NFL Analyst Explains Why Lions Can Go from Worst to First in 2020

Reasons why the Lions can go from worst to first in 2020 explained

The Detroit Lions have not won the NFC North since the 1993 season.

In each of head coach Matt Patricia's first two seasons, Detroit has finished in last place.

Subsequently, general manager Bob Quinn has continued to seek and bring in players he believes will be part of the turnaround. 

Naturally, he has turned to the New England Patriots in an attempt to quickly stock the roster with players that should immediately buy into what the coaching staff is seeking to accomplish. 

NFL Network analyst Shaun O'Hara recently named the Lions as a team that has the potential of drastically turning around their fortunes. 

O'Hara played 11 seasons in the NFL, and was a member of both the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants. 

"When you look at what Matt Patricia has been building over the last couple of years -- it’s year three, it's go time now. You’ve planted a lot of seeds. Now, it's time for them to rise up," O'Hara explained. "When you look at what he's done this offseason, it’s just been a pipeline. Every former New England Patriot that was out there that he could get, he swallowed up. Jamie Collins, Duron Harmon, brought in Danny Shelton, Desmond Trufant. He’s bringing in some veteran leaders, some quality players."

He added, “Offensively, when you look at the fact they got D'Andre Swift in the second round of this draft, there's two things that jump out at me. Number one, I love the way he runs the football. For this entire process, he (Swift) has been hearing about how he is the best running back coming out and you’re going to be a first rounder no doubt. Had to wait the entire day. Had to wait until Day 2 to hear his name called. A hungry bulldog is the most dangerous kind of bulldog. I think this Detroit Lions team, they are going to awake, and I think they are going to stay woke because of the way Matt Patricia is building this team."

Pundits are expecting the new additions to aid the Lions quickly. 

If the roster can gel faster than expected, there is at least an opportunity to move up in the division. 

Catching the teams at the top -- i.e. the Packers and Vikings -- might be too tall of an order, though, despite how hungry the roster is. 

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John Maakaron
JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland  Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!