Stephen Tulloch Thinks Detroit Lions Aren’t The ‘Same Old Lions’

Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch thinks this 2014 squad is different than Lions teams of years past. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch thinks this 2014 squad is different than Lions teams of years past. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch thinks this 2014 squad is different than Lions teams of years past.

Don’t look now, but the Detroit Lions are once again atop the NFC North nearly halfway through the season. One season removed from a 6-3 start, the Lions are now 5-2, tied with the Green Bay Packers for the division lead. The Lions beat the Packers earlier in the season, giving them the tiebreaker for now.

More from Detroit Lions

While many may roll their eyes at the sight of the Lions having success once more, linebacker Stephen Tulloch thinks this year’s team is different than those that have collapsed in years past.

“Everybody believes in what’s going on and I think it’s translating to wins,” Tulloch said per the Detroit Free Press. “And people can kind of move away from the ‘same ol’ Lions.’ The new Lions now because this is definitely a guy that believes in change and he’s done a good job doing that.”

That guy is coach Jim Caldwell, those hiring was widely panned among the NFL community given how Caldwell’s tenure as head coach ended in Indianapolis. Caldwell is indisputably a smart man, but many have questioned his motivational abilities. Consider Tulloch one of those feeling plenty motivated by his stoic head coach.

“The person that he is, the coach that he is, I’ve never been around a man like that before in my life. He’s like a father figure. We don’t want to let him down.”

The Lions, led by Tulloch among others, sport one of the NFL’s stingiest defenses to aid an offense that’s always been at least decent under QB Matthew Stafford. If the team can weather the storm while Calvin Johnson recovers from an ankle injury, the Lions could be good enough to back up all of Tulloch’s talk.

More from FanSided