Lions News

[Futureshock]

Paschal is an End BTW

[jaadam4]

McNeil most def isn’t just another guy. He’s good. Levi O on the other hand will actually have to stay healthy enough to buckle his chin strap for us to see

[Futureshock]

So you got a maybe and a hope?

Would it not make sense to get a day 1 starter there then trying to stack talent in other positions or taking a gamble on a fringe position?

[Iron Lion]

Hi all, been away a bit. Sorry if this has all been covered. I skimmed a bit but didn't see it mentioned.

I saw that the Duce is loose and we hired a former WR who has coached basically every offensive position including QB to replace him as RB coach/assistant HC. Then he interviews for TB OC immediately. Are we to understand that this interview was already lined up before the Lions hired him and that he got the OK, or did he get hired and immediately decide he wanted to be someplace else?

[ghandi]

Paschal is an End BTW

I still dont know what to think of him...he seems a little slow for an edge but too small for interior.....Maybe his best fit is a 3-4 DE where one of the LBs provide the edge?

[Nick Pappageorgio]

Having athletes along the DL that are versatile enough to swing inside on passing downs is a good thing.

[froot loops]

The end position he plays isn't designed to be a balls to the wall pass rusher. Paschal is a tweener, he's going to play 5 technique in normal downs and 3 technique in passing downs.

[jaadam4]

I still dont know what to think of him...he seems a little slow for an edge but too small for interior.....Maybe his best fit is a 3-4 DE where one of the LBs provide the edge?

What he said

[whatever_gong82]

Something I forgot to post from yesterday, but here it is:


Detroit Lions can see recipe for Super Bowl success. How will Brad Holmes shop in offseason?

Shawn Windsor

Detroit Free Press

Now that that’s over, and you’ve had your fun imagining the Detroit Lions sharing the field with the Vikings, Eagles and the 49ers and the Chiefs, next season officially begins, and it’s time to consider what the Lions need to make a run to the playoffs — and maybe one in the playoffs.

But that’s getting too far ahead. Way too far ahead.

The NFL combine is next up, followed by the draft, where Lions general manager Brad Holmes has shown he may have a bona fide talent for finding players.

What kind of players will he need to augment the Lions’ Super Bowl express next season? Oh, come on, I’m not the one posting Super Bowl party photos of cakes with the inscription, “Lions 2024.”

That would be “MaryL,” a super fan of sorts who appears to be a fabulous cook and even more fabulously dedicated — and hopeful — Lions' fan. She may be the only Lions supporter who baked a cake for a Super Bowl party that declared 2024 to be the year of the Lion, but she surely isn’t the only one who feels similar optimism.

So, again, what do the Lions need? And what did the Lions learn from the NFL playoffs that wrapped up Sunday night in Glendale, Arizona?

More defense, for starters, obviously. But also: more offense. Or at least more offensive players to back up the promising offensive players already on the roster.

No, that doesn’t mean taking a quarterback in the first round, where the Lions have two picks at No. 6 and No. 18. It could, however, mean taking a running back in the second round.

But before we start going down the running back rabbit hole — Auburn's Tank Bigsby, Syracuse's Sean Tucker and Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs would all provide insurance behind D’Andre Swift, not to mention a degree of explosiveness; Gibbs is an excellent receiver out of the backfield as well — let's remember why Kansas City scored three more points than Philadelphia did in the Super Bowl.

Yeah, the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes. And yeah, they’ve got (head coach) Andy Reid and (offensive coordinator) Eric Bieniemy, who called a couple of clever motion plays in the end zone that fooled the Eagles’ secondary and lead to easy touchdowns. Yet Jalen Hurts played as well as Mahomes and, by the numbers, a little better.

What gave?

Time. As it almost always does.

In the second half, Mahomes had more of it than Hurts, just as Mahomes had more of it during the AFC title game two weeks earlier.

Hurts is such a gifted runner and escaper of pockets that his offense outscored Kansas City’s offense. In the second half, though, the Chiefs’ defensive line began flushing Hurts out frequently, forcing him into several throwaways, setting up third-and-longs that were eventually too difficult to keep converting.

Mahomes, meanwhile, wasn’t touched. The Eagles defensive line didn’t get near him, and only occasionally forced him out of the pocket.

When the Eagles did, they mismanaged their gaps, and Mahomes slipped through, most memorably on Kansas City’s final drive, when he scooted 26 yards to set up the game-winning field goal. Cincinnati, it turned out, had the better defensive line, at least against the Chiefs.

And so, it won’t be surprising to see Holmes use one of his first-round picks to take another edge rusher, or a run stuffer in the middle. Heck, he could take two defensive linemen and it wouldn’t be insane. Though he could use another cornerback — or two — as well, along with another linebacker or anywhere on the defense where a player might be available who might be better than who is on the roster.

It may seem counterintuitive to focus so heavily on defense when the Eagles and Chiefs just combined for 73 points. But then defenses aren’t meant to shut down teams in this age of offense-favorable rules and overall playmaking skill.

They are meant to slow down a team just enough, as Kansas City did Sunday night. So, again, no other team may have Mahomes, but his team didn’t blitz everyone in the postseason.

Kansas City won in the final moments of the last two games. Like most NFL teams do every week.

One sack, one fumble recovery, one forced interception, even one hold can alter a drive, momentum or game. No wonder Holmes took five defensive linemen in his first two drafts. He’ll likely take at least one more this April.

After that?

A running back, somewhere in the second or third rounds — Holmes has two picks in the second round as well. He may want another offensive lineman, preferably a guard, to guard against injuries and eventual salary cap restraints. Another receiver would help, too, especially if Holmes doesn’t re-sign D.J. Chark.

Is that excessive doubling-down?

Of course not. The Lions are promising in the areas that matter most outside of quarterback, and they are more than solid at that spot for the moment.

Yes, a cornerback is critical, maybe two. Cornerbacks don’t matter as much though, if the quarterback doesn’t have time to throw. And quarterbacks don’t matter as much if they don’t have anyone to throw it to.

Jared Goff does. He can always use another target.

Just as Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston and Josh Paschal and Alim McNeill can use more buddies up front to get after the best quarterbacks in football. Because the Lions are going to face them if they get to where they want to go.

The last couple of weeks reminded everyone of that. Just as it so often does.

Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@shawnwindsor.

[whatever_gong82]

Here's an article from today's paper:


The last player the Detroit Lions took No. 6 overall was stunned to hear his name called

Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

The last time the Detroit Lions had the No. 6 pick in the NFL draft, they kept their plans so secret even the player they picked was surprised to get a phone call telling him he was coming to Detroit.

“Darryl Rogers called me and said, ‘Hey, congratulations, you are a Detroit Lion,’ and I was quiet on the phone,” former Lions left tackle Lomas Brown recalled this week. “And he asked me, he said, ‘Aren’t you happy?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, yeah, I am’. But I was just more stunned than anything else because I had heard nothing from Detroit. Detroit was nowhere on the radar, and they ended up drafting me and I have to say, that was the best thing I think that happened to me, going to Detroit.”

A star offensive lineman at Florida, Brown thought he would be drafted somewhere in the teens from the intelligence his agent gathered during the pre-draft process. The Philadelphia Eagles at No. 9 showed some interest. So did the Cleveland Browns, who traded their first-round pick to acquire Bernie Kosar in the supplemental draft.

Brown never worked out for the Lions, never met anyone from the team at the NFL combine and did not hold a pro day workout.

He spent the morning of the draft at his parents’ house in Miami and watched the beginning of the first round with the three people closest to him: His mother, father and 1-year-old daughter.

Brown did not have a draft party — “I was drafted probably by 10 o’clock, so it’d probably have been too early to have a party,” he said — and the first contact he had with anyone from the Lions was when Rogers, then the team’s head coach, called right before the fourth pick to tell Brown the Lions planned to take him if the Minnesota Vikings took Chris Doleman at No. 4 and the Indianapolis Colts followed with linebacker Duane Bickett at No. 5.

“Only thing I knew about Detroit was, it was cold, they made cars and back in 1985, it was the murder capital,” Brown said. “So those were the three things I knew about Detroit when they drafted me.”

After he was picked, Brown quietly went about his day.

He and his family had breakfast together, he made time for an interview with a Detroit reporter, who dispatched a Miami-area photographer to his house to take a picture of Brown and his daughter, and he spoke to the Lions again to finalize his travel arrangements to Detroit the next day.

When Brown, wearing his best suit, arrived in Detroit, he was in for another shock: Instead of being whisked away by limousine, he spent the long ride to the Pontiac Silverdome scrunched in the front seat of an equipment staffer’s car.

“We introduce ourself to each other and I see he’s got one arm, so I’m like saying in my mind, ‘OK, I’m going to grab my own bag. I’m not going to make this guy grab my bag,’ ” Brown said. “So we walk out of the airport, McNamara or whatever the little thing was called back then, and we were just walking and walking, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’ And it’s cold now. It’s April, it’s cold up there in Detroit.

“So we walk to the parking lot and in the parking lot he came to pick me up in his car and it was a straight hooptie. It was rusted out at the bottom. I forgot what make and model it was, but it was a hooptie. And I’m like. ‘Oh my God.’ I’m saying to myself, ‘Man, I’m the sixth pick in the draft and they send a one-armed equipment guy to come pick me up in this hooptie, man.’ And I’m telling you, I froze from that. Cause again, it was rusted out at the bottom. I froze from the airport all the way out to the Pontiac Silverdome, and that was my first experience with the Lions.”

Brown, now a radio analyst for the team, marvels at how much the draft has changed — for the better — in the 38 years since he went No. 6 overall. Day 3 picks throw huge draft galas. Even the most secretive teams have some contact with players. And teams cater to their high picks; The Lions, for instance, flew first-rounders Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams, and part of their entourages, to town on a private jet last spring.

One of six players the Lions have taken at No. 6 overall, Brown said he’s looking forward to welcoming another member to that exclusive club this spring.

The Lions have the Nos. 6 and 18 picks in the first round, and if history is any indication, have a chance to get a special player with their first pick.

Brown played 18 NFL seasons, made seven Pro Bowls and has started more games than all but two linemen in NFL history. Two of the Lions’ other No. 6 picks, Y.A. Tittle (1948) and Alex Wojciechowicz (1938) are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame; Tittle never played for the Lions, choosing to start his pro career in the All-America Football Conference instead). Twelve Hall-of-Famers have come from that draft position overall, including Jim Brown (1957), Tim Brown (1988) and Walter Jones (1997).

And in more recent history, the sixth pick of the draft has produced some of the game’s biggest stars, players such as Justin Herbert, Jaylen Waddle, Quenton Nelson and Julio Jones.

Brown joked that he’ll have a special T-shirt made for whoever the Lions take at six, bonding the two together for eternity. And looking back, he wouldn’t change anything about a draft process he calls special now.

“It was great,” Brown said. “To be considered a player that can go that high in the draft, like I say, I had no idea I was going to go that high in the draft and just for the Lions to put that kind of trust in me, I guess they studied a lot of film on me but not to even talk to me and interview me but yet still to draft me that high, it was great. It was mind-blowing, it really was.”

Searching for six-cess


Looking back on some notable picks at No. 6 in the NFL draft:

The Lions' picks: OT Lomas Brown, 1985; FB Nick Pietrosante, 1959; QB YA Tittle, 1948; C Frank Szymanski, 1945; B Doyle Nave, 1940; Alex Wojciechowicz, 1938.

Hall of Famers: OT Walter Jones, 1997; WR Tim Brown ,1988; WR James Lofton, 1978; OT Jimbo Covert, 1983; LB Robert Brazile 1975; RB John Riggins, 1971; RB Floyd Little 1967; DE Carl Eller, 1964; RB Jim Brown, 1957; Tittle; Wojciechowicz; QB Sammy Baugh, 1937

Past 10: OT Ikem Ekwonu, 2022; WR Jaylen Waddle, 2021; QB Justin Herbert, 2020; QB Daniel Jones, 2019; OG Quenton Nelson, 2018; S Jamal Adams, 2017; OT Ronnie Stanley, 2016; DE Leonard Williams, 2015; OL Jake Matthews, 2014; LB Barkevious Mingo, 2013.

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

[whatever_gong82]

This article came out as I was getting ready for work last night, so I'm posting it now:


'Don't ruin a good thing': Lions OC Ben Johnson details decision to return

Justin Rogers

The Detroit News

Allen Park — In his first public comments since withdrawing his name from head coaching interview opportunities, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson joined a podcast on the team's official website and detailed his experiences being considered for top jobs, the interview process and why he's more than happy to remain with the Lions in 2023.

Johnson was a candidate for three head-coaching jobs this offseason, interviewing with the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, and Carolina Panthers prior to removing his name from consideration. From the beginning of the process to its end, Johnson raved about the support of his boss, Lions coach Dan Campbell.

"Coach Campbell came in immediately when the requests started coming in and he was phenomenal through the whole thing," Johnson said. "He very much encouraged me to start exploring it, and was a great, supportive character, really behind the scenes for me to lean on. He's gone through it a few times and was really a great resource.

"More than anything, the experience was critical with finding out what types of questions are going to be asked in those types of meetings, getting to know some GMs, some owners. It was really a good, informational time."

When it came to informing the Lions he was coming back, Johnson said he couldn't stop thinking about attending a Garth Brooks concert at Ford Field early in his tenure with the franchise. In that moment, he was thinking the vibes in the venue could easily be matched by a home playoff game at the stadium.

But the truth of the matter is he's thrilled with all aspects of the current job.

"It starts at the top and I think it's trickled down," Johnson said, discussing the positive culture that's been cultivated by team ownership and football leadership. "This is as encouraged as I've been in my four years, with the direction of the Lions and where we're headed.

"You know what, there are so many things going on here, so many good people, coaches, players. I love the offensive staff, everyone we have on board there. I love the players. I love coming in to work everyday. Coach Campbell is incredible. So, end of the day, talking with my family, it just made sense. It made sense, don't ruin a good thing."

Johnson also joked the team's offensive line was reason enough to return. That group consists of three Pro Bowlers and a steady, reliable veteran leader at left tackle in Taylor Decker.

Johnson said he and his assistants are presently working through their self-scouting process. He also admitted that process has been painstaking, even if that's self-inflicted. At Johnson's direction, the group is currently managing to work through only 10 plays per hour. But the coordinator anticipates the diligence can pay major dividends.

"I think at the end of it, you're like, 'Holy cow? How much better can we really become?'" Johnson said. "It's across the board. It's not just one position group. It's the running backs, if we just tweak this or we ask them to do this a little different. Or with the offensive line, if this technique is just a little bit different. It all adds up.

"I think the staff certainly sees it and the challenge will be getting the players back in and learning from what we put on tape last year and take the next step. I don't know if it's reinventing the wheel and coming up with all these brand new plays. That's not it. The secret sauce is really the teaching and the executing a little bit better than we did a year ago.

"...We have to pick up where we left off at the end of last season, at least offensively, that's what I can speak to. I really, truly believe we can make huge strides as an offense over the next season, as well."

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers

[Futureshock]

Something I forgot to post from yesterday, but here it is:

...Kansas City won in the final moments of the last two games. Like most NFL teams do every week.

One sack, one fumble recovery, one forced interception, even one hold can alter a drive, momentum or game. No wonder Holmes took five defensive linemen in his first two drafts. He’ll likely take at least one more this April.

After that?

A running back, somewhere in the second or third rounds — Holmes has two picks in the second round as well. He may want another offensive lineman, preferably a guard, to guard against injuries and eventual salary cap restraints. Another receiver would help, too, especially if Holmes doesn’t re-sign D.J. Chark.

Is that excessive doubling-down?

Of course not. The Lions are promising in the areas that matter most outside of quarterback, and they are more than solid at that spot for the moment.

Yes, a cornerback is critical, maybe two. Cornerbacks don’t matter as much though, if the quarterback doesn’t have time to throw. And quarterbacks don’t matter as much if they don’t have anyone to throw it to.

Jared Goff does. He can always use another target.

Just as Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston and Josh Paschal and Alim McNeill can use more buddies up front to get after the best quarterbacks in football. Because the Lions are going to face them if they get to where they want to go.

The last couple of weeks reminded everyone of that. Just as it so often does.

Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@shawnwindsor.

KC won because they took care of the ball. KC would have lost if Hurts didn't gift them 7 points on the fumble.

No wonder Holmes took five defensive linemen in his first two drafts.

Hutch was #2 and Levi was selected in the second. The rest were not high picks. Throwing quantity at a position may luck you into a top talent, but not usually. They need a top talent in the middle and it has shown. KC has my guy Chris Jones and Philly has Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave. Which Cox and Hargrave are both FAs and they probably won't resign both. Although they drafted J Davis last year, IDK if they will pass on the opportunity to draft another DT.

IDK if Levi will ever be what we thought he was, but, I'd like to have that spot locked down this off season. Most of Holmes' DL picks were Edges and such. DTs? Alim and Levi.

IF you have ever played on a DL at any level you know DT and DE/Edge are 2 very different positions.

[Futureshock]

Lions OC Johnson shares thoughts on Jameson Williams, Tanner Engstrand and more

Justin Rogers The Detroit News View Comments

On Wednesday, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson sat down with the team's website and, for the first time, talked about the process of interviewing for head-coaching vacancies before ultimately withdrawing his name from consideration for those openings.

Now that he's confirmed to be back in the fold for the upcoming season, Johnson touched on his excitement about several of the players he'll continue to coach. Here are some additional excerpts from that interview:

▶ On quarterback Jared Goff's 2022 performance: "Yeah, it's a testament to him. He's gone through a lot through his career. He's seen a lot of coaches come in and come out and he's really been steady throughout. I think it's helped him grow as a player and as a teammate. So, it's been encouraging.
"There was plenty that we took from him from his past that we knew he did really well. And he opened up and was willing to be challenged in some areas, as well. We saw him make tremendous growth from the end of last year, through training camp. Bye week, we dove in on how he would improve as a player and thought we saw the dividends of that in the second half of the season. The good news is this, when he comes back in the building, we're going to have another plan of action for him to take another few steps forward, to where he can continue to progress and be an even better player than he was this past year. That's the exciting thing, and knowing him, he's going to embrace it and run with it."

▶ On receiver Jameson Williams' second season: "What happened when the ball got in his hands last year? Explosion. We see it, you see it, everyone sees it. It's there. Jared said it before, consistency, that's really the name of the game. We've had some great conversations with Jamo, even since the season ended, and I know his mind is going to be right when he gets back in here in the springtime. He's really looking forward to taking that next step as a player and really make a big impact on this league.
"We'll move him around. He'll be all over the place for us. I know this, when you get speed in the slot, it's very hard to defend for a defense. There will be times we do that; there will be times he's an X, he'll be Z, but there's a lot he can do."

▶ On receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown's versatility: "(General manager) Brad (Holmes) and (coach) Dan (Campbell) talk about it all the time — we just want the best football players that we can find. That's what Amon-Ra is; he's a phenomenal football player. Take the receiver part out of it, he's just a natural football player and we can't get enough of him. We want to line him up as the lead blocker. We want to line him up with the ball in his hands. We want to have him run all the routes. He can do all that. He's an ultimate chess piece and it's fun. We're going to continue to push the limits with him. I think he's made it well known he wants to get that deep ball going a little bit this year, so we'll see what we can do." Get the Detroit News Sports newsletter in your inbox.

On passing-game coordinator Tanner Engstrand's development: "A guy like Tanner really came through in a big way for us last year because I can trust him. I know what he's going to relay to the players is going to be within my voice, within Dan's voice; we're all saying the same thing. I think that's the biggest thing with not only Tanner, but with the rest of the staff. As long as you can trust these guys, you're in that same boat together and everyone is rowing the same direction, you're going to have a chance.

"I really think Tanner grew as we went along, too. I could trust him to run some meetings maybe where I'm trying to get a jump ahead for the next day or the next practice. He could take that pass-game pod — the receivers, the quarterbacks, the tight ends — and make sure they were crossing the T's and dotting the I's."
▶ On finding more uses for offensive tackle Penei Sewell: "Yeah, we've got some things in mind. I was texting with (center) Frank Ragnow during the Super Bowl because Philly got known for that quarterback sneak. Frank said, 'Hey, why don't we do more of that quarterback sneak?' I'm like, 'Ok, got it.' I was like, 'How do you feel about putting Penei at quarterback and have him do it?' He's all on board, he's like, 'That's brilliant; let's do it.''

▶ On the upcoming free-agency period: "You always start with evaluating your own first. We have some free agents who are up on offense, who were big-time contributors for us. (Jamaal Williams) and DJ (Chark) are the first two that come to mind. We'll see what happens. I know we certainly value what they were able to bring to the table for us offensively last year, and we'll see what else is out there, as well. Brad and Dan, they'll come together, they'll be aligned, and we'll have a great plan for free agency and the draft.
"Our coaches, right now, they're working. In the morning, we're doing our self-scout. In the afternoon, we're doing personnel and trying to find what's the next piece for us offensively. How can they help us?" Lions keeping Montgomery


Recently-hired running backs and assistant head coach Scottie Montgomery interviewed for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator job this week, but that franchise is going in a different direction, hiring Seattle quarterback coach Dave Canales to fill the vacancy.

That means Montgomery will be sticking with the Lions. Duce Staley's replacement, Montgomery played three seasons in the NFL before entering coaching in 2006 with his alma mater, Duke.

He brings a wealth of experience, having served as a position coach during the Pittsburgh Steelers' last Super Bowl win in 2009, paired with time as both an offensive coordinator and head coach at the collegiate level.

Montgomery spent the past two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts in the same positions he'll have in Detroit. There he led the NFL's most-efficient rushing attack in 2021, with the team averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com

[Futureshock]

Penei on sneaks with Nelson and the other guys pushing too? Aw man. I'm lovin' it!

[Nick Pappageorgio]

That quote about Jamison makes me smile