Mr.TaterSalad

He's going to spend it, just not the way we want him to spend it quite possibly. I think Brad and Dan would rather spread the money around and bring in 2-3-4 good/nice players than spend it on 1 great or elite player. So if this scenario below were to play out and you gave Brad/Dan the choice of who they'd sign, I think they would choose option 2. I hope I'm wrong and we can get ourselves one of those marquee, elite defensive players. Option 1 Trade draft capital to the Chiefs for L'Jarius Snead and sign him to a long-term deal at something like 4 years, $76.0 million at $19mil per season with $35 million guaranteed. Option 2 Keep all their draft capital and not trade it for Snead but rather spend it in the draft on picks or to move up for a player they like. Resign Josh Reynolds at 2 years, $14 million Sign CB Stephon Gilmore to a 1 year, $10 million Sign G Kevin Zeitler to a 1 year, $7.5 million

Do we at all think the Lions see Sutton and Mosley as their CBs #1 and #2 and don't address the position with either a big time free agent signing or high draft pick?

What an absolute ****ing cretin this guy is. A clod of the highest magnitude. An ignorant vote can be one of the most dangerous weapons out there and this dude proves it. The average woman has contribute far more than I'm sur you've ever contributed to society bud.

Some people will hate this and find it a boring or poorly done acoustic cover of an Iron Maiden classic. However, I really enjoyed this folky/REM-style spin on Iron Maiden's Wasted Years. If you ever wondered what it would be like to hear Michael Stipe, Cat Stevens, or James Taylor sing an Iron Maiden song, well wonder no more.

I think we're all largely on the same page here, just saying it in different terms. I have said in this thread and others, that I think they draft for talent and culture fit, but that the culture has to fit in order for the talent to be considered. I've used Jalen Carter as a recent example of. If a guy like Carter is supremely talented and checks that box, but doesn't check the culture fit box, they will pass on him every time. The player they are looking to draft has to have a coachable attitude and be willing to learn from the staff. They have to love/respect/value football as much as they do. Otherwise, they're not going to get drafted, regardless of talent level. Players like an Antonio Brown, Chase Young, Jalen Carter, Vontez Burfict, etc. would never get drafted by this organization, as much as we the fan may want a guy like that because they simply don't fit the culture.

This is how In feel the front office is going to operate as well. I would be surprised, pleasantly so, if they broke the bank and went out and signed or traded for a player like Hunter, Jones, Snead, etc. I think we are looking at the B-tier, day 3 or 4 free agents that can be signed to terms that are more team friendly and are not 4-5+ year, $100 million or higher deals. I think they have a plan and won't be deviating from it, especially in light of the success they had with it just this past season.

I think our playoff chances just went down dramatically now. I expect us to get passed by the Lightning and maybe even be a game or two ahead in the standings by the time Larkin returns. Those Colorado and Vegas games on our mini west coast swing look real tough now.

Holmes has shown a willingness time and again to trade up. He could have jumped the Patriots for Gonzalez if he really wanted to do so. Considering Porter Jr. was selected #32 overall, he could have picked Porter Jr. over Campbell. They clearly had a draft board that had Campbell slotted very close to or higher than Gonzalez and certainly higher than Porter Jr. Whereas I think the average fan would have said they have a serious need at CB and taken Porter Jr. over Campbell and likely Gonzalez over Gibbs.

Why do you think they took Campbell over a guy who was nominated for Defensive Rookie of the Year Porter Jr.? Do you think they had Gonzalez slotted higher than Porter Jr. on their board? My contentions here are a few different things. First, just because we as fans see a need doesn't mean the organization feels the same way or feels it is as pressing as we do. Sometimes what fans see and the organization sees align and sometimes not. Edge/DE/pass rusher is an example of this. Most Lions fans have said we need to get someone to bookend Aiden and help us get pressure on the QB from the opposite side of the field or the interior. Their answer was to stick with and/or resign guys they already have in Cominsky, Harris, Houston, Okwara. My other contention is they have a draft board where they rank players based on talent and fit, regardless of positional need or value. Fans (I know I do) get hung up on positional value and need all the time and then get disappointed when the front office doesn't address it as they feel they should. I think this front office takes the top talent on their board, who fits their culture, regardless of positional need or value. That's why they took Gibbs over Carter, Gonzalez or Porter Jr. when most fans would have done the opposite. I also think they refuse to break the bank or deviate from their plan in free agency to try and address a perceived need. Daniel Jeremiah has mocked us taking a Guard, Zach Frazier from West Virginia, in his latest mock. Let's say the Lions didn't add a starting CB on the free agent or trade market and then went out and took a Guard in the first round. I know fans would be upset if they took a Guard over a CB after not making a major addition at the position. But should they be surprised by this front office doing such a thing? I would argue no because they draft for talent/fit and aren't going to be pigeonholed into taking a guy, or signing a free agent, out of desperation based on a perceived need. Furthermore, with Mosley coming back and a guy in Chase Lucas in the room, they may like what they have a CB. While I do highly doubt they like their CB room as it stands now, it would not shock me if they didn't make a major upgrade at the position. Good thing for us, they are a heckuva a lot smarter and know what they are doing. In Holmes I trust!

There were still other CBs on the board, including one who was nominated for Defensive Rookie of the Year, and they chose to pass on them because they had other guys, like Gibbs, higher on their board. Even when they traded back people were still clamoring for one of the CBs in Christian Gonzalez and Joey Porter Jr and they passed on them for a guy they ranked ahead of him. That's all I was meaning to say by that.

I think that is Holmes' exact mindset. If they have a need at CB but none of the corners on their board grade out as highly a the guard on their board, they're always going to take the talent that grades out higher. They don't draft for need. They draft for talent and culture fit more than anything. This is a BPA front office in the draft, so as long as that guy fits their culture. Hence why they passed on a guy like Jalen Carter, who is immensely talented, but doesn't fit their culture.

Right. I don't feel that will happen with this regime. Brad Holmes and co. seem to be very smart with the cap and their finances. They seem to prioritize their own players that they can draft and develop over spending big in free agency like prior Lions regimes have done. Those expecting a Trey Flowers type signing and contract should temper their expectations. That's ok too because this regime clearly knows what the hell it's doing. They have a plan and it has thus far gotten them to an NFC Championship and was a half away from a Super Bowl. While I'd like to make one major, marquee defensive signing in free agency, I'll be ok if they don't because we clearly have competent people running things around here now.

This is what we the fans and media think. They might not think that though. Everyone wanted them to draft Jalen Carter, an edge rusher, or a CB last year in the draft. Instead, they took a RB and an off-ball LB in the first. They may feel fine with their CB room and like what they have with Emmanuel Moseley returning off injury and the chance to develop one of their own draft picks in Chase Lucas. Fans have been screaming for more help when it comes to pass rushing since they drafted Aiden. Someone to support Hutch on the defensive front. Their response was to resign Charles Harris, John Cominsky, and Romeo Okwara. They may like what they have with Houston as well. I wouldn't be shocked at all if their free agency period consisted of no major, marquee signings. I wouldn't at all be surprised if it involved something like getting a starting Guard, another depth Olineman, a 3rd string WR, and depth signings along the DL and at the CB position.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network mocked us to take Zach Frazier, a Guard from West Virginia. I think this is the correct mock for the Lions and this front office. They do things opposite of fan and most media expectations. Everyone is screaming for a CB or pass rusher and they'll shore up their OL with a young, cheap Guard who is the BPA on their board. That likely means they will have let Jackson walk too. Don't expect this regime to draft for need or take a player at a position you would. They will draft the person who is the BPA on their board, regardless of position. No one expected them to draft a RB and an off-ball LB in the 1st and yet they did last year. No one expected them to trade up for a WR and yet they did. No one expected them to take two DTs back-to-back and yet they did. No one expected Hendon Hooker in the 3rd round. None of this is a problem as this front office has a great eye for talent and knows what they are doing in the draft unlike prior regimes.

He's 28 years and this will likely be his last opportunity at a big contract. I would guess he'll want a 4 year plus deal. I've seen projections of north of $20 million per for Wilkins too. These aren't the types of contracts and players we will be signing IMO. I'd like to sign one of the marquee free agents like Wilkins, but I don't think we will be. It's best to lower expectations now, that way you won't be disappointed later.

Well, we're fighting today, but we're not scoring.

Where I work we can win free tickets weekly to the Wings games, so I usually go when I win them. Didn't win any this week though. Today, I looked at going down to LCA and the cheapest seats are $170 a piece plus service fees on gameday. Bleep that. Also we have the dreaded back-to-back coming up on the schedule. At least one of the games is against Arizona.

What's the point of the photo above? Above as much point as this photo I guess.

Brodric Martin had one of the worst RAS scores of all time among DTs. Does that mean a whole lot? Maybe, maybe not. They're a lot smarter than me, so I hope they see something far more than the average fan does because his numbers aren't that good.

I've seen Nate Wiggins CB from Clemson mocked to the Lions before. He ran a 4.28 in the 40 at the combine. Teez Tabor he is now.

Take the ACA as another example. Some of the best things the ACA did were its most progressive, big government ideals. Things like being on your parents healthcare until your 26, expanding Medicaid to cover more Americans, and having the government step in and regulate big insurance companies so they could not discriminate on the basis of preexisting conditions. Some of the more free market promises it made, around lowering costs and premiums through exchanges did happen at some level, but not to the extent I think initially promised. The ACA is another example of where bigger government and more regulation and price controls can help the average American.

I should have added union-busting railroad workers to my list above as well.

Iffy never showed a thing in first two seasons and yet broke out in year three. This coaching staff seems to have a knack for developing players.

I'm all for compromise, it's just what the center/moderate wing of the Democratic Party have been willing to compromise on that disgusts me and lots of other people on the left. Most notably among the worst compromises of all time is the Iraq War. 500,000 Iraqi civilians and over 4,440 servicemembers died because cowardly politicians in the center acquiesced to George DubyaMD Bush out of political fear. They voted to send people into a meatgrinder, on a nation build without an exit strategy. One of them being the current President and another one being our last presidential nominee. Off the top of my head, here are a host of other issues I feel the center has compromised on that made things actively worse for the average American. Issues I believe that politicians on the left largely would not comprise on. There are a few cases below where politicians on the left, including Bernie Sanders, did shamefully vote in favor of. Adopting Gramm-Leach-Bliley (Financial Services Modernization Act) in place of Glass-Steegall Biden using Title 42 border policy that Trump did (Bill) Clinton refusing to take real action to stop an active genocide in Rwanda (Hillary) Clinton supporting a coup in Honduras and then wanting to send refugees and migrants back to the region she helped destabilize Deregulating high-risk derivatives trading through the Commodity Futures Modernization Act Giving China permanent, normalized trade relation status Joining the CAFTA trade agreement Joining the NAFTA trade agreement Passing the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1994, aka welfare reform, that doubled the extreme rate of poverty in America Passing the Riegle–Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act Passing the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that deregulated big media and ruined local control over radio airwaves Passing the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (the 1994 Crime Bill) and other tough on crime legislation (Yes, Congressman Sanders voted for this one and shame on him for doing so) Preventing LGBTQ individuals from marrying who they love by adopting DOMA Prioritizing the budget surplus over more economic and social welfare programs Removing the public option from the ACA because of Joe Lieberman Repealing Glass-Steegall measures that kept the economy on solid financial footing for decades after the Great Depression Repealing the Fairness Doctrine Replacing AFDC with the TANF program Supporting human torture through the use of "enhanced interrogation" Supporting warrantless wiretapping and the Patriot Act The current far-right border bill: Secure the Border Act of 2023 The TARP bank bailouts instead of having a bailout for homeowners like they should have done US membership into GATT US membership into the World Trade Organization

Sorry, I couldn't resist the Sopranos reference. Acquiring Maxx Crosby, even if he were on the market, would be a trade price I don't think this front office would pay. Just as I don't think they'd pay the price to sign a Brian Burns or Josh Allen were they available.