Brad Holmes and Campbell flat out said they are building for the future and not 2022. They literally said sure we can go out and build a .500 roster in 2022, but at what cost? They want to build a team the right way and turn it into a contender year after year. Will that actually happen? who knows, but it is 100% the right path to take. IMO, with the talent we trot out on the field week after week we are way outperforming expectations. We literally have the worst WR group in the NFL, maybe the worst QB group, a below average at best group of DT’s, one of the worst LB’er groups, and a secondary that has played 4? 1st or 2nd year UDFA’s and Will freaking Harris. There is not a single game changer on this entire roster, yet we have competed with some of the best teams in the NFL. How is this not impressive when you step back and examine this thing as a whole. Sure there have been some bad decisions (Goff, Benson), but the coaching is there and they are building the right way. Below is a quote from Campbell this off-season.
“Of course I want to win now,” Campbell said, via ProFootballTalk. “Who doesn’t want to win now? And we’ll do whatever we can to win now, but not to sacrifice what we can become long term. I look at things two years out — I don’t look at them right now. I want to know where we can be two years from now, even possibly three years from now. And I know that’s crazy in this business, but if you want to have long-term success, something you can sustain, something where we can create a winner here in the [NFC] North for a long period of time, you have to build it properly. You have to have building blocks. You have to have a core.”
But Campbell also made it clear that he’s not going to go all-in on the 2021 NFL season. He pointed out that he would be doing the fans “a disservice” if they sacrifice 2022 and 2023 in an effort to win in 2021.
“I think we do ourselves a disservice and we do the fan base a disservice if we say we’re going all in, right now,” Campbell said. “Because you know what happens? You’re going to stink in Year 2, Year 3. You’re not going to sustain.”
We are the complete opposite of the RAMs. LA has a window that puts them in a place so they can let go off future draft picks in an attempt to win a SB this year. The Lions will most likely take until 2023 to truly be competitive with a hopefully well built roster. Will be interesting to see how our coaching staff develops through this as well.
I don’t mean competing for Super Bowls, but the team has to be .500-ish and clearly rising.
I’ve defended Homes and Campbell this year, because they made the conscious decision to purge turds and bad contracts. That’s fine, but it’s not an everlasting excuse. To the contrary, the reason you do that is to feel all the pain at once and then accelerate the growth of the team. Punting in 2021 removes the excuses for 2022 and beyond.
2022 is going to be definitive for this team and the leadership. Because Goff isn’t looking great and few of the risks taken this past offseason have panned out, Holmes is going to have to be damn near flawless this offseason in acquiring the right talent. The budget will be fairly large, but the margin for error isn’t.
Similarly, the coaching staff is going to really have to get the new guys to gel and bring out the best in everyone. The stats for coaches who don’t win within the first two years are damning, and I can’t see MCDC being the exception to the rule.
I would agree to a point. We need to show real growth as a team in 2022, but that doesn’t mean we have to win 8-9 games, IMO. Say we draft a QB this year and start him year one. I wouldn’t expect a rookie QB with such a young roster to win that many games. We damn well better be competitive and win at least 5-6 and show a lot of growth from our young players. To me that is showing success and progression is what was a terrible situation they were put in.
How many times have we heard this building for the future crap. How many times do we have to hear about building for long term success.
We hear this same crap over and over and over again.
With Quinn it was all about building the depth first. We must improve the depth. Its how we defended his shitty as moves year after year. He was improving our depth and folks were howling how great he was and that this is the right way to build a team…for long term success.
Bullshit.
This year is already strike 1. If we are not competing for a playoff spot by the end of next year, that’s strike 2. If we are not in the playoffs by year 3, that’s strike 3 and I want then out of here.
The coaching is out performing the GM, I mean did they mean we gonna start building in 22 ? And this year was just partice. 3 DTs who can’t stop the run or rush the pass. A QB that has trouble throwing it past the line of scrimmage. Can’t wait to see what’s next. Hell I’m expecting a OLineman and a DT with the first 2 picks.