Detroit Lions as Olympians

Detroit Lions as Olympians -

The 32nd Olympics is upon us. Tokyo 2020* is in full swing at the time of writing so for a bit of fun I thought why not try pair current Lions players/staff to an Olympic event where they could potentially not look out of place.

I asked you the readers for suggestions which I will include as well as my own so lets get down to it...

*Disclaimer this all entirely hypothetical and just for fun so don't tell me I'm crazy*

Football -

Below is my Lineup11 graphic of the Team Detroit 'soccer' team I've gone for a 4-2-3-1 formation incorporating the savvy safe veteran hands of Don in net, Okudah and Dunbar as wing backs, Okwara and Onwuzurike as holding midfielders, Goff playing the central midfield roll for his distribution, Swift and Perriman providing the agility and speed down the flanks to all provide for Hockenson as a lone forward who has the strength to be able to hold the ball up and ability to finish in the redzone.

Roman-Greco Wrestling -

Aaron Fletcher on FB suggested Dan Campbell for any wrestling or combat based sport which goes without saying he's well built and has the gritty persona for a 1v1 battle which allows him to use his hands and stand his ground, these sports may be defunct or have been replaced but he would of suited them in an environment when biting knees is not completely frowned upon.

Taekwondo -

Philip Greenfield on FB offered another suggestion of Jack Fox as the fantastic punter as a marrial artist due to his timing and flexibility possibly landing head kicks to finish off an opponent as he is used to having people in his face and trying to apply pressure in close proximity, he may not be the biggest but what he lacks in size he makes up for in precision.

Archery -

Our own Antony Fitzpatrick suggested Aubrey Pleasant our defensive backs coach for archery as it was explained to us by D'Angelo Amos that he is a stickler for technique and doing things properly never rushing. So he has the temperament and patience for holding a bow while also been a former S himself understanding angles while focusing on and taking aim at a moving or stationery target.

Hammer/Shot Put -

Our own Matthew Turner suggested Taylor Decker for the hammer throw but it's safe to assume any event where you start from a stationary base and then explode through generating force would be suited to an offensive lineman of his calibre, his wide base and thick thighs offer a very good stance to store and generate velocity once that flag goes up and if for any reason he tweaks anything I'm sure big Frank can step in to same effect.

Diving -

Lorraine Trias my partner who's been a good student in learning football suggested that small guy with curly dreads D'Andre so I'm guessing she means Swift ha? His small but muscular stature and ability to absorb impact with bravery could see him as a platform diver, he has the finesse and patience to hold his nerve when it matters most a colossal 10m above concrete like water and in future a potential 1-2 combo with Williams could see them in synchro at the next games.

Long Jump -

This became glaringly obvious to me who have we just drafted with a strong muscular frame, lanky arms and long legs who's used to running downhill... Ifeatu Melifonwu the rangey S is a physical specimen who's hips flip well and is ultra athletic, so of course he can take the best angle and if he nails the take-off without seeing red he could glide majestically and when he touches back down clear a fair bit of sand.

Rowing Quadruple Scull -

Four strong men working as one in a straight line sound familiar? Yep that's an NFL offensive line a cohesive unit that's only as strong as it's weakest link the same can be said for rowing surely if one is out of time with his or her stroke the whole timing will be off and speed affected so when you have the likes of Ragnow, Decker, Jackson and Crosby in that small carbon fibre shell you best believe they're all on the same page.

4 x 1 Relay -

And the final event before our closing ceremony is a biggie the fastest men on earth blindly following one another passing a small metal tube the size of Toblerone, so what's required hand/eye coordination? Check, straight line speed? Check and the ability to not false start? Check. Those things should come natural to running backs and receivers so Jamaal Williams, Breshad Perriman (anchor leg), Kalif Raymond and Jermar Jefferson possess these skills in spades making them a potentially very dangerous unit if they can keep it clean.

I'll leave it up to you the reader to determine if these imaginary contestants have any medal contentions or if I'm just making outlandish reaches but if you've got this far you're the real winner.

Here's your gold medal 🥇

Thanks for reading and as usual, peace out ✌🏻

RM

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