Ilov80s
Footballguy
Gtfo how??
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
2025 Detroit Lions: 0-0 Draft, FAs, trades? (19 Viewers)
- Thread starter Da Guru
- Start date
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
I don't know but I kinda like it. Maybe he's getting a rep for being too picky?
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
+ it’ll take a premium to land him, some of the billionaires won’t pony up
Expected Vacancies
- Bears - dysfunctional ownership / GM
- Jaguars - seems like the best fit for BJ
- Jets - always a hot mess
- Saints - seems like a fit for AG
- Titans (weird Callahan is on hot seat)
- Raiders (could go either way)
- Patriots (should fire Mayo - probably won’t)
- Giants (likely)
- Dolphins (IDK)
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
@RapSheet reporting Anzalone won’t play Sunday
DFN/Justin Rogers looked into it & posted this in the subscribers chat:
OK, an update. A source got back to me and explained why Rap reported it this way, but it's not up-to-date information. I'm limited in what I can say, by request, but there's still a good chance Anzalone practices and plays this week.
Campbell meets with the media today so I’m sure he’ll get asked & we’ll get some clarity.
DFN/Justin Rogers looked into it & posted this in the subscribers chat:
OK, an update. A source got back to me and explained why Rap reported it this way, but it's not up-to-date information. I'm limited in what I can say, by request, but there's still a good chance Anzalone practices and plays this week.
Campbell meets with the media today so I’m sure he’ll get asked & we’ll get some clarity.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Pro Bowl teams will be announced tomorrow. Lions fans were #1 in voting and so the fan portion of the selection process was dominated by Detroit players:
- QB Jared Goff 3rd (2nd behind Daniels in NFC
- RB Jahmyr Gibbs 1st
- RB David Montgomery 5th (4th in NFC)
- WR Amon-Ra St Brown 1st
- TE Sam Laporta 4th (2nd in NFC)
- C Frank Ragnow 1st
- G Kevin Zeitler 1st
- G Graham Glasgow 2nd
- T Penei Sewell 1st
- T Taylor Decker 2nd
- DI Alim McNeil 3rd (1st in NFC)
- ILB Jack Campbell 2nd (2nd in NFC)
- CB Carlton Davis III 4th (2nd in NFC)
- FS Kerby Joseph 1st
- SS Brian Branch 2nd (2nd in NFC)
- LS Hogan Hatten 4th (3rd in NFC)
- P Jack Fox 1st
- PK Jake Bates 3rd (1st in NFC)
- ST Sione Vaki 3rd (3rd in NFC)
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
ignatiusjreilly
Footballguy
I don't know what this week or the playoffs in general hold for the Lions. If the injuries ultimately do them in I'll be bummed but not surprised, and I'll look forward to getting all those guys back next year.
But the thing that's giving me hope is the way they continually find a way to win close games. The team I've been thinking about a lot lately is the 2017 Eagles. They suffered one catastrophic injury on offense as opposed to a ton on defense. Heading into the playoffs the belief was that they were lucky to hold on to the No.1 seed and the Wentz injury would ultimately do them in. And yet they were such a strong, cohesive team that they kept finding ways to win. They barely beat the Falcons in the divisional round, and then Foles went on a two-game heater that allowed them to blow out the Vikes and beat an out-of-his-mind Brady in the Super Bowl. If -- and I emphasize the word IF -- the Lions end up winning it all, I suspect it will look like that
But the thing that's giving me hope is the way they continually find a way to win close games. The team I've been thinking about a lot lately is the 2017 Eagles. They suffered one catastrophic injury on offense as opposed to a ton on defense. Heading into the playoffs the belief was that they were lucky to hold on to the No.1 seed and the Wentz injury would ultimately do them in. And yet they were such a strong, cohesive team that they kept finding ways to win. They barely beat the Falcons in the divisional round, and then Foles went on a two-game heater that allowed them to blow out the Vikes and beat an out-of-his-mind Brady in the Super Bowl. If -- and I emphasize the word IF -- the Lions end up winning it all, I suspect it will look like that
Last edited:
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Meet Brad Holmes' lieutenant who has helped Lions patchwork roster
Allen Park — After the Detroit Lions beat the Bears in Chicago late last month, pro personnel director Rob Lohman waited for the frustrating but familiar text. The one that, in many ways, has defined Detroit’s 2024 season.
But the communication from the team’s locker room never came.
Anxious it might have been sent, only to get chewed up and spit out by the concrete bowels of Solider Field — landing wherever it is all lost texts go — Lohman couldn’t wait any longer, opting to make first contact.
"Does this mean there're no injuries?" he sent.
It’s difficult to read skepticism or cautious optimism in that single line without context, but rest assured, both were woven into the message. With nearly two dozen players on injured reserve, including more than half the team’s starting defense, Lohman has grown as accustomed to bad news emanating from the training room as much as anyone.
This week would offer a welcomed reprieve from the routine of trying to find another player outside the walls of team’s practice facility to urgently fill a void. But Lohman was ready because it’s his job to be.
Surviving changes
Maybe you’ve heard Lohman’s name before, but there’s no shame if you haven’t. Only a fraction of the fanbase knows the makeup of Detroit’s front office beyond Brad Holmes, and an even smaller percentage understand the roles of the people who support the general manager in crafting Detroit’s roster.
Lohman has been with the Lions a long time, more than most. He was hired by Matt Millen in 2007, promoted by Martin Mayhew, retained and elevated to his current role by Bob Quinn, and has managed to stick through the transition to the current regime.
When you unpack Lohman's journey here, to the upper ranks of an NFL front office, it’s filled with the familiar hallmarks of passion, hard work, almost unbelievable connections, and a handful of lucky breaks.
Raised by parents with little interest in sports, Lohman fell in love with them as a kid anyway. But he never had delusions of playing one professionally.
“I like to joke that my first scouting job was looking in the mirror and saying, 'You don't have much of a career playing,’” Lohman said.
Still, he sought an opportunity to turn passion into a profession. As a high school junior, he researched college programs offering degrees in sports management, and when a recruiter from South Carolina’s football program rolled through town, Lohman’s football coach, Frank Luisi, pitched his pupil for a role helping the Gamecocks coaching staff.
After touring the university and earning an academic scholarship, the plan almost unraveled when the coaching staff was fired. But Luisi stepped in and found another connection at the school, helping Lohman earn an opportunity to work as a recruiting assistant.
From there, internships took him back to New York; one with Hofstra University’s football program and another with the NHL’s Islanders.
After graduation, Hofstra offered Lohman a full-time position in the recruiting department with one catch — they couldn’t pay him.
So Lohman moved back home, his mom packed him lunch daily, and he made the 20-minute commute. There, the high-level connections started piling up. Hofstra’s recruiting coordinator is current Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn. The fifth-year senior with no remaining eligibility helping out in the department? That would be Falcons coach Raheem Morris. Additionally, assistant coaches Joe Woods, Dave Brock and Kyle Flood would go on to far bigger jobs.
Lohman was only there a year, but it provided tremendous experience. Not only did he work in recruiting, but he pitched in everywhere he could, from filming practice to serving as an on-field assistant to position coaches.
That led to an opportunity to work as a graduate assistant at Syracuse, coached by Paul Pasqualoni. Yeah, that Paul Pasqualoni, who served as Detroit’s defensive coordinator a few years back. There were a couple other future Lions connections among the GAs, as well. Current assistant outside linebackers coach David Corrao was there, as was former head coach Matt Patricia.
Lohman parlayed his time with Syracuse into another college offer, to lead the recruiting department for some coaching upstart named Urban Meyer at Bowling Green. But Lohman had eyes on going to the NFL. The Houston Texans were getting ready to launch as an expansion franchise, and benefitting from owner Cal McNair being a South Carolina alum, the door opened for an internship with the team in 2001.
Lohman spent six years with the Texans, working as an advance scout for coach Dom Capers — who also ended up with the Lions as a senior assistant in 2021 — before shifting to college scouting.
This takes us to Detroit, where Lohman started in a strange and exhausting hybrid role for Millen.
“I had a weird position that didn't exist anywhere else,” Lohman explained. “I advanced scouted every (pro) game and I had 30 colleges. I was traveling non-stop. I was so worn out by the end of that year.”
The next year, while Lohman was on a college scouting trip to Wisconsin, writing up reports on the Badgers prospects that included future Lions draft pick DeAndre Levy, he took a break for lunch. At the restaurant, he looked up at the TV and caught some breaking news.
“I had left my phone at the hotel and was in the room with two veteran scouts watching film all day,” Lohman said. “Then we go to get lunch and I look up and the scroll said 'Matt Millen: Fired.' Luckily I didn't have my phone that day because I wouldn't have gotten any work done.”
Shortly after Millen's dismissal, Mayhew reorganized the front office and moved Lohman to the pro personnel side. It’s been a steady climb from there, including a promotion to assistant director in 2016 before taking over the department in 2019.
Allen Park — After the Detroit Lions beat the Bears in Chicago late last month, pro personnel director Rob Lohman waited for the frustrating but familiar text. The one that, in many ways, has defined Detroit’s 2024 season.
But the communication from the team’s locker room never came.
Anxious it might have been sent, only to get chewed up and spit out by the concrete bowels of Solider Field — landing wherever it is all lost texts go — Lohman couldn’t wait any longer, opting to make first contact.
"Does this mean there're no injuries?" he sent.
It’s difficult to read skepticism or cautious optimism in that single line without context, but rest assured, both were woven into the message. With nearly two dozen players on injured reserve, including more than half the team’s starting defense, Lohman has grown as accustomed to bad news emanating from the training room as much as anyone.
This week would offer a welcomed reprieve from the routine of trying to find another player outside the walls of team’s practice facility to urgently fill a void. But Lohman was ready because it’s his job to be.
Surviving changes
Maybe you’ve heard Lohman’s name before, but there’s no shame if you haven’t. Only a fraction of the fanbase knows the makeup of Detroit’s front office beyond Brad Holmes, and an even smaller percentage understand the roles of the people who support the general manager in crafting Detroit’s roster.
Lohman has been with the Lions a long time, more than most. He was hired by Matt Millen in 2007, promoted by Martin Mayhew, retained and elevated to his current role by Bob Quinn, and has managed to stick through the transition to the current regime.
When you unpack Lohman's journey here, to the upper ranks of an NFL front office, it’s filled with the familiar hallmarks of passion, hard work, almost unbelievable connections, and a handful of lucky breaks.
Raised by parents with little interest in sports, Lohman fell in love with them as a kid anyway. But he never had delusions of playing one professionally.
“I like to joke that my first scouting job was looking in the mirror and saying, 'You don't have much of a career playing,’” Lohman said.
Still, he sought an opportunity to turn passion into a profession. As a high school junior, he researched college programs offering degrees in sports management, and when a recruiter from South Carolina’s football program rolled through town, Lohman’s football coach, Frank Luisi, pitched his pupil for a role helping the Gamecocks coaching staff.
After touring the university and earning an academic scholarship, the plan almost unraveled when the coaching staff was fired. But Luisi stepped in and found another connection at the school, helping Lohman earn an opportunity to work as a recruiting assistant.
From there, internships took him back to New York; one with Hofstra University’s football program and another with the NHL’s Islanders.
After graduation, Hofstra offered Lohman a full-time position in the recruiting department with one catch — they couldn’t pay him.
So Lohman moved back home, his mom packed him lunch daily, and he made the 20-minute commute. There, the high-level connections started piling up. Hofstra’s recruiting coordinator is current Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn. The fifth-year senior with no remaining eligibility helping out in the department? That would be Falcons coach Raheem Morris. Additionally, assistant coaches Joe Woods, Dave Brock and Kyle Flood would go on to far bigger jobs.
Lohman was only there a year, but it provided tremendous experience. Not only did he work in recruiting, but he pitched in everywhere he could, from filming practice to serving as an on-field assistant to position coaches.
That led to an opportunity to work as a graduate assistant at Syracuse, coached by Paul Pasqualoni. Yeah, that Paul Pasqualoni, who served as Detroit’s defensive coordinator a few years back. There were a couple other future Lions connections among the GAs, as well. Current assistant outside linebackers coach David Corrao was there, as was former head coach Matt Patricia.
Lohman parlayed his time with Syracuse into another college offer, to lead the recruiting department for some coaching upstart named Urban Meyer at Bowling Green. But Lohman had eyes on going to the NFL. The Houston Texans were getting ready to launch as an expansion franchise, and benefitting from owner Cal McNair being a South Carolina alum, the door opened for an internship with the team in 2001.
Lohman spent six years with the Texans, working as an advance scout for coach Dom Capers — who also ended up with the Lions as a senior assistant in 2021 — before shifting to college scouting.
This takes us to Detroit, where Lohman started in a strange and exhausting hybrid role for Millen.
“I had a weird position that didn't exist anywhere else,” Lohman explained. “I advanced scouted every (pro) game and I had 30 colleges. I was traveling non-stop. I was so worn out by the end of that year.”
The next year, while Lohman was on a college scouting trip to Wisconsin, writing up reports on the Badgers prospects that included future Lions draft pick DeAndre Levy, he took a break for lunch. At the restaurant, he looked up at the TV and caught some breaking news.
“I had left my phone at the hotel and was in the room with two veteran scouts watching film all day,” Lohman said. “Then we go to get lunch and I look up and the scroll said 'Matt Millen: Fired.' Luckily I didn't have my phone that day because I wouldn't have gotten any work done.”
Shortly after Millen's dismissal, Mayhew reorganized the front office and moved Lohman to the pro personnel side. It’s been a steady climb from there, including a promotion to assistant director in 2016 before taking over the department in 2019.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Heart of the job
So what does the pro personnel department do?
There are two primary responsibilities during the season, both critical to a team's success.
There’s the advanced scouting component where Lohman’s staff plays an integral role in gathering the initial wave of data on the upcoming opponent to facilitate the formation of that week’s game plan.
“I have a great staff,” Lohman said. “We've been together for six years. Joe Kelleher, assistant director, Justin Licker, pro scout. He came on as a scouting assistant (in 2018), and when I got bumped up, he got bumped up. We obviously know each other really well; good camaraderie, good chemistry. Blake Ask was added last year, but technically this year. He's an assistant pro scout.”
The advanced scouts not only study film but typically attend the upcoming opponent’s game the week before they play Detroit, watching from the press box. This past week and next, the staff will be spread out around the country, consuming all of Detroit’s potential playoff opponents. They turn their notes into a packet that’s presented by Lohman to the coaching staff. The emphasis is on lineup changes, injuries, who is playing well, and who they think might be struggling. It's all critical when trying to determine the matchups to exploit.
“Those guys are a huge resource for us,” coach Dan Campbell said. “They give us the first, I guess, vantage point of what that team is, where they’re at, how they’ve had success, where they’ve struggled, injuries, which is huge. …They give you the jump-start going into the week.
“Those guys have done an unbelievable job for us,” Campbell continued. “They’re very thorough, some of the best that I’ve been around. What I love about them is they give you just the nuts and bolts of what you need. …It’s a huge role to what we do.”
The other component, and one that’s been as critical this year as any, is being ready to add a guy to the roster. Lohman and his staff have a deep knowledge of every player who is a free agent or on another team’s practice squad. They’ve studied their film, written reports, and graded each of them.
During the season, Lohman keeps a thorough database, first sorted by position and further categorized by experience. There are the young players who have been in the league fewer than two years, younger veterans, and a third group, with the most experience but on the back end of their careers.
Lohman obsesses over the database, tweaking the lists daily. Each player who is released by another team, his staff meets on them. Every practice squader who gets elevated and sees snaps, they watch that film and update their reports and grades.
Minutes before we sit down to talk, it’s learned the Washington Commanders are waiving defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis. The former Alabama standout was a second-round pick three years ago. Lohman makes it clear he’ll be checking out the tape shortly after we wrap up.
The next day Mathis is claimed off waivers by the Jets, but it’s reported four teams put in a bid. One of them was Detroit. Lohman's crew must have liked the potential he saw on tape. Plus, it's no secret the Lions love Alabama products with four on the 53-man roster.
The diligence of the pro personnel department has paid dividends in 2024. The Lions have had to tap into their work and recommendations more than they could have imagined this year, signing multiple players to plug and play the following week. That includes four defensive additions taking the field during the first two series in an early December game against Green Bay.
“It's definitely been crazy,” Lohman said. “If you would have told me earlier in the season we would be bringing in all these linebackers when we had seven on the roster that we liked (to open the season), I would have told you that you're crazy.
“But I would also say this, I remember — all the years kind of get squished together — but I think it was two years ago when (Taylor) Decker got hurt in practice and missed the first six or seven games,” Lohman said. “Then, the next year, Jonah Jackson hurt his hand and missed a few games. Those experiences reinforced that you might feel great about a position right now, but you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month.
“In my position, I'm always looking at my list,” Lohman said. “I have to be thinking, OK, if we have an injury, who is the next guy at that spot? Even at linebacker. We had seven. I wasn't expecting to have to add all these linebackers, but in my mind, I was ready.”
A secondary element for the department, at least during the season, is the ongoing preparation for next year’s free agency. Teams don’t have the luxury of waiting until the end of the season to write up approximately 800 reports ahead of the start of the new league year in mid-March. Lohman's group is constantly picking away at that list between the advanced scouting and updating the database of immediately available talent.
Then the process starts all over again during training camp, when there are temporarily 2,900 players employed across the league, with more than 1,000 who won’t make a 53-man roster when final cuts go down. Calling in some help from other departments, 12-15 Lions staffers work through that massive list.
“You evaluate all those players, some of them make rosters, obviously, some get cut and sign with practice squads and some linger on the street,” Lohman said. “We get through that initial 53-man cut and I spend the next three or four days just sorting through all those names.
“All of that work lays the groundwork for the additions we're making now in November and December.”
Much like when Lohman evaluated himself in the mirror in high school, there are no delusions he’s going to unearth a star in the middle of the season. But a contributor, someone who fits the ethos of the team under Campbell? That Lohman can do.
“The player you have available in March and April is distinctly more talented than the player you have in November and December,” Lohman said. “But, the thing is, everybody knows that. You're not going to get the same level of player, but you can find the same level of effort, competitiveness and toughness. We can still find our type of player, even if they have a lesser skill set. You won't sacrifice that for anything.”
A valued voice
What shouldn’t go unrecognized is Lohman’s job satisfaction. He’s never taken for granted what he does, but the work hasn’t always been gratifying. That’s a relatable sentiment in most professions.
But there’s a reason he’s continued to survive and thrive with the Lions. It’s a simple formula, reinforced by former Lions assistant coach Don Clemons, who spent a remarkable 27 years with the team, surviving multiple regime changes long before Lohman did the same.
“I used to joke with him, 'How have you stuck around so long? Do you have pictures of somebody?'“ Lohman said. “He's like, 'No, you just have to work hard.'
“There's no secret formula,” Lohman continued. “You just have to work hard and realize you're here to be in service to the general manager. We're here to help him be successful and the team to be successful. Whatever your role is, you have to figure out, what does the GM want from me? What can I provide them? It's about figuring that out. Working for Bob Quinn has been completely different than working for Brad Holmes.”
As a pair of former college scouts, Lohman knew Holmes before he was hired, but they didn’t have anything more than a surface-level relationship.
While Lohman broke off into pro personnel, Holmes stayed on the college side, eventually becoming the Rams director of college scouting — parallel to Lohman’s role in Detroit — before the Lions hired Holmes as their GM.
Under Holmes, the Lions wanted to be a team built through the draft, which has been the foundation of their remarkable rebuild from a perennial bottom feeder to a legitimate Super Bowl contender. But when he was hired, Holmes readily acknowledged he had some blind spots on the pro personnel side. He plugged some of that by bringing Ray Agnew on as his assistant general manager, but also by leaning into Lohman’s experience and expertise.
To have his input sought to that degree was an adjustment for Lohman, but it’s turned out to be the best part about working for Holmes.
“The buzzword around here is collaborative, but we are,” Lohman said. “Whatever job you do, you don't want to do work and feel like it's not impactful, the work you're doing doesn't make a difference. Everything we do here feels like it adds value. …He listens. He wants to know what you think. I believe that's all you can ask for in my position. Ultimately, he's the final decision-maker. He and Dan are going to work together on the big decisions of who to add to the roster and what moves to make, but he values our input.
“...It's not always that way. It certainly hasn't always been that way for me.”
It’s more proof the culture in Detroit is as healthy as it has ever been. It’s made Lohman’s job easier in more ways than one. Not only does he feel validated through his work, but there’s been a noticeable shift when he reaches out to agents about their clients.
These days, it doesn’t take much convincing to get players to want to join the Lions. It’s easy to sell the team's success, Campbell’s energy, and a verifiable meritocracy when it comes to earning a role and playing time.
“That's something I tell agents all the time and I have multiple examples of players like that,” Lohman said. “It doesn't matter when you got here, how you got here, if you're on the practice squad or active roster, Dan has proven if you're the best player and you can help us, you're going to play. We'll elevate you, we'll sign you, we'll play you."
So what does the pro personnel department do?
There are two primary responsibilities during the season, both critical to a team's success.
There’s the advanced scouting component where Lohman’s staff plays an integral role in gathering the initial wave of data on the upcoming opponent to facilitate the formation of that week’s game plan.
“I have a great staff,” Lohman said. “We've been together for six years. Joe Kelleher, assistant director, Justin Licker, pro scout. He came on as a scouting assistant (in 2018), and when I got bumped up, he got bumped up. We obviously know each other really well; good camaraderie, good chemistry. Blake Ask was added last year, but technically this year. He's an assistant pro scout.”
The advanced scouts not only study film but typically attend the upcoming opponent’s game the week before they play Detroit, watching from the press box. This past week and next, the staff will be spread out around the country, consuming all of Detroit’s potential playoff opponents. They turn their notes into a packet that’s presented by Lohman to the coaching staff. The emphasis is on lineup changes, injuries, who is playing well, and who they think might be struggling. It's all critical when trying to determine the matchups to exploit.
“Those guys are a huge resource for us,” coach Dan Campbell said. “They give us the first, I guess, vantage point of what that team is, where they’re at, how they’ve had success, where they’ve struggled, injuries, which is huge. …They give you the jump-start going into the week.
“Those guys have done an unbelievable job for us,” Campbell continued. “They’re very thorough, some of the best that I’ve been around. What I love about them is they give you just the nuts and bolts of what you need. …It’s a huge role to what we do.”
The other component, and one that’s been as critical this year as any, is being ready to add a guy to the roster. Lohman and his staff have a deep knowledge of every player who is a free agent or on another team’s practice squad. They’ve studied their film, written reports, and graded each of them.
During the season, Lohman keeps a thorough database, first sorted by position and further categorized by experience. There are the young players who have been in the league fewer than two years, younger veterans, and a third group, with the most experience but on the back end of their careers.
Lohman obsesses over the database, tweaking the lists daily. Each player who is released by another team, his staff meets on them. Every practice squader who gets elevated and sees snaps, they watch that film and update their reports and grades.
Minutes before we sit down to talk, it’s learned the Washington Commanders are waiving defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis. The former Alabama standout was a second-round pick three years ago. Lohman makes it clear he’ll be checking out the tape shortly after we wrap up.
The next day Mathis is claimed off waivers by the Jets, but it’s reported four teams put in a bid. One of them was Detroit. Lohman's crew must have liked the potential he saw on tape. Plus, it's no secret the Lions love Alabama products with four on the 53-man roster.
The diligence of the pro personnel department has paid dividends in 2024. The Lions have had to tap into their work and recommendations more than they could have imagined this year, signing multiple players to plug and play the following week. That includes four defensive additions taking the field during the first two series in an early December game against Green Bay.
“It's definitely been crazy,” Lohman said. “If you would have told me earlier in the season we would be bringing in all these linebackers when we had seven on the roster that we liked (to open the season), I would have told you that you're crazy.
“But I would also say this, I remember — all the years kind of get squished together — but I think it was two years ago when (Taylor) Decker got hurt in practice and missed the first six or seven games,” Lohman said. “Then, the next year, Jonah Jackson hurt his hand and missed a few games. Those experiences reinforced that you might feel great about a position right now, but you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month.
“In my position, I'm always looking at my list,” Lohman said. “I have to be thinking, OK, if we have an injury, who is the next guy at that spot? Even at linebacker. We had seven. I wasn't expecting to have to add all these linebackers, but in my mind, I was ready.”
A secondary element for the department, at least during the season, is the ongoing preparation for next year’s free agency. Teams don’t have the luxury of waiting until the end of the season to write up approximately 800 reports ahead of the start of the new league year in mid-March. Lohman's group is constantly picking away at that list between the advanced scouting and updating the database of immediately available talent.
Then the process starts all over again during training camp, when there are temporarily 2,900 players employed across the league, with more than 1,000 who won’t make a 53-man roster when final cuts go down. Calling in some help from other departments, 12-15 Lions staffers work through that massive list.
“You evaluate all those players, some of them make rosters, obviously, some get cut and sign with practice squads and some linger on the street,” Lohman said. “We get through that initial 53-man cut and I spend the next three or four days just sorting through all those names.
“All of that work lays the groundwork for the additions we're making now in November and December.”
Much like when Lohman evaluated himself in the mirror in high school, there are no delusions he’s going to unearth a star in the middle of the season. But a contributor, someone who fits the ethos of the team under Campbell? That Lohman can do.
“The player you have available in March and April is distinctly more talented than the player you have in November and December,” Lohman said. “But, the thing is, everybody knows that. You're not going to get the same level of player, but you can find the same level of effort, competitiveness and toughness. We can still find our type of player, even if they have a lesser skill set. You won't sacrifice that for anything.”
A valued voice
What shouldn’t go unrecognized is Lohman’s job satisfaction. He’s never taken for granted what he does, but the work hasn’t always been gratifying. That’s a relatable sentiment in most professions.
But there’s a reason he’s continued to survive and thrive with the Lions. It’s a simple formula, reinforced by former Lions assistant coach Don Clemons, who spent a remarkable 27 years with the team, surviving multiple regime changes long before Lohman did the same.
“I used to joke with him, 'How have you stuck around so long? Do you have pictures of somebody?'“ Lohman said. “He's like, 'No, you just have to work hard.'
“There's no secret formula,” Lohman continued. “You just have to work hard and realize you're here to be in service to the general manager. We're here to help him be successful and the team to be successful. Whatever your role is, you have to figure out, what does the GM want from me? What can I provide them? It's about figuring that out. Working for Bob Quinn has been completely different than working for Brad Holmes.”
As a pair of former college scouts, Lohman knew Holmes before he was hired, but they didn’t have anything more than a surface-level relationship.
While Lohman broke off into pro personnel, Holmes stayed on the college side, eventually becoming the Rams director of college scouting — parallel to Lohman’s role in Detroit — before the Lions hired Holmes as their GM.
Under Holmes, the Lions wanted to be a team built through the draft, which has been the foundation of their remarkable rebuild from a perennial bottom feeder to a legitimate Super Bowl contender. But when he was hired, Holmes readily acknowledged he had some blind spots on the pro personnel side. He plugged some of that by bringing Ray Agnew on as his assistant general manager, but also by leaning into Lohman’s experience and expertise.
To have his input sought to that degree was an adjustment for Lohman, but it’s turned out to be the best part about working for Holmes.
“The buzzword around here is collaborative, but we are,” Lohman said. “Whatever job you do, you don't want to do work and feel like it's not impactful, the work you're doing doesn't make a difference. Everything we do here feels like it adds value. …He listens. He wants to know what you think. I believe that's all you can ask for in my position. Ultimately, he's the final decision-maker. He and Dan are going to work together on the big decisions of who to add to the roster and what moves to make, but he values our input.
“...It's not always that way. It certainly hasn't always been that way for me.”
It’s more proof the culture in Detroit is as healthy as it has ever been. It’s made Lohman’s job easier in more ways than one. Not only does he feel validated through his work, but there’s been a noticeable shift when he reaches out to agents about their clients.
These days, it doesn’t take much convincing to get players to want to join the Lions. It’s easy to sell the team's success, Campbell’s energy, and a verifiable meritocracy when it comes to earning a role and playing time.
“That's something I tell agents all the time and I have multiple examples of players like that,” Lohman said. “It doesn't matter when you got here, how you got here, if you're on the practice squad or active roster, Dan has proven if you're the best player and you can help us, you're going to play. We'll elevate you, we'll sign you, we'll play you."
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
7 Lions named to the Pro Bowl
Goff
Gibbs
St Brown
Sewell
Ragnow
Branch
Fox
Goff
Gibbs
St Brown
Sewell
Ragnow
Branch
Fox
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Asked about what hurdles Anzalone needs to clear to play, Dan Campbell tells 97.1:
A handstand, a handstand pressup and an inverted jumping jack on his hands.
A handstand, a handstand pressup and an inverted jumping jack on his hands.
Oh good, he's playing.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Feels like every accomplishment or milestone Jah hits cites the same thing lol.
Gibbs (2023-24) joins Barry Sanders (1989-90) and Billy Sims (1980-81) as the only Lions RBs to make the Pro Bowl in each of their first two-career seasons.
Gibbs (2023-24) joins Barry Sanders (1989-90) and Billy Sims (1980-81) as the only Lions RBs to make the Pro Bowl in each of their first two-career seasons.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
The Lions won more games this year alone under Dan Campbell than they did in Matt Patricia’s entire tenure.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
NFL.com has an article on the top ten biggest Pro Bowl snubs. Joseph is #2, behind Danielle Hunter (ED, HOY) was ranked the biggest snub.
Voters might have chosen the wrong Lions safety. I jotted down that line before Joseph came up with two additional interceptions, changing the game in a Week 17 win over San Francisco.
That's not a knock on Brian Branch, who has been sensational; it's just that Branch's play seems to have somehow overshadowed Joseph's. The Lions free safety owns a league-high nine INTs, two more than the next-closest player (Packers Pro Bowler Xavier McKinney).
The majority of those have come in high-leverage situations, with Joseph taking away points via end-zone interceptions (four). The ballhawk's advanced metrics blow those of other DBs out of the water. Per NGS, he's No. 1 in target EPA (-55.3) this season (No. 2 is Cooper DeJean at -28.3), EPA per target (-1.84; McKinney is at -0.75) and ballhawk rate, or the percentage of targets where the nearest defender made a play on the football via a pass defensed or INT (40%). The Lions' defense might have become a sieve due to injuries, but Joseph has helped keep the patchwork crew from completely crumbling.
Voters might have chosen the wrong Lions safety. I jotted down that line before Joseph came up with two additional interceptions, changing the game in a Week 17 win over San Francisco.
That's not a knock on Brian Branch, who has been sensational; it's just that Branch's play seems to have somehow overshadowed Joseph's. The Lions free safety owns a league-high nine INTs, two more than the next-closest player (Packers Pro Bowler Xavier McKinney).
The majority of those have come in high-leverage situations, with Joseph taking away points via end-zone interceptions (four). The ballhawk's advanced metrics blow those of other DBs out of the water. Per NGS, he's No. 1 in target EPA (-55.3) this season (No. 2 is Cooper DeJean at -28.3), EPA per target (-1.84; McKinney is at -0.75) and ballhawk rate, or the percentage of targets where the nearest defender made a play on the football via a pass defensed or INT (40%). The Lions' defense might have become a sieve due to injuries, but Joseph has helped keep the patchwork crew from completely crumbling.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Not at practice Thursday:
- RB David Montgomery (knee)
- CB Emmanuel Moseley (illness)
- G Christian Mahogany (?)
Alex Anzalone is out there with a pretty significant brace/cast on his left arm.
- RB David Montgomery (knee)
- CB Emmanuel Moseley (illness)
- G Christian Mahogany (?)
Alex Anzalone is out there with a pretty significant brace/cast on his left arm.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Anatomy of a Snub: How does a legitimate DPotY candidate get left off the pro bowl roster?
Allen Park — The Detroit Lions had seven players selected to the Pro Bowl on Thursday, the most for the franchise in the Super Bowl era. They’ve had seven before, but not since the 1964 season, when the league consisted of just 14 teams.
There are no surprises from the list of Lions named to the NFC's roster. Quarterback Jared Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, offensive tackle Penei Sewell, center Frank Ragnow, safety Brian Branch and punter Jack Fox are all deserving.
What stands out is the omission. Other Lions players had cases, to be sure, but Kerby Joseph felt like a no-brainer, as much as any of his teammates who made the cut. It’s even more baffling when you consider the NFL’s league leader in interceptions led the fan balloting at his position, which accounts for a third of the selection process.
How does a snub like this happen? Well, we have some thoughts.
First, let’s start with an obvious flaw with the Pro Bowl's roster construction. There are three quarterbacks, running backs, guards and tackles, two tight ends and four (!) receivers, but only a single free safety.
There’s also no distinction between cornerback and nickel, a conversation for another day. But the fact that free safety is the only offensive or defensive position other than fullback to be represented by a single player on the 2024 roster is absurd.
For what it's worth, the free safety and strong safety slots could have been reversed. Even though the positions are separate on the ballot, the way the final roster is determined by the league is the top free and top strong make the roster and the third safety is the player with the highest votes between the two positions. This year, that was Branch, as a strong safety.
That’s a problem meriting adjustment in the future, but even if there were two free safeties, Joseph still would have been snubbed. He was named a second alternate behind the selection, Green Bay’s Xavier McKinney, as well as first alternate, Atlanta’s Jessie Bates III.
By the way, both are great players. This is not intended to downplay their 2024 performances, which are worthy of Pro Bowl consideration. We’re going to keep the focus on Joseph’s case.
Beyond the limited slot(s), another factor is recency bias. Coaches and players are as susceptible to it as much as fans, and prior to Joseph’s two interceptions Monday night against San Francisco, he had a five-game drought without a turnover.
That drought didn’t erase what Joseph accomplished earlier in the season — when he tallied seven interceptions in the first 10 games — but great years can drift out of mind without fresh reminders.
In an interview with 97.1-FM on Thursday morning, Lions coach Dan Campbell acknowledged his Pro Bowl ballot was heavily influenced by performances against the Lions and the crossover tape study leading into that game.
Well, crossover tape study is often limited to the past three or four games, so anyone watching Lions tapes in recent weeks hasn’t been hit over the head with Joseph’s playmaking abilities.
You might respond with, “What about the San Francisco game?”
That performance gave him sole possession of the NFL's interception leaderboard and rocketed him toward the top of the betting odds for Defensive Player of the Year award.
Unfortunately, coaches and players voted in the 10 days leading up to the deadline of the Friday before Week 17, so Monday night wasn't a factor. If the vote happens this week, or, more logically, after the season, maybe Joseph overtakes McKinney and Bates.
But maybe not because there’s another element working against Detroit’s safety: His reputation.
“I think we all know that,” Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “But it is what it is.”
In some circles around the league, Joseph has developed a reputation as a dirty player. His tendency to go below the waist on hits has directly resulted in severe injuries to multiple players and drawn criticism from several peers, including former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.
“He’s a good DB,” Packers tight end Tucker Kraft said this season. “I might not agree with some of the places he likes to lay contact. He’s taken some of my brothers out of the game and I think about that, too.”
Others, like former MVP J.J. Watt, have defended Joseph for his legal hits to thigh. That's a trained technique, which for Joseph has never been penalized or incurred a fine. Regardless, perception and reputation are difficult to overcome, especially when those legal hits have torn ACLs.
It’s easy to believe that swayed votes, with some players and coaches conceivably leaving Joseph off ballots related to their opinions of his intentions contrasted against his play.
As Glenn said, "It is what it is."
"To me, Kerby Joseph is a Pro Bowler," Glenn said. "He might not have it by name, but he is a Pro Bowler in my opinion. I think he is a Pro Bowler in a lot of opinions across this league, too and we know where that all comes from. But he is one of the best, if not the best safety in this league.
"...He doesn’t need that as motivation," Glenn said. "He knows that he’s a good player. What he needs to know is he has nine interceptions, a ton of tackles, he’s made impact plays, as we saw last week, and that was done on national TV. So he doesn’t need that as motivation."
Allen Park — The Detroit Lions had seven players selected to the Pro Bowl on Thursday, the most for the franchise in the Super Bowl era. They’ve had seven before, but not since the 1964 season, when the league consisted of just 14 teams.
There are no surprises from the list of Lions named to the NFC's roster. Quarterback Jared Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, offensive tackle Penei Sewell, center Frank Ragnow, safety Brian Branch and punter Jack Fox are all deserving.
What stands out is the omission. Other Lions players had cases, to be sure, but Kerby Joseph felt like a no-brainer, as much as any of his teammates who made the cut. It’s even more baffling when you consider the NFL’s league leader in interceptions led the fan balloting at his position, which accounts for a third of the selection process.
How does a snub like this happen? Well, we have some thoughts.
First, let’s start with an obvious flaw with the Pro Bowl's roster construction. There are three quarterbacks, running backs, guards and tackles, two tight ends and four (!) receivers, but only a single free safety.
There’s also no distinction between cornerback and nickel, a conversation for another day. But the fact that free safety is the only offensive or defensive position other than fullback to be represented by a single player on the 2024 roster is absurd.
For what it's worth, the free safety and strong safety slots could have been reversed. Even though the positions are separate on the ballot, the way the final roster is determined by the league is the top free and top strong make the roster and the third safety is the player with the highest votes between the two positions. This year, that was Branch, as a strong safety.
That’s a problem meriting adjustment in the future, but even if there were two free safeties, Joseph still would have been snubbed. He was named a second alternate behind the selection, Green Bay’s Xavier McKinney, as well as first alternate, Atlanta’s Jessie Bates III.
By the way, both are great players. This is not intended to downplay their 2024 performances, which are worthy of Pro Bowl consideration. We’re going to keep the focus on Joseph’s case.
Beyond the limited slot(s), another factor is recency bias. Coaches and players are as susceptible to it as much as fans, and prior to Joseph’s two interceptions Monday night against San Francisco, he had a five-game drought without a turnover.
That drought didn’t erase what Joseph accomplished earlier in the season — when he tallied seven interceptions in the first 10 games — but great years can drift out of mind without fresh reminders.
In an interview with 97.1-FM on Thursday morning, Lions coach Dan Campbell acknowledged his Pro Bowl ballot was heavily influenced by performances against the Lions and the crossover tape study leading into that game.
Well, crossover tape study is often limited to the past three or four games, so anyone watching Lions tapes in recent weeks hasn’t been hit over the head with Joseph’s playmaking abilities.
You might respond with, “What about the San Francisco game?”
That performance gave him sole possession of the NFL's interception leaderboard and rocketed him toward the top of the betting odds for Defensive Player of the Year award.
Unfortunately, coaches and players voted in the 10 days leading up to the deadline of the Friday before Week 17, so Monday night wasn't a factor. If the vote happens this week, or, more logically, after the season, maybe Joseph overtakes McKinney and Bates.
But maybe not because there’s another element working against Detroit’s safety: His reputation.
“I think we all know that,” Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “But it is what it is.”
In some circles around the league, Joseph has developed a reputation as a dirty player. His tendency to go below the waist on hits has directly resulted in severe injuries to multiple players and drawn criticism from several peers, including former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.
“He’s a good DB,” Packers tight end Tucker Kraft said this season. “I might not agree with some of the places he likes to lay contact. He’s taken some of my brothers out of the game and I think about that, too.”
Others, like former MVP J.J. Watt, have defended Joseph for his legal hits to thigh. That's a trained technique, which for Joseph has never been penalized or incurred a fine. Regardless, perception and reputation are difficult to overcome, especially when those legal hits have torn ACLs.
It’s easy to believe that swayed votes, with some players and coaches conceivably leaving Joseph off ballots related to their opinions of his intentions contrasted against his play.
As Glenn said, "It is what it is."
"To me, Kerby Joseph is a Pro Bowler," Glenn said. "He might not have it by name, but he is a Pro Bowler in my opinion. I think he is a Pro Bowler in a lot of opinions across this league, too and we know where that all comes from. But he is one of the best, if not the best safety in this league.
"...He doesn’t need that as motivation," Glenn said. "He knows that he’s a good player. What he needs to know is he has nine interceptions, a ton of tackles, he’s made impact plays, as we saw last week, and that was done on national TV. So he doesn’t need that as motivation."
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
The Lions have released WR Tom Kennedy.
1) standard stuff, TK85 must lead the league in contracts over the last 6 years, they'll resign him to the practice squad - he's the OG handshake crew
2) Telling this was after the Thursday practice, Alex is probably going to be activated Saturday
2) I don't think Kalif is ready yet so TK probably still gets elevated to handle PR duties
freaking Bengals.....wish we still had Isaiah Williams
1) standard stuff, TK85 must lead the league in contracts over the last 6 years, they'll resign him to the practice squad - he's the OG handshake crew
2) Telling this was after the Thursday practice, Alex is probably going to be activated Saturday
2) I don't think Kalif is ready yet so TK probably still gets elevated to handle PR duties
freaking Bengals.....wish we still had Isaiah Williams
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Feel like Matthew Stafford's mic'ed up comments are the biggest reason Kerby didn't make the pro bowl. T.J. Watt has come out and said "anyone complaining about the way he tackles doesn't know the NFL rules. it is textbook, shoulder on the thigh hits. it is exactly the way the league wants smaller DBs to tackle bigger TEs and RBs."
Zero fines, never been flagged for an illegal hit, but ever since Hock got his leg stuck and tore his ACL, casuals think he's dirty.
Zero fines, never been flagged for an illegal hit, but ever since Hock got his leg stuck and tore his ACL, casuals think he's dirty.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Lions are 10-2 in prime time games under Dan Campbell
5-0 this season
Minnesota has lost its last 5 prime time road games
5-0 this season
Minnesota has lost its last 5 prime time road games
ChiefD
Footballguy
I still think that if the Chiefs win the Super Bowl this year, Andy Reid retires and Ben Johnson is the #1 choice to replace him.
I would not be shocked if that happens.
Ilov80s
Footballguy
I would hate that
TartanLion
Footballguy
I can see that and I could also see if Shanahan and the 9ers decide it’s best to part ways mutually ( cycle coming to end, players aging etc ) which I have heard at least a couple of times this year just as discussion, then Johnson could go there.
Does feel like he’s being picky enough whereby he’s waiting for a very well run club/opprtunity to arise
ignatiusjreilly
Footballguy
Really? If we have to lose Ben, that's probably one of the best-case scenarios. Get him out of the conference on a team that's already good, so no change to overall balance of power. Plus, ngl it'd be pretty fun to see what he would cook up with a guy like Mahomes.
Still think it's pretty unlikely, though. I feel like Ben will want to follow Campbell's example and resuscitate a downtrodden franchise. The problem is that he would also need to copy Campbell's good timing and find a team that has also recently had an ownership change that can facilitate a revival. Washington last year would have fit that model to a T; not sure how many others are out there. Bears and Jags are likely to be the best jobs available, but both retain their highly dysfunctional owners
ignatiusjreilly
Footballguy
I feel like rumors regarding which candidates are up and down among the different franchises is the second-best example of "Those who know don't say, those who say don't know."
No. 1, of course, is the quadrennial speculation about presidential candidates' VP picks
fatness
Footballguy
Ryan and Rivera shouldn't be considered as HC by any NFL team.
ignatiusjreilly
Footballguy
All in all, I'm pretty zen about whether Johnson stays or goes. I would love it if he hung around another year; we've seen how much better he's gotten at the job (compare with Slowik, last offseason's other darling whose rep has taken a major hit this year).
But if he leaves, well, I wish him the best of luck (as long as he doesn't go to Chicago), and I know that Campbell has had plenty of time to put a succession plan in place. Could we see a repeat of the Eagles last year? I suppose it's possible, but I trust Campbell to not just mindlessly promote guys who aren't ready. We can also be 100% sure that he won't bring back Patricia midway through the season and make him de facto DC
But if he leaves, well, I wish him the best of luck (as long as he doesn't go to Chicago), and I know that Campbell has had plenty of time to put a succession plan in place. Could we see a repeat of the Eagles last year? I suppose it's possible, but I trust Campbell to not just mindlessly promote guys who aren't ready. We can also be 100% sure that he won't bring back Patricia midway through the season and make him de facto DC
Ilov80s
Footballguy
I just can’t stand to see Mahomes with an other SB and then get the best HC candidate too. I am so sick of the Chiefs.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
There are twenty players still around who were on Dan Campbell’s first 53-man. How many can you name with looking it up?
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
By “still around” I mean guys on active roster, practice squad, IR (not IR/waived bc they’re no longer using the facilities).
Not great, not terrible - you’re missing 2 members of the draft class + 4 more
GG was in the gulag (Denver)
swabs
Footballguy
Was thinking he was there that first year then left.....pretty embarrassed by 1 obvious miss. How is this Penei's 4th year already?
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
You had one other goof in the draft class
Answers in the spoiler
Iffy is in Y4, Joseph is in Y3. Jermar Jefferson has been on and off the practice squad.
I goofed up a few times trying to do this lol. It’s21 20 (just like Coach said today it was 20), and not all of them were on the 53-man; Reynolds, Skipper and Zylstra started the year on the practice squad. EDIT - I double counted 1/2 of the Flying Zylstra brothers
But21 20 guys who suited up & took snaps in 2021 (17 were on the opening roster) were part of that first team and are part of "the Old Guard". In addition, Glasgow should be considered one as well, even though he was in Denver at the time, having spent 2016-19 & 2023- here.
(7 6) Under Contract - Decker, Skipper (practice squad), Ragnow, Kennedy (practice squad), Pittman, Fox, Zylstra
(1) Via Trade - Goff
(1) Internal FA signed - Reeves-Maybin
(3) External FA signed - Raymond, Anzalone, Reynolds (signed during TC, on Campbell's 1st practice squad)
(9) Rookies Draft Class (7) - Sewell, Onwuzurike, McNeill, Melifonwu, St Brown, Barnes, Jefferson UDFA (1) - Brock Wright, Shane Zylstra
Of course, not all are continuous - Skipper and Pittman were with other teams briefly over the past 4 years.
I goofed up a few times trying to do this lol. It’s
But
(
(1) Via Trade - Goff
(1) Internal FA signed - Reeves-Maybin
(3) External FA signed - Raymond, Anzalone, Reynolds (signed during TC, on Campbell's 1st practice squad)
(9) Rookies Draft Class (7) - Sewell, Onwuzurike, McNeill, Melifonwu, St Brown, Barnes, Jefferson UDFA (1) - Brock Wright, Shane Zylstra
Of course, not all are continuous - Skipper and Pittman were with other teams briefly over the past 4 years.
Last edited:
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Was looking for something else and found this....dang, Barry - I heard you wasn't selfish...IDK man, 17/25.
Would be a great week for Jah to join this list.
Would be a great week for Jah to join this list.
| RANK | NAME | DATE | TM | OPP | ATT | YARDS | YPC | RUSH TD | TRG | REC | YDS | AVG | REC TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barry Sanders | 11/13/1994 | DET | vs | TB | 26 | 237 | 9.1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | |
| 2 | Barry Sanders | 11/24/1991 | DET | @ | MIN | 23 | 220 | 9.6 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 7.8 | 0 | |
| 3 | Barry Sanders | 11/23/1997 | DET | vs | IND | 24 | 216 | 9.0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Barry Sanders | 10/12/1997 | DET | @ | TB | 24 | 215 | 9.0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 1 | |
| 5 | Bob Hoernschemeyer | 11/23/1950 | DET | vs | NYY | 17 | 198 | 11.6 | 1 | |||||
| 6 | Mel Farr | 11/12/1967 | DET | @ | MIN | 24 | 197 | 8.2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Kevin Jones | 12/5/2004 | DET | vs | ARI | 26 | 196 | 7.5 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 5.5 | 0 |
| 8 | Barry Sanders | 9/19/1994 | DET | @ | DAL | 40 | 194 | 4.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 9 | Dutch Clark | 10/28/1934 | DET | @ | CIN | 24 | 194 | 8.1 | 2 | |||||
| 10 | Billy Sims | 11/20/1983 | DET | @ | GB | 36 | 189 | 5.3 | 0 | 5 | 47 | 9.4 | 0 | |
| 11 | Barry Sanders | 12/4/1994 | DET | vs | GB | 20 | 188 | 9.4 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 0 | |
| 12 | Barry Sanders | 11/7/1993 | DET | vs | TB | 29 | 187 | 6.4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | |
| 13 | Barry Sanders | 9/13/1998 | DET | vs | CIN | 26 | 185 | 7.1 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 44.0 | 0 | |
| 14 | Billy Sims | 10/11/1981 | DET | @ | DEN | 28 | 185 | 6.6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 15 | Barry Sanders | 12/21/1997 | DET | vs | NYJ | 23 | 184 | 8.0 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 0 | |
| 16 | Barry Sanders | 10/29/1989 | DET | @ | GB | 30 | 184 | 6.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 17 | Barry Sanders | 9/22/1991 | DET | @ | IND | 30 | 179 | 6.0 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 0 | |
| 18 | Barry Sanders | 12/10/1990 | DET | vs | RAI | 25 | 176 | 7.0 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 5.3 | 0 | |
| 19 | Barry Sanders | 12/23/1996 | DET | @ | SF | 28 | 175 | 6.3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | |
| 20 | James Jones | 9/7/1986 | DET | @ | MIN | 36 | 174 | 4.8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 21 | James Stewart | 10/20/2002 | DET | vs | CHI | 32 | 172 | 5.4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 0 |
| 22 | Barry Sanders | 11/27/1997 | DET | vs | CHI | 19 | 167 | 8.8 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 0 | |
| 23 | Barry Sanders | 10/29/1995 | DET | vs | GB | 22 | 167 | 7.6 | 0 | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 0 | |
| 24 | Barry Sanders | 10/23/1994 | DET | vs | CHI | 23 | 167 | 7.3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | |
| 25 | Barry Sanders | 10/2/1994 | DET | @ | TB | 20 | 166 | 8.3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 |
Last edited:
BassNBrew
Footballguy
He'll join the list this week since it's a non FF week.
ignatiusjreilly
Footballguy
Anzalone and Raymond officially activated off IR for tomorrow night. LFG!!!!!
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Saturday roster moves:
- Placed CB Emmanuel Moseley on Reserve/Non-Football Illness list (?)
- Activated WR Kalif Raymond and LB Alex Anzalone from Reserved/Injured.
- Signed DB Morice Norris to the Active Roster from the Practice Squad.
- Signed WR Tom Kennedy to the Practice Squad.
- Elevated DL Chris Smith and CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver from the Practice Squad to the Active/Inactive list.
Our CB room is razor thin. I hope they move Branch to Nickle and have Amik and Terrion at CB and Iffy and Kirby as the Safeties. There is not another DB on the team i want on the field.
Did not make the list, but I still remember Billy Sims debut versus the Rams. .... 22/153/3 and 2/64. What a fun player to watch.
Detroit Lions 2025 opponents: Brutal road schedule awaits next season
Lions 2025 home games
Lions 2025 home games
- Bears (4-12)
- Packers (11-5)
- Vikings (14-2)
- Cowboys (7-9)
- Giants (3-13)
- Browns (3-13)
- Steelers (10-6)
- Buccaneers (9-7) or Falcons (8-8)
Lions 2025 away games
- Bears (4-12)
- Packers (11-5)
- Vikings (14-2)
- Commanders (11-5)
- Eagles (13-3)
- Bengals (8-8)
- Ravens (11-5)
- Chiefs (15-1) or Chargers (10-6)
- Rams (10-6) or Seahawks (9-7)
Last edited:
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Detroit Football Network
Ahead of 2024 season finale, a look at the personal bests and franchise records Detroit Lions have or could set
Justin Rogers
Jan 04, 2025
Allen Park — On the eve of the most important regular season game in franchise history — a never-before-seen matchup between two 14-win teams, with the conference’s No. 1 seed hanging in the balance — it’s worth revisiting what the Detroit Lions have accomplished, individually and as a team, to set the table for this historical moment.
The 2024 season has been filled with personal-best performances, the rewriting of sections of the franchise record book, and the threat of making some league history that extends beyond the game’s result.
Personal bests
Quarterback Jared Goff
The former No. 1 pick put has put an exclamation point on his career renaissance, earning his fourth Pro Bowl selection while staying on the fringes of the MVP conversation through the finale.
Entering Sunday’s game against Minnesota, Goff has already thrown for his most touchdowns in a season. His 36 through 16 games top the 32 he tossed in 2018 with the Rams. And if he manages to post his fourth five-touchdown performance of his career, Goff could also match Matthew Stafford’s single-season franchise mark, set in 2011.
Goff has also safely secured the best completion percentage (71.7%), passer rating (113.6) and QBR (67.1) of his career.
The quarterback remains within striking distance of resetting his best yardage total. He needs 291 yards on Sunday to surpass the 4,688 yards he racked up in 2018. Additionally, although less likely, 45 completions would give him another personal best, surpassing his 2023 total.
If the finale comes down to the wire, Goff has an opportunity to secure his fifth fourth-quarterback comeback and game-winning drive. With four apiece in 2024, he’s already matched his late-game heroics from 2018.
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown
St. Brown has seen a production dip from his All-Pro campaign in 2023, but he can still re-establish some bars this season.
With 11 grabs against the Vikings, he’ll hit a new PR for receptions. He’s also six first-down catches and two touchdowns shy of his previous set bests.
Where St. Brown has been better than ever in his fourth season is with his efficiency. Fueled by a streak of catching 31 consecutive passes, the receiver has hauled in 81.3% of the throws his direction, better than the 75.6% he had as a rookie.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs
While hardly unusual to set production bars in your second season, Gibbs’ numbers still merit mention. Entering the finale, he’s rushed for 1,273 yards at 5.6 yards per carry, adding 486 yards as a receiver, for a whopping 1,759 yards from scrimmage. With that last figure, we’re talking about a number only Barry Sanders and Billy Sims have touched among Detroit running backs.
Interestingly, given the comps based on how Detroit structured its backfield, Gibbs has racked up more yards from scrimmage in 2024 than New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara has in any season of his career.
Wide receiver Jameson Williams
Similar to Gibbs, it’s no surprise Williams has posted the best numbers of his career in what has essentially been his first full season. The former first-round pick has already more than doubled his reception total from a year ago and he’s knocking on the door of a 1,000-yard campaign. He needs 34 receiving yards to cross the barrier on Sunday.
Wide receiver Kalif Raymond
His recent stint on injured reserve likely hurts his chances for postseason honors, but Raymond has had a better season as a punt returner than when he was named a second-team All-Pro in 2022.
Despite appearing in 11 games, Raymond has the most punt return yards of his career thanks to a personal-best 14.4-yard average, besting the 13.2 yards from that All-Pro campaign.
Safety Kerby Joseph
Joseph’s resume has been in the news this week after he was snubbed for the Pro Bowl. He's obviously smashed his previous career-high with nine interceptions through 16 games, the most by a Lions defensive back in more than 40 yards.
With six tackles, Joseph will set another best. What won’t show up in any record books, since it’s not an official stat, is his efficiency as a tackler. After whiffing 26 times during his first two seasons, he’s missed just five in 2024.
Safety Brian Branch
The versatile Branch did earn Pro Bowl recognition, building on his strong rookie season in 2023 with improvements in interceptions (four), pass defenses (15) and tackles (103).
Defensive tackle DJ Reader
Signed for ability to anchor the middle of the defensive front as a run-stuffer, Reader gave the Lions a little more than expected as a pass-rusher in his first year with the franchise. The veteran nose tackle secured a career-high with 3.0 sacks when he dropped Bears rookie Caleb Williams twice on Thanksgiving.
Linebacker Jack Campbell
In his second season out of Iowa, Jack Campbell has tallied 125 tackles, establishing a baseline of expectation. Since tracking of the stat began in 1978, only Chris Spielman and Ernie Sims have recorded that many tackles in one of their first two seasons with the Lions.
Punter Jack Fox
Earning Pro Bowl honors for the second time in his career, Fox is set to have bests in gross and net punting, as well as the percentage of his punts that result in the opponent’s possession starting inside the 20-yard line.
Look for more on Fox later in this post.
Individual franchise records
Quarterback Jared Goff
Not only is Goff set to establish personal bests for completion percentage and passer rating, but both numbers should easily end up franchise marks. Goff’s 67.3 completion percentage last season is the current standard, as is Stafford’s 106.0 passer rating from the 2019 season.
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown
Since tracking began in 1992, St. Brown’s 81.3 catch percentage would top the previous best rate (minimum 25 targets), set by Raymond last year (79.5)
Expanding beyond a single season, St. Brown needs two receptions against the Vikings to have the most by a Lions receiver across two years. He already has the mark for most catches across three- and four-year spans, topping Herman Moore’s 333 catches from 1995-97 in last week’s win over San Francisco.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs
Gibbs is one touchdown away from matching and two from topping Barry Sanders (1991) and Jamaal Williams (2022) for the most by a Lions player in a season.
All 17 of Williams’ scores came on the ground, while Sanders had one receiving touchdown to 16 rushing. Gibbs currently has 13 rushing and three receiving scores.
Kicker Jake Bates
In last week’s game against San Francisco, Bates surpassed Jason Hanson for the most points scored in a season. He has also rewritten the franchise mark for extra points with 60.
Bates matched Hanson for the longest attempted field goal by a Lion, missing a 65-yarder in Chicago. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before the current kicker also owns the longest make. He’s converted from 58 in his first season with Detroit, a yard shy of Matt Prater’s franchise record.
Punter Jack Fox
Fox’s net and gross punting average, as well as punts resulting in drives starting inside the 20-yard line, would also be franchise-bests.
Coach Dan Campbell
With two playoff wins, Campbell would have the most by a Lions coach in franchise history.
Team franchise records
NFL records
Punter Jack Fox
It won’t be easy, but Fox is threatening the league’s net-punting average mark. A stat since 1976, the record is held by one of Fox’s favorite players growing up, Johnny Hekker, who averaged 46.0 in 2016.
Fox is at 45.8 yards on 43 punts. If he punted twice against the Vikings, he’d need to average 53 net yards on those boots. That's obviously influenced by field position, and is a steeper challenge after a season-ending injury to top gunner Khalil Dorsey.
Quarterback Jared Goff
Goff has shots at some quirkier records:
Ahead of 2024 season finale, a look at the personal bests and franchise records Detroit Lions have or could set
Justin Rogers
Jan 04, 2025
Allen Park — On the eve of the most important regular season game in franchise history — a never-before-seen matchup between two 14-win teams, with the conference’s No. 1 seed hanging in the balance — it’s worth revisiting what the Detroit Lions have accomplished, individually and as a team, to set the table for this historical moment.
The 2024 season has been filled with personal-best performances, the rewriting of sections of the franchise record book, and the threat of making some league history that extends beyond the game’s result.
Personal bests
Quarterback Jared GoffThe former No. 1 pick put has put an exclamation point on his career renaissance, earning his fourth Pro Bowl selection while staying on the fringes of the MVP conversation through the finale.
Entering Sunday’s game against Minnesota, Goff has already thrown for his most touchdowns in a season. His 36 through 16 games top the 32 he tossed in 2018 with the Rams. And if he manages to post his fourth five-touchdown performance of his career, Goff could also match Matthew Stafford’s single-season franchise mark, set in 2011.
Goff has also safely secured the best completion percentage (71.7%), passer rating (113.6) and QBR (67.1) of his career.
The quarterback remains within striking distance of resetting his best yardage total. He needs 291 yards on Sunday to surpass the 4,688 yards he racked up in 2018. Additionally, although less likely, 45 completions would give him another personal best, surpassing his 2023 total.
If the finale comes down to the wire, Goff has an opportunity to secure his fifth fourth-quarterback comeback and game-winning drive. With four apiece in 2024, he’s already matched his late-game heroics from 2018.
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown
St. Brown has seen a production dip from his All-Pro campaign in 2023, but he can still re-establish some bars this season.
With 11 grabs against the Vikings, he’ll hit a new PR for receptions. He’s also six first-down catches and two touchdowns shy of his previous set bests.
Where St. Brown has been better than ever in his fourth season is with his efficiency. Fueled by a streak of catching 31 consecutive passes, the receiver has hauled in 81.3% of the throws his direction, better than the 75.6% he had as a rookie.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs
While hardly unusual to set production bars in your second season, Gibbs’ numbers still merit mention. Entering the finale, he’s rushed for 1,273 yards at 5.6 yards per carry, adding 486 yards as a receiver, for a whopping 1,759 yards from scrimmage. With that last figure, we’re talking about a number only Barry Sanders and Billy Sims have touched among Detroit running backs.
Interestingly, given the comps based on how Detroit structured its backfield, Gibbs has racked up more yards from scrimmage in 2024 than New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara has in any season of his career.
Wide receiver Jameson Williams
Similar to Gibbs, it’s no surprise Williams has posted the best numbers of his career in what has essentially been his first full season. The former first-round pick has already more than doubled his reception total from a year ago and he’s knocking on the door of a 1,000-yard campaign. He needs 34 receiving yards to cross the barrier on Sunday.
Wide receiver Kalif Raymond
His recent stint on injured reserve likely hurts his chances for postseason honors, but Raymond has had a better season as a punt returner than when he was named a second-team All-Pro in 2022.
Despite appearing in 11 games, Raymond has the most punt return yards of his career thanks to a personal-best 14.4-yard average, besting the 13.2 yards from that All-Pro campaign.
Safety Kerby Joseph
Joseph’s resume has been in the news this week after he was snubbed for the Pro Bowl. He's obviously smashed his previous career-high with nine interceptions through 16 games, the most by a Lions defensive back in more than 40 yards.
With six tackles, Joseph will set another best. What won’t show up in any record books, since it’s not an official stat, is his efficiency as a tackler. After whiffing 26 times during his first two seasons, he’s missed just five in 2024.
Safety Brian Branch
The versatile Branch did earn Pro Bowl recognition, building on his strong rookie season in 2023 with improvements in interceptions (four), pass defenses (15) and tackles (103).
Defensive tackle DJ Reader
Signed for ability to anchor the middle of the defensive front as a run-stuffer, Reader gave the Lions a little more than expected as a pass-rusher in his first year with the franchise. The veteran nose tackle secured a career-high with 3.0 sacks when he dropped Bears rookie Caleb Williams twice on Thanksgiving.
Linebacker Jack Campbell
In his second season out of Iowa, Jack Campbell has tallied 125 tackles, establishing a baseline of expectation. Since tracking of the stat began in 1978, only Chris Spielman and Ernie Sims have recorded that many tackles in one of their first two seasons with the Lions.
Punter Jack Fox
Earning Pro Bowl honors for the second time in his career, Fox is set to have bests in gross and net punting, as well as the percentage of his punts that result in the opponent’s possession starting inside the 20-yard line.
Look for more on Fox later in this post.
Individual franchise records
Quarterback Jared GoffNot only is Goff set to establish personal bests for completion percentage and passer rating, but both numbers should easily end up franchise marks. Goff’s 67.3 completion percentage last season is the current standard, as is Stafford’s 106.0 passer rating from the 2019 season.
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown
Since tracking began in 1992, St. Brown’s 81.3 catch percentage would top the previous best rate (minimum 25 targets), set by Raymond last year (79.5)
Expanding beyond a single season, St. Brown needs two receptions against the Vikings to have the most by a Lions receiver across two years. He already has the mark for most catches across three- and four-year spans, topping Herman Moore’s 333 catches from 1995-97 in last week’s win over San Francisco.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs
Gibbs is one touchdown away from matching and two from topping Barry Sanders (1991) and Jamaal Williams (2022) for the most by a Lions player in a season.
All 17 of Williams’ scores came on the ground, while Sanders had one receiving touchdown to 16 rushing. Gibbs currently has 13 rushing and three receiving scores.
Kicker Jake Bates
In last week’s game against San Francisco, Bates surpassed Jason Hanson for the most points scored in a season. He has also rewritten the franchise mark for extra points with 60.
Bates matched Hanson for the longest attempted field goal by a Lion, missing a 65-yarder in Chicago. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before the current kicker also owns the longest make. He’s converted from 58 in his first season with Detroit, a yard shy of Matt Prater’s franchise record.
Punter Jack Fox
Fox’s net and gross punting average, as well as punts resulting in drives starting inside the 20-yard line, would also be franchise-bests.
Coach Dan Campbell
With two playoff wins, Campbell would have the most by a Lions coach in franchise history.
Team franchise records
- Most wins in franchise history
- Longest winning streak. The Lions won 11 consecutive games this season, topping a 10-game streak to open the 1934 season.
- Most points and touchdowns scored. With 33 points on Sunday, the Lions would have a top-three scoring offense all-time. They’d need to score 42 to crack the top 10 in points per game.
- The team’s +200 point differential is on track to easily top the +179 set by the 1934 team. The franchise’s best in the Super Bowl era is +145 in 1970.
- The 2024 Lions were the first in franchise history to go undefeated on the road (8-0).
- A win over Minnesota would give the team consecutive division titles for the first time in the Super Bowl era.
NFL records
Punter Jack FoxIt won’t be easy, but Fox is threatening the league’s net-punting average mark. A stat since 1976, the record is held by one of Fox’s favorite players growing up, Johnny Hekker, who averaged 46.0 in 2016.
Fox is at 45.8 yards on 43 punts. If he punted twice against the Vikings, he’d need to average 53 net yards on those boots. That's obviously influenced by field position, and is a steeper challenge after a season-ending injury to top gunner Khalil Dorsey.
Quarterback Jared Goff
Goff has shots at some quirkier records:
- If he posts a passer rating more than 140.0 or 150.0 against the Vikings, he will have the most such games in a season in NFL history. He’s had three above 150.0 this year and a fourth top 140.0
- Goff has completed at least 75.0% of his passes in eight games this year, matching Tom Brady’s single-season mark from 2007.
Ilov80s
Footballguy
Also the consequences of it are huge. It's not winner gets 1st seed, loser gets 2nd seed. It's basically winner gets the best playoff position, loser gets the worst.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
How many big games has Sam Darnold been in?
Similar threads
