Detroit Lions Offseason Thread 2023

[Motown Bombers]

Atlanta is the same team that got nothing out of Charles Harris or Cominsky so I'm not worried about Okudah turning it around with them. 

[MichiganCardinal]

2 minutes ago, NYLion said:

It was a top story on ESPN, Falcons fans (on a message board I checked out) were over the moon. "Former 3rd overall pick Jeff Okudah got traded" as if this was a guy who just got drafted 3rd.

This was a depth CB that got traded. I think some people see that he was drafted highly and assume that he's this top player but I can understand the lack of knowledge about the players because who really cared about the Lions before they started biting kneecaps halfway through last season.

I get it from their perspective, in buying low on a player who at one time had immense potential. But that was a lot of time and one Achilles ago.

[Motown Bombers]

Okudah seems like the type of player Holmes would have picked up a year or two ago. I think it's work the gamble for the Falcons. Okudah had a lot of things happen that were out of his control. 

[NYLion]

19 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I get it from their perspective, in buying low on a player who at one time had immense potential. But that was a lot of time and one Achilles ago.

It's a good low risk move for Atlanta but people are acting like they traded for Ramsey.

Edited April 13, 2023 by NYLion

[Hongbit]

The Lions got a steal if he plays like he did to finish last season.  A 5th round pick is a lot more valuable than that version of Jeff Okudah. 

[RedRamage]

20 hours ago, buddha said:

that would be awesome.

Disagree.  I love my 1pm Sunday afternoon games.

[Motown Bombers]

 

[RandyMarsh]

His track record is short but it sure is hard to argue the turnaround Holmes has made with the team in just 2 years.  And it's not like he inherited a ton of young players that just blossomed which is why they have improved, nor did he inherent a young stud qb. Nope, outside of some oline pieces he has basically built the team from the ground up while still having plus draft capital and being in great financial shape for the foreseeable future. Just remarkable stuff.

Edited April 14, 2023 by RandyMarsh

[Motown Bombers]

I read the Rams forum and Rams fans are complaining they haven't been able to find the late round gems they used to before the Stafford trade. They haven't connected the dots yet with Brad Holmes. 

[buddha]

6 minutes ago, RandyMarsh said:

His track record is short but it sure is hard to argue the turnaround Holmes has made with the team in just 2 years.  And it's not like he inherited a ton of young players that just blossomed which is why they have improved, nor did he inherent a young stud qb. Nope, outside of some oline pieces he has basically built the team from the ground up while still having plus draft capital and being in great financial shape for the foreseeable future. Just remarkable stuff.

i hope were not setting ourselves up to be sol'd again next year.  schwartz took an 0-16 team to 11 wins and then....boom.

i hope that doesnt happen here because i have faith in the lions for the first time since i was a kid and didnt know any better.

[Motown Bombers]

I don't think Schwartz was a bad coach. I'm still surprised he hasn't gotten a second chance. Once the draft picks weren't obvious choices like Stafford and Suh, they struggled. I still can't believe they didn't win a playoff game with a core of Stafford-Johnson-Suh. I would wager the team Mayhew inherited was better off than the one Holmes inherited. Mayhew inherited a HOF talent like Johnson and had the 1st overall pick with a clearcut franchise QB prospect available. Holmes took over a team with no high end talent aside from a good offensive line and lot of big, slow and overpaid players from the previous regime. All he had to work with was Stafford who could net him some premium assets. 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Not a single Lions Head Coach except **** Juron has ever gotten a second chance to be a Head Coach in the league. Maybe other teams recognized the Fords were, up until recently, the worst ownership group in all of professional sports and wouldn't hire anyone they had hired.

[Motown Bombers]

I mean, teams kept hiring New England guys despite the fact that almost all of them always failed. The fact is every head coach except Caldwell left the Lions with a losing record. Schwartz inherited an 0-16 team and got them to 10 wins and the playoff in 3 seasons. I feel his immaturity may have gotten in the way which is something that can be learned from. Scwartz left the Lions and was a pretty good defensive coordinator with multiple teams. Other teams just aren't going to hire coaches from losing organizations. Caldwell is the only one who has gotten some consideration and that's because he left with a winning record and he led the Colts to a Super Bowl. 

[Motown Bombers]

I'm surprised he's still around. 

 

[Motown Bombers]

Don't think it means they are targeting a TE but interesting no less. 

 

[RedRamage]

6 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

I don't think Schwartz was a bad coach. I'm still surprised he hasn't gotten a second chance. Once the draft picks weren't obvious choices like Stafford and Suh, they struggled. I still can't believe they didn't win a playoff game with a core of Stafford-Johnson-Suh. I would wager the team Mayhew inherited was better off than the one Holmes inherited. Mayhew inherited a HOF talent like Johnson and had the 1st overall pick with a clearcut franchise QB prospect available. Holmes took over a team with no high end talent aside from a good offensive line and lot of big, slow and overpaid players from the previous regime. All he had to work with was Stafford who could net him some premium assets. 

I think Schwartz problem was a discipline one... both personally and team wise.  I don't think he had his team under control and I don't think he had himself under control.

[RedRamage]

5 hours ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Not a single Lions Head Coach except **** Juron has ever gotten a second chance to be a Head Coach in the league. Maybe other teams recognized the Fords were, up until recently, the worst ownership group in all of professional sports and wouldn't hire anyone they had hired.

How many coaches who had zero success have gotten a second chance though? I mean sure there are a lot of re-treads who'd been fired by a team, but there's usually at least some level of success to point too. Other than Fontes no one has won a playoff game.

Ross? 27-30, two playoff losses, essentially quit in the middle of a season.
Mornhenwig? 5-27
Mariucci? 15-28
Marinelli? 10-38, including 0-16
Schwartz? 29-51
Caldwell? 36-28 ... wait?  He had a winning record? Holy Crap.  A Lions HC with a >.500 record.
Patricia? 13-28, fired midseason.

Edit to add: There's almost something to be said about one of the worst team in the league for a long period of time firing a coach.  Is another team going to really look at a coach that the Lions fired and think: "Yeah, he could be good."

[Motown Bombers]

 

[digitalpigsmuggler]

On 4/14/2023 at 11:55 AM, Motown Bombers said:

Don't think it means they are targeting a TE but interesting no less. 

They should be adding someone. They have a bounty of draft picks. I very well could see the Lions drafting a midround TE. No reason not to.

[Jason_R]

1 hour ago, Motown Bombers said:

 

Wow. Great news. 

[Motown Bombers]

Don't they know you can only win with a QB on a rookie contract?

 

[MichiganCardinal]

1 hour ago, Motown Bombers said:

Don't they know you can only win with a QB on a rookie contract?

 

I’m not sure I would have done that with Hurts yet. I get it, because the price was only going to go up. But he had the most talented roster in the NFC last season. Can he lead a less talented team to the same destination?

[Motown Bombers]

13 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I’m not sure I would have done that with Hurts yet. I get it, because the price was only going to go up. But he had the most talented roster in the NFC last season. Can he lead a less talented team to the same destination?

They didn't have much choice. He's entering the last year of his contract. You could run into a Lamar Jackson situation and have to franchise him. He could also be Wentz 2.0. It's a risk either way. 

[MichiganCardinal]

25 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

They didn't have much choice. He's entering the last year of his contract. You could run into a Lamar Jackson situation and have to franchise him. He could also be Wentz 2.0. It's a risk either way. 

I thought he had one more, but that’s right - he was a 2nd round pick. For the sake of the Lions, I hope he sucks.

[NYLion]

3 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

Don't they know you can only win with a QB on a rookie contract?

 

Some QB extensions are no brainers, Hurts qualifies. If Goff leads the Lions to a Super Bowl with MVP level performance then his extension will be a no brainer.