 

And most of the time, the criticisms of the team have been deserved, as it's been a part of a countless number of PR nightmares. 

These ugly incidents have ranged from forcing legendary former receiver Calvin Johnson to repay at least $1 million of his signing bonus when he retired in 2016 to Slay being told by current Detroit head man Matt Patricia during a training camp practice in 2018 to “stop sucking this man’s private” in reference to a photo he had posted on Instagram of another team's wideout. 

Detroit's history of ineptitude has only made it easier for ex-players to get away with speaking out against the organization once they leave the Motor City, too. 

Slay's latest dis of Patricia and the franchise came earlier in training camp this summer with his new team, the Philadelphia Eagles.

He commented that Eagles players are treated “like grown men” by the coaching staff and that you have the “ability to be yourself" in Philadelphia. 

In making that comment, he's referencing not only being unfairly treated by Patricia but also the tight-lipped nature of the locker room in Motown -- two gripes that definitely carry some merit. 

Coaches should never make their players be someone that they're not, and Patricia has commonly been at fault for that. 

And Slay isn't the only ex-Lions player to believe it to be the case.

Notably, there's also former Detroit safety Quandre Diggs who has come out and said that he believes players are muted inside Patricia's locker room.

In fact, after being traded to the Seattle Seahawks midway through last season, he told the Detroit Free Press that he believes his outspoken nature got him jettisoned out of town. 

“I think it was more of just a control thing,” he conveyed to the Free Press' Dave Birkett. “Them wanting to control the locker room. Control the locker room, control voices in the locker room.”

All fair critiques of the organization. 

But, then there are times when individuals should just keep their mouths shut and let bygones be bygones. And yes, even when it comes to the Lions. 

Example A: Ex-NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, who spent time with Detroit during training camp in 2016 but never even made it to the Lions' active roster. 

Schwartz's complaint, which he aired out on Twitter, was that he was only one pound overweight, and was fined as a result of it and required to enter into a "weight loss program." The program consisted of him riding a stationary bike twice a day -- in both the morning and the evening. 

To put it simply, he wasn't happy with the decision handed down by the franchise. 

I was looking for a photo on my phone and came across this video. My final season in the NFL, I was 1 lb overweight in Detroit for camp. I was 341 instead of 340. I lost 13 lbs and 3% Bf between end of OTAs and camp. They fined me anyways. And put me in a “weight loss program” pic.twitter.com/U1bF0w0ENv

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) August 18, 2020

In this rare case, the Lions actually had former members of the organization come out and defend them regarding this incident, including former NFL center Travis Swanson. 

Swanson, who was drafted by Detroit in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft, spent four seasons in the Motor City.

He took to Twitter, and responded with the following: 

"My favorite thing about the Bob Quinn regime is that you know exactly what is asked of you. It’s not the number they were mad about, it’s the idea that you did not deliver on what was expected of you." 

In a series of a myriad of criticisms that have emerged regarding the team in recent memory, this was an unnecessary one.

Schwartz has all the right in the world to not like the workout regiment he had to go through during his short time in Detroit.

However, when it's over losing a measly pound, keep it to yourself. 

The same applies to anyone else looking to bash the Lions in the near future. 

The organization has heard it all and rightfully so. But, unless you can back up your claim with sound reasoning and/or valid evidence, strongly consider keeping the thought locked up in your memory bank. 

And most importantly from a team perspective, it's the only way in which the Ford family-run franchise will be able to move forward and enter into a new, much more positive era of Lions football.

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