The common analogies for NFL teams on the rise often relate to walking or climbing in some way. “Moving up the ladder”, “scaling the mountain”, and “taking the next step” are only a few.
The problem with these analogies is the inconvenient fact that everyone else is using the same ladder, maneuvering along the same slim path, and cramming onto the same rickety staircase. It’s just as easy to get stuck where you are or bumped backwards as it is to go up.
After two consecutive winning seasons and second place finishes in the division, the Detroit Lions entered the 2018 off-season with hopes to take that proverbial next step into a championship caliber team.