Arizona Cardinals are Following in Detroit Lions Footsteps

Arizona Cardinals have been a perennially losing organization for the majority of their existence. It's been an organization full of dysfunction, indifference from the national media, and, well, a whole lot of losing. The same goes for the Detroit Lions and their history. It hasn't been pretty. There have definitely been a handful of all-world players on both teams: Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Kurt Warner, etc for the Cardinals and Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, and Matthew Stafford for the Lions. While both organizations have been the butt of jokes around the NFL for decades, both seem to be completely changing course. The Detroit Lions are well on their way to being a perennial fixture atop the NFC West with the infusion of Dan Campbell at head coach, Jared Goff at quarterback, and an incredible draft run over the last couple seasons. The Arizona Cardinals, while towards the beginning their rebuild, are behind the Detroit Lions by about a year or two. Are the Arizona Cardinals the next organization to take that leap into perpetual relevancy and throwing away their history of losing? Matt Dery of Locked On Lions joins the show. Let's discuss.
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[@TangoZulu1971]

Yesterday I watched a video that said the Steelers were following the Lion's blueprint. Today I see a video that says the Cardinals are following the Lion's blueprint. As a Lion's fan for 40+ years, we are truly living in the Upside Down.

[@dragondrew2000]

Exactly that used to be a bad thing

[@89DrFunk]

Man I'm a die hard Lions fan and it's freaking weird that the Lions are a model that organizations will use.....Hell literally has frozen over.

[@jplabrecque6708]

The lions ate finally not the followers

[@msambly5310]

HAHAHAHAHA!!! Indeed we are!

[@corybynum4685]

Insanity! I love it

[@jplabrecque6708]

There are not many Dan Campbell's out there. And Brad homes is damn master

[@313Villians]

I’m from Detroit living in AZ. It makes me proud to see My Lions doing shit the right way. Never could imagine this.

[@Brent6437]

For sure. I always said that the fish rots from the head down and we finally had a great front office and coaches and GM. I’m 63 and we have never had what we have now.

[@stevendonanski2292]

As Detroit fan living in Detroit, 😂 but I don’t see any similarities between az and lions. It’s front office down

[@alrifr5786]

Saying Sheila just gets out of the way downplays her too much. Sheila is heavily involved, but trusting them to make decisions. She knows everyone is doing their job and she makes sure they have all the tools they need.

[@brentleighton6705]

Sheila knows every player by name. She knows many of their family members.

[@robnewsome2407]

Exactly, yes, she lets these guys do what they do best, being a good leader isn't just making decisions, it's putting the right people around her/him and trusting them to do what they well but I believe Sheila is very much involved. Chris Speilman deserves a lot of credit as well and that was probably the first big decision that she made but she vets all the people at the top

[@LionClaw865]

Jarod might not be cool but he has a hotter wife then Stafford 😂

[@bigern7526]

Facts!

[@TLowCTI]

Lions fan here from ms, i saw this video in my feeds pop up I had to click on this video. Thanks for making this video.

[@robd.1314]

As a Lion fan that ran into this video, Matt Dery is the perfect person that knows the Lions inside out.

[@imabadmofosofux2348]

B.s he isn't even from Detroit or Michigan and just became a fan not long ago lol.likely just for the job

[@robd.1314]

​@@imabadmofosofux2348 always an asshole that has to put in their two cents. Just can't agree to disagree and move on without commenting.

[@brentleighton6705]

Good luck finding another Dan or Brad. They will be in the HOF one day.

[@jaybrick8973]

Gotta win a Superbowl first

[@thomaswatkins3686]

Lmfaoooo. Nobody cares that these guys made you feel good for like 24 games. To even imply either is a hall of famer is comical.

[@toddgrant4268]

The thing is Brad hit on a lot of his draft picks throughout all the rounds. Plus they absolute stuck to their culture. If the player was a great college player but didn't fit their culture they left em on the board.

[@brentleighton6705]

Yeah you cant copy the Lions without Brad and Dan. They are pure magic.

[@Lionsfan59]

It would be very difficult to duplicate what the Lions have built unless a team has a general manager and a coach with great conviction that are on the same page, & will not alter from their plan or vision… Holmes with much input from other Lions staff members draft they’re guys, not by position value but by great talent, toughness, intelligence, and with the team first mentality… In the 2023 draft that most analyst thought the Lions did a terrible job in the 1st round with before the season, Holmes had about 12 players in his 1st round bucket and drafted 4 of those players… Gibbs Campbell LaPorta Branch, all are starters and I’d bet without serious injury all will be Pro bowl players for years to come…

[@Flionhearted456]

Matt Derry is a must listen to everyday. He is the narrator on this path to Lions fortunes

[@DivineMercy_Official]

Good job.....totally agree with you on the Lions' analysis

[@PC-qd1hi]

The Lions talked about St Brown before the draft, but they just seamed to know where the players they want will be. They move up or move down. In Gibbs they moved down and got both Gibbs and Laporta. Brad Holms is a Great GM.

[@jwcakes]

Watching the lions inside the den on the draft. They get guys who love football. Every pick they make is guys they love. These drafts have been insane.

[@DanRagoo]

At least the Cardinals made it to the superbowl. I as a life long lions fans until a year and a half ago, I never thought I would see the lions in Super Bowl, but I believe I will this season

[@mikeanderson3735]

Saying you have to be "lucky" is the attitude of a loser. You make your luck.

[@detroitjerm]

The Bears are following the Lions blueprint too but wont admit it

[@TadWolfe]

No mention of Chris Speilman….. no other team has him! 😂

[@claylarson3021]

Matt Derry mentioned Speilman in the beginning of the video

[@moonhead8550]

So my dad played for both the Cardinals and Lions back in the 50s. So they are my two favorite teams, and it’s been decades of frustration (besides the Cards run to the SB) for me. I’m loving everything that Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes have done for the Lions. I’d love to see the Cardinals rise up again. It’s fun to see the Lions as an example of what other teams should do. Thanks for the video

[@LockedOnCardinals]

Thanks for the anecdote! Thats awesome!

[@backtoconstitution1]

Love these episodes. Thank You for doing them.

[@LockedOnCardinals]

Means so much. Thank you.

[@stevendonanski2292]

Can’t copy Detroit, it’s impossible. It’s front office down. Everyone wants a Dan Campbell type but He is a one of a kind. Prefect storm in Detroit. 89 should go in the rafters in Detroit.

[@rejukurian7168]

In the end, it’s up to the ownership to hire the right people to run the organization.. it took the Ford Family so long. Shelia Hamp hired 4 key people, Spielman, Disner, Holmes, and Dan Campbell help turnaround the lions

[@49rizon]

As a Lions fan living in AZ, I like the Cards as long as they're not playing the Lions. It makes me feel good to see the Lions setting the bar high for building a team.

[@coreypatterson1007]

Never as a lions fan I thought I would ever hear another organization say we should take the Detroit Lions blueprint unbelievable!! 😂😂 But definitely great to see

[@jppagetoo]

Draft guys who love football. Find guys who are football players first and athletes second. Bring in players who are leaders and stay out of trouble. Lastly, let them compete and put the best players on the field. The Lions way is simple to grasp, but hard to do. We will see if it can be done long term. I sure hope it can.

[@DisgustedCash]

Matt Dery da man..

[@sbizaoui]

The difference of the Lions is the whole organisation The owner has her office there and gets involved a GM who draft bpa but only one they target who breathe football all the coaches are smart former players who know how to teach so they get alot out of their players . The players have bought in

[@Brent6437]

I’m a Lions cat. And I want to wish blessings to the Cardinals and their fans. I know what’s it’s like to have a team to rebuild. Go Lions 💥💙 and go Cardinals.

[@Brent6437]

Picking Gibbs was a awesome pick. After we got D Mont it made sense to me. Picking Gibbs will make us wicked good for years to come.

[@kevinmckenna5414]

Monti ended up being a part of drafting M Willis.. 😎🤣

[@chrishoyt7882]

You need over half a century of futility and sorrow before being able to replicate what the Lions have done.

[@brentleighton6705]

What is the culture of Phoenix as a city? Does that culture relate to football in a positive manner? Detroit is tough and works hard for every penny.

[@DivineMercy_Official]

Agree

[@kevinmckenna5414]

Keim was hired way before Bidwell Sr passed..

[@jonathanflores4549]

Casa grande AZ Cardinals baby

[@Christopher.950]

That would be awesome to see the cardinals beat the chiefs, packers, bears, and other top teams, except the Lions🙂

[@penultimate8643]

Honestly I think the biggest thing is our Owner, GM, and Head Coach are all on the same page. Everyone pulling in the same direction can't be understated. Secondly it's Dan Campbell's leadership and Brad Holme's wizardry with money and the draft. Those things are a recipe for success. You guys had a great off season and I think things are looking up for you all.

[@coryparrotte7686]

Simple- front office to coach- open communication and seeing things alike- players, build from inside out- and don't take any toxic locker room guys- bunch of dudes who love ball and a front office who communicates with coaches and one big happy family

[@coryparrotte7686]

Lions fan for 45 years and it is frigging fantastic

[@shaunmeserole9619]

Wait i didnt know arizona has a top 3 offensive line lol!!! Cause we built from the trenches then worked on skilled positions

[@doublea9482]

Cardinals just need to trade away Murray to a good team that needs a QB to get them over that hump. Get a bunch of draft picks for him. Then build from the draft, starting with the O-line, and every player needs to have grit and no quit. The blue print is there.

[@robertbrown380]

Hard to follow the Lions’ blueprint with the awful Michael Bidwell minding the budget. Ownership change in Detroit was the first step in this process.

[@jppagetoo]

It was. But the Lions were never cheap, they gave out big contracts and paid for players. They just put poor people in the administration.

[@robd.1314]

​@@jppagetoofacts.

[@robertbrown380]

@@jppagetoo it’s not the players. There’s a salary cap and all teams spend that budget. It’s the spending on facilities, coaches, food, etc. it’s building good relationships with the community and businesses. And, most importantly, it’s about setting a tone for how the organization will be run that informed the type of people that were brought in and how they execute. That definitely started with Sheila. And Bidwell is a scowling trust fund baby that runs a culture of fear.

[@jppagetoo]

@@robertbrown380 There is a lot of truth to that. For years the Lions had one of the worst facilities in NFL. The medical staff was competent but nothing like the amazing rehab prefessionals they have now. Lions are willing to pay asistant coaches and hire staff to help them. That did start with Sheila. So did the culture shift that alows it all to work. I don't know enough about the Cardinals to say much about how that part of the team is run. I will take your word for how Bidwell is not willing to spend.

[@kimberlythomas3943]

Dont spill the the beans too much. Dont tell them all our sectet sauce LOL. I like arizona. They're cool beans though, but just don't reveal too much

[@313SmoothJ]

14 or 15 wins 🎉💪🏾🦁 👑🎉

[@Snoil]

If the Cardinals can lock into something akin to the Brad/Dan dynamic and follow a similar path of deciding this: There's the Right Way, there's The Wrong Way, and then there's Our Way and stick to it then yes, the West will be VERY unhappy at no longer having a punching bag team. The Lions' division rivals are really unhappy it isn't a three team game anymore. AZ can do it, takes a deep dive from the owner, and help from anywhere they can get it, but it can be done. The Lions were rotten to the core end of 2020. Now look.

[@zachmcmillen389]

Martha Firestone Ford did NOT do alright.