Tracking former Lions

[Futureshock]

Falcons announce Mike Hughes’ signing

Posted by Charean Williams on March 20, 2023, 8:04 PM EDT

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The Falcons announced the signing of defensive back Mike Hughes to a one-year deal Monday.

Hughes, 26, visited the team earlier in the day.

He spent last season with the Lions. He played 53 percent of the offensive snaps over 16 games, with six starts. He saw action on 563 defensive snaps and 100 on special teams.

Hughes totaled 51 tackles and one pass defensed in 2022.

The Vikings made him the 30th overall pick in 2018, and he spent three seasons in Minnesota. Hughes appeared in 24 games with seven starts.

He spent the 2021 season in Kansas City, playing 17 games with five starts.

In his career, Hughes has three interceptions, 20 passes defensed and seven forced fumbles.

[whatever_gong82]

From last night's Detroit News, broken into 4 parts. Featuring a former Lion, though I thought about putting this into the Lions news section. Enjoy!!!

Chris Spielman embraces background role with Lions, where Super Bowl win is 'No. 1 goal'

Justin Rogers

The Detroit News


Allen Park — The best way for Chris Spielman to explain his wide-ranging role with the Detroit Lions is to invoke the Apostle Paul's words to the Church of Corinth.

"I just want to be all things to all people," Spielman said. "That's the goal."

More than two years after rejoining the Lions, little has been publicly said about what Spielman does for the team. That's intentional. He's lived in the spotlight, both as a player and a broadcaster. Now, he works in the background, viewing himself more as a humble servant, aiming to fill a void in his life's resume by helping others achieve what he couldn't as a player — winning a Super Bowl.




But unlike the Apostle Paul — and fortunately for Spielman — he didn't have to go blind for three days to discover this calling. It only took a phone call from Lions owner Sheila Hamp to convince him to leave a great job at Fox, as well as a recently purchased home close to both his and his wife's families, in order to move back to Michigan to help lead the latest rebuild of the historically downtrodden franchise.




At that time, the immediate order of business was finding new football leadership. Working alongside Hamp, team president Rod Wood and then-vice president of football administration Mike Disner, the collective's search landed on Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell for the general manager and head-coaching vacancies, respectively.



Obviously, it's premature to be making any definitive declarations about those hires, but so far, so good. If nothing else, both Holmes and Campbell are exhibiting the traits Spielman deemed must-haves during his introductory press conference in December 2020, particularly the emphasis on being strong communicators, capable of working collaboratively and having an unwavering commitment to their individual values.


But, beyond the month-long search that ended in those additions, Spielman's fingerprints have been all over the organization, fulfilling the vision Hamp conveyed in that initial phone conversation.



Building a culture


To her credit, Hamp is more accessible than Lions ownership has been in recent memory. That doesn't mean she's gone to the extremes of some of the league's more vocal owners, such as Dallas' Jerry Jones, but she's made enough comments publicly that there's a reasonable understanding of her approach to building a winner.


Among the topics discussed in an interview with The Detroit News ahead of Campbell and Holmes' first season with the Lions, Hamp talked about barriers that had long existed between the football and business sides of the operation and her desire to bring those down. And while she has made a personal effort to do that, meeting with individual departments and hosting company-wide events, including a summer barbeque, Spielman has served as a wrecking ball to those figurative walls, building bridges from the rubble.


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In an effort to bring Ford Field employees more into the fold, Spielman makes a weekly, midweek trip to the stadium during the season to host a film review and Q&A session about the previous game, followed by a scouting report of the upcoming opponent.



Additionally, he regularly teaches a Football 101 class for any team employee interested in attending. He goes over, in detail, the differences between coverage schemes, defensive fronts and positional alignments. He wants to make understanding football accessible to whoever wants to learn.




These initiatives only begin to highlight Spielman's role as a culture builder. Embracing the franchise's "One Pride" slogan, he believes the success of a football team isn't confined to the locker room or the front office, but involves every person employed by the organization.



"I wanted them to feel like they are a Detroit Lion, as much as Jared Goff is a Detroit Lion or Alex Anzalone is a Detroit Lion, or Dan Campbell, Brad Holmes and Sheila Hamp are Detroit Lions," Spielman said. "That was one thing, that was kind of the standard that I set."

In a fashion befitting a former linebacker, Spielman and his wife, Carrie, even attended a cheerleading practice to go over some of the rules of the football, before the session evolved into running the group through some tackling drills.



"It was fun," Spielman said. "I think they had a blast with it."


Within these activities, Spielman isn't just carrying out Hamp's plan of a more cohesive organization, but also serving as a stand-in for Holmes and Campbell. They share in ownership's vision, but don't have the time in their roles to regularly engage at this level. So, Spielman always relays his itinerary to the football leadership and they'll frequently provide a message to relay.


"It's really cool and I'm motivated by that," Spielman said. "I don't know, but I'm not aware of any other position like mine around the league. I don't think it exists."



Winning is the only thing


The ability for Spielman to do his job hinges on trust. He's told the workers at Ford Field that the Q&A sessions are contingent on everything they talk about staying in-house. If that basic rule is violated, and any part of those meetings is leaked, they'll be discontinued.



The other side of the trust equation ties into Spielman's role on the football side of things. When the team announced his hiring, there was some initial speculation he had aspirations to eventually be a general manager, like his brother Rick, who served in that capacity for a decade with the Minnesota Vikings.



Spielman immediately dismissed that talk, noting his lack of qualifications. And he has continued to hammer home that he has no ambition to climb the corporate ladder to members of the coaching staff and front office.



"I've been given the freedom to define the role, but in order to do that, the one thing I had to get, because it's a paranoid business by nature, I had to make sure I had everybody's trust, that I have zero agenda other than winning," he said. "Zero. I tell everyone, 'I've already done my thing, man. I have zero agenda. I don't want another role. I'm not looking for another role.' My goal is to help everybody succeed to their highest level. When that happens, I feel like I win."


Through earning that trust, Spielman is able to participate in various ways to enhancing the football product. This time of year, he's knee-deep in college scouting. In his first year back, he limited his focus to the linebackers, but he's expanded that to every position, writing up reports for all draft-eligible prospects.



During the season, Spielman helps the pro personnel department grade the roster after each game. And in preparation for the next opponent, the 57-year-old Spielman lines up at linebacker during walkthrough practices, providing notes on the offensive play calls after each session to coordinator Ben Johnson and offensive line coach Hank Fraley.



"It's really cool, although it's very challenging for me, which is frustrating," Spielman said. "During the walkthrough period, I'm a scout-team linebacker. It has to be in a walkthrough because of two titanium hips and suddenly getting plantar fasciitis, but I love it. I actually got taped one day before the walkthrough. But, it's for a purpose.


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"I'll go in there, and my body doesn't move like I want it to, but my eyes and brain still see it," he continued. "We'll go through all these walkthrough plays and I'll make a card for Ben or Hank and say, 'That play gave me trouble.' There might be three or four during a walkthrough where the blocking scheme gave me trouble and I didn't see it. Then I get pissed at myself. That's one way I think I contribute."


Spielman's also constantly learning. As noted, he only scouted linebackers when he first started. And by his own admission, he didn't like any of them, until he got some important advice from former scouting director Dave Sears, who recently took a new job as assistant general manager with the Arizona Cardinals.



Sears told Spielman he had found former linebackers are unfair in their evaluations of prospects currently playing the position. It took a minute for the feedback to land, but he quickly realized Sears was correct, sending Spielman back to the tape to re-do his reports on the incoming draft class with a fresh set of eyes.



The Lions have drafted two linebackers since Spielman has been in this role, Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez. Spielman declined to offer an evaluation of either player, believing doing so would be stepping outside the lane of his responsibilities, but did reveal why he wasn't surprised by Rodriguez's rookie-year success, despite outside concerns about the player's size, which had caused him to slide to the sixth round of the draft.


"That's not hard: Does a guy make plays or doesn't he?" Spielman said. "He made plays in college, so why wouldn't he make them in the NFL? Let's not overthink this. That was my evaluation process. He makes plays; he tackles the guys within the three yards of the line of scrimmage. I'm good. Next guy."



When he was hired, Spielman also expressed a desire to learn more about managing the salary cap. He hasn't been as directly involved there as he has in other areas, but it still interests him. He's spent plenty of time working through his questions with Disner and Brandon Sosna, the team's new senior director of football administration. And Spielman has found a way to contribute, working with Sosna on comparing and contrasting the skill sets of players, which helps shape the team's contract offers to free agents.



The ultimate goal


If there's been one challenge for Spielman that's stood above the rest, it's staying level through the low times. To say he's never dealt well with losing would be an understatement, but he doesn't want to let those negative emotions consume him like they did when he was playing.



"I'll say this, my family, when I was a player and we'd lose, they'd often mention they'd never seen someone living a dream who is so freaking miserable," he said. "I promised myself that I was not going to ride the emotional rollercoaster like I did as a player because I don't want to be that person again. And I've been able to control it, but it's been challenging, at times. It just is."



But, during our hour-long conversation, Spielman couldn't hide his emotional investment in the job. Like Campbell, after a hard-fought loss or victory, Spielman's voice cracks as he talks about some of the experiences from the past two years, starting with the hiring of Holmes.



"Do you have children? Do they do sports at all? When they do something, set a personal best or something, the joy that I have for them supersedes any joy I could have for myself," Spielman explained. "That's when you're totally invested. When he got that job, I thought, 'Oh my gosh, I'm getting to watch, in person, a man get his dream job.' I'm watching him calling his mom and wife and say, 'I'm the general manager of the Detroit Lions.' I think I was more excited for him than he was for him. I think I actually kissed him on his head. I might have. I don't know. But, that's the definition of being a teammate."


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Spielman felt a similar joy, although more bittersweet, when Sears landed the job in Arizona. And if Johnson or Aaron Glenn ever earn a head-coaching opportunity, it will be more of the same.



"I'm going to feel like I had a small, really small part in helping them achieve the goals they want to achieve," Spielman said.



As for Hamp, prior to her picking up the phone to convince Spielman to come to Detroit, the two didn't have a personal relationship, beyond exchanged pleasantries prior to the games in which he was on the broadcast team. But, it didn't take long for her to win him over.



"When I talk about our initial conversation, when I was in that hotel room in Cincinnati, you've probably experienced it as somebody that talks to people all the time, when you talk to an acquaintance and you feel like you've known them for a long time," Spielman said. "I kind of felt that connection with her."


Spielman is amazed by Hamp's passion and enjoys fostering her enthusiasm. Recently, when both were at the practice facility with no immediate agenda, they took a stroll around the building, stopping by the assistant coaches' offices to see what they were working on.



Fraley shared the college tape he was breaking down in search of offensive-line prospects who could help the team next season. Special-teams coordinator Dave Fipp was reviewing drills the team had implemented during training camp and how those developed skills carried over to games. And Glenn, the defensive coordinator, spent an estimated 45 minutes going over some of his season-long review, explaining why his unit had struggled so much early in the season before settling into a groove down the stretch.


"It was really cool to see the investment and passion she has," Spielman said. "I just know she had such an enthusiasm and interest in those conversations, which is fun. We're doing football here for crying out loud. It's supposed to be fun."



Those quiet moments run in stark contrast to the home crowd at Ford Field relentlessly booing Hamp during a 2021 ceremony to honor Calvin Johnson's Hall of Fame enshrinement. That grated at Spielman, who feels there's long existed a faulty narrative that the Ford family doesn't care about winning.



"All that did was motivate me more because I took that personally," he said. "When they booed her, I took it personally, because I'm here to help her."

As Spielman said, his only agenda is winning and helping people succeed. Within that is the ultimate goal, the one, that if achieved, will allow him to contentedly call it a career.



"Football is in me," Spielman said. "It's not the most important thing in my life. My faith, my family, then football. But, I never succeeded as a player, and I have one more chance to succeed. Success is defined as winning a Super Bowl. I didn't succeed. I fell short. So, I have one more shot.

"...When Sheila, Dan and Brad hold up a Super Bowl trophy — this is my No. 1 goal — and I'm sitting in the back thinking, 'I'm good. I'm done. See you,'" he said. "I'll be in Sanibel hanging out with a drink."


jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers

[Futureshock]

Austin Bryant visiting with 49ers

Posted by Myles Simmons on March 22, 2023, 9:02 AM EDT

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The 49ers are looking at boosting some depth on their defensive line.

Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, edge rusher Austin Bryant is taking a free-agent visit with San Francisco.

A fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft, Bryant spent his first four seasons with the Lions. His most productive year was 2021, when he recorded 4.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, and six QB hits in 14 games with five starts.

Bryant appeared in nine games in 2022, playing 208 defensive snaps and 46 special teams snaps.

[kayrone]

Man, I didn't think I could possibly love Chris Spielman more than I already did. Thanks, whatever_gong82!!

[whatever_gong82]

Man, I didn't think I could possibly love Chris Spielman more than I already did. Thanks, whatever_gong82!!

You're welcome kayrone.

[whatever_gong82]

This isn't the same article that I posted yesterday. It's a new article from the Detroit News.




It's a very long Q&A article, so I'm breaking it down to 7 parts.

Q&A: Chris Spielman on his role, his goal, and helping the Lions however he's able

Justin Rogers

The Detroit News


Chris Spielman earned four Pro Bowl berths as a linebacker for the Lions from 1988 to 1995.

In 2020, Spielman rejoined the franchise that selected him in the second round (29th overall) of the 1988 NFL Draft as a special assistant to the president/CEO and chairperson, embracing the opportunity to do a little bit of everything for the Lions, whether it's as a sounding board for Lions owner Sheila Hamp, helping break down players for the NFL Draft, or serving on the scout team.

Spielman recently sat down with The Detroit News to discuss his wide-ranging role with the Lions, as well as his goal for the organization.



Question: Let’s start at the beginning with this new role. When you were hired, the first priority was finding new football leadership for the franchise.


Spielman: "Well, yeah, that was the No. 1 priority, but also, under that would be, OK, how can we improve the culture? Culture is one of those words we can read about every single day, right? Culture, culture, culture, but I think how I kind of look at it was more like the environment. Everybody talks about it, then everybody gets going on it, then it can slip back and go the other way. So one of the things I take a lot of pride in is making sure, with all parts of the organization, that we never slipped back. And if we did, I could make an observation to Sheila (Hamp), Rod (Wood) or Dis (COO Mike Disner) and say, 'Hey, we might want to look at this.' Just to be an extra set of eyes for everybody within the organization, because when I gave my word to Sheila, when she put her trust in me, and this is what she wanted, then for me, that's like an oath. It's something I take very seriously.



"I always kind of looked at it, and I just had this conversation with somebody this morning, about being a teammate. It was Steve Heiden, the new tight ends coach. I was just walking by his office and we were talking about a coach that we both had. That coach thought Steve would run through a wall for anything. He said, 'Yeah, he said you would also run through a wall for anything.' I said to Steve, 'Well, yeah, that's what teammates do.' I take that teammate thing literally and it’s very serious to me. It's a commitment to each other. That's kind of what I've been doing, in all parts of the organization."


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Q: How did you determine what that culture, that environment needed to look like?


Spielman: "Well, that's a very good question. First of all, I have a standard of beliefs I believe in. One would be just how you treat people. I think in the opening press conference I did, I said I didn't want people to feel like they worked for the Detroit Lions. I wanted them to feel like they are a Detroit Lion, as much as Jared Goff is a Detroit Lion or Alex Anzalone is a Detroit Lion, or Dan Campbell, Brad Holmes and Sheila Hamp are Detroit Lions. That was one thing, that was kind of the standard that I set.


"I've also, the previous years, even when I was working in ESPN, I had a connection with (brother and former Vikings general manager) Rick (Spielman) and what he was going through, people he talked to. Then when I started working for Fox, I got to visit every NFL team and talk to people all the time. As you know, people in the media and people in broadcasting, they know things about organizations. And I always kept a little notepad to write things down because it interested me. I had no idea I'd be in this position, sitting here, talking to you. Then I formulated what I thought was the best of all the worlds. Not that everything is right, but it's an observation that you might look at doing it like this.



"For me, the best way you can get to that is you invest yourself into everybody in the organization. I'll give you an example of what I did this year. One of things was for all the people at Ford Field, every Tuesday afternoon, I would go down and do a question-and-answer period about the game. It takes a lot of trust and I told them, 'I'll answer every question, but I've got to trust you that it will stay within this room.' We'd have a question-and-answer period, I'd do a review period, then I'd give them a scouting report of the upcoming opponent. I don't know if any other organization does that with all their employees on a weekly basis, but that's me investing into them and showing them trust that the things I'm telling you have to stay within our team. To my knowledge, that's never been violated, and I told them, if it's ever violated, it's over.



"The other thing that we'd do is a Football 101 class. So people who work there and haven't been around the game, or don't know the game as well as they'd like to know the game, we'd do a class. We'd talk about different defensive fronts, like a 3-4 vs. a 4-3, Cover-2 vs. Cover-3, quarters coverage, man coverage, different formations, alignments such as 3-technique and a 1-technique, or the difference between a 9-technique and a 7-technique. Then take it back to the next level, that 3-technique is now a 30-technique for a linebacker and we talk about the gap responsibilities, going over all the basics of football. So when they're watching it, they can know and they can understand and be a part of it. We'd have a pretty good turnout.



"From what I heard, the separation between the football side and the business side was pretty significant. When you try to bring that together and be able to offer that to them with trust, I think it goes a long way. It's been a blast. One of the other things, I took my wife to cheerleading practice and we went over penalties and other things, like how to tackle. We had them doing tackling drills. It was fun. I think they had a blast with it."

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Q: I’ve got to be honest: Running cheerleaders through tackling drills sounds like something Jim Harbaugh would do.


Spielman: "I don't know if my enthusiasm was at a level that's been unknown to mankind, but it was pretty high. I just want them to know I appreciate what everybody does and I try to be an extension of Brad and Dan, because I know they feel the same way. But they don't have the luxury I have, where I can be at cheerleading practice at Lifetime at 7 p.m. They don't have that luxury, but I tell them everything I do and they always have a message for me. In fact, during the season, when I was going down to Ford Field on Tuesday, some coaches, GMs or owners would be like, 'Why are you going down there and answering questions?' So I think of myself, in that arena, as an extension of them. They'll do that stuff in the offseason when they have time, they'll do a couple state-of-the-team addresses and stuff like that.



"It's really cool and I'm motivated by that. I don't know, but I'm not aware of any other position like mine around the league. I don't think it exists. I know Rod has shared with me that people have reached out and asked, 'What does Chris do?' Which seems to be the big question.



"And I thought about this for a long time. The only way this works is there has to be an extreme amount of trust that I have zero agenda for anything other than winning, and fulfilling exactly what Sheila and I talked about when I was in that Cincinnati hotel room getting ready to do a game (for Fox).


"That's the thing that people don't understand. I'm reminded of when she was out on the field and they were booing her. All that did was motivate me more because I took that personally. When they booed her, I took it personally because I'm here to help her. If people knew her passion and how much she cares about the team, the coaches and the whole organization, and what a fierce competitor she is. I remember the first time I watched a game with her, I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' She's yelling and screaming and hollering. It was eye-opening. It made me more convicted to do what I said I would do for her."



Q: Who came up with the idea for the Ford Field Q&As and Football 101 classes?


Spielman: "I think everything around here is collaborative. We all share ideas. Sometimes they work, sometimes they sound good in theory, but they're not practical. We all have contributed to the culture building and she's the driver of it. Everything I do, if I have an idea, I run it by her, and if she has an idea, she'll run it by me.


"Some things happen organically. She was in her last week, and it's a different time right now, where we're in between the combine, free agency and the draft, and the coaches aren't as (stressed). I say, 'Let's go for a walk.' So we're walking around the building, talking about things and we find ourselves in the assistant coaches area. (Offensive line coach) Hank (Fraley) is there and I say, 'Hank, what do you have going?' So Hank shows her how he's breaking down free agents and college prospects at the line, showing her how he's watching the film.



"Then, all of a sudden we're in (special team coordinator Dave) Fipp's office and he's doing the same thing. So he shows her the drills we worked in the summer and how it translated into games on special teams. Then were in (offensive coordinator) Ben (Johnson)'s office, then (defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG's office. AG is sitting on the edge of his chair, leaning forward, talking to her about the season and how awful it was at the beginning and how it got turned around. We must have been in there 45 minutes and AG is on the edge of his seat the entire time. Ben was sitting in there talking about it being a copycat league. Sure, everybody knows that, but he's showing her plays we ran then someone else running it. He would show her how teams were copying us, or we might be copying somebody else. It was really cool to see the investment and passion she has. I just know she had such an enthusiasm and interest in those conversations, which is fun. We're doing football here for crying out loud. It's supposed to be fun."


Q: How well did you know Sheila before taking this position?

Spielman: "Just when I would do (broadcasts for the) games and I'd be on the field before games, I'd say hello to them. I didn't know them really well. I know Mrs. (Martha) Ford, being a proud Ohio State Buckeye, always reminded me of that. But it was interesting, when I talk about our initial conversation, when I was in that hotel room in Cincinnati, you've probably experienced it as somebody that talks to people all the time, when you talk to an acquaintance and you feel like you've known them for a long time. I kind of felt that connection with her."


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Q: What have you learned working with her these past two years?


Spielman: "I think the biggest thing, when I wasn't working for the Lions, the thing that would make me upset, because I knew it wasn't true, is people saying that the Ford family doesn't care. They deeply care. It's signing your name to what you do. You're a journalist for The Detroit News, and I assume you deeply care about what you do. You're signing your name to what you do. This is their team and they're signing their name to what they do. They're probably, especially her, because I know her better than all of them, but they all are — and (my wife) Carrie and I were just talking about this at dinner the other night — Sheila and Steve are probably, out of wealthy people, the humblest I've ever met in my life. You know, she's coaching youth soccer and all these things. I think that humility sets the tone for the whole organization, which Brad and Dan talked about. There's not one person who cares who gets the credit. No one cares about 'I did this, he did that'. Who cares? We're all pushing for the same thing. That's unique and rare in the very competitive world we live in. It just is. I think that's what gives our organization an edge over a lot of other organizations. That's truly the case around here, which is fun to be a part of from the beginning to what it's becoming now. Now the challenge is once success does come, the challenge is to maintain that humility throughout the organization. That will be one of my guardians, watchtowers, whatever you want to call it, responsibilities. I'm going to keep my eyes on everything."



Q: Reviewing the hires in hindsight, do you feel like you hit home runs with the coach and GM decisions?



Spielman: "The ultimate judge is winning. However, realistically — and this is just my opinion only, not the opinion of Sheila, Dan or Brad or anybody else, it's my opinion — I think we're ahead of schedule, to be honest with you. From where we started, I think it was known we were going to strip it to the bare bones and try again. So it's rewarding, but we're still one of 31 teams disappointed this year, right? If you're not disappointed, you need to find a new line of work because everybody understands what's at stake and the purpose is to win.


"However, it's rewarding knowing what we talked about, and what our gut was telling us about these men that came into these leadership positions, they are exactly who they said they were. Yeah, that's been pretty cool."



Q: What does your average week look like during the season?



Spielman: "It's pretty cool. One of the fun things I do, and it's really cool, although it's very challenging for me, which is frustrating, during the walkthrough period, I'm a scout-team linebacker. It has to be in a walkthrough because of two titanium hips and suddenly getting plantar fasciitis, but I love it. I actually got taped one day before the walkthrough. But it's for a purpose. I'll go in there, and my body doesn't move like I want it to, but my eyes and brain still see it. We'll go through all these walkthrough plays and I'll make a card for Ben or Hank and say, 'That play gave me trouble.' There might be three or four during a walkthrough where the blocking scheme gave me trouble and I didn't see it. Then I get pissed at myself. That's one way I think I contribute."



Q: The idea there is that if it's giving you trouble it should give the opponent trouble?



Spielman: "Well, I don't know. That might be putting extremely high value on my ability to diagnose plays. You'd have to ask them. I make that list for Ben or Hank after every single practice. And I'll watch practice and see how it worked against our scout team defense. And if I like play, I'll make that list. Now, I don't need their feedback, but I think, at times, It's helpful. I want to contribute, to help them any way I can, any edge I can give them, and I think they value and respect my opinion enough that they look at it.


"Another thing that I do is I interact with the pro personnel guys, guys like Lance (Newmark) and Dorse (John Dorsey). I'll put grades on players after the game. And I'll be involved when we start evaluating college prospects. I'll watch every player who is draft eligible and have an opinion. Every single player, every single position. I think my role has evolved there from the first year, which was mainly linebacker-focused. I'll always have an opinion when asked. When we get into those draft meetings, that's often when my opinion is asked. Before I came in here, I was doing all these late invites to the combine. I'll put a grade on them and then, when asked my opinion, I'll have that grade on them and the reasons why from what I see."


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Q: Who have you leaned on as you've learned how to evaluate the other positions outside of linebacker?


Spielman: "It's being quick to listen and slow to speak over these first couple years. After sitting in on defensive meetings last year and offensive meetings this year, I have the luxury of knowing what coaches like and what coaches want, especially specific to the scheme. Then, listening to John Dorsey, Brad, Ray Agnew, Lance, Rob Lohman, Joe Kelleher or Justin Licker, all these guys who have been doing it, listening and seeing what they're seeing. You have to be able to listen to what they're looking for and be able to put your own spin on it. Do you see those things? Do you like that? Always put it to the (eye) test. So you learn how to evaluate and maybe expand your vision to see the little things. How I think I've evolved is learning the details of each position, by listening to guys who have been doing it for a very, very, very long time and have been very good at it.



"And I don't know if I've shared this publicly, maybe I did after Dave Sears took the (Arizona) Cardinals job. Somebody asked me about Dave and I said, 'Dave gave me the best piece of advice.' I was maybe two or three months on the job and I was in one of those draft meetings. We were going through the linebackers and I was asked about all these linebackers during this meeting. That night, I'm in the parking garage, because I'm living downtown at the time, and I get a call. It's Sears. I always thanked him for this. He said, 'Chris, do you want some advice?' I said, 'Yeah, of course I do.' He said, 'It's been my experience that guys who played the (linebacker) position are really unfair to the guys that are playing the position now.' I didn't know what to think about that at first, but then I thought about it, hung up, called him back and said, 'You're exactly right.' I went back and re-did every single player and came away with a totally different outcome. I was always grateful for that.



"I have a big belief, and I tell everyone this, tell me what you need from me to do your job, and I'm going to tell you exactly what I need from you to do my job. When you have that kind of culture and communication, nobody is guessing what the hell they're supposed to do. Everybody knows because there's clear direction. I have a little sign, a grease board in my office. Don't make me guess what you need from me. Tell me. If I can do it, I'll do it. If I can't, I'll find somebody that can."



Q: How much has this position been what you envisioned when he agreed to rejoin the organization?



Spielman: "Well, it's kinda cool, because Rod had me do some goals. It's kind of interesting, once the hiring process was done, which was the No. 1 thing when I got in here and the other stuff would follow. Then we got the culture pieces in place, good leaders like (chief communications and brand officer) Brian (Facchini), (chief people and diversity officer) Lindsay (Verstegen) and every other person we bring in, they help bring the culture in.


"By the way, I don't want to digress, but that's where that communication comes from. It's not only tell me what you need to do your job better from Brad, Dan, Rob or Hank, but from Lindsay, from Brian, from (senior director) Amy Lemon, who is our human resources person. It's always, 'Tell me what you guys need.'


"From there, it was like, let me start defining the role a little bit. So I've been given the freedom to define the role. But in order to do that, the one thing I had to get, because it's a paranoid business by nature, I had to make sure I had everybody's trust, that I have zero agenda other than winning. Zero.



"I tell everyone, 'I've already done my thing, man. I have zero agenda. I don't want another role. I'm not looking for another role.' My goal is to help everybody succeed to their highest level. When that happens, I feel like I win. I do. When Dave Sears got the assistant GM job in Arizona — we're going to miss him — but I was able to celebrate that. Or when AG gets a head-coaching job or Ben gets a head-coaching job, I'm going to feel like I had a small, really small part in helping them achieve the goals they want to achieve.


"And when Sheila, Dan and Brad hold up a Super Bowl trophy, this is my No. 1 goal, and I'm sitting in the back thinking, 'I'm good. I'm done. See you.' I'll be in Sanibel hanging out with a drink."


Q: That's the plan? Win a Super Bowl and retire?



Spielman: "I don't know what I'm going to do, but that's the vision, right, to see that happen. And I remember sitting in here when we told Brad he got the job. Shoot, the best way I can describe it, and I don't want this to sound disrespectful in any way. Do you have children? Do they do sports at all? When they do something, set a personal best or something, the joy that I have for them supersedes any joy I could have for myself. That's when you're totally invested. When he got that job, I thought, 'Oh my gosh, I'm getting to watch, in person, a man get his dream job.' I'm watching him calling his mom and wife and say, 'I'm the general manager of the Detroit Lions.' I think I was more excited for him than he was for him. I think I actually kissed him on his head. I might have. I don't know. But that's the definition of being a teammate. It was so cool.


"Yeah, man, just watching Dan after a win and seeing these guys are getting to live their dreams. Man, how cool is that you get to witness it from the outside in, but you're on the inside still, which is a unique position to be in."



Q: So what's been your biggest challenge in this role?


Spielman: "I still hate... I promised myself when I took this job, I wasn't going to become what I was as a player. I'll say this, my family, when I was a player and we'd lose, they'd often mention they'd never seen someone living a dream who is so freaking miserable. I promised myself that I was not going to ride the emotional rollercoaster like I did as a player because I don't want to be that person again.


"And I've been able to control it, but it's been challenging, at times. It just is. I gave this piece of advice to my brother one of the years he was going through a rough season (in Minnesota). And I've said this to coaches here, too, 'Here's the thing with football, man. This game will either control you completely or you can have some control over it. It's all about how you respond. It's how you respond to losing.'



"I don't think I would be the best for the organization, or I don't think coaches would be the best for this organization, if this game that we all love completely controls us. It just can't because then you can't be balanced. I preached this to my kids, and anybody that knows me knows I try to live this way around here and everywhere — besides my language, I think I do a good job — I always try to be balanced, mentally, physically and spiritually, all the time. When you're consumed, you get out of balance and you're miserable.

"I don't want people to be miserable, I want them to enjoy what it is to be in the NFL. I try to share that message with people all the time. And I have the freedom to say whatever I want to anybody. I do it respectfully and they can take it or leave it. It comes back to my very first point, about earning trust in a business where that's sometimes hard to do. I hope everybody in this organization knows that the only thing I have in mind is their best. I have the best intentions for them and that's the only thing I care about for them."


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Q: Were you less involved with coaching last season than during your first year back?


Spielman: "No, I was just more focused on the linebackers (in 2021). I think that was the way for me to be the most beneficial to the organization, so I went over and consumed myself. Plus, it helps me give a better, honest evaluation to Sheila and to whoever else I may give it to. I know the scheme defensively. I know what everybody is supposed to do. I know where everybody is going.

"Now, after a year with the offense, and I got better as the year went on, I know the scheme offensively and what people are supposed to be doing, where they're going, why it worked or why it didn't work."


Q: So your focus is more spread out during practices these days?


Spielman: "Right. The best way to put it is when you're operating — this probably doesn't make sense, but it makes sense to me — when you're operating on the inside with outside eyes, sometimes you're the first to see something. I think that's a value I bring to all relative parties."



Q: What do you think of the job linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard has done?



Spielman: "Like any coach, I think the thing for Shep, the one thing you want to be, think of all the coaches you like and hears advice, take it or leave it, the only thing, be consistent. If you're going to be high energy, be high energy every single day. There's no right or wrong way to do that. The great coaches, there are all different ways in how they do it.

"His personality, his instincts, his passion for football, it's awesome. He's going to be a great coach. He's a great position coach. He's smart. He's going to be a coordinator one day. And I do think he has some of the leadership abilities to develop into a possible head coach. Who knows? You just don't know, but he's well on his way. And I think he's a natural, man. He's a natural coach. It's fun to watch. It's fun to watch guys that two years ago, three years ago, when Shep was whatever he was at LSU (Director of player development), but now he's sitting here and is a position coach here in the NFL and is doing a great job with those guys."



Q: What you're saying is you can go a long way in this profession if you're smart, authentic and can communicate?



Spielman: "That's the cool thing about this, everybody speaks openly and honestly. Nobody is afraid to offend anybody. 'Hey man, did you think about that?' You know. You've been in locker rooms for a long time. You can't have thin skin, man. If you have thin skin, you need to find another line of work, you just do. But it's pretty cool, actually. And yeah, I get pretty excited when I see him. I love it. I try to somewhat live vicariously through him a little bit, but I do with all these guys."



Q: How do you like the way the young linebacking talent on the roster is developing?


Spielman: "I'll let Shep talk about the evaluations of the players. My role is to share that with those guys. That's not my role to share that publicly."




Q: That's fair. Let me try asking about one of those guys a little differently. Malcolm Rodriguez was knocked for his size coming out of college, but it didn't seem to hinder him much as a rookie. Did his ability to immediately produce alter anything in your own evaluation process?



Spielman: "That's not hard: Does a guy make plays or doesn't he? He made plays in college, so why wouldn't he make them in the NFL? Let's not overthink this. That was my evaluation process. He makes plays, he tackles the guys within the 3 yards of the line of scrimmage. I'm good. Next guy."



Q: What do you think this defense needs?


Spielman: "I'll pass on answering that."



Q: You were playing for the Lions during the team's last stretch of true success (two division titles, four playoff berths and a playoff win in five seasons). Do you see any obvious similarities to what's happening now to that era?


Spielman: "The mentality of the team back then was, it was what we described as what teammates are, right? And we had some hard dudes, just hard, like Bennie (Blades), William (White), (Mark) Spindler, Jerry Ball, George Jameson, Kevin Glover, Lomas (Brown). Obviously, we had the super talented, best ever in Barry (Sanders). Herman Moore, fierce competitor.



"So why does this have a chance? I really believe in this formula. It's probably an anti-formula when a lot of people are hiring coaches now, but when you can take a leader who has the mindset of going out to the abyss and treading water longer than the next guy and watching him die, when you can take that mentality and convey it to a 2020's player and have them buy into that mentality, that's when you've got a chance, a real chance. I don't know if everybody, every organization thinks like that. But I know our guy is really good. You know the story, right. Everyone thinks he's a rock head, meathead. He's not. He's really smart. I sit in meetings with him and he's really, really bright."


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Q: Do you think any of Campbell's meathead persona is an act, designed to lull the competition into a false sense of security?



Spielman: "I don't know. I think his personality is like that. I don't think it's intentional. I think he gets going. What you saw on "Hard Knocks" and what you saw in his first press conference is genuine as all get-out, but he's really smart.


"You can be two things at once. I'm relatively calm today, but I'm a smart-ass who can be sarcastic and have fun. For me, the one quality that he has, he's one of the best leaders I've seen in my whole life. I watched this guy for five straight years and there was something I was drawn to and I didn't know what it was. And once I got involved here, I started hitting up all the folks I know and everybody had the same thing (to say). Nobody had anything different to say about the dude.



"Every feeling that I had about that guy, this unique leadership quality, where he can take the mentality you need to be successful in the NFL and be able to relate it to today's modern player, I don't know of anybody that does it better than he does. And that's why I think this team will ultimately get where it needs to go."



Q: At your introductory presser, you expressed an interest in learning more about the salary cap. Have you been able to dip your toes into that area, as well?



Spielman: "Well, I just ask a bunch of questions. We hired Brandon Sosna. He's a really smart guy, man. He and (Disner), I'll ask a bunch of questions, they'll explain it to me, I learn, then keep asking questions. I want to know. I want to be a part, not for my own gain, but for the opportunity to be able to help in any area. If Brandon is doing, you know how you come up with projections for (contract) numbers, looking at comparables? We'll sit and talk about those comparables or whatever, why that guy is getting paid this, why that guy gets paid that. So I feel like I can be a little bit of a help to him in that regard. I think it's been great. I think it's been great for Mike, because with his role as COO — and Mike is, oh man, he's such a talented guy. Young, really smart, and the cool thing is, I have really honest conversations with Mike. He takes so much joy and pride in being a Lion, man. It's just fun to watch him. The same joy I had for Brad when he was named general manager is the same joy I had for Mike when Sheila and Rod named him COO. It's just so cool, man. It's the best."



Q: You kind of sound like you're a proud dad.


Spielman: "It does, doesn't it."




Q: Is that almost how you view this, like it's an extension of your family?



Spielman: "It is. Yeah, and with that, there's going to be hard times. But as a husband and a father, you gotta stand through those storms and hold strong. That's just our duty. I believe it is. I don't know if everyone believes that, but I believe it is and it's something I take very seriously.



"I want everybody to feel like I have their backs. I want Ray Agnew to feel like I have his back. I want Lance Newmark or Rob Lohman or Lindsay or Brian, I want everyone to feel like I've got your back, man. I'm going to be there. What do you need? We've got a shit storm coming, what can I do? How can I help? What do you need from me? Roxanne Caine (vice president of Detroit Lions Foundation and community relations), I've been raising money since 1998. How can I help with fundraising? Well, here's an idea we did back in 2006, let's look at that. My wife Carrie is involved with Holly Campbell, Gail Disner, Lisa Holmes, Carrie Martin and Kathy Agnew with the Detroit Lions Academy. We're all in this. It has to be actions. All those words I said at my press conference, if I didn't do any of it, I'd be a fraud. I couldn't even sit here and look at you in the face. It would just be awful. I couldn't live with myself like that."




Q: Your emotion and passion are clearly coming through as you answer some of these questions.


Spielman: "Why would I leave a great career, a perfect home with my wife Carrie, coming from my situation with our blended family, all that? Finally getting everything done and set and, wham, we're in Bloomfield Hills, or we're living in the Westin in downtown Detroit. We're doing a new job, and, by the way, we're moving away from all of your family and my family and my kids, who are older, fine, they're in college, I get that. We're leaving this home that we just bought, we're selling it and we're moving because it's something I believe in, man. It's something I'm a part of.



"Look, I know what I am. Football is in me. It's not the most important thing in my life. My faith, my family, then football. But I never succeeded as a player and I have one more chance to succeed. Success is defined as winning a Super Bowl. I didn't succeed. I fell short. So I have one more shot. I asked her, 'Do you want to take a shot at this with me?' She said, 'Yeah, sure, why not? Let's go.' So here we are."



Q: Looking ahead, what more do you want to do in this current role?


Spielman: "Do you know who the Apostle Paul is? Paul said, 'I have to be all things to all people.' I just want to be all things to all people. That's the goal."



jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers