I gave up on Twitter, or X, or whatever you call it because of it. All I saw were people calling for the firing of Brad and Dan. Seems like most people have become overly negative as a whole. Guess winning makes some fans forget how bad it can actually be.
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No kidding.
5 years ago we would have hung a banner for finishing over .500
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So glad we are past that trash
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Fact is we only need an RB2. A guy who’s going to play 1/3 of the snaps. You don’t pay a backup Montys salary.
I promise he’s not so good that anyone should lose sleep over it. I get, he’s likable around here and a solid player. But this is not a big deal if we lose Monty.
People were “heartbroken” when Jamaal left too. It was a huge mistake then as well…
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I think we are in the minority but I agree.
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While a second edge would solve that so would a 3T beating his man.
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Oh yeah?? Who??
This organization has never done this
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Lets say the offense has the ball is on the left hash. Hutch in this example is playing RDE. On the snap, lets say Hutch gets chipped by LT and TE, and has to fight around the RB in pass pro. McNeil playing 3T gets some pressure up the middle. However, the QB has the entire right side of the field to roll out and away from the pursuit. A DT is not going to get to the QB at this point and if anything becomes an extra body to navigate around while Hutch pursues from the back side. If you have anything else at LE, you stop the QB from navigating 2/3 of the field to the right.
I am not saying the Lions really need to change their current defensive format. What I am saying is that Davenport, Paschal, Wheat, Lacy, none of their preferred “big edges” have done anything to contribute. AQM is very good at getting pressure from the other edge, but his size and play style stops him from being an every down edge. He is at his best when he is persuing on obvious passing down and distances.
When I think of the elite defenses getting pressure from the front 4, I think of the Eagles defense, especially during the SB. That front 4 was lethal. The tackles stopped Mahomes from escaping up the middle, and the edges stopped him from running to the sidelines. They routinely marched the Chiefs OL straight back into Mahomes lap, and every time he stepped up into the pocket, he got swallowed up by the edges. You saw him multiple times run in full circles and have zero place to go.
That’s the defense I want the Lions to set up. On one more note, I am not opposed to the Lions using the OLB spot for this as well. It sounds like Anzalone may be done, and this spooks me because he is still our best coverage LB. If we go draft shopping, I’d love a Schwesinger type LB who has speed and coverage ability that can cover or rush the passer. I know Barnes was supposed to do a lot of that but his performance was pretty spotty. However, he had great games against Caleb and against Lamar in those games with playing spy on scrambling QB’s. If Anzalone is truly done this year, then we need more of that. I love what Indiana is doing with their LB’s and their defense. That’s the team I am now shopping for future NFL talent.
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I could have done without this today. Just not picking up warm and fuzzies about our current roster or its direction.
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Since we are talking a lot about Montgomery, I had a thought and I believe this is a really good example of old Brad methods versus current Brad methods. Check out this example.
2022 Detroit Lions
RB’s - Jamaal Williams, Deandre Swift
11th in NFL in rushing yards
3rd in rushing TD’s including the league leader Jamaal Williams who set the franchise record with 17.
2nd with 7 40+ yard rushes.
Those are pretty solid numbers and were a big jump from 2021, so that means the run game is in good shape, right? What does 2023 Brad do?
Jamaal Williams demands too much money, so Brad let’s him walk. Even though Jamaal was a heart and soul player. Brad uses that money to bring in David Montgomery, a younger and better power back than Jamaal. Then, Brad drafts Jahmyr Gibbs, a younger and better version of Deandre Swift. Trades Swift for pick.
In one offseason, old Brad took a good running back room, and turned it into a great running back room.
Now when it comes to the defensive ends? Lions drafted Hutchinson in 2022. There are a lot of rumors they were trying to trade up to go after Will Anderson to pair as an OLB rusher with Hutch. It didn’t pan out, but they tried.
Now in 2025, when asked if the Lions are looking for more defensive end help, Brad pulls his infamous “Why? Did you guys forget we have Aiden Hutchinson?” They rest on their laurels and they depend on Marcus Davenport, who did NOTHING as a Lion to warrant having any faith in him. Spoiler alert, Davenport again does NOTHING as a Lion. This is my thing. I feel like in 2021-2023, the Lions were doing everything they could to improve the roster. Even if they had good players, they looked for better players. They had competition all over the roster.
I think after 2023’s run to the NFCCG, Brad’s mentality shifted. Instead of looking for new talent to keep getting better, he saw the team as built and went into maintenance mode. He focused on locking up our homegrown talent, and basically just let guys continue to season. He made a few FA signings to patch up roster holes, but there wasn’t the big aggressive push to keep acquiring talent. They started taking fliers on projects, which is something Brad himself said he wasn’t about in 2021 when the took the job. After the 2024 15-2 season, it was even worse. They signed DJ Reed, but the rest of the signings and draft picks were more about patching holes.
Brad Holmes in his 2024 and especially the 2025 preseason press conference, instead of answering questions, he acted like he was above being questioned. He came with receipts to show how right he was and how others were wrong. If you are going to pull that kind of attitude, don’t be shocked when the people you implied didn’t know what they are talking about, now pull your receipts and say “how about now?”
If Brad treats this offseason as a reset, gets back to aggressively trying to stock pile talent and basically make personnel moves with the idea of improving the team even if it means kicking current guys off the roster, we will all be back on board. If they keep going back to the dollar store to find DE’s because they don’t want anyone to challenge Hutch for the DE1 spot, or because they want to insist that Hutch IS an elite edge even though the evidence proves otherwise, then yeah more and more people are going to start yelling that Holmes has lost his edge.
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Sorry Marty…..think I read into what you initially said wrong. My bad! Apologies
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I’m not talking about some pressure. I’m talking about whipping the ass of any one on one. Immediate pressure.
Like if it’s Jeffrey Simmons or Maxx Crosby, does it really matter? We need impact up front. What’s important is having another stud that you can’t afford not double.
Keep stacking stars. That’s more important than anything else IMO. I’m open minded about what form they may come in.
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Yeah I can totally agree on that. I don’t care how it happens, it just needs to happen. Their current approach is not working. Our defense hasn’t even been average in multiple years now. Something has to change.
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That’s your algorithm… Do you interact with the posts when you see them? That’ll just feed more of the same type of articles/posts to you
I think the same thing, sometimes when Gibbs is playing, I wonder why Monty is not in there, and vice versa. Gibbs can do that quick shift in the middle, but I do not think as well as Monty. The thing with Gibbs if he does get through he has a better chance of being a TD.
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I don’t really interact with anything on social media. I’d just read through comments on the beat writers articles and see that stuff.
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Preach!
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I am hoping that BH and MCDC will realize that you have to always be roster hiding and challenging yourself and the team to get better. The idea you can take a cycle or 2 off because “we’re good” mentality has proven in my mind to be horrific.
And like MSU taught me. You have to be pushing the limit on your OC and DC positions. I look at Saban going outside his comfort zone because he realized that you have to push the limit and what is next at all times.
You have to be looking to get better across the board at all times in all areas. Even salary cap management. You need to be embracing
what can give you any kind of advantage.
That is what made NE so good for so long. Always looking for an advantage in any area. Even the ball PSI 
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