Biting Kneecaps
This post-practice Jamaal Williams speech will have you believing that the Detroit Lions are Super Bowl-bound
As Bill Parcells famously said, you are what your record says you are. The 2021 version of the Detroit Lions might disagree, however.
Yes, the Lions went 3-13-1, their first victory not coming until Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings and their lone tie coming in Week 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But six of Detroit's 13 losses were by one possession, five of them by four points or less. Every team plays the "if one thing went differently" game, but the Lions truly had a case to be much closer to a .500 team if a few plays went differently in 2021.
Things can change quickly in the NFL, and Lions running back Jamaal Williams knows this. If the Lions can get a few of those swing plays to go their way in 2022, perhaps they can make a playoff push. This post-practice speech from Williams, which comes from a preview clip for the first episode of HBO's "Hard Knocks" which will air Tuesday evening, will actually have you believing the Lions aren't just going to make a playoff push, but that they're Super Bowl-bound:
The haters will laugh and say well, actually, Jamaal, that record is exactly who the Lions are. But again, if you go back through every game the Lions played last season (not recommended), you could certainly understand where he's coming from. The 2021, Jared Goff-led Lions were not ever sniffing the playoffs, but 3-13-1 did not tell the whole story.
What we do know is that "Hard Knocks" with the Detroit Lions, specifically with head coach Dan Campbell, is going to be appointment viewing. We've got tears coming out of Williams' eyes on what appears to be the first day of pads. We can only imagine what's going to happen when the first training-camp donnybrook goes down. If Campbell doesn't literally take a bite out of one of his own players' kneecaps, we want our money back.