I can remember several times where I was happy that Brad DIDN’T do what I wanted him to do.
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Hey man I wanted Justin Fields…that’s it, that’s the post! 
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Me too!!! That is one of the moves I am glad Brad didn’t do.
Dodged a bullet!
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There are several different ways a GM can build a team. Building through the draft was always regarded as the best way. At least arguably. When you win its the best thing ever. When this team is 7-5 is the worst thing ever. Then people claim Brad doesn’t sign anyone or make trades. He does.
Heres some moves he made.
Chalk was a good singing. He left by his own choice.
Brad tried to re-sign Jonah Jackson who ironically plays for Ben Johnson now.
Sutton was a bad signing. Worst CB I’ve ever seen signed to a team that wants to play man-to-man.
Moseley was a good signing. Could have been a #1. Unfortunately he was cursed with injuries.
CJGJ was a great signing. Got hurt. Branch made him expendable.
Zietler was a great signing. Brad tried to keep him.
CDIII was a great trade.
Za’darius Smith was a good trade when Hutch went out. BH said it was extremely hard to find a DE to trade for.
DJ Reader was a great signing. Too bad he wasn’t the monster he was for Cincy, but he’s still been solid.
Davenport is a faliure.
Right now DJ Reed was injured and got killed against the Cowboys. To be fair to him he did make solid plays and got an INT. So the jury is still out.
My brain can’t think of anyone else, but I see two bad choises but the rest of them are good.
Now, let’s look at what Brad did for those who complained.
DE - Yes, I agree. He’s needed to find someone opposite Hutch for a few years now. Without trading 1st round pick, or spending 100 mil, there really wasn’t anyone in the draft that fit. There has to be an actual player. Brad won’t force it and rightfully so. Not only that, but the player has to fit the culture.
CB’s/DB’s - Man, he has traded, signed, and drafted a lot of players. This is an unreal situation to be so injured.
Complaints about IOL. Well, he tried to re-sign both Jackson, and Zeitler. And he spent 3 draft picks in the lat two years on IOL. So, he’s doing it.
When you’re a team picking late in the first round I understand his reasoning for going after giants like Manu, and BroMart. Teslaaa is homegrown and looks good. He looks like a #3 and possibley more in the future. This team was lacking a bigger body at WR.
So, IMO Brad didn’t deserve the hate he was getting.
This is still a great team. The window is still open. I do hope Brad does get a hair more aggressive next season to make a big run. 1 or 2 more OL. That DE we been hoping for.
2- 3 players could put them back into elite team status.
Oh, and they need to figure out the OC situation.
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By that logic, we’d never have a game thread, and we’d have virtually no discussions on anything of meaning until Week 18—or until February. We’d never have pre-draft, draft day, or post-draft discussions, and we’d never have any active debate on this forum. Ever. That’s my point.
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Listen you can always discuss things…but to put a definite conclusion on it is something totally different. See people were saying BRAD FAILED because he didn’t make moves at the trade deadline. But the question is, failed at what?? The season is not over…so how do we come to a conclusion that Brad failed when he still has, not only a chance at the playoffs but still at a 3rd straight division title?? This is what I mean when I say let this play out is applicable to Brad not making any splash trades at the deadline as it would be to let it play out for the Eagles and the moves that Howie Roseman did make. Its all the same my friend! 
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I didn’t mention you at all in the OP but a hit dog will holler.
None of this is that serious. I think we all want the team to win
You literally called me out specifically in your second post, but go on.
And yet you used an entire thread to grind your axe.
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We’re talking past each other.
Posting on an internet message board is a snapshot in time. Go ask all the experts (and the users here) who were hyper critical of Brad for drafting Gibbs. Isn’t grading a draft a ‘D’ the same thing as not “letting it play out”?
Same exact thing applies to the trade deadline.
If we had lost to the Giants instead of escaping due to a Bates miracle kick, this thread would’ve never been created.
I’m THANKFUL that we’ve responded the way we have.
But at the end of the day, it’s fine to be critical of the Lions, particularly when most cannot afford to go see them and they’re underperforming. And then it should also be expected to give them their due when they respond, as I have along w/ many others.
Yet and still…the same applies to him not making a deal, let it play out. Let the season play out. Let the playoffs play out if they even make the playoffs. Remember in that thread folks were already crowning Roseman as a repeat champion and Jerry Jones * The Greatest* because they made moves. It’s fan speak, I understand that very well. But I find it interesting that when it comes to the Lions and what moves they make or don’t make fans can give the definite conclusion and when it comes to moves that Roseman and other GMs do make fans have to let it play out…that’s the hypocrisy that I am debating against!
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The difficulty of dealing with the doomers and the pollyannas is that their arguments are not allowed to have any nuance.
I have always argued that the point of the game day thread is to allow people their momentary outbursts of non-sensical extremism. In a heightened state of emotion, everything feels much more definite and final. Going back through a game day thread of a particularly close game and watching someone contradict themselves 20 different times can be quite amusing, but nobody should take what they said to be a manifesto of their absolute truth.
Unfortunately, it seems that people have started to take that emotion and create threads that either sanctify or doom this team on a weekly basis, where their argument is about 100% hindsight moves that are impossible to make or future moves that will do nothing to change this year.
Most of us are lodged somewhere in the middle of the doomers and pollyannas on this site, but I would venture that their are more (at least in the frequency of thread creation) doomers than pollyannas around, so I will now focus on them. One might argue, "well if we don’t allow the doomers to have their threads about how awful things are, we are stifling conversation about this team and would have nothing to talk about." My response to that would be to say that if we follow the true logic of the doomer, this season is now over and worthless anyway, so why is anybody paying attention to this team or even this board now? The only worthwhile conversation to the the doomer is to talk about all the things they would have done to make this team better and all the things they better do in the future. The present doesn’t matter to the doomer (nor the pollyanna). I could say more, but this post probably wore out its welcome a long time ago.
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I just came to say I’m glad I’m not the colts (at least in this moment). They took the boom or bust strategy and well it’s looking like a bust. There’s always tradeoffs on making big moves. It’ll also impact their future. Not saying they did the wrong thing either. Just different approach with different risk/reward. In the end, everyone needs a bit of luck.
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https://x.com/i/status/1998134691501953405
This would have been bad too. Probably makes him a little cheaper in March
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All that I am saying is… maybe Brad knew we weren’t quite ready. I’m well aware that is difficult to digest for fans, as they want to win every year. There is a difference between punting in 25’, and refusing to let 2025 interfere with 26’-28’…
We have Decker, Glass, Robertson, Anzalone and Reader all either coming due, or coming damn close.
I predict we restructure Goff and Decker, draft OL pretty aggressive, try and draft one impact defender… and land 2-3 mid level FAs on D- while still potentially extending Gibbs etc.
The Laporta and Branch injuries either ensured hometown deals, or kicked the can on resigning both or either.
Maybe we let Kerby rest in 25’ and hope the replacements can “destiny it out.” The Eagles won it with a backup QB, maybe we get lucky with safeties?
Hutch, Tyliek, Mac, Barnes, Campbell, Reed, Arnold, Kerby… that’s 8 starters plus Branch coming back… one starter in the draft and 2 mid level FAs and we are solid if scheme is.
Brad will either prove himself right, or get a 3rd place schedule next year
Yep, I agree with everything you wrote. I’ve already shared (more than once) how I’ve reconciled this year against my frustrations going back to the trade deadline (but related to our loss to Minny, Philly, near loss to NY, etc). Remember, we went 4 or 5 consecutive weeks without a d-line sack. There was a lot fueling people’s frustration. Incidentally, I was more frustrated with Brad’s trade for TesLaa (and the lack of capital we had to do anything at the trade deadline). And I’ve eaten crow over that—especially if TesLaa’s star continues to shine.
You don’t have to eat any crow brother. Many questioned that trade, and rightfully so.
I honestly don’t care what draft trades Brad makes going forward, but I’d like him to only draft only players from major conferences that have no injury history moving forward.
Seeing the Kerby, Jamo etc extensions has shown what the actual market is, and how calculated Brad is having to be to keep it together.
Mahogany might be back, Frazier looks good, and maybe Glass and Decker heal up a bit.
I just like the way this team looks going into 2026….
I’d like us to sign Juston Simmons now though.
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If we don’t make the playoffs then it was a failure and Holmes and Campbell should be held accountable.
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Trade Grades?
Jaelan Phillips A+
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What if we finish 0-4? The do we still pretend an injury prone edge with 6-7 sack a year potential would have taken us from 8-9 to a SB?