Jimbo

I am not impressed with this off season at all so far. Its not over but I would be surprised if a move happened before the trade deadline. Although lets not forget the Pistons are a very young team and all players will get better. They should be above 50 wins (unless injuries or something else happens) and I would take that bet in a heartbeat.

Like becoming a professional basketball is a choice that anyone would turn down. Any professional sports. But if your that athletic and you could choose, basketball is probably top of the list. I am sure basketball players have their own health issues when they get older although it might be the best for not having to deal with brain injuries that often. Any profession that deals with a lot of $, there is a lack of loyalty. There isn't loyalty with the players either in todays sports. I am also confused on what happened with him in Boston. Thought he wanted to go to a team he could be alpha. Was he annoyed that he took them to the playoffs but the team still thought Tatum was #1 and that annoyed him?

I would take a straight up trade of Durant for Duren. Just don't think this team can have both Thompson and Duren long term and I prefer Thompson.

I don't think the Dodgers trade for Skubal because they feel like they need him to win the WS. I think they trade him to keep him from going to a team like the Brewers. So that is the angle the Tigers need to go. You wait till the end and simply take the best option and play teams against each other. I am wondering if the situation next year will get more or less for Skubal. On one point, teams like the Dodgers might want to get another championship before there is a harder cap. On the other end, that is why you need top prospects with years of control. So it will be interesting.

Looking at the list, I think he is definitely a top 5 player I would start my team with based on talent and age. Honestly if teams were drafting, I think the only players I would put in front on him (now and future) would be SGA and Wemby. Luka is only 27 but doesn't play defense. Jokic is 31. Brunson is 29. Edwards is the same age but there is no doubt most teams would take Cade over him. Giannis is 31. Leonard is 34. I like Tatum more than most except he just came back from a major injury. Paulo should be a top 10 (I put him right after Cade and Edwards), especially after last playoffs and his age. I know this was based on current talent but his current talent level is still a top 5-10. Maybe Jokic, Giannis, and Brunson are better now but that is not even 100%.

I want all the Detroit teams to go for championships now. We went like 10 years without any playoffs so I was good with making the playoffs with a bright future. Although I feel like all teams have their bases (Wings are debatable) now and don't have early draft picks. Go for it and if you don't succeed then have a couple of years with retooling. Especially for the Pistons with a top 5-10 player in the league. If you swing and miss, the turnover shouldn't be that long. I am no longer happy with just being in the playoffs. I was good not swinging at the deadline because you needed to see what this team looked like in the playoffs and really we were ahead of schedule for our rebuild (less than 3 years away from a 14 win season). I am good with trading picks and/or any player/s (except Cade). We need a better #2 than a 33 year old. Tobias had a very good playoffs but your not going to win a championship with him being your #2. Duren is only 22 although unless he can all of a sudden have a mid range shot, he will never be a #2. The rest of the roster is very good and showed they can win games without Cade although we are not a championship team. Patience for all the Detroit teams is now gone. We need to start getting some championships.

This was a great trade for Detroit. You get two draft picks and a possible depth player with some salary cap relief for a 29 year old RB (when you already have a top 5 RB). The fact that we don't have a 3rd pick this year, adding a 4th round pick was very important. Also it seems like this year is deep with RB talent. Monty is a very good RB and loved his running style although with certain players getting big contracts we don't have the luxury of having veteran high salary depth. We need to add depth in the draft. So I don't think looking to add a RB in free agency isn't the solution. This is really where Holmes is going to show how good he is as a GM compared to other GMs. He had one of the best starts to being an NFL GM in history. Although the last couple of drafts have not been great (they could look better if some of the draft picks start to show up as good depth this year). To keep on being competitive you need to find ways to save $ (restructuring contracts), get good value with free agents, and find more of those contributing late draft picks.

Not sure any CB outside of Surtain is worth 2 1rsts Although for Arnold and Williams, he could be worth it

I think when Brad and Dan took over this franchise, the most important thing was to change was the culture. That is why I think his job was a lot harder than the others that he is being compared to. I do think its fare to compare him to the top GM's in the league now though. He is in discussion for the best GM in the league. I do not think his legacy will only be if he wins Superbowls although if he wants to be considered one of the best of his time or ever than that is something he should be judged on. In my opinion, his tenure is already a success. Taking the worst (or top 5) franchise in sports history to being very relevant and respected in a short time is already a great feat. Will he be the next Dombrowski or will he be a legend like Jack McCloskey/Ken Holland is the question.

Great post. I totally agree. This is the NFL and there are games like this all the time. This just seems like one of the worst games I saw them play in a while, especially after a bye week. Not sure if it was not being prepared, over confidence in the players, or just a combination of stuff. I definitely am not as confident in this team after this game although that's the NFL. Hopefully this is another one of those wake up games. Biggest concern is definitely the OL. Would love to see them add a couple of depth guys at the deadline.

A lot of experts and even just friends think this is their best year to win a superbowl. I personally think it all depends on the health of the team. I think that goes for all the top NFL teams. If we can prevent from any serious season ending injuries than I truly think we are the favorite this year. I think the Lions window is the next 3-4 years. For future years the biggest question will be who will be adding depth and eventually replace Decker. I think that will be a big focus in the draft next year. The other question will be can they resign all their 2023 draft picks. I actually think they can with some maneuvering. You can do that when you sign your own draft picks instead of overpaying in free agency and trade deadlines. That is why I don't think they are going to make a big splash at the trade deadline (unless a major injury happens on sun). They can use extra cap space next year which will help with resigning the 2023 guys. I expect them to trade for some depth. Their trade deadline will be getting injured players back.

I don't like the idea of giving a pitcher that will be almost 30 a 10 year contract. So I want to make that clear first. Especially with smaller market team that can't absorb that contract in the later years. I will say this though that giving any player a 10 year contract for a small market team is bad. Although if when you made the Cabrera contract, would you rather have Verlander and/or Scherzer or Cabrera? My opinion is the pitchers. Now its easy to say now after the results. I do understand that pitchers (especially high velocity pitchers) seem to fan out a lot sooner and if Cabrera could of controlled his weight we could of gotten more years out of him. Although if your a Tigers fan, who would you compare Skubal to besides Verlander? Verlander was a little younger when he started to dominate although I think Skubal has been slightly more dominant at this point and doesn't seem to be slowing down. The Tigers could spend some $ next year and go for a world series with Skubal and then let him test out FA while we retool in 2027 and let our top farm system go into the next run. It looks like some of the top young guys could also join our team next year either at the beginning or at some point.

So can the Tigers discuss with other teams Skubal's contract demands during trade discussions and what he would take from each team? Not even sure the Tigers, Boras, and Skubal have these type of discussions but I would hope they would. I would have zero issues with the Tigers giving him a 40mil for 6 years (maybe 7) but the talk of giving a pitcher 10 years at his age is crazy. Although if you compared him to Verlander, it would be value for 10 years. Verlander was a dominant pitcher until he was 36. Even after that he was a starter. Obviously he was the exception. Again, I don't care what Illitch has to pay him, its not my money. Although if it means the Tigers are handcuffed every year because of this contract than I would rather them trade him. I just look at the Tigers trading or letting go all those Dumbrowski players and it scares me to give up such a talent. It would suck to see him go on and win multiple championships.

Another thing to consider is there could be a work stoppage in 2027. If your Boras and Skubal, maybe taking a contract this offseason wouldn't be the worst idea

I was looking at highest paid pitchers. Obvoiusly Ohtani is highest but he's not even getting paid mainly for pitching so really he doesn't count. Wheeler is next at 42 mil although it was only for 3 seasons and he actually stated he wants to retire after 2027 season. Philly is definitely a very good possible trading partner because Wheeler's salary comes off the books after the 2027 season. No pitchers (excluding Ohtani) are getting a 10 year contract. Would the large market teams actually be willing to give him that many years? Salaries with sports are out of control so if I were to bet I would think someone would offer it.

Skubal and Boras are also not dumb. If they can get a contract this year that is close to what they would get when he becomes a FA, he would have to be stupid to not take that contract. With pitchers (and really any position) anything can happen in a year of play. Now where he plays could factor into that. Although if he can pick now which team and get the contract he wants, it wouldn't make sense to wait. If he has a contract demand that the Tigers are not willing to pay they could also have him list the teams he would be willing to play for with that contract and then basically a sign and trade could happen. I would love to know if he just wants a certain contract or if the Tigers contract is more than say a team that he would prefer to play for (if that is even the case). Or is it just this amount regardless who he plays for. A larger market team could be willing to give up players in a trade to have him guaranteed for next year even if they could get him as a FA the following year.

Is there even an offer that Skubal would take at this point or does he want to go to become a FA regardless? I keep on hearing the 10 year 40 mil contract. Is that something that is known that he wants or just rumors? That is the biggest question in my opinion because if he is asking for something he will never get even in 2027 then he just wants to become a FA so he can pick whatever high market team wants him. If that is the case then I don't think the offers are worth the best pitcher in baseball and we keep him for the year or the trade deadline (if were not a potential playoff team by mid season). If he is asking for something now that is a little less than he can get in 2027, we probably could get an unbelievable trade. What I mean by this is a high market team would be willing to offer us a trade if its more than a 1 year rental. This is where you hope teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets, .....etc will be willing to give up a lot to get him this year and beyond and you use them against each other to get the best offer. Non of this matters if Skubal just wants to be a FA. From Skubal's point of view, you have to think he is gambling some if he's not willing to take the best starting pitcher contract ever this year but is greedy and wants more the next year.

Branch let his emotions get the best of him. No excuse. It is frustrating when you know going into a game that KC was going to get the calls. Don't think that's why we lost. Championship caliber team and QB came to play. As much as the whole Swift/Kelce stuff annoys me, Travis is such a great player. I felt like this was a sacrificial loss. Not saying they gave up or anything Just think they made a few decision on players (Decker/McNeil) to get them healthy. After last year, they didn't want to take a chance at losing anyone for the year. Branch will get suspended and fined but he had an ankle issue and two weeks off isn't the worst thing in the world. Edbuka could be out with a hamstring issue and Evans and Godwin are already dealing with injuries. Could be 2nd string secondary against 2nd string WRs. Baker is having a MVP type season so far but its at home and we lost this week. I like our chances. Curious if Decker and/or McNeil will play. My guess McNeil will get some reps and they will still sit Decker to get him that extra rest with the bye week coming. As I said all year, OL is my biggest concern. With Manu out, we are very thin.

I still think Greenbay is going to be our toughest NFC opponent. I think there is still a good chance they win the division with comparisons in schedules. Philly has a bad couple of games although I think they will figure out their issues and finish strong. Washington could be scary as well and last years playoff game still should give us some concern. Tampa is definitely a team that could win the conference (especially with their division). San Fran doesn't scare me that much although they are winning games with all the injuries they have is impressive. Rams could pose a threat if they can stay healthy. My biggest concern this year is if we can stay healthy and not have any big season ending injuries. I know a lot are nervous about the secondary although my biggest concern is the OL. They are one major injury on the OL from being a big issue. I am good with letting Decker sit until after the bye week, even if it means sacrificing a loss.

I don't think and don't want them to make a big trade for a corner. With McNeil (and other defensive players) coming back soon and Reed coming back this season, I don't want them to make a big trade for a corner. Now if they decided to go all in for a DE or are nervous about Decker and go with a OT, I would consider that. What I think we might see is a trade for a veteran corner that has a contract that is easy to get out of if Arnold or Robertson go out for a significant period of time as well. This is where I think Holmes excels at. Earlier in the season everyone was getting all worked up about getting another DE but now CB might be the highest need. The key is to be patient, especially when your winning. The defense has looked good. No reason to trade draft capitol and take on salaries if your winning. What happens if someone on the OL gets injured, that could then be the new hot thing everyone wants to trade for. Its a long season and your positions of need could change in one week. No reason to get desperate if your winning.

Definitely a concern with the injuries in the secondary. Biggest thing we want to avoid this year are the season ending injuries. Having back ups in the secondary against Chase and Higgins isn't going to be good although no Burrow throwing to them. Do we know the timetable yet on Paschel, Davenport, and McNeil yet? If they can come back right after or close to the bye week, (and we don't have any more significant injuries) our DL is going to be very solid and deep. Jamo had a tough game yesterday. I will say though that some were not his fault and Goff waited to long for the long throws, so not all on Jamo. I kept on wondering why they kept on throwing the deep ball but I think that's what the Browns were giving them. Everything with Jamo is stretching the field, so even though they didn't connect it did look like it opened up Laporta, Raymond, and St. Brown to get some middle of the field plays.

Hence us last year. As a human being, I never want to see anybody get hurt although after what we went through last year my sympathy is almost null. I am going to the Cincy game and I have mixed feelings about Burrow being hurt. On one hand, I am really bummed because when you go to games you kind of want to see all the stars on the other side. On the other hand it makes winning that game a lot more easy. No one wants to pay a lot of money and go to game your team loses

Sometimes certain coaches can handle those type of players. Those type of guys are only good on teams that win because you can put up with being annoying if your winning but the 2nd things go south for a couple of games and they don't shut up, the juice is no longer worth the squeeze.

This is a great post and very similar to how I feel and felt being a Lions fan my whole life. I will say I am a little different because during the Patricia time I simply became Lions free. It was actually kind of relief that I just didn't have to put my time into this team any more. I watched them but was more concerned with my fantasy team than them winning, I just didn't care. With the Spielman, then Campbell, then Holmes hires, I was intrigued although the deep wounds kept me Lions free. It was in the 2022 season against the Bears that kind of had me put SOL in the past. It was that season and game that I just felt something different that I couldn't explain. It was just that weird confidence I had in the whole team from bottom to top of the organization. Was I cautious, for sure. The Thanksgiving game against Buffalo gave me some PTSOL although it didn't last long. For someone to be abused in relationships for years, its not just one nice gesture that's going to give you hope all of sudden. I just felt like, OK the complete incompetence could be gone and we actually had some people that I could trust to make decisions. After the SF conference championship game or the Wash game, I was heart broken but it only lasted for one night because I now have faith in this organization top up. Will it result in a SB, no guarantees and that is OK. If I had to guess or make a bet they will win at least one in the next 5 years I would take that bet in a heartbeat.

Right now Packers look like the best team in our division and possibly the NFL. A lot can happen in the NFL throughout the year (injuries, other teams figuring out there weaknesses, ....etc) although there defense looks dominant and Love looks on point. They don't have as difficult schedule as we do (especially early on) but its not an easy schedule. If they maintain this success throughout the year, the Parson's trade was an absolute success. Which is different than what I originally thought. The fact that this team is as young as it is will definitely help with not having their 1rst round pick the next two years. We have a tough division, especially if JJ is for real. Ben taking over the Bears scares me although until proven wrong, I am not sold on Williams. Lions are going to have to be on point this year and not have injury problems if they even want to make the playoffs. They better figure stuff out soon or its going to be a long season. This isn't panicking, I am not jumping off the Lions hype train (I am still fully on board even if they have a down year). This is just being realistic.