Inside the Lions: Two deep breaths about this unimpressive preseason

Dave Birkett | Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Lions’ rotten preseason has been tough on the stomach and worse on the eyes, but if you’re looking for a reason to stay optimistic after another ominous performance Friday, look no further than last year’s New England Patriots.

The Patriots, with first-year Lions coach Matt Patricia running the defense, got off to such a bad start in 2017 that some worried their two-decade-old dynasty might be crumbling.

They gave up 42 points in their first game, a home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, 53 total in wins the next two weeks, then allowed another 33 points in a loss to the Carolina Panthers.

The difference? That was the regular season, when games actually counted, and this is the preseason, when all the hand-wringing being done is about three lackluster performances that don’t really matter.

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The Patriots have been the best organization in professional sports for a generation now, with one of the greatest quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen, so maybe this isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison.

But I was reminded of New England’s choppy start last year when Patricia spoke after Friday’s come-from-behind win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — when the Lions fell behind, 27-6, with their first-team offense and defense still on the field — and he repeated something he’s said a time or two already this summer.

“The preseason’s important,” Patricia said. “It’s important for us to really take a look at everybody and find out where we’re at. But all of the seasons I approach the same way, always have. It’s a process. September’s going to look one way and October’s going to look another, and hopefully November looks better than both of them.”

And so on, and so on.

The idea, obviously, is that the NFL season builds to a crescendo in December, January and February, and while regular-season games are worth the same no matter when they're played, teams take different shapes over time.

They evolve. Players develop. Sometimes new warts emerge. And when a new coach with a new scheme and new approach takes over, it’s especially important to give him and his methods time to flourish.

This sounds a little company line-ish, to be sure. We want results, we want them now, and we’re prone to giant emotional swings because of the Lions' recent history.

But the Patriots of 2017 proved this evolution is possible.

New England opened last season 2-2 with a defense that allowed 32 points per game, and when its best linebacker went down for the season to injury, few thought the group was Super Bowl-caliber.

Then something wild happened. The Patriots, with Patricia pulling levers behind the scenes, played some of the finest defensive football in the NFL. Over their final 12 regular-season games, the Patriots allowed just 168 points (14 per game) and rolled to another division title.

Reasonable minds can debate which version of the Patriots defense was for real, and perhaps it was that early-season rendition. On Super Bowl Sunday, after all, Patricia and the Patriots had no answer for Nick Foles and the almost punt-less Philadelphia Eagles.

I don't think they were terrible, or great, but somewhere in the middle. Maybe the Patriots weren’t best-in-the-league good on defense last year, like the final three months of the regular season would suggest, but they certainly improved after a rough September and were a big reason why Patricia nearly won himself another ring.

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The Lions don’t necessarily deserve the benefit of the doubt this preseason that they'll flip a switch come September and turn things around, not with all the wool-pulling they’ve done over the years.

But while most — myself included — seem inclined to believe the Lions’ ugly preseason is a warning about what could become of the fall ahead, it’s important to remember this team is still in the incubation stage.

They haven’t looked good. No one can argue otherwise. And they seem to be deficient talent-wise in several key areas.

But the teams on their schedule aren't perfect, either, and the finish line is still four full months ahead.

“The thing is, we (have) had three opportunities and now we get to the point to where the curve has to come quickly because we only got one more game in (the preseason) and then the real thing starts,” safety Glover Quin said. “When it happens, we’ve got to be clicking on all cylinders so we can get some wins. If not, we got a tough stretch starting out, so it can get ugly quickly so just got to go back to work.”

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!