Lions News

[edindetroit]

When will you dip shits get off your fascination with drafting a prima dona QB. Goff was GREAT this year. They don't need a QB to satisfy your hard on for someone you think is the next Tom Brady. They need to draft positional players.

Right on Dano!

[Tom]

https://youtu.be/gXElO0MjjhA

Goff on Rich Eisen.

[Futureshock]

I said when Houston started racking ul the sacks that it reminded me of Bubba Baker even though their body type is much different.

You did. Good call.

Houston has that sort of acceleration from a dead stop that will always give OTs fits as long as he has that burst.

Couple that with some technique and some situational awareness and he may very well become an every down starter.

Because while he gets to the QB well, opponents will feast on that aggressiveness if it isn't tempered with awareness. Maybe Houston is fine on that score... but the Lions really didn't put him in those positions for us to see.

That's one thing that astonished me with Hutchinson, his ability, even as a rookie, to slow the game down in his head and be where he needed to be.

Yeah. Unlike all the other DL he has really good closing speed which somewhat negates the issues the others have in contain. I think Rodgers found out the hard way that dude closes really fast.

[Futureshock]

Bubba was my favorite NFL player growing up. So much so that they started calling me Bubba.

He sees the Lions needs:

Houston, in particular, caught Baker's eye.

"Right away, I could see James Houston is really special," Baker said.

And while he doesn't claim to be a professional scout, he believes the Lions are a penetrating defensive tackle away from really causing nightmares for opposing offensive coordinators.

"They have the makings of another Silver Rush, and maybe even something better," Baker said, referencing the nickname of Detroit's dominant front four from his playing days. "They have to be able to occupy (the middle), like Curley Culp did when he came for us in '80. I loved him because he shortened the corner.

"...They just need one more big man who can do both — stop the run and rush the passer," Baker said. "I'm talking about a guy that pushes that pocket back. I think if they do that, they can be better than the Silver Rush, because they've got the two pieces, the most difficult pieces to find."

Defensive Tackle - the middle.

[Futureshock]

[whatever_gong82]

Reading this story makes me hate Matt Patricia even more. We lost talented players in Slay and Quandre Diggs (now in Seattle) for draft picks that didn't pan out, along with having Patricia as Head Coach, which definitely didn't work out.


At Super Bowl LVII, no one is having more fun than ex-Detroit Lions CB Darius Slay

Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press


It happened once, twice, a dozen times Monday.

As a crowd of reporters gathered around Darius Slay at Super Bowl LVII media night pelting him with questions, one reporter vying for the Philadelphia Eagles cornerback’s attention shouted, Hey, Darius.

“It’s Slay,” Slay corrected him.

Darius …

“It’s Slay. You know it’s Slay.”

Darius!

“Slay, Slay, Slay.”


Slay is a junior, he explained, and he reserves his name for his father. His grandmother is the only one who really calls him “Darius.” His mother usually calls him “Baby.”

And, “Slay just sounds so much better,” he said.


“I slay at video games, I slay in basketball. I slay at everything I kind of do.”

Ten years into his NFL career and on the verge of playing in his first Super Bowl, Slay is undeniably slaying at the game of life.

The former Detroit Lions second-round pick could become the next in a succession of ex-Lions-turned-Super Bowl champs, following the footsteps of Matthew Stafford (with the Los Angeles Rams last season) and Ndamukong Suh (his current teammate with the Eagles, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021) if the Eagles can beat Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.

In his hourlong media session Monday, Slay professed his appreciation for the team that drafted him, showed off the fun-loving nature that endeared him to Lions fans, dished on his time in Detroit and explained how life has been different since his trade to the Eagles three years ago.



“It’s different cause we’re winning over here,” Slay said. “I mean, just going out here playing, executing at a high level, but it feels good, man. We’re winning. In Detroit I wasn’t winning and it’s not because of coaching or anything, but we just wasn’t winning. And being on the winning side feels very good, man. Sometimes over there, seasons felt long. This season went by pretty fast cause winning. But I’m thankful that Philly kind of traded for me. I do love Detroit, I do love them. But I love Philly, too.”

Slay struggled his first year in Detroit, as rookie cornerbacks often do, and was benched early in the 2013 season by then-Lions coach Jim Schwartz.

He started all 16 games the following season, becoming Pro Bowler three years later when he led the league with eight interceptions, ingrained himself in the community by dropping in on high school games and asking to join local prep and college workouts on social media, and he almost never had a bad day despite plenty of reason to as his Lions career went on.


Slay explained to reporters Monday the secret he shared with Detroit long ago: His rollicking personality is a product of circumstance. He became a father at 15, was forced to go the junior college route in college and by his own account is lucky to be living out a dream in the NFL. How on earth could he have a bad day when he has everything he ever wanted and more?

“Me being 15 years old, I couldn’t really experience a kid’s life anymore because I had to raise a young one myself so it made me grow up faster than I wanted to,” Slay said. “But then again, that’s why I think I laugh and play a lot now because I’m bringing back my kid life still.”

Beloved by teammates, Slay’s exuberance has occasionally been misunderstood, which is — shamefully — why he’s no longer a Lion.



Slay butted heads with his third Lions coach, the overbearing Matt Patricia, immediately after Patricia arrived in town fresh of a New England Patriots Super Bowl loss to the Eagles in 2018.

Patricia was generally dismissive of what the Lions had accomplished under Jim Caldwell (two playoff appearances in four seasons and one of the league’s best defenses in 2014) and demanded players respect his resume as a Super Bowl-winning Patriots assistant. He made offensive remarks to Slay during one team meeting his first season about a social media post Slay had made during his offseason training with other NFL stars, and two years later forced Slay’s trade to Philadelphia.


“I mean, it’s just weird how he came in like he’s just bigger and better than all us,” Slay told reporters Monday. “He acting like we asked to be here. We do get selected, you know what I’m saying? If we had a choice to pick, guys would pick a lot of different areas. But yeah, that was crazy. That was the first crazy part about him.”

Asked about the 2018 incident that permanently fractured their relationship, Slay said Patricia had a “big problem” with him working out with and paying respect to other team’s stars.

“He just like basically just said like, ‘Hey, you’re not in their category yet,’” Slay said. “By that time I only had one Pro Bowl, but now I’m at five so I want to know how he feels about that now.”


Slay, 32, has made the Pro Bowl in five of the past six seasons and the playoffs in two of his three years with the Eagles, and as he closes in on the end of his NFL career he’s still paying respect to his peers across the league.

On Monday, he praised Mahomes as “the best quarterback in our game right now,” knowing full well he has a pretty good one in Jalen Hurts on his own sideline. He named Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain the best cornerback in the NFL, humbly putting himself second on the list. And he shared a story about New York Jets rookie Sauce Gardner, who he met years ago when he was playing for the Lions.

“I met him when he was a little kid in Detroit because I used to go to Detroit high school games,” Slay said. “He pulled up at a couple of my workouts. Watching him gloss up to that guy he is today is amazing. He got a great coach (assistant Tony Oden) up there as well because he coached me in Detroit. But yeah, man, I was proud of him. I wasn’t shocked because I know what kind of work he put in, but sky’s the limit for him. He’s going to be one of the best for sure, soon.”

As much as he is the same player he was in Detroit, Slay is different, too. Smarter, wiser, more mature.


On an Eagles team that has the most well-rounded roster in the NFL, with an emerging star quarterback in Hurts, the league’s best offensive line, two Pro Bowl-caliber receivers and the game’s most lethal pass rush, Slay was voted a captain this year for the first time in his career.


He said that honor “kind of made me feel like, dang, I can continue to be myself and still be a leader,” and he said the C on his chest has brought him “very much good luck” that he doesn’t want to lose.

Before the Eagles left for the Super Bowl, Slay said his kids made one request: Win the game.

“That’s it,” he said. “They don’t want to make this trip and go home with an L.”

Neither does Slay, of course. After nine years of watching the Super Bowl from afar and wondering what it would be like to experience the game, he’s finally here and enjoying the ride.

“I was made for moments like this,” Slay said. “I was born for moments like this and I’m glad – I’m thankful to be able to have this moment.”

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

[AKLionsfan]

That’s one of the primary reasons I hate Patricia. It’s bad enough to be a bad HC and drive this team further into the basement, but his presence in Detroit is still having effects on this team. He’s responsible for Slay, Diggs, and even Stafford leaving and now we’re still trying to find corners when we had one of the best 3 years ago.

[whatever_gong82]

Some interesting things this article points out. Here's the article:



Lions offseason to-do list: Invest in defense, ensure offense stays strong



In the NFL, corners can be easily turned if the right people are in place.

We saw that this past season, as the Lions — 3-13-1 in 2021 before getting off to a 1-6 start in 2022 — picked themselves off the mat and discovered a winning brand of football. Dan Campbell never wavered from the plan. Ben Johnson emerged to lead the offense. Rookies stepped up to help the defense. It was all hands on deck, leading to an 8-2 record in Detroit’s final 10 games.

Now that the Lions have some proof of concept, they’ll be looking to take another step forward in 2023. That includes making the playoffs. That includes winning the NFC North. Given the way the team finished, and the pieces it could add, why not Detroit? With the right moves this offseason, it’s certainly on the table.

Here’s a look at some key items on the Lions’ to-do list, ahead of a busy few months.



Retain coaching staff and get new assistants up to speed


Detroit’s 2023 coaching staff is just about confirmed. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is back after withdrawing his name from various head coaching opportunities. He reportedly received a raise to stay in Detroit and is set to lead what should be a strong offense in 2023.

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn interviewed for two head coaching jobs this offseason: the Cardinals and Colts. The Cardinals are down to a few candidates — a list that does not include Glenn. We’ll await word on the Colts opening, but if Indianapolis goes in another direction, Glenn will return to try to shore up a Lions defense that made strides in the second half and could receive an influx of talent this offseason.

The Lions did lose assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley to the Carolina Panthers. Staley was a trusted coach who had the attention of everyone in the locker room — not just his own players. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Lions are hiring former Colts RBs coach Scottie Montgomery to replace him. He has experience as a college head coach and coordinator, and has also coached wide receivers in the NFL. In addition to Montgomery, the Lions also brought in tight ends coach Steve Heiden and cornerbacks coach Dre Bly to round out the staff.

Campbell’s new-look staff will have plenty of time to get to know each other this offseason, while determining what the roster looks like.



Identify internal free agents to retain and explore contract extensions


This one is on the to-do list every year, but as the Lions look to make the leap from tough out to playoff contender, it’s all the more important.

This year’s crop of free agents includes running back Jamaal Williams, wide receiver DJ Chark, safety DeShon Elliott, linebacker Alex Anzalone, defensive linemen John Cominsky and Isaiah Buggs, center/guard Evan Brown and defensive back Will Harris, among others. It’s hard to envision everyone coming back, so Holmes and Campbell will have to determine who’s worth keeping and at what price tag.

“Me and (Lions assistant GM) Ray Agnew met with all of our guys that are coming up on expiring deals and majority of them, they expressed interest in wanting to come back,” Holmes said. “I don’t ignore the reality of there’s other elements of that business that we’re going to have to deal with. But it was cool to hear, because those guys believe in what we’re doing and they believe it’s the right way. They like how they’re treated, they can be themselves and it was just cool to hear that they think that we’re doing it the right way.”

Detroit is in a position where it can be selective with its own free agents and also take a run at upgrades in free agency. This could also be a good time to explore extension talks. A prime candidate this offseason is left guard Jonah Jackson, who’s entering the final year of his rookie deal.


Consider contract restructures and cap casualties


Part of the offseason could involve the restructuring of large contracts, or saying goodbye to starters who no longer make sense financially.

One of those players is likely to be veteran defensive lineman Michael Brockers. The Lions could save $10 million in cap space by releasing Brockers, who will carry a cap hit of $13.975 million into 2023 if the Lions keep him. Considering he was inactive for 11 of the team’s final 12 games, it would be a major surprise if he’s on the roster next season. But what about others?

Right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai missed the entire 2022 season with a back injury and subsequent surgery. The soon-to-be 30-year-old has been oft-injured in Detroit, and the Lions could save roughly $6.5 million by releasing him. The problem with releasing Vaitai is that they’d immediately need to fill his starting role. Could the Lions find a cheaper alternative in the draft? Or is it better to keep him around?

Defensive ends Charles Harris and Romeo Okwara each spent extended time on injured reserve last season. Okwara returned from a torn Achilles late in the season and was still shaking off the rust. Harris missed 11 games with a groin injury and wasn’t particularly effective before then. The Lions could save $7.5 million by releasing Okwara before June 1 and about $4 million by releasing Harris. Given the emergence of Aidan Hutchinson, James Houston and Josh Paschal, and the fact that this is considered to be a deep edge class, would the Lions move on from one of their veterans?


Invest in the defense


The biggest item on the to-do list: Detroit’s defense needs help. Holmes will look to address that this offseason.

“Obviously, our defense was ranked 32nd,” Holmes said at his end-of-the-season news conference in January. “So, I mean, it’s pretty obvious that we’re going to have to utilize some resources to try and improve that defense.”

The defense we saw at the beginning of the year was far different than the one that finished in Green Bay. Growth was evident throughout the year. Hutchinson got better and better each week. Kerby Joseph cracked the lineup and flashed his ball skills. Houston emerged with eight sacks down the stretch. Buggs and Cominsky stepped up when given more snaps. From Weeks 1-8, Detroit’s defense allowed 32.1 points per game. That number dropped to 20.2 from Weeks 9-18 — good for 11th in the league during that stretch. However, in that same second-half stretch, the Lions allowed the third-most yards per game. Progress, but not enough.

So then, how might those resources be spent? The Lions have two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a third-rounder. All of those picks are among the top 85. That’s a natural starting place, as we saw how Holmes worked the draft to add defensively in 2022. By the end of the year, five rookies were contributing to wins defensively. But more is needed, particularly at cornerback, defensive tackle and linebacker.

As for free agency, the Lions might not be looking to break the bank for defensive talent this offseason, but there should be help available beyond the big names. Especially at linebacker.

continued...

[whatever_gong82]

Evaluate offensive upgrades, but don’t force it

Defense should be the focus this offseason, but smart executives look to upgrade all facets of the roster, while also keeping an eye toward the future. That includes offense.

I already know what you’re thinking. Yes, Detroit’s offense ranked top five in scoring and yards. Yes, the Lions will run it back with the same crew that accomplished those feats. However, injuries and the potential for regression must always be considered. It’s never a bad idea to ensure a strength remains a strength. The Lions will have options to make that happen in the draft.

One potential move? Selecting Texas running back Bijan Robinson at 18. Imagine him running behind Penei Sewell. Scary thought for the league. If not Robinson, the only consensus first-round RB, maybe another back in the second or third round? Is it worth adding a young lineman who could step in at guard or tackle? Syracuse’s Matthew Bergeron had a solid week at the Senior Bowl, and has shown enough versatility to play guard or tackle. He’s considered to be a top-50 prospect. In what’s widely considered to be a talent-rich tight end class, is it worth taking a look at a prospect in the second round? Is it worth drafting a receiver somewhere if Chark departs? And although this is more special teams than offense, the Lions should look to upgrade at kicker in the draft or in free agency.

These moves and more could go a long way toward the Lions’ quest for an NFC North title and a playoff run.

Colton Pouncy is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Lions. He previously covered Michigan State football and basketball for the company, and covered sports for The Tennessean in Nashville prior to joining The Athletic. Follow Colton on Twitter @colton_pouncy

[whatever_gong82]

Notes: Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson gives Dan Campbell his flowers


Here is more from Jimmy Johnson.

[-Deborah-]

329556207_694844955666233_6888690214101571889_n.jpg

[-Deborah-]

I guess the Pepsi ROTY is all fan votes? Still pretty cool.

[foxhopper]

Pathetic, but I voted for him at least 10,000 times. Every night during my TV time between bitching about stupid shows like "Night Court" and the fake news, I refreshed, voted again and again....lol

Lions needed another win. Screw that weak Sauce...

[-Deborah-]

I can't tell if you're serious!! lol

[-Deborah-]