Keeping it real… Sorry Brad/Dan

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I’ve been called a revisionist, arm chair GM, and more…. Why? To be fair- someone of it is probably true, but I’ve refused to full board the “hype train,” and now it’s coming to fruition.

Could Goff be better sure? Did Gibbs drop an easy conversion, possibly a TD? Yep…. Did Hutch make a bonehead offsides play? Yep… did Glasgow screw up three snaps, and get beat badly 2-3 times? Yep…. Did Ra drop a few passes he should catch? Did Jacobs get murdered in coverage all day? Yep, and yep! Did the refs screw us a bit 4/5 times? Yep

Beyond all of that Dan looks lost, AG won’t or can’t adjust… Brad continues to make odd signings and elevations to the roster.

Why is this happening? Because we paid all of our “underdogs…” guys like C Harris, Buggs,
Romeo, Comish, and relied on others like Jacobs and others far more than we should be.

We’ve lost 100% of our grit. We aren’t the tougher or more discipline team. We aren’t staying home on D, or making the extra block…

I guess a part of it is drafting “red shirt” players on a team who was starting undrafted free agents in week one.

We continue to elevate and demote, sign and deactivate week in and week out. Twice we’ve sent visibly injured KEY guys back into games and watched them get further injured.

We are watching former Lions playing well elsewhere, and CHEAP, and we discarded them without having any real depth.

This TINKERING is an issue. Sure the “this was never our year” crowd can chime in… but

Green Bay is the youngest team in the league-
Minnesota is a few games back with 2 head to head…
The Bears were beating us last year before Okudah pick 6, this year we needed 2 TDs with 2:57 left… then we got blew out- Now add the top OT and Marv Jr or the top QB and Rome O, and 80M in FA on D???

Suddenly we are questioning our QB, and at least 2 teams in the Division appear on the upswing…. If we don’t pay Goff, and we don’t make a SB run next year with him…. The “our window” is tied to Hooker? Carr or Daniel Jones 2.0?

We have coin toss vs Denver, a loss in Dallas and a split with Minny coming…

Bryce Young
J Fields
J Love
D Ridder
Carr/Winston
Baker
Jimmy G

Herbert

Mahomes

  • that is the list of QBs we’ve beaten. And Mahomes was down Kelce and Herbert a few receivers.
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We have had Penisini, J Hill, J Jackson, and somebody I’m forgetting abruptly retire… weird

We have had some guys leave on seemingly unfavorable terms.

We have yet to really commit to any of “our guys” or any outside guys with big draft capital trades, or big money.

It kind of feels like our coaches and GM believe it’s a “privilege to play her,” and want guys to LOVE BALL and play for less, and give 1000%- but that isn’t real.

DC doesn’t work the officials for shit during the game, it’s his job to bring attention to the Hutch holds- scream about the synchronized clock penalty etc.

We’ve spent expensive draft capital on 170-195 pound WRs and RBs… who Ben feels obligated to get 6 targets or 15 plus touches, but if we don’t create space, then they aren’t overly effective. We have been less effective in the “phone booth” this year, and especially of late, and relied to much in finesse….

We don’t blitz cuz we can’t cover, but by not blitzing we give 4-6 seconds and we can’t cover that long anyway.

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A split with Minnesota? What are you seeing that I’m not?

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No Lions coach ever has. It’s like forbidden here for some reason

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I’m seeing a team that scored 10 and 3 points the last 2 weeks, and Denver wasn’t much better

Let’s be clear, I don’t think we suck- I just want everyone to be aware of why I’ve been critical.

So many have been on the “Dan and Brad have a plan and have earned OUR TRUST” train, and they simply haven’t.

I still hate the Gibbs pick. Yea he’s good. But Monty, Swift and a later pick like Chase Brown would have been fine….

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I think Dan thinks he’s leading by example, and taking the high road… in reality he’s hanging his guys out to dry.

They know if they are being held, or PI’d, and not reacting to the officiating makes Dan look like he doesn’t know or care.

When your HC is 0-3 on challenges, makes bad 4th down choices often, and won’t work the officials, what is he doing?

  • from my armchair, it’s pretty friggin clear that the offense runs smoother with Monty on the field. I can’t tell if Goff uses the Gibbs check down as a crutch, or if Ben keeps calling space plays for Gibbs (it feels like #2 since it’s often the immediate read so I’m putting it on Ben). When the max protect sets are working with Swaggy or Monty, Tight ends and reliable WRs, why force this into a speed in space game plan?

  • when a talentless 3-13-1 team finishes up the year scrappy, and runs a 3-4…. You add defensive talent and switch to a 4-2-5, but don’t get better, then add more talent and still don’t get better…. Scheme? Shitty draft picks? Both?

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Agree. It also seems like the defense tightens up for Monty and doesn’t respect Gibbs as much running between the tackles. Monty creates more space for the passing game

Also Gibbs is a liability in pass protect like Swift was early in his career. Funny things is, Swift finally became a good pass blocker just before we ship him out for a younger Swift who can’t pass block

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I feel better about last year when we went 8-2 in the last 10 games. This team was focused and ready to play every week.

This team lost its edge. After starting 5-1 and have not gotten it back.

This is what I was afraid of is we finished great last year we would blow it out of the water to start the season and then hit a huge hole in the road blowing multiple tires out.

That is why I was always posting about being worried about winning the division when everyone was talking about the number 1 seed.

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It’s

A

Game

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Swaggy- 1100 yds 17 tds
Hock- 900 yds 6 tds
Swift- 1000 yds 8 tds
Elliott-
Okudah
E Brown
Chark

Replacements-

Monty
Marvin Jones
Glasgow
Moseley
CJGJ

We moved a lot of 2022 production for “better fits,” but left every single one of our jokes still open?

I wonder what Jalen Carter, McNeill, Hutch and Sweat… Anzalone and TJ Edwards… Sutton, J Porter Jr, Walker, Branch and Kerby would look like?

I bet Goff, Ra, Jamo, Reynolds, Hock, Swift, Monty, Decker, Jackson, Ragnow/Brown, Glasgow, Sewell…. And a 3rd round OG would be darn similar too.

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I think a Triple V needs ordering here…

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Woulda, coulda, shoulda.
I’d be a billionaire many times over, if I knew 45 years ago, what I know, today.
One of the things I know today is that we have a 9-4 ball club. I think we all wanted them to go 20-0, but, that’s not going to happen.
Plan B.

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So if they go 10-7 vs a soft schedule. Lose a division tie breaker to GB, and don’t win a playoff game…

They don’t extend Goff or Ra… how you feeling going into 24’?

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Probably the same as you saw with the Bears and Packers….I mean at this point none of us can just assume victory with the Lions

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Now hold it a second….you can’t change stances like that on Swaggy because you had doubts about him duplicating that kind of production and you were in support of moving on from him. The RB room is not in decline from last year

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Gibbs comes in and makes an explosive gain in yards-not an unusual thing-however they do not use him as much as Monty. fwiw? , they really have been using St Brown-oddly and less per game , I’m more PO’ed about having a Swiss cheese O-line-that is corrosive to Goff’s overall play to.

We got to have Ragnow be healthy as f Ironman all season…or else. ? that’s not sustainable—WE must have another guy that can be a bad ass in his place (should Rag get injured) to fall back on SO Ragnow can get back to 100% again-before returning to play.

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That Minny scored their first points 58 minutes i to that game w a FG.

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If that happens I think the championship window I expected in 25-26 is even more fantasy than it is now. I’d move on from Goff and roll with Hooker but draft McCarthy if he falls.

Hope one of them turns into a cheat code and use the cap to extend all the young key players and bring in the best FA DB (who isn’t injured) and DE

Focus on WR, DT, G\C, DB, S in the draft

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I also vehemently disagree with his analysis, which is full of non sequiturs. It’s also the product of short-term thinking and doesn’t take into account injuries to key players.

Hockenson wasn’t worth the $9.3 Million on the 5th year option–at least not to the Lions.

Setting aside the fact that the Lions went 8-2 in 2022 after Hockenson was traded, the Lions got significant draft pick upgrades while saving $59 Million.

LaPorta, at $9,465,998 for 4 years, has 66 receptions for 702 yards, a 10.6 ypr, and 6 TDs.

Hock, at $68,500,000 for 4 years, has 85 receptions for 839 yards, a 9.9 ypr and 5 TDs.

Okudah

Okudah was broken and needed a change of scenery. Beyond that, his PFF grade for 2023 is even worse than the Lions starting CBs.

DJ Chark would’ve been redundant

Marvin Jones wasn’t brought in to “replace” DJ Chark. The Lions already had Jameson Williams to be the field stretcher (and he wasn’t suspended until 4-12-23–well after the start of free agency). And, Chark hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire when he’s been healthy:

Jamaal Williams was on borrowed time (and it’s shown this season)

JW was a reliable, but pedestrian, player, who turned 28 before the season started. Before joining the Lions in 2022, he was a part-time player in GB and was good in that role. His season with the Lions was largely an outlier which was the product of Swift’s inability to overcome minor injuries, his failure to see and/or hit the holes that were there, and a general loss of confidence by the coaching staff.

Montgomery is a younger and far superior player who doesn’t cost that much more money.

Swift had 4 good games in 2022 for the Lions

Eagles, Jags, Wash, and Bears. The rest of the games he played poorly or wasn’t much of a factor.

In 2023, he got off to a fast start in games 2 & 3 for the Eagles, but has tailed off considerably since then:

And the one thing that his replacement, Gibbs, has shown is consistency in the run game. Other than his 2d game as a pro against Seattle, Gibbs has produced when called upon in every single game:

Glasgow is having an outstanding season

Of PFF’s top 20 OGs for 2023, Glasgow has outperformed all of them except 5.

In contrast, Evan Brown hasn’t been anything more than servicable:

DeShon Elliott was benched in 2022

Yes, he’s playing well for Miami on a one-year deal, but the Lions signed CGJ who portended to be a major upgrade. He llkely would’ve make a big difference in the secondary if healthy.

Montez Sweat would’ve been a very expensive luxury

Given that the Bears had to give up what portends to be a high 2d Rd pick, the Lions would’ve had to trade their 1st Rd pick (or multiple picks), to “overbid” the Bears. Beyond that, the Lions would have been giving up a relatively lower priced draft pick, who they control for five years, for the following:

Montez Sweat signed a 4 year, $98,000,000 contract with the Chicago Bears, including a $20,426,000 signing bonus, $62,864,888 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $24,500,000.

A guy who, until this season, never had double digit sacks despite having played on a DL with Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, and Chase Young.

That doesn’t make financial sense, especially with the number of key Lions players who are going to be due contract extensions.

To me, the biggest mistake was signing an injured CB Moseley and expecting him to start.

His lack of availability has had a domino effect. Instead of drafting a CB like Joey Porter, the Lions draft Jack Campbell, who wasn’t really a need (Lions already had Anzalone, Barnes, and Rodrigo inside), but more a luxury. Maybe he will eventually pan out. But, it’s telling in the past couple of games that JRM has been one of the Lions best coverage LBs in limited snaps.

That has also forced Jerry Jacobs into a starting role when he’d be better suited to 4th or 5th CB.

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I’m not at all. They did an amazing job replacing him with Monty- we all felt that.

I was 100% content with Monty, Swift and a later round pick like Achane, T Spears, Chase Brown, etc…. Brown was a guy in most of my mocks in round 5…

This team was a fine with Swaggy and Swift and in my opinion would have been fine with Monty and Swift… better than fine-

This team was fine with ASB, Chark, Reynolds, Leaf, etc and would have been fine adding a later round guy like AT Perry or C Tillman to that group.

The fact they K Hamilton, J Carter, and J Porter Jr are guys this forum almost unanimously wanted through the draft process says something.

We got super small and fast guys and said we want to win a street fight. Just saying.