NYLion

Yeah, it's hard to count them out but if they win the division with Geno, maybe they don't press as hard for a QB (keep in mind that they passed on QB many times in this last draft) but I forgot about Denver's pick, that certainly gives them an advantage to trade up if need be or just take a QB if Denver tanks.

The Giants and Seattle are playing themselves out of position to even trade up for a QB (possibly Atlanta too and they just drafted Ridder), Philly has the New Orleans pick so that takes them out of it. Maybe if Tampa tanks (doubtful), Vegas doesn't have the draft capital I believe. Niners? No chance, they have no draft picks and believe in Lance I'm sure. The only real threats are Houston, Carolina and Washington.

You can get a QB tutor for a lot cheaper than $30m especially considering that the Lions have a lot of other needs to fill. Kansas City could have afforded to do that with Alex Smith/Pat Mahomes because they had a really good team already. The Lions don't have the luxury of employing a $30m stopgap/tutor. If they decide that Goff isn't the guy and they have an eye on their franchise guy in the draft, cutting bait after this season is the right move/

But then you're clogging up the cap with a $30m backup/1 year stopgap when there are so many needs elsewhere and not much cap opened up next season to address them although I expect Okwara to be cut to free up some cap. The Lions have the pieces on offense to shelter a young QB so I don't think they need to keep Goff around just for the sake of vet presence and redshirt the rook. If you really want to get a quality stopgap, spend on the best backup on the market which would cost Chase Daniels money roughly then spend the $20m+ cap freed up from cutting Goff or the full $30m if they can move him to fill other areas of need. Hint - The defense needs a lot of help.

$30 million is average QB money nowadays. His dead cap declines significantly after this season so I firmly believe that the Lions can get a 3rd or 4th for him unless his play really craters this season. If there's no market for him, you cut him and save $20m in cap to fill other areas of need. Of course, you'd rather not throw a rookie into the fire right away but the Lions actually have a good situation for a young QB to come into assuming that they aren't ravaged with injuries again next season which, being the Lions and all, is never a safe assumption.

Goff is making the decision to draft a QB easier by the game. I realize that he's down a lot of offensive weapons but you just can't turn the ball over as much as he has. IT's a big reason why McVay moved on from him, because he had the propensity to make poor decisions with the ball but without the dynamic arm to make up for it like in the case of Stafford who also is turnover prone but is much more dynamic to make up for it. I was a backer of him earlier in the season but a veteran NFL QB simply can't turn the ball over as much as he has in games that were vital to get the team back on track. It's pretty much what he was advertised as. He's effective when things are going well around him and collapses like a deck of cards when adversity hits.

I frequent this other Lions board and there are multiple posters there who are criticizing Campbell for not being aggressive at the end of the first half which I completely disagree with because the Lions hadn't scored a touchdown since the Lincoln administration and were missing all their top offensive weapons They also got on Campbell for not challenging the Brock Wright spot which I also completely disagree with because there's not much benefit moving the ball from the 1 to the 1/2 yard line and the major downside of the refs screwing up the review and costing Campbell his challenge for the rest of the game. I'm certainly no fan of a lot of Campbell's coaching decisions this season but these two just seem like a case of criticizing the guy because it's the cool thing to do now.

I know he's down a lot of weapons but all you ask is that he not lose the game and he throws two dumb interceptions. I almost bought into him being a good QB for this team after a strong close to last season and strong start this one but it's apparent that QB is right near the top of the needs list.

This game was peak SOL, on so many levels. Holmbell now 4-18 and zero wins on the road. I know it's a rebuild but they aren't any better off with these guys it appears and yes, I get that there are some injuries but every NFL teams suffers injuries.

I don't know how I forgot about Jamaal but Harris has been a ghost outside of the Commies game (and who doesn't look good against them), I'm talking about Year 2 contributors btw, Harris was good last year. Anal Zone and Raymond are not feathers in his cap. Edit: Reynolds has been a good find. Holmes has a few decent signings now that I think about it. It just feels like such an empty cupboard and hard to see much positive the way this season is going. I do want to see what this team looks like when they get some healthy bodies back. Cominsky was very good before getting injured, nice to see Paschal back as well.

Yes, that's all I'm saying. I understand the reasoning behind the signing but it doesn't mean they weren't failed signings.

I think the general consensus was elation that Sewell fell to the Lions. The Fields love was mainly knowing that Sewell would likely be gone by 7 and that it would likely be a choice between Waddle, Smith, Parsons, Slater or one of the QBs.

They were signed to be the Lions top two receivers. Yeah, they were only signed as stopgaps but they were still failed signings, even if it's on a smaller scale. Chark was a bigger signing and he's been a disappointment thus far. Debate all you want about the meaning of a rebuild or whatnot but Holmes failed with these signings, I don't even know why that's being debated or even called "nonsense" for some reason. I get that it's a long term rebuild but as of right now where we stand today, very few of Holmes draft picks/signings are making any impact. My general point is, at what point does Holmes deserve some criticism? I find it interesting that some Lions fans are absolving him of blame yet have no problem throwing Campbell and Glenn in front of the firing squad as if they're supposed to get more out of this patchwork roster although, yes, they've made their fair share of errors as well.

I edited the post after you quoted it. Care to dispute any of my points? The team is 4-17 under Holmes and I know it's a rebuild but it's fair to start criticizing him when you're not seeing progress in Year 2 mainly because his players aren't contributing. Campbell and Glenn catch a ton of shit yet Holmes seems to get a free pass for some reason.

It doesn't matter. These were his notable FA signings and they failed, a dud is a dud regardless of length of contract. Chark looks to be another one since it doesn't appear he'll be back anytime soon based on his comments. I get that it's a rebuild but it doesn't mean that Holmes should be free of criticism. Two offseasons and two drafts and his only notable acquisitions/picks making impacts in Year 2 are St. Brown and to a lesser extent, Rodrigo. Ah, Sewell too but that one fell into his lap. All the others are either ineffective or injured.

His two "big" free agency signings last offseason didn't even get on the field and were subsequently cut. Chark has been ineffective when on the field and is oft injured himself. Maybe he turns it around but as of now, Holmes has done nothing to help the team in free agency, or at least very little. All duds. No long term commitments but duds nonetheless. I haven't touched on his propensity for drafting injured players but that's another rant for another time. I know it's a rebuild but Holmes hasn't really done anything of note outside of drafting St. Brown and Rodrigo which is partially why I have a hard time putting all the blame on the coaches. It's one of the worst rosters in the league, compounded by injuries.

Honestly not too concerned about the shooting. Once Burks and Livers are back in the lineup, they've got three guys in Bog, Burks and Livers that can shoot at a 40%+ clip from three. It will make a big difference for their three playmakers Cade, Ivey and Hayes to have these guys flanking them. This got me thinking, so I wonder what the rotation will look like when the injured return. The roster seems awfully crowded... Cade, Ivey, Bey, Bogdanovic, Stewart then you have Hayes, Burks, Livers, Bagley and Duren. Diallo, CoJo and Noel are phased out but I can't imagine Casey not going to these guys at times. I wonder how the minutes will be staggered.

That's an odd tweet but Birkett is known for that. "Bye Week didn't do wonders for their injury situation". Uh, their two best offensive players are back at practice. The other guys are fairly inconsequential in comparison, Chark might as well have not played at all this season, pretty much a non-factor. Another dud of a free agent signing for Holmes in a long line of them.

That game was a microcosm of what a young team is all about, both Orlando and Detroit. Big ups and downs, but It was highly entertaining to watch. The biggest thing that stuck out to me is that I didn't expect Duren to make this much impact this soon. Just one game but he looked like a young Amare Stoudemire out there, a better defensive version. Very impressive and I'll be interested to see how Casey monitors his minutes when Noel and Bagley return. I don't know if he's ready to be a starter yet but he's a better fit than Stewart if they insist on having Bey and Bogjanovic on the court at the same time. Ivey is a blur, as we knew already, but what I liked about his game tonight is that he was largely under control which is his biggest question mark. If he can learn how to play a different paces, look out league. IT won't be discussed much but CoJo and Hayes really kept this team afloat when it looked like Orlando was going to blow them out. They kicked off the comeback with CoJo's shotmaking and both of their defensive intensity, along with Duren. Bogdanovic awesome, exactly the type of vet that they need. Fun game overall. Loads of talent on both sides. Wagner is really impressive, I never thought in a million years that he'd be this good as a pro but he's the real deal.

Sure but when you're up by 10 midway through the 4th with the ball, you should expect to win every time. I get that there is a bigger picture thing and the Lions are still a ways off from being a good team but it doesn't make the frustration any less when they completely self destruct in a very winnable game.

The injuries are ridiculous. At one point, their two biggest offensive weapons (St. Brown and Swift) were limping off simultaneously in the 4th quarter of a close game, then Reynolds hurts himself trying to catch a ball when he's wide open and limps off the next play. That's the Lions in a nutshell right there. Still, they blew this game, flat out. Coaching and players both, choked. Oh and why was Hutch even out there? He was a ghost most of this game and I bet he was playing injured. I haven't even touched on Tracy Walker yet. Oh and that their prized 1st rounder, two 2nd rounders and 3rd rounder can't get on the field. What a mess

Some of the 4th down calls were fine but it was too much. At some point, you can't coach this game like a video game. Going for it near lidfield in the 2nd quarter I believe, was one that I vehemently disagreed with. I'm just an armchair coach but there's too many instances when I find myself thinking that Campbell coaches like an amateur at times. He's not a rookie coach anymore, he needs to start learning from his mistakes.

In the end, they choked the game away. There's no excuse for losing the game the way they did.

One mistake? Wasting timeouts AGAIN, going for the field goal from a mile away, went to the well too many times with 4th down calls, no creativity in the run game when they had the lead, going deep on a 3rd and 1 up by 10, Williams to the outside on 4th down. A few others as well. Just like the Eagles game, too many head scratching decisions.

SOL. Campbell is a complete amateur as a head coach. Way too many mistakes AGAIN to count right now. Very likeable guy, not suited to be a head coach IMO.