New hope after a bad year

Lessons from Everyday Life By Theodore Lewis

Bridgman, MI—I've had a few bad years in my life. Of course, we all have bad years when we lose a parent, a close loved one, or a friend. When organizations I care deeply about have a bad year, it naturally affects me too.

After three years of increasing success in the NFL, my beloved Detroit Lions just had a bad year. They finished their 2025/2026 season with nine wins and eight losses, missing the playoffs.

In the previous 2024/2025 season, they had 15 wins and were the number one seed in the National Football Conference.

However, they lost their playoff game against the Washington Commanders on Jan. 18, 2025, ending their season last year. In the NFL, if you don't advance in the playoffs, you don't have a chance to reach the Super Bowl, which is the ultimate goal of every team.

With a very mediocre record over several decades, my team has never made it to the Super Bowl, although they came close on Jan. 28, 2024, when they almost beat the San Fransico 49ers in the NFC title game, which would have propelled them to the Super Bowl. They lost that game 34-31 after leading 24-7 at halftime.

While there was great optimism about their continued success in the 2025/2026 season, several ominous off-season departures of key personnel doomed their season, starting with the departure of their offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson.

Detroit's head coach, Dan Campbell, chose Johnson to serve as offensive coordinator in 2022. During his time in Detroit, Johnson was very successful. By the 2024/2025 season, he was reportedly making an annual salary of almost $2 million.

After two very successful seasons as offensive coordinator with the Lions, Johnson set his sights on becoming a head coach. After the Lions' loss to Washington in January 2025, Johnson agreed to a five-year, $65 million contract with the Chicago Bears (who compete with Detroit in the NFC Central Division) with an annual salary of $13 million guaranteed for five years.

Shortly after losing Johnson, the Lions also lost their heralded defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn, who landed a head coaching position with the New York Jets.  

Within weeks of these key personnel departures, the Lions lost five assistant coaches who landed better jobs with other NFL teams.  

Looking back on the departures of so many key staff members, the Lions became victims of their own success as other teams sought to poach their talent.

The loss of key personnel was not limited to coaches, as the Lions' top center retired in the offseason. What really hurt the Lions was that their star center didn't announce his retirement until after the annual draft took place in April.

The annual draft is the main vehicle NFL teams use to fill player openings and address their needs.

Bad years do end, and in life, we can usually recover and move on to better times. The upcoming NFL draft will give me renewed hope that next year will be a great year for my Detroit Lions, and I will proudly wear their hat, indicating my love for the team.

Theodore Lewis is the former CEO of Guam Memorial Hospital and has a healthcare consulting business in Bridgman, MI. He is collecting stories about lessons learned in life and can be reached at theodorelewis@yahoo.com.

Subscribe to

our digital

monthly edition