Getty Devon Kennard celebrates a big play.
The 2019 season wasn’t what the Detroit Lions or anyone else envisioned, but one of their players is stepping up with some passionate commentary following the year.
Linebacker Devon Kennard, who was one of the team leaders on defense, took accountability for what happened to the team this past season, while also saying that he thanked the fans for sticking with the team. Additionally, he promised that the team is going to work hard in the offseason to get things turned around.
Tough year for us but thanks to all the fans that stood by us throughout the season. We will work tirelessly to get things turned around ASAP. Better days are coming!
Obviously, this is the type of thing that Detroit fans will want to hear coming off a miserable 2019 season in which nothing went right for the team. It may seem hollow, but at the very least, someone is stepping up and taking accountability for what happened.
It’s nice to see Kennard step up and offer these words following the frustration playing out as it did.
Devon Kennard Not Accepting Lions Losses
As the team struggled down the stretch, many of folks may have given up. That’s not Kennard, who would rather stay and fight, something he says the team has taken to heart.
“I think that’s definitely the message I am portraying to everybody on the team. I think everyone’s on the same page. Let’s go out there and get better every day, improve and still have a lot of football left,” he said. “We have a chance to get better every day and win.”
As Kennard continued to speak, his voice changed. Admittedly, he sounded frustrated about the tailspin the team has been on.
“I’m tired of losing, quite frankly. I’m not a loser,” he said. “I refuse to accept that. So whatever we got to do to fix that, I think the guys in the locker room are with me.”
Spoken like a true leader. Clearly, Kennard is a leader in multiple ways for the Lions, and this tweet after the fact is yet another example of that playing out.
Devon Kennard Stats
In his career, Kennard has been sneaky productive, and has been a great signing by Bob Quinn since he pulled it off in the 2018 offseason for more reasons than just his leadership.
This season for the Lions, Kennard totaled 58 tackles, 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 touchdown. The touchdown came against the New York Giants and was a memorable play.
Obviously, Kennard has to revel in the fact that he made this play against his former team. A few years back, Kennard elected to sign with Detroit in free agency, and he’s been another find by general manager Bob Quinn. So far in his Detroit career, Kennard has been a sack man for the team, putting up plenty in 2018 in his first season with the team. Kennard had never scored a touchdown in Detroit, so it was a nice feather in his cap in order to do so for the Lions, especially against New York.
Kennard is an aggressive player, so it was nice to see his instinct to score pay off. It was his first touchdown in a long time which was fun to see. Defensive players don’t usually get a chance to get in the end zone, and for Kennard to do it in this manner against his former team was certainly excellent.
Kennard continues to bring the play as well as the passion to the group, and that is positive to see moving forward. Not only known for his play, Kennard is a superhero in the community as well, and is always there to take on a leadership role for the team.
READ NEXT: Grading the Lions for 2020 NFL Season
Comments