Allen Park — 3…2…1…wait!
Mandatory minicamp will officially come to a close for the Detroit Lions on Monday, meaning football activity at large is about to come to a vicious halt.
And after all the excitement that was building in Allen Park over the last few weeks, all the questions about Week 1 at Kansas City, and the speculation about whether they’ll actually improve, the reality is, an entire summer stands between the Lions and the confirmation they’ve been waiting for.
“Ask me in January,” offensive lineman Taylor Decker said in response to a question about whether he likes being in the spotlight.
Whether he likes it or not, he and the Lions are in it — somewhat on a national scale, but even more so on a local scale. People from around the country are looking at Detroit with interest; Detroiters are looking at the Lions like the last cup of water in a desert.
And while Decker may not quite comprehend the pain and torment of a fan who’s been doing this for five or six decades, he’s seen plenty of lows over seven years in a Lions uniform. He gets what this turnaround means.
“I’ve said this in the past — and not to be grim — but I’ve been here a lot when we’ve been s— on. We’re kind of the butt of the joke. I don’t want that,” Decker said. “That’s not fun to be a part of.”
And yet, the uniqueness of Detroit’s potential, for these fans, is not lost on the 29-year-old Ohio native. Decker was the first draft pick of the Bob Quinn era in 2016, and now, he’s one of the only remaining signs of the “Patriot Way” era that burned so many Lions fandoms to the ground. Over four seasons from 2018-21, he was a winner just a little over 26% percent of the time.
“I mean, you get in an Uber coming from the airport…they pull up, they see the Lions name, and you’re stuck in the car for 10 minutes…they’re excited. These fans deserve it, man,” Decker said. “… I’ve had so many people be like, ‘My dad’s been a fan for 60 years, and, for once, he was happy after the year. And I get to watch all the games with my dad. I’ve been a fan since I was two years old, and I’m 34 now, and this is as excited as I’ve ever been.’
“Can I personally relate to that? No, I can’t. But, like me as a player, and being here for as long as I have, like, I’m happy for ‘em.”
In a lot of ways, Decker said, the lows he’s experienced since arriving in Detroit as a rookie all those years ago have only sweetened the potential.
“I’ve become a man in the city, learned to be an adult. You come out of college and you think you’re a man, but you don’t have all the responsibilities that an adult does, and I figured a lot of that out here,” Decker said. “So, it’s a special place to me. So, I guess I feel that, because obviously, the fans, this is special to them. And this place is special to me. So, maybe we have that common ground.”
Decker said he’s looking forward to the passion translating to a significant home-field advantage come fall.
“I think our home-field advantage is pretty insane, our environment there,” Decker said. “Because we’ve had years where we’ve been winless through however many weeks, and then to see, ‘Oh, the game’s sold out again.’ So, I know this city is just ready for a winner. And I am, too. So, we’ll see where it goes.”
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @nolanbianchi