If the Detroit Lions’ playoff-bound season has you scrambling to reach the end zone, don’t worry — you’re not alone. Whether you’re a rookie fan or someone who hasn’t suited up to watch the game in years, now’s the perfect time to brush up on the playbook and get into the end zone.
To help, we huddled with die-hard Lions fan Bryce Huffman, the engagement editor at BridgeDetroit. He generously offered some tips to put you on a level playing field with other passionate fans like himself so you can avoid fumbling your game day conversations.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Bryce Huffman of BridgeDetroit is a passionate, longtime Lions fan.
Outlier Media: Let’s start simple. Top five tips for someone who knows absolutely nothing about Detroit football to understand what the heck’s going on?
Bryce Huffman: The first thing you have to understand about this current iteration of the Lions is that they will live and die by the way their head coach is.
I have this term for the Lions and all the players that they draft: They draft “football-loving maniacs.” Guys who might not be the most talented person that you’ve ever seen, but they love football to the point where they will work themselves to get better. And I think every team that has ever won anything in football has a solid group of football-loving maniacs. These guys love football. They live and breathe it, just like their head coach.
The second thing is, (head coach) Dan Campbell played in Detroit that 0-16 season (in 2008). He understands what it’s like to be beaten down and trash talked and counted out of games before they start, and I think he brings an intensity that it’s hard not to root for.
The third thing: This is a team of people who are reinventing their narrative. ... Something that I think a lot of Detroiters can identify with is being counted out, being told that’s the end of your story, even when there’s so much story left to go. It’s hard not to root for guys like Jared Goff. He came here and completely changed how people looked at him as a quarterback. And it didn’t even happen overnight. It happened season by season, game by game.
Gary Campioni from Flint displays his Detroit Lions spirit outside the stadium ahead of their matchup against the Buffalo Bills in December. The fourth thing: You gotta know about this current version of the Lions. They play the game with a reckless abandon that is atypical for football. A lot of people hate Dan Campbell going for it on fourth all the time, going for onside kicks, doing these crazy trick plays. They say, “That’s not how teams win.” But you look at their record and that’s how this team wins. Opponents have to be ready for any type of play on any given down, which makes them just really fun to watch from a pure spectacle standpoint, regardless of if you have a high football IQ or not.
And then the last thing is, they have changed the culture of football in Detroit. For the longest time, there was such negativity around the team. Guys were not playing with their hearts. They were not football-loving maniacs the way they are now. Dan Campbell and (general manager) Brad Holmes came through and completely changed that. So even if you don’t know much about football, if you are a Detroiter, you fully understand that dynamic, right? You understand what it’s like to be told, “You guys are losers, you guys won’t win anything, you won’t amount to anything.”
And even if you’re someone who doesn’t know the difference between a fullback and a halfback, you gotta appreciate the fact that Dan Campbell has changed the way we look at that same logo.
What’s one thing new fans should never say to a lifelong Lions supporter?
You can’t talk badly about the teams that you didn’t watch. And that doesn’t just mean Lions teams.
Detroit Lions fans braved the rain as they made their way to December’s highly anticipated Buffalo Bills game. Obviously, I hate the Green Bay Packers, hate the Chicago Bears, hate the Minnesota Vikings — but I have a football camaraderie with those fan bases because we’ve watched the games for so long. I have a lot of friends who are Packers fans and a lot of friends who are Bears fans. I even have a few friends that are Vikings fans, and we can talk trash together out of shared cultural knowledge.
The second thing I would say, do not panic over a loss. This is football. Injuries happen. Losses happen. Great teams lose games. There’s a reason the ‘72 Dolphins are the only team in league history to make it all the way, undefeated. It’s a very, very rare, essentially impossible thing to do. Bad games happen, especially when you’re good and every team is giving you their best shot.
What’s a game day tradition you’d recommend to someone new to the Lions fandom?
If you’re new to the fandom, go to a tailgate or two. I would say go to a game, but the tickets are really expensive. If you are ever lucky enough to go to a game, do it. Go to Ford Field, get a jersey, get the little Lions chain. Be in the moment because what we’re witnessing right now is special.
There are a lot of NFL teams that have not ever had a season as good as the one we’re having. Enjoy that.
And if you’re a new Lions fan, watch a quick compilation of some of our really heartbreaking losses. It will give you the “Detroit vs. Everybody” energy that makes watching Lions games a lot of fun.
Bryce Huffman of BridgeDetroit offers advice to help new Lions fans navigate the season.
The Lions are on the rise at the same time Detroit is experiencing its own upswing. How does cheering for the Lions give Detroiters another reason to feel hopeful?
I think it would be so powerful to let these kids in Detroit have something to hang their hat on. Like, things aren’t perfect, but my team is synonymous with “champion,” my city is synonymous with victory.
We are a city of people who know how to persevere, so when the Lions lift that Lombardi — maybe in February, maybe not this year — it’s going to fundamentally change how an entire generation of people views their city in their city’s name. And I can’t wait for that.
This article first appeared on Outlier Media and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
