Lions' Taylor Decker on hype: 'We haven't done anything yet'

Detroit Lions left tackle Taylor Decker realizes this is the most-hyped team he's been a part of since he joined the organization via the 2016 NFL Draft and also understands nothing of note is won on paper. 

"Having the perspective of knowing we haven't done anything yet is important," Decker told Jeffri Chadiha of the NFL's website for a piece published Tuesday. "There's a lot of promise from how we finished last year, but that was half a season. To be a good franchise and establish a winning identity, you have to do it year after year. Having a great nine-game stretch doesn't make you a winner, but it is great. I've been here during years when you're getting s--- on and you're the butt of jokes. To have a little bit of respect going into the season is cool."

The 2022 Lions ended Week 8 with a record of 1-6 but then went 8-2 after Halloween and eliminated the division-rival Green Bay Packers from the playoffs via a Week 18 win at Lambeau Field. Detroit's performances throughout the second half of the campaign played a role in the NFL choosing the club for this coming Thursday's regular-season opener at the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Eric Woodyard of ESPN mentioned last week that this is the first time since the NFC North was formed in 2002 that the Lions are favored to win the division. As of Tuesday afternoon, OddsChecker had Detroit at +145 odds to finish atop the NFC North standings, followed by the Minnesota Vikings at +290.

The Lions haven't participated in a postseason tournament since January 2017 and last won a playoff game in January 1992. Head coach Dan Campbell previously warned players the "hype train" regarding the Lions had "taken off and gotten out of control," and Decker is among those who received that message loud and clear. 

"We just keep our nose to the grindstone and trust the process that [coach Campbell] is putting us through," Decker added during his chat with Chadiha. "We're not here to analyze things. We're here to do what they ask us to do. You can do that when you've established trust, and [Campbell] has established that with us."

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Lions were significant underdogs (+250, +6.5) for the Week 1 contest at Kansas City. Decker and company will look to make believers out of oddsmakers on the first Thursday night of the season.