MichiganCardinal

Probably means Detroit will have to sacrifice a home game next year to go international.

I don’t think a lottery makes sense in a league where rebuilding a take at least five years and more commonly closer to ten. I don’t think lotteries make sense period really, but if any sport was going to employ one, it would seem like the NFL would make the most sense because of the potential quick turnaround and the shortened season. In the NHL, if you tank, you’re still going to suck for another couple of years, even assuming you build it back up properly.

I did the schedule prediction competition in the Lions app and this is what I came up with. If I had to predict primetime games I would say @ Chiefs (TNF Season Opener), v. Raiders (MNF), v. Falcons (Thanksgiving), @ Saints (SNF), and @ Vikings (MNF).

I'm old enough to remember when Shane Morris was projected as a #1 pick in a way-too-early mock.

The problem with him wanting to be a starter is that he’s not exactly durable himself.

I have never heard Nate Sudfeld talk, and I think the Lions are perfectly okay keeping it that way. No one wants to deal with fielding questions about the backup QB. No one cares. If a team deals with 49ers type of injuries at the QB position, I could see him getting a private tryout, but no one in their right mind is going to take him on to be QB2.

Cam Newton doesn’t have a job because he (a) sucks, and (b) would be a distraction as a backup quarterback, which absolutely no one wants. I refer this story to (b).

I’m looking forward to Jamo and Gibbs at the same time. I think if we get the as-advertised Jamo we are looking at two threats who can do similar things and you can’t cover them both.

No, but I do think that if you’re trading someone you’re worried will burn you, you may aim away a little.

No one can say I didn’t try to get us off this Seattle/Detroit comparison topic.

This is probably right.

Speaks of how little they think of him if the Browns offer was at all comparable and they sent him to a likely conference rival.

TIL

The whole thing is really odd. Campbell consistently does better on his mocks than anyone at ESPN, CBS, SI, or NFL Network, yet he works for a dude whose website looks like it was built by a high schooler in the late 90s.

I do like Charlie Campbell (I know, everyone is surprised), but I take his praise with a grain of salt. I like what the Lions did, but some of Campbell’s praise seems like confirmation bias. He wasn’t going to have his mock say to pick Gibbs, Campbell, and LaPorta, watch them pick those three, and then say it was bad. At the very least with the contacts he clearly has within the org, I’m sure it wouldn’t be good business to criticize the draft choices that they partially leaked. I still like most of what they did, and Campbell’s mocks will be a source of much attention next year. But the praise I take in context.

In a league where so much changes week-to-week, let alone year-to-year, I don’t think looking back at past years and past matchups indicates future success or outcomes at all. The Lions got shutout by the Patriots last year, I don’t think that means we are a worse team than them until we beat them. Last time the Bucs played the Lions, Robert Prince was our interim coach while the rest of the staff had COVID and we lost 47-7. That doesn’t mean the Bucs are better than us until we play them this year. It’s a week-to-week league. The Chiefs will beat the Texans 9/10 times they play. That doesn’t mean if the 1/10 happens, the Texans are better than the Chiefs until they play again.

Post-draft Power Rankings Elite: (1) Kansas City Chiefs, (2) Philadelphia Eagles, (3) Cincinnati Bengals, (4) Buffalo Bills Very Good: (5) San Francisco 49ers, (6) Miami Dolphins, (7) Detroit Lions, (8) Dallas Cowboys, (9) Pittsburgh Steelers Good: (10) Baltimore Ravens, (11) Seattle Seahawks, (12) Jacksonville Jaguars, (13) New York Jets Average: (14) Los Angeles Chargers, (15) New York Giants, (16) Atlanta Falcons, (17) New Orleans Saints, (18) Minnesota Vikings Not Good: (19) New England Patriots, (20) Green Bay Packers, (21) Cleveland Browns, (22) Tennessee Titans, (23) Los Angeles Rams, (24) Chicago Bears, (25) Denver Broncos Very Bad: (26) Indianapolis Colts, (27) Carolina Panthers, (28) Houston Texans, (29) Tampa Bay Buccaneers Putrid: (30) Washington Commanders, (31) Las Vegas Raiders, (32) Arizona Cardinals

UDFA Mohamed Ibrahim from Minnesota received $100k in guaranteed money. Have to wonder if he will compete to push Craig Reynolds off the 53-man. Could be a running back room that returns no one if so.

I think Hooker is the one trying out this year, with the second team and practice squad. He’ll have a shot to dethrone Goff, but the bar is very high and it’s Goff’s job to lose, not Hooker’s to win. Goff does well = extend Goff, workin 2024 to create situations that showcase Hooker for possible trade partners in 2025 (unless Hooker looks like Mahomes or something crazy) Goff does meh or worse and Hooker looks good = create a transition plan Both Goff and Hooker look meh or worse = status quo, go into 2024 without an extension

One of the more encouraging pieces for me regarding winning the North is Campbell’s record against the North. I think he sees those games as the must win and motivates the boys even more. We were 5-1 against the North last year (should have been 6-0) and even our 3-13-1 season, two of the wins were in-division.

I think it's ok to be cautiously optimistic while also acknowledging that on paper there are very few excuses out there for the Lions to not succeed this season.

Bears could win anywhere between 3 and 9 games depending on whether Fields is the real deal. Methinks he is not.

True enough, I hope he makes a difference and makes Holmes look much smarter than us. Though I do think his task (run stuffing) is different from what the team is really missing, an interior pass rush. I think you are right about how they used Pashcal in 22. He was drafted as a bit of a tweener. I think based on the needs of the team though they should have him gain ten pounds or so and move more frequently inside. There’s too many mediocre cooks at edge, he could get more snaps and be more useful inside.

I agree. I’m not sure what they have in mind, but I doubt they go into the season with the $19MM in cap space they have now.