Sheila Ford Hamp isn’t interested in treating a 9-8 season like a finish line.
The Lions owner made that clear while talking with FOX-2, saying last year’s winning record still fell short of the organization’s expectations. Detroit’s recent rise has changed the temperature around the franchise, but it hasn’t lowered the bar. If anything, Hamp says the standard is even higher now.
“9-8 is a winning season, but that wasn’t good enough for us. It’s not what we expected, it’s not where our standards are.
So we, top to bottom, we went through everything about last year and what could we have done differently, what went wrong, what went right," Hamp said. "We really have done a thorough self-searching exercise, and I think we’ve identified several things we could’ve done better and hopefully we’ve corrected them.
The entire organization is aligned, aligned in the fact that what we want to do is bring a winner to the city of Detroit.”
That message fits the way the Lions have operated under Hamp, Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes. There’s a sense of unity inside the building, and Hamp pointed to that alignment as a major reason the organization has been able to build momentum in recent years. Even with the disappointment of finishing last season in last place in the NFC North, she said the group has gone back to work with a sharper edge.
She also came away encouraged after seeing training camp practices, and she believes the roster has a sturdier foundation than it has in the past. Hamp specifically pointed to the offensive line depth, saying the team should be able to absorb injuries better than it has before.
“Of course everything looks rosy right now. I think it truly is.
We’re all excited," Hamp stated. "Camp has gone really well.
We’ve had some injuries, but I have to say that for the first time, I think we have more depth than we’ve ever had, especially on our o-line. I think we’re gonna be definitely a contender, so excited.
We’re all excited.”
The Lions have also added a new face at the top of the front office. Rich Haddad has been hired as the team’s new president after a national search run by Russell Reynolds Associates to replace retiring president Rod Wood.
The search ended with Haddad, who comes from right down the road after spending the last 14 years with the Detroit Pistons and Pistons Sports and Entertainment. Hamp said his leadership and his familiarity with Detroit helped push him to the top of the list.
“We’ve been working on this since February, and the thing about Rich that stood out, this huge search and we ended up with someone in our backyard which was incredible," Hamp said. "He rose to the top because of his leadership, as well as his knowledge of the city and all the things he’s done here.
And his experience with the Pistons and the players. He was the right cultural fit.”
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