1984Echoes

That's a lot of out with the old, in with the new.... Which is what I was saying Harris could use as a "battle plan" to sign Skubal to a big contract. I don't know if that works for Harris and Ilitch... That's pretty heavily dependent on kids coming up... and sticking... But if we DO sign Skubal, IMO, that's the approach. Some additional roster changes: McKinstry/ Baez/ Jahmai Jones (bench guys) replaced with: Pick 3: Hao Yu Lee, Max Anderson, Trei Cruz, Jace Jung (these guys as utility; and there may also be some additional options in the system...). I don't know if Wenceel survives this transition, but... maybe? Verlander, Flaherty, Mize replaced with: Drew Anderson, Troy Melton & Jackson Jobe. (We may have additional options in the future but too early to say who rises and who falters from the lower tier of prospects...). Kenley Jansen/ Will Vest replaced by... Tyler Mattison? And...? Bullpen is notorious for guys being up and down and... unexpected surprises... so just tossing out a random name here.

Thank you!!!

Ron Holland III.

I don't hate Boras. I just understand the reality of dealing with him. Dombrowski worked really well with Boras... And signed several top-of-the-market (at that time) contracts with his clients. No bones with him at all... I just know that Boras and Skubal will command, and 99.9% receive, a top-of-the-market contract. Will the Tigers/ Harris/ Ilitch do that...? Maybe, but I think that's a very tiny window. IMO.

Bingo. I believe that there is only one alternative idea that keeps Skubal in Detroit: Harris comes up with a plan to keep salary below the Apron whilst also signing Skubal at the Market Price. And Ilitch says "Do It. Future pitcher's health be damned." Is that a likely scenario? I think it NOT. However, if that were a winning scenario, what would it look like? "Chris, after this season, we'll sign Skubal to the contract he wants. We will also let Torres, Mize, Rogers and Flaherty walk as free agents and replace them with kids. And we will trade Green, Tork and Carpenter and replace them with kids." Just a WAG...

Don't we already have Alligator Auschwitz? Republicans should just simplify their midterm platform: "Hey MAGA: Bankrupt America, a Death Camp for every Blue State, and we're taking suggestions for who MAGA wants to populate American Auschwitz." That wins them all of their next terms... At least according to ...

Send them to Cuba. To the Bay of Pigs.

As well as with periodic starts when needed... IMO.

I'm sorry... But you guys are NOT correct. Boras and Skubal want to SET the market for a pitcher of Skubal's excellence. For this level of pitching dominance. That's it. It has nothing to do with Skubal remaining a Tiger for life because that's not his goal. (IMO). If Harris wants to hand out the largest contract ever for a starting pitcher... Skubal will be a Tiger. If not, he won't. It has never been otherwise.

Naziholic going to root for Nazis. Was anything different then that expected...?

Indulging in a little bit of fantasy world... To keep my sanity in this dangerous and despotic Trumpian real world...

I can buy him a plane ticket. Like... RIGHT NOW!!! "Trump, it is BEAUUUUUUTIFUL in Beijing right now! Don't be shy! GO!!! Here's your ticket, I bought it for you!!!"

Sorry, but that needed to be bolded, all-CAPPED, and made just a wee, tiny bit larger... To make certain his braindead followers and administration could READ it. Naziholic?

That Drumpf and his braindead administration (everyone he has brought in) AND his MAGAt followers... ABSOLUTELY REEK, of... ABJECT STUPIDITY.

I like the kids' apple juice carton and the crayons on Trump's desk. That's exactly his speed... and mental capacity.

Aahh... Gotcha... Oft-injured including missing the entire 2025 season (with a rib injury...? that seems excessive (time missed) for a "rib injury".)

Just another depth guy... But I wouldn't call him another Paschal either... Paschal is a DT/DE tweener. Turner is a 6' 6" 270# defensive end only. I don't think they'll try to slide him inside on passing downs... I have no idea if he's any good against the run... the pass... both... or neither. But he is a former 1st rounder by NO back in 2021... College stats say 25 sacks, 10 TFL's and 10 PD's in 39 games... I have no idea why he hasn't been on the field hardly at all for NO... another injury special?

That's because we were often in the lead and they are forced to pass to try to catch up. At least the first 7 games. Midway through the year, our starting secondary was gone, and several DE's. Leading to AQM and a bad secondary... and giving up a crap load of points every game. Both running and passing were effective against our weakened D. Did AQM stop those points from getting on the board? ... with all his pass-rushing prowess...? No, he did not. It doesn't change the narrative. It's still stop the run first and force the opposing defense into one-dimensional offense. Go ahead and pass more. But we know it's coming since we've obliterated your run game and we can just pin our ears back on an all-pass offense and bust that up too (if we had healthy guys that is...). Even guys like Paye and Wonnum get 8+ sacks in MULTIPLE years because they can be effective pass-rushers... or at least in the right spot at the right time... when they can "pin their ears back" and go balls-out after the QB. And if the other team is heavy play-action, by taking away the run, the Lions have ALSO taken away that, if they've made their running game completely ineffective. Again... you are completely dismissing the fact that if a DE is a weak-link/ bad run defender, he exposes the defense. A pass-rusher ONLY... go back to where I outlined what I thought the appropriate spot for a player like this is... because a team CAN use a player like this... But not as a starting or backup defensive end. On 3rd and longs. On pass-rushing snaps only (IOM). I will be HAPPY if the Lions draft another James Mitchell. To be a demon ST'er, and a pass-rush specialist who comes in only on 3rd or 4th and longs. I do NOT want JM or AQM to be a starter on this team.

PS: If you are an EXPLOSIVE offense, like the Lions or Rams or several other teams... Other teams RUN a whole lot more because they are trying to keep your offense off the field. At least until you've run the score up to 24-3... then they are forced to pass.

The Lions want to do both. I'm going to use this question to answer a specific way: Early downs (1st and 2nd), I'm just guessing here... are more like 55/45 run pass. Teams try to establish the run so they can use it in the game. So they can use PLAY-Action for those teams that rely heavily on play-action (establish the run, fake the run but pass...). Not all teams do this... and there is certainly teams/ plays that like to pass on early downs... this is just a WAG. I'm just going to guess... but, on 3rd and shorts run/pass is much closer to 50/50. On 3rd and longs? 90/10 Pass-Rush ratio?

Again... If a team is BAD at stopping the run, guess what the other team is going to do? Run. March right down the field at will. Must stop the run. Which ALSO stops play-action. Which ALSO forces a lot of 3rd and longs. What happens on 3rd and longs? EVERYONE on the defense, even the lesser pass-rushers, gets to "pin their ears back" and go "balls out" after the QB. It forces the other team to be one-dimensional and makes it EASIER to rush the passer.

I think we've laid out why "stop the run first" is the best policy quite a bit here... So I'm going to switch sides and argue for a pass-rush-specialist... Sort of... The 1st and backup DE's need to be stop run... fisrt and foremost. If they have pass rush chops ALSO (like Hutch), so much the better. But Wonnum/ Paye/ Paschal/ Keldric Faulk are still starters because they stop the run first, take away play-action from the other team, force lots of 3rd and longs... etc. They don't "generate" much pass rush but they still get sacks simply by being in the right spot at the right time (grabbing the QB as he's trying to escape the REAL pass-rushers like Hutch...). So what about the AQM and James Mitchell's of the world, who are not good at stopping the run, but are great at getting to the QB? Well, if they are my 6th DE, or 6th OLB... that's GREAT!!! I would NOT want them starting (because they suck against the run and "setting the edge", etc...). But they are GREAT on 3rd and longs at getting to the QB for a sack or forcing bad throws... etc. So, to Tater's and KL2 point: There IS room for one of these guys on the roster. Just not as starting DE. Not as 1st backups to DE either. Let's call them "speed rushers". They win. On a pass rush. On a pass rush ONLY. So as my 6th DE or my 6th OLB... I'm OK with that. We can find another guy like that (mid-draft round please, not at AQM's FA cost... that's just too much for a "speed rusher" ONLY, IMO). Oh... and this guy better be a MAJOR contributor on ST's too. IMO. That's just my 2 cents.

Cat is surprising me with this.

Nice and needed...! But we're still on the bubble so we need more of these... MORE! MORE! MORE!

Daniss observation is from the past 3 months... I know Tobias is only these two games... but it's still interesting to me to watch and see if Tobias attempts to keep this up... I'm not taking anything from Duren because the Wizards have no one to stop him. Unlike other actual playoff competitive teams...