The Lions must be innovative if they are going to fix the broken franchise

The Lions have had some great players; Calvin Johnson, Barry Sanders, and Herman Moore come to mind. Coming off a controversial playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys, this year seemed like the year the Lions would pull it all together.

The Lions, currently sitting at 2-7, are a disappointment across the entire NFL. How can a team with arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL along with a highly touted defensive line fall to 2-7? The Lions need to start over, and there’s a few things that need to be done in order to change the losing culture that has been instilled since 1958.

Change It Up Visually

The Lions have had the same uniforms since 2003, and the same logo and color scheme for longer. For fans, Honolulu Blue is synonymous with losing. Throw some black or a different color in the color scheme.

New uniforms and logos change the culture of NFL Franchises. The Seattle Seahawks turned into a Super Bowl caliber team around the same time they switched to a more modern uniform. If the Lions change up the team branding, a new culture will be instilled in the franchise.

Move Calvin Johnson

He’s done his time. Send him to New England or Oakland. The cap space we would have for losing a wide receiver who our quarterback is scared to throw to is enough to improve many different areas of our team.

Calvin is indeed a once-in-a-generation talent. So good that he deserves to go to a stacked team, LeBron style. He’s tried his hardest, and it hasn’t been enough. See ya, Megatron.

Draft A Superstar

This year’s draft is most-likely headlined by Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott, and Leonard Fournette. The scouting department needs to go the extra mile, and find the Lions a player who can turn the franchise around. The Giants and Raiders found transcendent wide receivers in Odell Beckham Jr. and Amari Cooper in the past two drafts.

The city of Detroit needs another young talent to love, just like they love Andre Drummond, Jose Iglesias, and Dylan Larkin. The Lions will most likely have pretty much everyone available to them. They need an impact skill position player, and if they get one, they will be on the upswing.

Hire A Top Notch Coach

The whole organization falls on the head coach. It’s why they are hired and fired every year. If the Lions find one of the top NFL coaches to fill the vacancy that Jim Caldwell will hopefully leave, the culture of the franchise will be. My pick: John Harbaugh.

Imagine it. Jim up in Ann Arbor, John down in Allen Park. The hype surrounding football in the state of Michigan will be insane. Looking at the turnaround Jim Harbaugh has made to his Wolverines, it’s obvious that there is coaching talent in that family. Pull the trigger Detroit! It’s a family reunion.

The Lions have been losing games for a very long time, and if they change the culture of the franchise for the better, watch out. The Pistons are figuring this out right now, as they have done all of these things and now sit towards the top of their conference. The Lions could find themselves back in the Super Bowl within the next couple of years; only if they brand themselves differently, hire a renowned coach, draft a young superstar, and move Megatron.