Detroit Struggle Bus

Detroit sports teams have struggled as of late. The last championship a Detroit sports team has won was back in 2008 when the Red Wings took home the Stanley Cup. The last few years have been an embarrassment for Detroit sports fans. We haven’t had a team with a winning record for 3 years. The last team to do that was the Lions in 2017 with nine wins and six losses. 

The Lions have been arguably the worst Detroit sports franchise ever. They had a winning season not too long ago, in 2017, but they have gone backwards ever since. They fired their previous head coach Jim Caldwell to bring in Matt Patricia to elevate the team to a championship level.

Patricia did the opposite of that. Patricia went backwards throughout his time as head coach. He had an overall record of 13 wins, 29 losses and one tie. Patricia got fired alongside general manager Bob Quinn in November. The Lions must find a better coach and general manager if they want to reach championship expectations.

The Pistons have not won a playoff game since the 2007-08 season. They’ve been swept four games to zero in their last three playoff appearances. The last time the Pistons had a winning record was the 2015-16 season. However, there is a bright future for the team.

They hired current head coach Dwayne Casey two years ago, who was successful with Toronto, and won coach of the year for the 2017-18 season. The Pistons also have a new general manager in Troy Weaver, who previously managed the Oklahoma City Thunder. Following the hire of Weaver, the Pistons have made numerous moves this offseason, while acquiring draft picks and freeing up cap space. The Pistons might have the brightest future out of the four Detroit sports teams.

The Tigers were relatively successful from 2010 to 2014. They had four playoff appearances in a row and one World Series appearance in 2012. The back half of the 2010s were another story. They have only had one winning season in the last five years, and have gone through three different coaches. They do have a few bright spots including the number one draft pick in 2018, pitcher Casey Mize. They also had a number one draft pick this season. They went with third baseman Spencer Torkelson. The Tigers are enduring a massive rebuild right now.

The Red Wings have been Detroit’s most successful franchise, totaling 64 playoff appearances and 11 championships. They had 25 straight playoff appearances from 1991 to 2016. The Wings also won the Stanley Cup four times in that span of consecutive playoff appearances. They are in the midst of a rebuild though. They have missed the playoffs four seasons in a row, and haven’t won a playoff series since 2013.

General manager and former Red Wings player Steve Yzerman is looking to change that. Yzerman was the former general manager of Tampa Bay where he led them to multiple playoff appearances and a Stanley Cup Final appearance. Yzerman could be the piece to help the Red Wings get back to prominence. 

Detroit sports have been struggling lately, but we still have some hope. The Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons are all rebuilding while the Lions are looking for a new start with a new head coach and general manager.