NFL News

[chemiclord]

Yep. The Eagles "do it" by doing what the Lions are doing now.

[froot loops]

"The Window is Now" topic is evergreen on Detroit Sports Radio and they lambaste anyone who argues for a measured approach. The argument is the window is only a couple of years before you go back down. There are some Superbowl champions and more Superbowl participants for which this is the case but it's the minority. Most of the top teams in the NFL who win titles and appear in Superbowls are in the top contender group for a long time. You can point to one team that really went all in on a season and won a title and that's My Rams.

This upcoming year is the last season in which the Lions have a lot of cap space and don't have to make hard decisions (and contract restructures). Getting Hendrikson would be great and can be done short term, but if you do it there are other things you can't do.

[Blue Lagoon58]

If anyone actually listens to Holmes talk, he doesn't believe in the "window" nonsense. Once you take him at his word, you can see how and why he makes the decisions he does. He's extremely transparent.

"Every player we bring in or don't bring in, is done for a reason", or something to that affect.

[DanO]

If anyone actually listens to Holmes talk, he doesn't believe in the "window" nonsense. Once you take him at his word, you can see how and why he makes the decisions he does. He's extremely transparent.

"Every player we bring in or don't bring in, is done for a reason", or something to that affect.

I don't believe it either. I'm just frustrated and impatient. I think I've shown considerable patients for about 50 yrs. now.

[DanO]

Yep. The Eagles "do it" by doing what the Lions are doing now.

If you're not getting better you're getting worse. Lions haven't gotten better yet. Getting players back from injury doesn't count. Not saying they won't but they haven't yet.

[chemiclord]

I do wonder if a big part of the reason Holmes tends to be reluctant to trade picks for established players is because he comes from the scouting side of things. I sometimes consider if he was actually rather miffed at Les Snead's "Fuck them Picks" strategy, like, "Gee, thanks boss. I always love having my work invalidated."

[Mainevent]

Yeah but like 90% of GMs don’t live that “fuck them picks” life. The NFL is still largely a risk averse league.

[froot loops]

The Lions have done one fuck them picks strategy that I can remember and that was the Swilling trade.

Free Agency and trades are best used to fill holes so you aren't drafting for need.

[Mainevent]

I mean we’ve had regimes that seemed to have a fuck them picks strategy when still actually making said picks, but that’s a different story.

[Blue Lagoon58]

I'd love a trade down from 28 and get more of them picks.

[ghandi]

I'd love a trade down from 28 and get more of them picks.

We see every year, when the draft ends after the first round, all of the great players that are still available in 2nd round

[chemiclord]

I'd love a trade down from 28 and get more of them picks.

Yeah, unfortunately so does everyone else in the bottom third of the draft. There aren't that many teams eager to trade up.

I'd contend that's a big part of the reason that Holmes's trades in the draft tend to be trade ups; there's a lot more sellers than buyers.

[froot loops]

Too early to even know if a trade down or trade up is feasible or wanted. Let's see what f we agency brings.

[El Axe]

Holmes finds players in the draft that he and Dan really like and he gets them as late as he can afford. I don't know how deliberate it is, but he basically understands how much draft capital he has and figures out how best to use it to get those targeted players, moving up and down the draft. The philosophy seems to work. He rarely wastes a pick that way because his formula for figuring out which guys are going to be successful NFL players has been spot on so far.

ARSB is a great example. He knew he was going to be a good player and knew that he could get him later, so he worked his other picks around that info.

He also has improvised when a particular player they liked has unexpectedly fallen (Branch & Arnold) to go get the value that represented. (I remember reading he also tried to trade up for Rakestraw, so was lucky that he couldn't work a deal that time)

We're lucky to have him.

[maxw3ll]

what about the 5th year? on the first rounders. If bottom of tst/top of 2nd is close - dont you want the cheaper long term deal?

Yeah, unfortunately so does everyone else in the bottom third of the draft. There aren't that many teams eager to trade up.

I'd contend that's a big part of the reason that Holmes's trades in the draft tend to be trade ups; there's a lot more sellers than buyers.