Getty Dan Campbell coaching the Lions during a 2023 game in Green Bay.
With just one playoff win since 1957, the Detroit Lions have not enjoyed the best history as a franchise through the years. That’s a fact plenty of former players can’t escape.
Former cornerback Dre Bly was one such player. Bly played for the team from 2003-2006. Those years represent some of the leanest the team has endured, going just 19-45 over that span. The team also had three head coaches over that period of time.
Now, things have changed quite a bit. The Lions just finished off a 9-8 season in 2022, and seem to have plenty of upward momentum for the near future. They’re seen as a potential NFC North favorite, a good bet to win nine games or more and have a leader in Dan Campbell that feels primed to last for the long haul.
Those facts are all something that Bly cannot ignore. As he explained while meeting with the media on Wednesday, April 12, it even led to some jealousy, being the team was not in nearly as good of a state when he was a player.
As ESPN’s Eric Woodyard tweeted, Bly sees a major change in the talent and leadership of the Lions from when he was last in town, relative to some of the excitement that has been created for the team.
New #Lions DBs coach Dre Bly says the talent and leadership are a lot different in Detroit than when he was playing from 2003-06. “I’m actually a little bit jealous,” he said. “Just looking at how they finished last year, looking at all the excitement they had on the field.”
“New Lions DBs coach Dre Bly says the talent and leadership are a lot different in Detroit than when he was playing from 2003-06. “I’m actually a little bit jealous,” he said. “Just looking at how they finished last year, looking at all the excitement they had on the field,” Woodyard tweeted after listening to Bly speak.
During Bly’s era on the field, the most wins the Lions would achieve was six in 2004, but the team still didn’t sniff the postseason. As the Lions progress, it seems as if that kind of a season would be a major disappointment for the team at this point in time.
Times and expectations have changed, and as he enters as the team’s new defensive backs coach, it will be up to Bly to help the team’s players to maintain the winning standard that has already been set driven by his hunger from the past.
Dre Bly Praises Lions Staff Under Dan Campbell
Coming back to Detroit was an easy choice for Bly, not only relative to the kind of success he enjoyed in town as a player, but what has been playing out with the team’s staff.
Bly has noticed what the Lions have done adding former players, and it’s something that stands out to him. As he told the media, he believes the team and Campbell have helped to create something very unique in the NFL. As Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News tweeted, Bly admitted to being impressed with the staff he joined.
New CB coach Dre Bly on the Lions’ coaching staff: “When you look at this staff and what Dan (Campbell) has assembled, there’s nothing like it in the NFL.”
“New CB coach Dre Bly on the Lions’ coaching staff: “When you look at this staff and what Dan (Campbell) has assembled, there’s nothing like it in the NFL,” Bianchi tweeted after listening to Bly.
In terms of the numbers, Bly is right. Counting Campbell, the Lions have a total of 10 total former NFL players on their staff. Many of those former players have a shared experience of playing around the same time in the league, so there is some definite continuity between the staff. The most experienced coach is former quarterback Mark Brunell, who played for 18 seasons in the league and serves as quarterback coach.
As former players, the coaches have a good idea of what techniques their team responds to, and also understands what they need from a preparation standpoint.
Dre Bly Starred at Cornerback for Lions
So why is Bly jealous of the team, but also excited to join? Over two decades ago, he was arguably one of Detroit’s best free agency signings of all-time on the field.
As Detroit’s PR account pointed out after he was hired to the team earlier this offseason, Bly made a dramatic impact for the team as soon as he was signed, and was a big play waiting to happen almost all three years he wore Detroit’s jersey.
The @Lions have hired @drebly_32 as the team’s cornerbacks coach.
Bly played for Detroit from 2003-06 and totaled 19 INTs for the team, the 5th-most INTs among all @NFL CBs in that span.
Since 1980, he is the only Lions CB to post multiple seasons with 6 INTs.
“The Lions have hired Dre Bly as the team’s cornerbacks coach. Bly played for Detroit from 2003-06 and totaled 19 INTs for the team, the fifth-most INTs among all NFL CBs in that span. Since 1980, he is the only Lions CB to post multiple seasons with six INTs,” the site tweeted.
Perhaps Bly’s most notable game with the Lions came on Thanksgiving Day 2003, when he intercepted Brett Favre twice and forced a fumble in a 22-14 win over Green Bay:
In addition to his work in Detroit, Bly was a star with the St. Louis Rams from 1999-2002 prior to his time in the Motor City. He posted 14 interceptions, three fumble recoveries and five forced fumbles with the Rams, and helped the team claim Super Bowl 34 in 2000.
After playing for the Lions, Bly played three more years in the league with Denver and San Francisco, finally retiring in 2010. After departing, he got into coaching and worked with North Carolina from 2019 to 2022. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
In total, Bly would finish with 484 tackles, 43 interceptions and eight total defensive touchdowns to go with two Pro Bowl nods in his career. He will now try to impart some wisdom on Detroit’s secondary as the team tries to take steps for the future.