After a shocking loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a gloomy feeling surrounded the Detroit Lions.
Many supporters expressed that waking up Tuesday actually felt worse than it did Monday, as the shock wore off and reality set in the team would not take the field again for another seven months.
Being 30 minutes away from advancing to the Super Bowl and playing so well in the first half was a rush of excitement fans had been getting used.
Reality set in quite quickly that fortunes can change in a hurry. Once Detroit lost their momentum, they were never able to regain the form they displayed in the first half.
Luckily, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson provided the fanbase with quite the surprise when reports surfaced he intended to return for another season.
Center Frank Ragnow, speaking with reporters following the conclusion of the season, expressed, "Ben’s one of the brightest people I’ve ever been around, especially in terms of football and whatever he decides to do he’s going to be really successful at it cause he’s a great offensive mind but he’s also a great person and a great leader.
"You look around this locker room and you look around these guys and at the end of the day in this league, all these coaches will say it, they always say it all the time, it’s about players not plays," he added. "And I think we got a great group here that will be able to handle whatever happens, whether he stays or goes. I think everybody’ll figure it out."
The latest All Lions "Bang The Table" podcast explores the impact of Johnson returning and recaps one of the most challenging losses the organization and their fans has ever had to deal with.
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