I’m not sure why you are arguing about this, these things are obvious.
The Eagles hired Fangio, signed Baum, signed Barkley, drafted Mitchell and DeJean
The Seahawks signed Darnold, Lawrence and drafted Emmanwori
For each of those teams those moves were instrumental in their success. Not sure how you could argue otherwise. And sure, upgrading your starting QB is absolutely a winning move. But the Rams and Buccaneers didn’t stop there. They both went all in on those seasons. I’m not advocating for this, but it definitely worked for them.
It’s kinda ignorant…I have literally said in multiple threads come back and complain when this is a 9-8 team with a last place schedule. This is a 12 win team minimum. It boils down to people are accused of being slappies and not getting it because they disagree with a person’s very limited perspective.
I love the optimism and hope you’re right. What, after seeing our defense the first 2 weeks, gives you that kind of optimism? I think the offense will continue to gel and be a very strong unit, but what indicators make you believe our defense will improve? I have literally zero confidence in Shep to right the ship on that side of the ball. Despite our secondary issues, I have been adamant we’re more talented than what we’ve shown which is on the DC.
Of course the draft matters. It’s the most important way for a team to get players.
Emmanwori was an All Pro his rookie year. Mitchell and DeJean solved the Eagles’ defensive backfield problems.
Those were winning moves that paid off. Again, you’ll have a hard time finding Super Bowl winners without quarterbacks named Brady or Mahomes that didn’t have similar offseasons.
The Lions had winning offseasons in ‘21, ‘22, ‘23 adding players who made immediate impacts. This got them to the championship. They haven’t had this success since.
And that is the point. You have 0 insight. You are a fan with access to a few articles and ESPN talkshows and the games on Sunday. You have 0 clue what Brad was or is thinking. Suddenly the GM who constructed this roster from the ground up doesn’t realize his secondary is an issue. Losing two pro bowl all pro safeties isn’t an issue? Having to cut your number 1 corner you invested a first round pick into, isn’t an issue?
Who were they suppose to go get? Who is the corner FA they were suppose to go get? Keep in mind Mcreary and Clark were considered strong depth and value to bring in. Abney was considered a steal where he was drafted. Rock? Yes, he sucks, but he wasn’t suppose to start, Arnold screwed it all up. In spot duty last year he was fine. Who were they suppose to trade for? What capital were they giving up and what kind of deal were they giving that new player? JPJ at least a first from a loaded 2027 draft class. That would be dumb. Sauce? At least 2 1sts and a player. JPJ is going to want a new deal. We still need to sign Branch and Laporta.
For the last time, Brad is never going to say to a media member “ya we suck, we don’t like our corners”. You want to call it coach speak, I call it common sense. “oh shit, did you hear what Brad said about us to the media? F that guy, I am not gonna kill myself on sundays for that guy”
There is a lot of football left forsure , I just don’t think we have the personal to get better back there and I also don’t think you just make a move and it fixes it, I think it is what it’s going to be, the difference in schedule alone will help some. Also sorry for the assumption my bad, a few keep bringing up about still having a winning season.
#1 Defense week 1 with pressures, 5 sacks. 0 run game.
First two games sloppy. Don’t play in preseason. Saints should have been a 50 burger, unforced errors prevented that ie: drops, false starts at the 1, fumbles inside the 20.
Elite offense.
Very good front 7.
Branch will come back this year around week 9. He won’t be 100% but he will be close.
mouse, I am not mad at you and if I am talking too strongly I will stop. I hate this stuff though, the hand wringing and the second guessing after the fact. I hate them playing poorly as well. If they go 9-8…i will be mad too. I apologize for the ignorant comment. I was getting feisty.
Everything I have heard and the people I have talked to it was a pick your poison type of offseason. They had to get the lines right. Arnold is a punk.
draft high ceiling projects in the mid to late
rounds, and often well before projected, and frequently giving up extra beans in the process.
sign injury prone veterans at what is perceived to be a steep discount, but but with expectations that they will be able to start? Anzalone, Davenport, Moseley, CJGJ, Chark, Etc
sing OUR GUYS at least a year before it’s needed. Never have we let a rookie deal expire (of note), and never have we attempted to use the Franchise Tag…. Sewell, Goff, and Ra were obvious. We paid Alim top 5 or so DT money after one really solid injury shortened season? We paid Kerby a full year early, and while it was
coming off of a league leading 9 ints, what was the risk? Having another all pro season and wanting a record safety deal? We got close to paying that anyway without another year of cheap labor and a chance to see if he regressed, got hurt, etc… Hutch has worked out since he got paid, but we did give him record money coming off a serious injury, and without prove he’d recovered. We paid Barnes 8MM AAV with him showing as even a top 30 LB in the league.
The biggest is Holmes should have better utilized his rookie deal window to supplement the talent he acquired in his early drafts. Over the past 2 years we have watched Reader, Anzalone, CD3, Zietler, Monty, Ragnow, and Decker leave… and we’ve brought in Reed, Tyliek, Rat, Miller and I guess Moore? Our losses are greater than our gains…. We just freed up 30M for what? To overpay for Laporta and pray we guess right in Branch?
How about trade for and pay a stud CB, wait til year end to see what Branch and Laporta do, and pay one or the other. Use all 3 players during the playoff run, and pickup or trade a late pick for a RB too.
Dude thank you for being up front, I’m glad he cut Arnold, you can’t have that. I just think we could have did more then these guys. Not complaining about draft ing, was a little shook with him liking his guys video. And said if he really believes that he should be fired. But didn’t really mean that either, Brads great drafter and built this culture and has stuck with no mater the player , a lot of good.
I think Brad missed on this secondary, but I know GMs , QBs and Coaches are all in the it’s a lot easyer to get worse then it is to get better.
He actually played decent last year. Shit he might have been our best cb last year. Is he just over the hill all of a sudden? Or is Shep’s scheme the issue? Jack Campbell hasn’t looked good either. Why is that? Veteran safeties blowing assignments and miscommunication issues. These aren’t rookies making mistakes. Points to coaching to me. Sure the talent in the secondary isn’t good, but there is a bigger issue on defense than just talent.
The player we should probably direct most of our ire toward is Terrion Arnold. Whatever ultimately happens with his criminal case, he made decisions that put his career in jeopardy and completely blew up a major part of Brad Holmes’ roster plan.
And let’s be realistic: I don’t know a GM in football who can unexpectedly lose three of his four starting DBs, have to replace his LT, deal with other injuries and roster holes, and somehow completely fix all of it in one offseason — especially without unlimited cap space.
Holmes deserves criticism for moves that don’t work. But at some point you also have to acknowledge that the plan he built got hit by circumstances no GM could reasonably account for.
Personally, I am definitely supporting Brad if he trades for JPJ as long as he is healthy and this back thing is just a contract issue. Will he solve our problems on D? No. Will he make it easier to solve our problems on D? Yes, the way every top 5-10 cover corner in the league can
It’s like Brad doesn’t realize that a season is a LONG time. We don’t have 2-3 years to fix the lines and then the secondary.
I know the NFL isn’t Fantasy Football, but there are some parallels. If guy leads the league in yards entices, he’s often the #1 pick the following year, and rarely lives up to it. Brad dedicating HUGE money to guys after a breakout year 3 continues to lock us into more and more significant long term money. We have at least 2, maybe 3 of those already biting us in the ass.
A couple of seasons ago with a top 3 Oline I would have traded anything for better CBs.
The team is on the downslope now and needs to regroup. Brad had a huge opportunity and went back to back crap in the draft. Along with major injuries to both safeties and the DT he paid top tier money isn’t playing anywhere near that. Then the top five center retired, lost the LT, backup RB who was amazing we couldnt figure out how to keep.
Now the team, clearly, has a bunch of serious holes. Before if the Lions just had good CB play, they win the Superbowl. I dont think trading for a CB is going to make the DC scheme better or make the worst CBs/Safeties in the league that much better.
I do think its fair to speculate Brad thought his window was like this year or last year for a SB and it turned out the window was 2023 and 2024.
But the other part of it too, that I failed to mention: Brad not only lost his starting safeties, two not just pro bowl, but All Pro caliber safeties, but he has no to very little idea of whether they will recover. Its limbo hell.
I do believe the scheme will get better. It will get better. It has to. If it doesn’t Sheppard won’t make it many more games IMO.