I Don’t Believe It, We’re Good! The New Detroit Lions

Here’s what die-hard Lions fan and author Barry Schumer has to say about writing his new book, I Don’t Believe It, We’re Good!  The New Detroit Lions:

“This is a book I have been waiting to write for almost 20 years.  Fans finally have hope based in reality, that our beloved Lions are a solid team and organization. It’s time to put all the pain and frustration behind us. It’s time to put all the disappointments behind us. No more broken hearts.

All the credit for this rebound has to go to Sheila Firestone Ford Hamp, who took the reins of the organization in 2021. She brought in our General Manager Brad Holmes and our Head Coach Dan Campbell. It appears she made the right decision. I believe Dan Campbell will be our head coach for the next 15 years.

Although this 4th edition includes some painful memories from the past, it is meant to completely support the Lions and the organization in looking forward to a very bright future.  The most loyal sports fans in the USA may well be rewarded with a Super Bowl Championship in the next few years.  I have never seen this level of passion with any of Detroit’s other major sports teams. 

So buckle up, Lions fans… We salute all the men who have put on the Honolulu Blue and Silver jerseys over the years, risking injury for the money, the pride of representing Detroit and the quest for Detroit’s first championship since 1957.  

We will always love our Lions!

Chapter 1
Are the 2023 Lions As Good As We Think They Are?

It is December 13th, 2022 as I write this new chapter about our beloved Lions. We just beat the hated division rival Vikings, for the Lions’ fifth win in the past six games. We are 6-7 as of today and must win three or four of our last games to make the playoffs. Our odds of making the playoffs are about 20%, mostly due to the tie between the Giants and Commanders a few weeks ago. We have the tiebreaker against both of them.

My third edition was printed in 2014, entitled: 7 Years Later and “I Still Don’t Believe It!” Same Old Lions? The cover has Calvin Johnson’s process of the catch fiasco in Chicago in 2010. I have made a pledge to my friends and Lions fans that I would not publish the fourth edition until the Lions won a playoff game. I am breaking this pledge by publishing this edition before a playoff win took place. There is just too much excitement and hope to wait. Of course, all true fans know we haven’t had one playoff win since 1957 . It is all anybody needs to know about the amount of suffering we have endured. That win was in 1991 with Barry Sanders, Chris Spielman, and Eric Kramer.

So, this is the most optimistic I have been about the team in 30 years, since the days of Barry. It appears that Sheila Firestone Ford Hamp, daughter of William Clay Ford, may have finally hit on a general manager and head coach— Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell. This organization has never had stable leadership. Without it, winning a championship becomes impossible. I believe Dan Campbell will be the head coach of the Lions in the next 10–15 years.

Stay tuned for Barry’s book signings!