The 2024 fan pledge made by Alex Anzalone of the Detroit Lions is as follows: “It’s us next year.”
Known as the “LeBron James of our defense,” Anzalone opened out about his suffering in a piece for The Players’ Tribune, a publication that allows athletes to tell their own tales to fans.
Anzalone covered a wide range of subjects, from supporting Dan Campbell and his bold choices to juggling his role as a father of a small son with his own physical and emotional pain from the season. He also assured Detroit that the team would be driven to the top of the standings the following season.
“I can’t help but have this image of Dan sitting in a dark room this Sunday, all by himself, gripping his coffee cup for three hours straight, staring daggers at the TV, just counting down the milliseconds until training camp starts and we can run it back,” Anzalone wrote to conclude his note to the fan base of operations.
53 dogs will be acting in the exact same way as you. Your entire coaching staff will be acting in the same manner. A whole city is going to follow suit. It stinks more this year. Next year is our year.”
In his first paragraph of “To the City of Detroit,” his open letter to the city, he defended Campbell and his fourth-down judgment. Anzalone stated that the bold selections made by Campbell on those fourth-down plays, which ultimately proved unsuccessful in the second half of the NFC championship game, had the support of the whole team since they were ingrained in the Lions’ culture. Even “as the chips are down,” as he put it, they will always bet on themselves.
“It was the right decision, and I’m not talking about the right decision for analytics, talk radio, or whatever,” said Anzalone. We made the appropriate decision at that precise moment. It’s not like a video game when you’re in that circumstance, 20 games into an NFL season. Not that you’re playing Madden. There were guys messing with their ankles in a funny way.
MCL sprains are being played with by guys. Guys are injecting toradol and nerve agents. Guys who have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning. That time of year, it’s a struggle of wills. All you’re using for energy is pure faith and adrenaline. In my opinion, you are betraying the exact thing that brought you there if you duck out of that particular situation and avoid being who you are.
“In that scenario, we always aim for the kill on fourth down. In just a few seasons, that approach carried us from 0–10–1 to the NFC Championship game. To be honest, I was even more shocked when we chose to attempt a field goal in the first half.”
Anzalone claimed to be in a stupor the week after the game, still absorbing the disappointment of losing to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl after coming so close. He returned right away to his full-time job as “Dad” to his three-year-old son Cooper, who instantly lifted Anzalone’s spirits by telling him he didn’t feel bad for him or the team for losing before the Super Bowl.
In addition, he expressed gratitude to Lindsey, his wife, for watching their children and acting as his “absolute rock” during his trip. He thought back on growing up in Detroit, raising Cooper (who started walking at the beginning of the 2021 season), experiencing the heartbreak of losing their second child just before training camp in 2022, and adding a daughter to the family this past season.
Anzalone claimed that although his time with the Lions was filled with ups and downs, he has never been happier than when the team was winning and his family, which he claims is much more important than football, grew by one.
“The way that this city and all the fans lifted me and my family up during those dark days added a whole other dimension to this season,” wrote Anzalone. It was such a fantastic time when our daughter Carter was born just before the holidays; we were playing such amazing football, and the city was decked out in Christmas lights and Lions flags. most likely the happiest I’ve ever experienced.
After the loss, he slept for just a few hours before taking on full parental responsibilities since his son kept opening his eyes. As his father returned home to play, Cooper expressed his happiness to Anzalone and said he wasn’t upset about the Lions’ loss, which lifted his spirits in “a moment that meant so much to me.”
However, a few days later, the toddler’s question about Anzalone’s Super Bowl participation broke Cooper’s heart. He claimed the experience brought back memories of his entire time in Detroit. The message was to win in 2022 after losing to the Bills on Thanksgiving, defeat the Chiefs away to begin 2023, defeat Matthew Stafford and the Rams in the wild-card round to drive out the team’s demons, then double down with another victory over Tampa in the following round, and ultimately bow out one game short of the Super Bowl. All of this followed a 0-10-1 start to 2021.
After Cooper’s question, Anzalone recalled that all of those moments came sweeping over him. In answer to his son, he gave a brief but inspirational speech before stating in the letter that the best was still to come.
“Daddy, did you go to the Super Bowl?” Composed by Anzalone. “No, my friend. We didn’t. But don’t be alarmed. We’ll arrive.
“This is something really unique that we are creating. You can discuss it endlessly, but as they say, the evidence is in the pudding. Saying that a place, a group, or a culture is distinct is one thing. Refusing the cheddar is another different matter. (Coach AG and Coach Ben, it’s great to have you back.) We’ll make it there.”
Anzalone stated that he has faith in the players surrounding him as well as the coaching staff at Allen Park, who he believes have contributed to the winning culture that has spread to all residents. And since they’re running it back, he can only move forward by succeeding; failure is not an option. “We can sense it in our bones. Next season, we want to create history. Less than that is ineffective.”