The Ford family still owns the Lions, different face, same family. Maybe this new lady will improve things but I'm doubtful.
Dan Campbell doesn't have a stellar record. I've only watched him in one video since the hiring and while he talked tough he struck me as a caricature. Personally I think he's going to suck but I'm not an expert on what makes a great head coach so maybe I'm wrong. He deserves a few years here before any real judgment is made.
You're right in that they have a couple good pieces, but they probably could have been better but their management had bad drafts by not getting key pieces. For example, they drafted a center with their first round pick, F. Ragnow, and promptly moved him to guard. It smacked of stupidity. The next year they drafted a TE, Hockenson with their first. Both are good players but given the glaring needs they were bad picks. Sports talk radio mocked them around here.
The Lions have always had a couple of good pieces but they've never moved beyond that. For the past three or four years at work we would talk about how "good piece" so-and-so left to go on to play better at their new team. It seemed to happen several times a year. Sometimes the Lions traded a guy for chump change only to have him excel at his new team and making the Lions look like fools.
But hey, they've got new management and coaches, maybe they will turn things around. But I'm really laughing at myself as I typed this. All of my Lion's fans friends, except one - who thought Matt Patricia would be the next Belicheck, would be laughing with me.