In a letter to Detroit Lions season ticketholders, team president Rod Wood revealed that not only will the team not raise ticket prices, it will actually lower the cost for nearly 20 percent of the Ford field seats. Wood also spoke the truth about the 3-13-1 record, the second-worst in the NFL in 2021.
“As we prepare for the 2022-23 season, I want to acknowledge where we are as an organization,” Wood wrote. “We understand that our results last season weren’t good enough and I speak for everyone at the Lions when I tell you that we are committed to being better on and off the field.”
Wood spoke for the organization in showing enthusiastic support behind GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. He also acknowledged that the unsavory 2021 season was indeed viewed internally as a necessary step to establish a new culture.
“The last year has confirmed for the entire organization that we have the right people in place to achieve our goal of creating sustained success in Detroit,” the letter explained. “The work that Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell have done to create a plan for the future of this team, is evident every day in our building. The work we did this year to establish a culture of collaboration, grit and resilience will serve as a foundation for where we are headed.”
Given the league-high injury impact the Lions suffered through in 2021 and the Holmes-Campbell gameplan to rely on rookies and unproven talents instead of signing veterans to temporarily fill holes, it helps put some of the losing in perspective. However, fans who have seen and heard previous iterations of Wood’s optimistic statements fall flat have earned the right to be skeptical. Or, to quote the band Rush, “Show me don’t tell me.”
