Detroit Lions' mediocrity is exhausting; here's chance to quell doubts

I’m so tired of the Detroit Lions.

The way they keep messing with your emotions.

The way they won three of their first four games, generating all kinds of false hope and enthusiasm.

The way they lost three in a row, which felt like a giant dose of reality.

The way they can look so bad against the Cleveland Browns and then end up with a deceiving 14-point win, 38-24.

It’s exhausting.

And infuriating.

And frustrating.

Have there been reasons for the ups and downs?

More analysis:

Lining up Lions' excuses vs. Chicago Bears at Solider Field

Dissecting Lions' competition in race for NFL playoffs

Sure, this team has had a bunch of injuries. There have been times this season when I didn’t think they had enough healthy linemen to keep playing. Then again, everybody has injuries in the NFL. 

But now, there are no more excuses.

Taylor Decker has returned to the starting lineup. Rookie receiver Kenny Golladay is back, six weeks after he pulled a hamstring. And you have to think T.J. Lang (concussion) will be back soon enough.

Once Lang comes back, there are no more excuses. It’s time for this team to show what it can do. It’s time to see what these running backs can do behind this offensive line that was revamped during the offseason. General manager Bob Quinn focused on fixing the line, instead of going out and getting a running back.

Did he make the right decisions? We still don’t know.

It’s time to see what offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter can do with a complete set of weapons. And it’s time to see if coach Jim Caldwell can get this team to finish strong. During the Browns' game, about the time Caldwell challenged that spot, I thought he should volunteer to rip up his contract extension; it seemed the right and honorable thing to do.

But the Lions came back and won, even if it felt like a loss.

Only the Lions can create so much doubt after a double-digit victory.

More:

Lions were awful but still dominated clueless Cleveland Browns

Even though it doesn't feel like it, the Lions have actually won two straight.

It all starts with Decker. The Lions might be in the second half of their season, but this is still August on Decker's body clock.

“I didn’t get a training camp," he said after Sunday's game. "I didn’t get a preseason. I didn’t get eight games to settle in. I have to accelerate my pace to get into football shape.”

Actually, it was his first game since the Jan. 7 playoff debacle in Seattle – ouch. Just bringing up that game again puts everything about this team back into perspective.

“Once I got back out there, and I could get a couple of drives in, the nerves settled,” Decker said. “You just have to go out there and start playing."

Normally, it takes time for an offensive line to start jelling.

But this team doesn't have time for that.

"We’re getting a little bit better in some areas, and still got a lot of work to do," Caldwell said of the running game. "But that’s one of them."

The Lions were able to run against the Browns, gaining 104 yards on the ground, which was an encouraging sign. If the Lions can run the ball consistently, that would make everything else so much easier.

So there is reason for hope. And yes, as soon as I use the words “Lions” and “hope” in the same sentence, after the way they started out against the Browns, I feel like I’m walking a tightrope with foolishness on one side and insanity on the other.

But after all the talking about trading Eric Ebron, he is still here and he's been producing.
Golden Tate has been golden.

And Matthew Stafford keeps finding ways to bring this team back from the brink of a loss.

The Lions are in the easier part of their schedule. They should beat the Bears on Sunday in Chicago. Should. Then again, as history has proved, it is risky, if not foolish, to go all-in and believe in this team.

Anytime you start talking about hope, it is replaced with frustration.

Anytime you start thinking about what they have to do to get into the playoffs, like after the first quarter of this season, you end up ticked off. 

Anytime you start thinking this team has made progress, you think back to Seattle.
I just wish they would go either way. Either get really good, or get really bad.

Just to make it clear.

Being 5-4 is just a horrible tease.

Mediocrity is exhausting.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel/.