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Originally posted by -Deborah-
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Everyone with a brain hates the Cowboys."Your division isn't going through Green Bay it's going through Detroit for the next five years" - Rex Ryan -
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The Lions take care of their guys when they perform at a high level.
Honestly, I'm struggling to think of a better free agent signing in Brad Holmes's tenure.Comment
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Tim Boyle. Oh wait, that’s one of the worst.
Graham Glasgow has been a really good free agent signing too, but that’s the only competition as best free agent move IMO. This team is mainly built through the draft. The argument for Glasgow is good production, reliable, and relatively cheap. The Lions also kinda luck out because Jamaal Williams (love that player) held out for a larger contract that he didn’t receive. Led to a much better backup free agency plan at RB in 2023.
CONGRATS, Montgomery. Lions have their RB core of Gibbs, Montgomery, and Vaki for the next several years.AAL 2023 - Alim McNeillComment
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There's more than a little good fortune that comes into making a good team, and taking advantage of that good fortune.Originally posted by Cody_Russell View Post
Another example is... what do the Lions do if the Jaguars take Hutchinson #1 instead of Walker?Comment
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Indeed when it comes to fortune and close call sports decisions. One of my favorites is the hypothetical of Nick Saban’s Miami Dolphins signing Drew Brees instead of Dante Culpepper in 2006. The Brees elbow medical question. Alabama wouldn’t have the greatest college football dynasty if that went differently. I also believe Rich Rodriguez turned down Alabama in 2007. That’s a wild one to think about…Originally posted by chemiclord View Post
As for the 2022 NFL draft.
Trying to remember draft rumors from 2 & a half years ago … I thought it was suggested that Hutchinson and Walker were 1a and 1b for the Lions at pick #2. Very happy that the Jaguars overthought the #1 pick. Walker could still be good, but Hutchinson has ascended to be one of the most dominant defensive players this season.AAL 2023 - Alim McNeillComment
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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From a paywall article from a couple of days ago. Enjoy!!
Dan Skipper: 'I have to be the most popular scrub' after Lions-Cowboys reporting fiasco
Richard Silva
The Detroit News
Allen Park — Lions swing tackle Dan Skipper and former Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga have something in common, even if in the moment they wished they didn't.
Galarraga, of course, is famous for his June 2010 start that should've made him the 21st pitcher in MLB history to throw a perfect game. The first-base umpire blew the 27th out, incorrectly ruling Cleveland's Jason Donald had beat out a grounder for an infield hit. There was no video replay to lean on then, and Galarraga's rightful perfect game was dashed.
But the fallout from that game served Galarraga well. People recall his name better than the majority of the now 24 pitchers who have actually been perfect, and that summer outing is seared into the lore of Tigers baseball forever.
"I get more famous because of the game the way it happened," Galarraga once told The News' Tony Paul. "I don't change anything. This is history."
Skipper found himself in a similar situation last December. The historical stakes were lower but the playoff implications larger. While vying for the NFC's No. 1 seed in a Week 17 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, the Lions ran what they believed — and still believe — was a successful and legal 2-point attempt to take a lead with 23 seconds remaining.
The referees ruled offensive tackle Taylor Decker, who caught the ball in the end zone on the trick play, never reported eligible. They said Skipper did. Lions head coach Dan Campbell was incensed postgame, explaining to reporters how he described to the officials pregame the mechanics of the play. The TV broadcast showed Skipper irate on the sideline.
That shot of Skipper's impassioned screaming made him more of a Lions icon than anything else would've.
"I feel like I have to be the most popular scrub, if you will," Skipper said Friday while reflecting on the moment.
Skipper noted the attention he now receives, which he was once used to in college at Arkansas, is at a level he hadn't experienced in years.
"I was at the Tigers game the other day and it was intense; it was a lot. I was sitting there with Sam (LaPorta) and people are like, 'Skip!' (I'm like), 'This is Sam LaPorta,'" Skipper said. "When I'm sitting there, as soon as I stand up you can kind of see people looking and they're like, 'Oh!' The recognition hits."
Part of Skipper's fame features fans wildly cheering when he checks into the game as a jumbo tight end and the referees announce to the crowd he reported as an eligible receiver. Skipper said he appreciate the love, but he sometimes wishes things would be a little quieter so he and his teammates could hear the play call.
Despite Skipper's self-deprecating humor, his presence is more than a gag. He played a season-high 15 offensive snaps in Detroit's win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3, and the offense picked up 64 rushing yards with him on the field.
"He's been a guy that we know can be an asset around here, and people have respect for the way he works," Decker said. "He works really hard, and he gives really good effort. There's something really valuable about that, even in the NFL when you expect everybody to (have good effort). He's obviously smart and knows his assignments and things like that. … Any time he can get on the field and maybe run a route, it's always fun to see."
The Lions and Skipper would've no doubt loved a win in Dallas last December. But in a roundabout way — especially after the Cowboys were upset by the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round and Detroit got to host two playoff games — it all worked out in the end for Detroit's sixth offensive lineman.
Skipper would gladly take a win Sunday, but he's adamant it'll carry the same meaning as any other victory.
"Things are gonna happen," Skipper said of last season's fiasco. "It is what it is. You can judge a lot about people's character about how they respond, or don't. Things they say, or don't. At the end of the day, it's time to move on. We've got to move on. It's part of it. Last year is last year."
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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GO LIONS "24" !!Comment
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Happy 30th birthday to Jared Goff, born on this day in 1994!!!
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Ben Johnson made himself a crap load of money yesterday and don’t be surprised if Jerry Jones reaches out to get this guy next year. I don’t know how long our coordinators have contracts but that doesn’t matter anymore today.Comment
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If I was Mr. Ben Johnson, I'd stay the hell away from the Dallas Cowboys.Originally posted by Dan V View Post
If even Bill Parcells couldn't control Jerry Jones, and Jones had the chance to hire Bill Belichick right after he was fired by the old Cleveland Browns, but before he was hired by the New England Patriots, then that's where your coaching career goes to die.
Ironic, that now working for the Detroit Lions is a positive stepping stone instead of an career breaker."I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Pride of Detroit Direct
by Jeremy Reisman
Two funerals and a blowout
Sunday marked the end of Aidan Hutchinson’s 2024 season, and likely the Dallas Cowboys’, as well.
I promise I’m going to try to have some fun and enjoy this blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys, but it’s impossible to ignore the elephant in the room. Like I’m sure most of you, I’m still trying to process what the injury to Hutchinson means for the 2024 season, and a lot of what you read ahead is going to be me sifting through that emotionally and analytically.
After that, Brett Whitefield is going to present some realistic option to replace Hutchinson via trade.
Happy Victory Monday, y’all. There’s still room to celebrate.
The devastation of a blowout win
The second half of Lions vs. Cowboys was a complete daze. The minute Aidan Hutchinson went down and it was immediately apparent this was not going to be a scare followed by a sigh of relief, the final two quarters felt secondary to everything else. At that point, I let some dark thoughts slide in.
“This team is forever cursed.”
“I don’t even care if they lose this game anymore.”
“What if this is a career-threatening injury?”
I’m a bit of an emotional wreck on game days, okay?
I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced a game like that. The juxtaposition of blowing out one of the most hated franchises in Lions fandom surrounding the loss of the emotional center of the team. Watching Ben Johnson absolutely stunt on Jerry Jones for all four quarters while trying to manage the pit in your stomach left by watching your Defensive Player of the Year front-runner get put in an air-cast in front of the entire kneeling roster.
It’s not a completely unheard of mix of emotions. In fact, there’s a pretty apt parallel from just a few decades ago. In a 1997 game where Barry Sanders crossed over 2,000 yards and Detroit clinched a playoff spot, Lions fans also watched in horror as linebacker Reggie Brown nearly died on the field.
But this isn’t that serious. Not even close, in fact. Whereas Brown’s career was over in that moment, Hutchinson is expected to make a full recovery well ahead of the 2025 season–and some optimistic reports from the Hutchinson camp even suggest he could make an unlikely appearance in a hypothetical Lions Super Bowl.
And from a football perspective, this isn’t the end of the season. Last year, the Lions offense dragged a lifeless defense to the NFC Championship game and nearly to the Super Bowl. The offense is even better this year. They’ve hung 40 points in back-to-back games for the first time in 60 years, and they did it against two of the best defensive coaches in modern football history (Mike Macdonald, Mike Zimmer). The offense has always been this team’s primary identity and the reason Detroit is 24-8 in their last 32 games.
I also think there is a legitimate case to be made that this defense is still better than the 2023 version, even without Hutchinson. Think about all of these contributors now that weren’t here last year, or were participating at a very different level: DJ Reader, Levi Onwuzurike, Carlton Davis, Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson. They also have the best safety duo in the league, a top-10 defensive tackle in Alim McNeill, and a linebacker room that runs seven deep.
This team has never been about one player or one position group, and all offseason we bragged about the depth across this entire roster. While the defensive end room is certainly being challenged with the losses of Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, and John Cominsky, there are other positions on this team that can compensate for the loss. And as Whitefield will point out later, there are plenty of options to acquire modest talent to keep the defensive end room kicking.
Aaron Glenn has been fantastic this year at scheming up pressure, too. A total of 12 different players have already logged a quarterback hit in 2024, from Mekhi Wingo to Brian Branch to Alex Anzalone. And while Hutchinson has a healthy lead on the rest of the team in QB hits (17), Onwuzurike (5), and McNeill (4) have proven that the Lions can produce pressure from various places along the defensive line.
In the title of this newsletter, I mentioned two funerals. The Lions’ 2024 season is not one of those. There is a path forward for this team, and it has already been paved by the 2023 team. They’re still better than that squad, and while the surrounding NFC has improved too, now the Lions have an extra purpose: win it for Hutch.
With a clear goal in mind and a leader at the top capable of pulling heroic performances out of the entire roster, no one is going to match Detroit’s intensity on a week-to-week basis. Just ask Dallas.
How the Lions can replace Aidan Hutchinson
By Brett Whitefield, owner and COO of Fantasy Points
*Before we dive in, remember that all data cited in this section is provided exclusively by Fantasy Points Data Suite - right now you can get 25% off of a Data Suite subscription by using our exclusive promo code POD25.
The Lions and Cowboys didn’t look like teams that belonged on the same field Sunday. The game resembled an early-season college football game featuring a powerhouse college program beating the doors off of a team like Akron. And while the Lions should be thrilled at arguably the most complete game I have seen them play in my lifetime, it came with a great cost. With how hard wins are to come by in the NFL, it's pretty rare to have preferred a loss over the outcome we got, but losing Aidan Hutchinson for the season just puts a dark cloud over everything going right.
The goal for the season remains the same, but the Lions are going to have to make a move or two to bolster their operations at EDGE. That move(s) could certainly be an internal one and knowing how this front-office works, I wouldn’t be surprised by that but there are potentially other options out there. Here is a look at what exactly the Lions are looking to replace and some external options that may be available via trade.
External options
How do you replace the best defensive player in the league? Unfortunately for the Lions, they will never find a 1-to-1 replacement for him at this stage of the season. No one comes close, in fact. Hutchinson was legitimately the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year. On top of his insane production on the field, you have to make up for the loss of his presence in the locker room and on the sideline as a leader. His role as a leader on the team can’t be easily quantified, but let's take a quick look at Hutchinson’s impact on the field by the numbers.
NFL leader in total pressures (48)
NFL leader in pass-rush win rate (41%)
NFL leader in sacks 7.5
15 combined sacks and hits on the QB
Replacing Hutch is impossible, however there might be a handful of players worth Brad Holmes calling on for help in a trade scenario. I have prepared six names for Lions fans that are on teams with a “lost” season who could be available via trade. Most of these candidates are on short-term deals or have escapability built into their contract already. I listed them in order of “impact” on the field.
Jadeveon Clowney, CAR
A short-term option here for the Lions. The Panthers’ season is dead, and with the youth movement in full effect, they don’t have a whole lot of incentive in keeping the nearly 32-year-old edge rusher who has a cap-hit spike in 2025. He would be cheap to acquire for the Lions and would likely only cost a late-round pick. His contract has no limiting factors with the Lions, as his signing bonus would stay with the Panthers - giving them just a $2 million dollar cap hit to move on from him after the season. Clowney is definitely not a guy at this stage of his career who is going to line up and beat good tackles 1v1, but he would give Aaron Glenn a fun piece to scheme up. Clowney has been deadly throughout his career on twists/stunts and rushing from odd-alignments. He is also a very good run defender. While playing for the Panthers hasn’t yielded good results, Clowney put up nearly 10 sacks just a year ago.
Za'Darius Smith, CLV
The Browns are in the midst of arguably their worst season as a franchise and could easily find a 32-year-old edge rusher who they have some sunk cost into expendable. Smith’s contract situation is tricky because the Browns have four void years tacked onto his deal but most of the guaranteed money left should be avoidable for a team acquiring him, essentially leaving him on a one-year deal for anyone who acquires him. From a cost of acquisition standpoint, the price to trade (if available) should be no more than a late-round pick or two (the Browns acquired him, a sixth and seventh-round pick in exchange for two fifth-round picks in 2023).
Smith would bring tenacity as a run-defender but also has some pass-rush juice as a guy you can scheme stuff up for on twists, stunts, and blitzes. He is most comfortable from a two-point stance. He is definitely past the prime of his career, but is still winning nearly 20% of pass-rush snaps, which equates to a plus-starter.
Sam Hubbard, CIN
The first of two Bengals players to appear on this list, Hubbard has the blue-collar, tough as nails, selfless, team-first reputation that presumably would help him fit right in. From a contract standpoint, he is on a very modest contract and is only signed through 2025 with just an $11 million cap hit next year (9 of which Detroit would be responsible for). Furthermore, if the Lions wanted to move on from him after the season it wouldn’t cost them a single penny. While Hubbard leaves a lot to be desired as a pass-rusher (7% pass-rush win rate in 2023 and 2024), he is one of the best edge setters in the league and is a top-notch run defender. Only problem is the Bengals have played better as of late and might feel like their season is salvageable and not worth selling off pieces.
Harold Landry, TEN
A reunion with Terrell Williams! This is sort of low-hanging fruit here as every trade speculation article ever typically does a lot of “dot-connecting” in order to present compelling cases. Well this trade would make sense from a lot of angles. Not only are the Titans in a rough spot this season, they have a brand new regime in both the front office and coaching staff. It is very common practice in these scenarios for expensive vets to be dealt for draft compensation. And let's not mince words, Landry is expensive–which is likely the most prohibitive thing about a theoretical deal. In the event of a trade, the Lions would at minimum owe Landry $11.3 million for the remainder of this season and if they wanted to hang onto him for 2025 as well it would cost them at least $17.5 million. To make matters worse, the Titans would have to be willing to take on $6.5 million in dead cap each of the next two seasons which isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, but could disincentivize a trade right now.
On the field, however, the Lions would be getting a good pass-rusher who has 10+ sacks in each of his last two seasons and someone who is familiar with Williams’ DL techniques. The familiarity with Williams’ coaching is nothing to bat your eye at considering the nature of trading for a player mid-season.
Trey Hendrickson, CIN
Another dot-connector. Hendrickson has played for Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn in New Orleans. This is probably my favorite option on the table, as Hendrickson is one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL. If you were to stack an S-Tier of edge rushers including Hutchinson, TJ Watt, Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, and Micah Parsons, Hendrickson would easily headline the next tier. He is also gritty, tough, and is willing to play through everything. From a pure production standpoint it's hard to argue with a 21% pass-rush win rate and 40 sacks over the past three seasons. He is undeniably a stud.
In the case of Hendrickson, there are a ton of things working in Detroit’s favor for a potential trade.
1.) The familiarity with the coaching staff.
2.) He is allegedly “best-friends” with DJ Reader, whom the Lions signed from the Bengals this past offseason.
3.) He has almost no guaranteed money left on his contract and has already threatened a holdout in Cincy back in May.
4.) Bengals owner Mike Brown is stingy as hell and doesn’t like paying anyone.
This, in my opinion, is the best possible solution. I would be willing to part with a second round pick or more in order to make this happen. Hendrickson also isn’t even 30 yet and doesn’t have to be a short-term option if the Lions wanted to extend him.
Maxx Crosby, LVR
I am only including this one here because inevitably it's going to be the one most talked about by national pundits and fans alike. While Maxx Crosby is an ELITE player, one I have charted with nearly a 20% win rate the past three seasons and a guy with a liquid-hot motor, this is almost a non starter. For one, he's only 27 years old entering the prime of his career, there is nothing to suggest the Raiders would even want to move on. Two, the cost to acquire would presumably be multiple high picks, likely a first rounder and some change. Lastly, he is owed a good bit of money on his contract and carries a cap hit of nearly $30 million next year. The Lions have multiple players coming up on extensions and this contract, plus the cost to acquire is just too prohibitive in my opinion.
VIDEO: Jeremy and Erik break down the Cowboys win and Hutchinson injury:
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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