Detroit Lions Reversing Old Fortunes, Are Legit Contender in NFC

Don't look now, but these aren't your same old Detroit Lions anymore.

After decades of futility—which include zero Super Bowl championships and zero playoff victories since 1991—it appears as if the worm has finally turned. A magical Motown metamorphosis is in progress, and it signifies an evolution from the hunted to the hunter.

The old Lions would regularly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory—usually in horrifying fashion—leaving their great fans in a perpetual state of catatonic shock. The new Lions are winning games they should lose, and are creating a new identity—and a new hope—in the process.

These Lions are tough, smart and resilient. They are winning games on the strength of a top-flight defense and a quarterback who refuses to lose. 

No, you haven't stumbled upon an alternate reality where pigs fly and hell has frozen over.

These Lions are actually good. And they are legitimate contenders in a wide-open NFC.

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

The last few seasons were particularly cruel to die-hard Lions fans. In 2011, then-coach Jim Schwartz led the team to a 10-6 record and its first playoff appearance since 1999. And even though the Lions lost to the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card Round, optimism abounded in Detroit.

But in 2012 and 2013, the Lions reverted back to their bumbling ways. They only managed four wins in 2012, and then refused to accept a gift-wrapped NFC North division championship last season, yakking it away in heartbreaking fashion and finishing 7-9.

So when the Lions fired Schwartz and hired former Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell to the same position, fans (and the media) weren't exactly jazzed for the future. While Caldwell had led the Colts to Super Bowl XLIV (where they lost to the Saints), it was widely believed to be Peyton Manning's team and Caldwell received very little credit for the whole shebang.

Plus, to say that Caldwell possesses a calm sideline demeanor would be like saying San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh has a tendency to get emotional during games. And in this day and age where fans love to see their coach get fired up, Caldwell's steady hand and unflappable approach is widely viewed as a negative.

But there can be no arguing with the results thus far. Anyone who says Caldwell hasn't done a magnificent job is either a hater or severely uneducated.

When hired, Caldwell was ultimately charged with two main tasks: Fix franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford, who had seemingly regressed in the final years of the Schwartz regime, and instill more discipline in a team that often played an especially moronic brand of football.

And through the first half of 2014, Caldwell has done just that.

The Lions are plus-two in turnover differential and have only been called for 54 penalties—an average of 6.8 per game, good enough for 15th overall—which is a marked improvement from past years.

Stafford is undoubtedly evolving as a passer and leader. While he's always had the physical tools to succeed, he's now avoiding the backbreaking turnovers that had become his trademark, along with the Howitzer attached to his right shoulder. He's playing smart football and is finding ways to win.

What's most impressive about Stafford's season is that much of it has been without the services of All-Pro receiver Calvin Johnson, who has been hampered with a leg injury for much of the season.

The artist known as Megatron hasn't been truly effective since Week 3, and normally when a team's finest offensive weapon is on the shelf, the entire unit suffers. But Stafford has managed to get the job done without his favorite target, and he deserves plaudits for his play, as does receiver Golden Tate, who has stepped up in Johnson's absence (55 catches for 800 yards and three touchdown receptions).

But perhaps Caldwell's finest decision was the hiring of defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. Much like the road not taken in the famous Robert Frost poem, Austin has made all the difference.

Austin has helped restore the roar in Detroit's formerly-toothless defense, elevating an average unit to one of the finest in the league.

The Lions are allowing the fewest points per game (15.8) and the fewest yards per game (290.4) in the league. He's coaxed unbelievable seasons out of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and linebacker DeAndre Levy. Simply put, he's been a game-changer, and must be a front-runner for the inaugural Assistant Coach of the Year award.

Consider this quote from safety Glover Quin, who told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:

"

I think (Austin is a) huge (part of our success). He calls great games. Very smart guy. We go into the games knowing exactly what they want from us, exactly what they expect from us, but they also do a great job in my opinion of letting the players play, and I think they do a great job of, as we call it, loading up our toolbox. Giving us a bunch of options for different things (that happen on the field).

"

Austin's defense—along with Stafford's play and Caldwell's leadership—has the Lions at 6-2 and in sole possession of first place in the NFC North. And the past two victories have been indicative of the team's transformation from a raging dumpster fire to a stable, winning organization.

Two weeks ago, Stafford led the Lions on two touchdown drives in the final 3:38 to steal a 24-23 decision from the Saints. It was the type of game that the Lions have typically lost, yet they found a way to win.

Last Sunday in London, the Lions overcame a 21-0 halftime deficit to come back and beat the Atlanta Falcons 22-21. And the circumstances were almost too outrageous to be true—kicker Matt Prater missed the game-winning field goal attempt only to be given another opportunity from five yards back after the team inexplicably took a delay-of-game penalty.

Of course, Prater drilled the ensuing 48-yard field goal, and the Lions won.

These kinds of things just didn't happen for the old Lions. But these are the new Lions, and these types of finishes are becoming the new normal for a club whose old normal consisted of losing in gut-wrenching fashion.

Caldwell seems to understand that there's something special brewing in Motown, as he told Dave Dye of Fox Sports Detroit:

"

I believe in providence, I don't necessarily believe in team of destiny. But after you look back on some seasons, you see that there was some signature sort of events that occurred. Some of them are inexplicable. The thing about our game is there is such random occurrences that you cannot predict, so what we do is we practice hard to try to control the things that we can.

"

Providence. Team of destiny. Signature events that don't end in grotesque turnovers and bloodcurdling screams.

Yup. These aren't the same old Lions anymore.

The new Lions are here. And they are for real.