Safety James Ihedigbo likes what he’s seen since joining the Lions as a free agent this offseason.
Ihedigbo is brimming with optimism about what his new team is capable of doing a year after crumbling down the strech on their way to a 7-9 season. A failure to close up a playoff spot that was theirs for the taking could cause some to question whether the Lions have the right makeup to make the playoffs, but Ihedigbo is confident that the pieces are in place for a deep playoff run in Detroit.
“It’s one of those things, you can feel it,” Ihedigbo said, via MLive.com. “With this team, I can feel the makings of a championship-DNA team. Are we willing to sacrifice? That’s the question, and I know we are. There are guys in this locker room that are willing to pay the price, whatever it is, to put the work in to be a champion. Yeah, we definitely have that championship DNA.”
Ihedigbo won a Super Bowl with the Ravens two years ago and he also has playoff experience with the Patriots, so there’s some experience when it comes to what it feels like to be a winner. He credits head coach Jim Caldwell with moving the team in the right direction, as did running back Reggie Bush, and there were other offseason moves that provide reason to think the Lions can contend for the playoffs.
Whether that makes this more than the sunny hopefulness of the offseason remains to be seen, especially since Lions fans have heard similar things plenty of times in the past without seeing a big payoff.