Mr.TaterSalad

Same for me and probably a lot of Lions fans. We'd be poking a lot of eyes out from the excitement if that was our offseason haul. Again, I would prefer Jamel Dean over Bradberry because he is younger and more productive. But we're going to have to break the bank I feel to either get Dean away from Tampa Bay or outbid another team.

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-2023-free-agent-rankings-free-agency PFF has contract projections for their top 100 free agents. All of my other numbers were based off of prior contracts and the contractual value of players in that same range.

Reynolds or Jackson will be bumped to being the practice squad back.

So I ran a mock off-season of sorts using this cap simulator from Over the Cap and the PFF Mock Draft Simulator. My numbers are probably nowhere close to accurate and I have zero idea who we are and aren't resigning. So this is a shot in the dark. After resigning all of our own guys we have $22,027,438 in cap space or free agents and draft picks. That number went down by $12 million after making a big splash signing of James Bradberry at Corner. In the mock draft, Jalen Carter fell to me and so there was no way I wasn't drafting him. Cut Pre 6/1: Romeo Okawara - Saves $7.5 approx. million in cap space Michael Brockers - Saves approx. $10 million in cap space Charles Harris - Saves approx. $4 million in cap space Cut Post 6/1: Halapoulivaati Vaitai - $9.5 million in cap space *I thought about trying to restructure Vaitai's deal to so we could extend out the cap hit for this season. I wouldn't be opposed to him returning at all given the right cap number. Resigned: Nate Sudfeld (QB) - 1 year, $1.08 million with $1.08 million guaranteed Jamal Williams (RB) - 3 Years, $12.5 million with $8.25 million guaranteed Justin Jackson (RB) - 1 year, $1.25 million with $1.25 million guaranteed Craig Reynolds (RB) - 1 year, $980,000 with $980,000 guaranteed DJ Chark (WR) - 3 years, $35 million with $24 million guaranteed Brock Wright (TE) - 3 years, $7.5 million with $4 million guaranteed Shane Zylsta (TE) - 2 years, $1.25 million with $600,000 guaranteed Matt Nelson (LT) - 1 year, $1 million with $1 million guaranteed Dan Skipper (C/G) - 1 year, $900,000 with $900,000 guaranteed Evan Brown (C/G) - 3 years, $7.5 million with $4 million guaranteed Tommy Kraemer (G) - 1 year, $850,000 with $850, guaranteed Isiah Buggs (DE) - 2 years, $3 million, with $600,000 guaranteed John Cominsky (DT) - 2 years, $4 million with $2 million guaranteed Josh Woods (LB) - 1 year, $1.25 million with $1.25 million guaranteed Mike Hughes (CB) - 2 years, $1.625 million with $425,000 guaranteed DeShaun Elliot (S) - 2 Years, $3 million with $1 million guaranteed CJ Moore (S) - 1 year, $825,000 with $825,000 guaranteed Bobby Price (S) - 1 year, $925,000 with $925,000 guaranteed Not re-signed: Alex Anzalone, Amani Oruwariye, Anthony Pittman, Austin Bryant, Benito Jones, Chris Board, Michael Badgley, Scott Daly, Ross Pierschbacher, Will Harris Big Splash Free Agent: James Bradberry (CB) - 2 years, $24 million with $16.5 million guaranteed *I wanted Jamel Dean here but the asking price, per PFF, looks to be around $17 million/per year with a $47.5 million guaranteed price tag. I didn't have the cap space to offer Dean that type of deal and so I opted for the cheaper, older, less talented but still very good James Bradberry instead. Draft:

I didn't realize Brandi Carlile was opening for Pink. I could care less about Pink for the most part but am tempted to go just to see Carlile whom I love.

Does it concern anyone that Bijan Robinson was largely invisible and ineffectual against the two best teams he played all year? He had only 12 attempts and 29 yards against TCU with 2.4 YPC and then 21 attempts 57 yards with 2.7 YPC against Alabama. No TDs in either game.

Bill Bonds is a Detroit icon that only we can understand, relate to, laugh with, and roll our eyes at. I doubt there were many major news markets that had a guy as open, honest, and expressive as Billy was.

Does having a Hall of Fame Running Back retiring via a fax count as uniquely Detroit?

This. A second round pick has to be a starting player on the team. That's the expectation when you pick a guy that early in the draft. If the Lions want a suitable backup for Goff they have had every opportunity to go out and sign a big name veteran like Andy Dalton or Baker Mayfield and they haven't. The guy we're drafting in the second round though needs to be a starter on this team, not someone's long-term backup.

I'm completely against using anything other than one of our first round picks or a late round pick on a QB. To me, either we're picking one of Young, Stroud, or Levis in the first or we're not taking a QB at all until sometime after the fourth round. I get that Jalen Hurts was a second round selection and now he's leading his team to a Super Bowl. But Hurts is by far the exception, not the rule. Here are a list of other second round QBs taken since the year 2000. Other than Derek Carr (and Hurts) there is no one on this list I would want starting on the Lions. And in the case of Carr, he's no better than Goff. We have a unique opportunity to make a hugh, positive impact on our roster with four picks in the first two rounds. I'm not burning one on a QB if Goff is our long term starter and the success rate of that person panning out is incredibly low.

Do you think Cardinal's scenario could also be true though that there is a greater than 50% chance 3 QBs are taken in the top 5?

I think in that scenario the NFL would admit that they got the Sehawks/Rams game wrong with officiating, declare the Rams the winner instead, and move the Lions pick back 2 slots LOL. In all seriousness, I think there is a better than at least 40% chance that between the current teams and a team trading up, 3 QBs could go in the top 5. That is the best scenario for us IMO if we aren't planning on taking a QB ourselves, which I don't think we are. The question then becomes, who do we want as lions fans between Anderson playing on the end/edge and Carter in the interior? More importantly, who would Brad Holmes and the staff want? I would personally rather have Anderson all day over Carter if given the choice. Anderson is a Bosa brothers/Chase Young-like pass rusher and can set the other edge, opposite Hutch, to get at the QB. Having two guys with double digit QB sack, hurry, and pressure potential on opposing ends of the line makes the entire defense better. It also improves our ability to set the edge as a means to contain both in the running game and against mobile QBs moving outside like Fields, Mahomes, Jackson, all of whom we are slated to play next year. Drafting Anderson, assuming he lives up to his potential and isn't a Jadeveon Clowney 2.0, instantly gives us one of the best lines in football.

Could fate change and make the Lions that lucky that in back-to-back years teams make stupid decisions and pass on the most talented player for the most athletic one? If we got Will Anderson at #6 I'd say we already won the 1st round of the draft regardless of what we do next.

Rodgers has to be number one because he is far and away the most talented player on the list and still probably has a few good years left in him. I also think Lamar Jackson needs to be added to this list because there is a real possibility that he's starting somewhere other than Baltimore next season. On the bottom of the list is Tom Brady because no one knows what he'll actually do and he legit started to look washed up last season in Tampa Bay. Brady to me would be the least appealing option, but if you're the Jets and you are trotting out the Ghost of Joe Flacco, Mike White, and Johnny Manziel-lite in Zach Wilson, you'll take a stab at Brady if you miss out on all the rest. I think Baltimore is the best opening for a QB if Lamar doesn't return there. The franchise has one of the best Head Coaches and coaching staffs in football, a great roster outside of the WR and RB positions, and a strong track record of winning and success. I think the Jets are the next most appealing opening. I feel they have a talented roster that could make the playoffs if you plug in a good QB. 1. Rodgers 2. Lamar Jackson 3. Carr 4. Draft Pick 5. Jimmy G 6. Brady

I think the Jets would absolutely break the bank to get him to unretire again. They have a good young core and a dreadful QB situation. They are a QB away from taking that next step.

I think he'll end up somewhere next year starting at QB. He ain't retiring, his ego won't let him. He already ruined his marriage and family life by choosing football over those who love him most, why stop now.

They are firing everyone after one year, so the hope isn't great for Ryans. The Texans are the new Browns of the 2000s and 2010s respectively. They'll be burning out coaches one right after the other so it seems.

And so the debate goes on of what do they need to become an elite team on the level of the 49'ers and Eagles and can they do it with Goff at QB. I'd say they absolutely can give that the 49'ers managed to be very good this year trotting out 3 different starting QBs.

I created an Alternative and Indie Country Music starter kit playlist on Spotify that I thought I'd share. Something to give friends, family, and those I interact with on the internet a good starting point for indie country and americana artists. What you won't find in this playlist are very many major record label artists, nor any modern bro or pop country crap. Little if any songs about tailgates, tan lines, and whatever crap they are signing about in modern "country" these days. What you will find is a collection of real country, americana, and folk music. You will find great song writing and incredible storytelling from true artists interested in making real music. Artists who aren't signed to major record labels, being told what to sing and write about. Enjoy as you wish. The embedded playlist below only displays 100 songs, but I have more than that in there if you click on it.

More good indie country to share with the world. This one is called Jericho Rose from Taylor McCall's self titled 2019 album.

Sometimes, when you're unsure of who to draft, you need to consult the NFL's foremost draft expert, Martin Mayhew. I called Martin up asking for advice and he was kind enough to oblige. We did a mock draft together and these are our results in the annual What Would Martin Mayhew Do Mock Draft.

They had a top 10 offensive line without Data I. I see no reason to keep him unless the dead cap money is too high to cut him. Otherwise find a guy to play Guard in the draft and move on.

When you look at the top two teams in the league for QB sacks, pressures, and ability to get after the QB, they are the two teams playing in the Super Bowl, Philly #1 and KC #2. The Eagles had 4 guys along with double digit sack totals, the Chiefs only had one in Chris Jones. But what these teams understand is that you can never put enough pressure on opposing QBs and that being able to get after a QB makes your defensive backfield look better too. Look at the game yesterday, the Chiefs were starting two rookies I believe at corner and it didn't effect them because Chris Jones and that defensive front were monsters going after Burrow. If we can have a three-headed pass rush monster with Hutch/Houston/Wilson up front I am all about that. Just as Paschel has versatility to slide along the line I believe Wilson, given his extreme athleticism lengthy body structure, can do the same. You can never have too many pass rushers in today's pass happy NFL.

I don't believe that either Jalen Carter or Will Anderson will be there when the Lions pick at #7. I'm also unsure that Myles Murphy will be available. One guy that I'm really interested in though is Tyree Wilson out of Texas Tech. Looking at all the teams that made the AFC/NFC Championship games they all have multiple game wreckers up on the defensive front 4. I'm of the opinion that a dominate front 4 can make your back 7 and/or your secondary look a lot better. My pre-combine view of a guy like Wilson is that he has the size, strength, length, and versatility to be a dominate DE/Edge guy in this league. 61 tackles, 14 TFL, and 7 sacks were his senior year numbers at Texas Tech, so the production is clearly there. The Draft Network: Tyree Wilson Scouting Report