Ex-Lions DE on Detroit’s Playoff Run: ‘So Happy for Those Fans and That City’

Kyle Vanden Bosch accomplished plenty in his 12-year NFL career.

Three Pro Bowls, a pair of double-digit sack seasons, a vital role on the 2008 Titans team that finished with the best record in the NFL.

There was also another career highlight that may not be as easily ascertained, but meant a lot to the former defensive lineman.

Vanden Bosch played his final three seasons with the Lions, and in 2011 helped them to their first winning season and playoff berth in more than a decade, which came only three years after their infamous 0-16 campaign.

“I regret we couldn’t win a playoff game, but with where they were at, just to bring the Lions to relevance, that was one of the proudest things in my career,” said Vanden Bosch, who had eight sacks and four forced fumbles that season. “Detroit’s different. People in Detroit were mostly born-and-raised in Detroit. A lot of people move to Phoenix that are fans of other teams. The diehard fans are great, but for the most part it’s more of a fickle fanbase. 

“Detroit fans, they’ve been waiting for this opportunity for so long. And the team knows it. We talked about it all the time when I was there. We wanted to win for the fans. We wanted to make the city come alive.”

While Vanden Bosch’s group, led by Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, couldn’t quite get over the hump, this year’s team is one win away from the first Super Bowl in team history.

Detroit is a +290 underdog to beat the 49ers, according to FanDuel, but they still have a puncher’s chance if things go right.

The Lions are widely known for their futility, and Vanden Bosch would be thrilled to see his former team make it to the Super Bowl.

“We had the Pistons and the Tigers, but Detroit is a football city,” Vanden Bosch said. “When the Lions are good, that city comes alive. And the things (head coach) Dan Campbell is doing, he’s a perfect fit for that city. 

“An underdog city, a city that gets overlooked, talked about in a bad light. He doesn’t care. He embraces that, embraces the underdog role, embraces toughness and grit. That’s exactly what the Lions have become.“

One of the most impactful players for the Lions is Aidan Hutchinson, who plays the same position Vanden Bosch did for Detroit.

Hutchinson had 11.5 sacks in the regular season and has three more in the playoffs. Vanden Bosch has been impressed by Hutchinson’s production, but even moreso by the way he gets there.

“I watch pass-rushers every single weekend,” Vanden Bosch said. “Some pass-rushers are extremely gifted and extremely talented, but I don’t necessarily respect their game. I respect his game tremendously. The way he plays, the effort, the attitude, the energy he brings every single play. I think that entire defense feeds off him, and for a young player to be that type of sparkplug, that says a lot about him. Detroit is a tough city made up of tough people, and players like Aidan Hutchinson are the type of players that city really gravitates toward and rallies around.”