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Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy is from Jackson, Mich. He grew up rooting for the Detroit Lions, so he's no stranger to the disappointment that often comes along with being a Lions fan. That's why, according to FOX Sports Detroit, he called them the "Same Old Lions" on NBC on Sunday following their loss to the Arizona Cardinals. In Dungy's view, it was a typical Lions loss.
This week, Lions players and even head coach Jim Schwartz have reacted to what Dungy said. Schwartz shrugged off the comment by saying that he's glad Dungy is a fan, but he hasn't seen the coach-turned-analyst at any practices or anything like that. To Schwartz, Dungy is simply another fan with an opinion, and he thinks it's important not to overreact after only two games.
Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson reacted similarly, stressing that you can't "get too caught up in immediate results" after only a couple games. Burleson also said this, via the Free Press:
"I didn’t hear him say that, but I don’t appreciate those words. I’m very sensitive about my team," Burleson said. "I wonder what he said after Week 1. Did he say the same thing after we started the season off on a good note against a good team with a good running back and get a victory?"
Burleson went on to say that he hopes the Lions can "turn Tony Dungy into a fan" because he is a fan of Dungy. That's just the thing, though. As a fan of the Lions, Dungy's been around long enough to see the type of game from Sunday play out before for his childhood team. It's not fair to label this specific team as the "Same Old Lions" just yet, but for Dungy, that one game was reflective of the idea that some things just never change.
Dungy, for what it's worth, tweeted this on Wednesday:
I hope Nate Burleson and the Lions prove me wrong. They have a can get on a streak at Washington. Love to see it from my home state team!
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) September 18, 2013
Bouncing back from a tough road loss to end a 0-21 streak at Washington would be far from something the "Same Old Lions" would do, so hopefully they will in fact prove Dungy wrong.