MichiganCardinal

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.

Lions Kool Aid is available nationwide this year. Crazy as it sounds, I don’t think they’re that far away from an NFC Championship Game. Including even this year the possibility of the 49ers and/or Eagles dealing with injuries.

If he can stop the Philly Push he’ll be worth every penny

I think this is probably right. I think he really wanted to get a big fat run stuffing monster in the middle of the line, and they saw him as one of the few remaining options. He’s probably the kind of player that only goes in on obvious run plays to plug a hole and give Campbell and Anzalone the extra half second to make the highlight play. I know the glass-half-full analysis that comes out after every draft pick to every team called him a poor man’s Jordan Davis. Color me doubtful given Davis scores a 10 RAS and Martin was closer to 0 than 10. But couple the questionable pick along with trading three late picks to do so is just head scratching. We got Rodrigo and Houston in the 6th round last year, what could three 5ths have turned into? At the same time, Rodrigo and Houston are also probably evidence that I should sit down, shut up, and let Brad cook.

I didn’t know until I read the memo that the gambling policy wasn’t collectively bargained for. Seems like a mistake on the NFLPA’s part if the NFL is going to paint with 1/3 season strokes.

I’m still really perplexed by Broderick Martin. He’s earned the trust to make the move but it just seems so antithetical to everything he’s been about this whole time.

I know I go to that well a little much, but in the last two weeks leading up to the draft, he accurately mocked Gibbs, Campbell, and LaPorta to the Lions. He’s definitely got a contact in the org.

The norm is that corners take a little longer to develop as well. Obviously there are notable exceptions like Sauce Gardner, but generally there is a steeper learning curve to adjust to NFL wide receivers. Holmes has made it clear that the expectations are very high for this season. I can see them not wanting to have to deal with a secondary that is learning on the fly.

From WalterFootball.com Day Two Preview.... It's possible Birkett's comments could be speculation, but this is pretty confident, at least with respect to the Lions and Witherspoon.

It'll be interesting to see how they align the defensive backfield this year. You have two guys coming back from injury in Moseley and Walker, and you have Branch and CJGJ who can kind of go anywhere back there (at least slot and safety). There is still a lack of depth at the position too.

Yeah as others have said both Birkett and Charlie Campbell reported that the Lions were going to stick and pick if Witherspoon was there.

Beyond the grades… which are dumb even if I do them myself and pay attention to them despite my best efforts… What I give Holmes a lot of credit for is his improvisation and ability to work the board on the fly. In 2021 and 22, the choice was pretty obvious, the board fell largely as expected, and the Lions were able to orchestrate moves that they had planned out well in advance. This year, their favorite guy went early, and after that, no one expected the Seahawks to take Witherspoon. The Lions wanted him, and when he went, they very easily could have been caught with their pants down and taken Gonzalez or otherwise panicked to take someone they weren’t 100% on. Instead, he adapted and traded with the Cardinals (a team he didn’t even know could be looking to trade up when the night began). Beyond the first round, Holmes knew who he wanted, recognized when value was dropping, and played the board like a mastermind to get his guys. That’s not to say his guys will work, obviously I hope they do (even if I question the DT pick), but it’s just to say I think he got guys he wanted to get, and was in control the entire time. The Eagles are getting universal praise for their haul, which is deserved, but it’s not like Howie Roseman had to work that hard for what he got. They came in knowing that if Carter started falling they would move to get him. Nolan Smith fell into their laps. Sometimes dumb teams picking early make things easy for good teams picking late, and I think that’s what we saw the Eagles benefit from. OTOH, it seemed like the Jets and Giants were two teams that may have been caught with their pants down. I think the Jets wanted one of the three offensive linemen that went right before them, and when they were gone they panicked and took Will McDonald, rather than making something happen earlier and moving up, or making something happen and taking someone they love later on. Same for the Giants when they saw four straight WRs fly off the board.

I think they do have belief that a healthy Paschal will contribute. Last year was pretty much lost due to injuries, some of which he had in college… Levi not so much. I don’t think it was a conscious decision not to address it. I think there just weren’t DTs high on their board when they picked. I’d feel a lot better though if we had signed Calais Campbell though.

I think the value argument is so ridiculous when you could shuffle the players around and improve the grade. If Branch / Hooker / Gibbs / Campbell / LaPorta would be an A, I don’t know why Gibbs / Campbell / LaPorta / Branch / Hooker should be a B. It’s not like they went crazy or off the board and took Tavai. They just picked their guys on their own priority.

Normally I don’t give politician talk any space in my mind because they’re so full of themselves you can’t tell which end the words are coming from. But this is beyond outrageous. And from what I’ve seen (not that it matters), it might not even be true. There are claims on Twitter that at least some of the victims were lawful permanent residents. This should be grounds for public censure at least, if not recall. But he’ll probably just get some more fundraising donations out of it.

I have full faith they will choke in the most Leafs way possible.

It's possible. I could see them just paying Kyler for Caleb to play for them though.

I think what he has on Hooker is exactly right. Ideally, I'd like to see us pickup Bridgewater on a one-year deal, release Sudfeld, and have Hooker redshirt behind both Goff and Bridgewater, not even dressing this year. Then have him take over as QB2 in 2024, and if you like what you see, prepare for him take over as QB1 in 2025. Otherwise, extend Goff and cut weight.