It is no accident that the Lions have played well late in the season under coach Jim Caldwell.
Every detail, every move, every motivational talk is meant to lead the Lions to the postseason.
The Detroit Lions coach is a strong believer that NFL teams should be playing their best football at the end of the season.
“November, December are the times where you have to be playing your best. You certainly can’t be taking a nose dive or you certainly can’t be staying status quo unless you’ve been extremely good the first couple quarters, so you know, it’s extremely important,” Caldwell said on Friday. “That’s kind of how we’re designed, how we’re built. I mean if you look at us from the last few years, just take a look at the numbers, you know, this time of year is the time of year that we think we should be playing well, should be getting better. If you’re not, you’re going to be in trouble.”
OK, here are the numbers:
– In 2014, his first season in Detroit, the Lions won eight of the last 11 to earn a wildcard playoff berth.
– In 2015, after starting 1-7, the Lions (even though the playoffs were just a dream) won six of their final eight.
– Now in 2016, the Lions have won six of seven and are atop the NFC North with a 7-4 record.
No question the next five games are the biggest and that starts on Sunday against the Saints in New Orleans.
Remember, the reason Caldwell was hired was that the Lions started the 2013 season 6-3 and then lost six of the last seven games to finish 7-9. It cost Jim Schwartz his job.
So if Lions fans are looking for a reason to be hopeful about the next five weeks they should take a good look at Caldwell, who has been to three Super Bowls, and his philosophies.
Every coach talks about focus on the next game. Caldwell believes that with every fiber of his being and he has been able to sell the message to his players.
Of course, they know they’re in a playoff hunt but they do not discuss it.
They talk about winning at New Orleans on Sunday to finish the third quarter with a 4-0 mark, after a disappointing 1-3 first quarter and a better 3-1 record in the second quarter.
These players are intelligent and many of them have played for other teams. Their playoff experience is bountiful. They would not echo Caldwell’s words unless they believed them.
They get it and it’s because of Caldwell.
“It’s how we practice, it’s how we measure the season, it’s how we adjust our schedule,” Caldwell said. “We do everything to try to make certain that this time of year, and it’s not uncommon, I mean every football coach in America does it, in pro football at least, to make certain that down the stretch that you’re actually playing your absolute best, so we gear everything toward this time of year. It doesn’t just start during training camp, it starts during the spring.”
No one knows how the next five games will play out.
After Sunday’s big game at the Saints, the Lions are home to the Bears, at the New York Giants, at the Dallas Cowboys and then wrap up the season on Jan. 1 at home to the Green Bay Packers. That finale could be a huge game or not so much.
One thing for certain, Caldwell has put much effort and focus into this time of the season. He’s got the players believing. Now they have to make it happen on the field.
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