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2025 Detroit Lions: 0-0 HOF Game on tape, as DC said..."We got work to do" (46 Viewers)

In all seriousness, I honestly don't know what I want for Glenn. As a Lions fan, I’d love for him to stay with the team. From his perspective, though, he deserves a shot and should take the opportunity when it comes, since things can change quickly. Then again, also from his perspective, he needs to be very careful about going into the right situation. There are a tons of stats showing that Black first-time HCs have a shorter runway and are less likely to get future opportunities (look at this year, with Pierce and Mayo being one-and-dones). So if he steps into a dumpster fire, that could be a bad career move.

Still think he ends up with the Saints. If he can get the right OC/QB and sign a long-enough contract to get through the inevitable rebuild (all big ifs, I know), I think he'll do well
 
How a rookie GM and a retread coaching hire turned around Lions' Divisional round opponent overnight

January 14, 2020
Justin Rogers | Detroit Football Network

Allen Park — When Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes arrived in Detroit, it took a minute for the Lions’ rebuild to start consistently producing wins.

In 2021, the team threatened to go winless before securing three victories in their final six games. The following season, the Lions started 1-6 before the switch finally flipped. But since that sluggish start, the team has won 35 of its last 44 regular-season contests, earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC this year.

The rebuild for the Washington Commanders — Detroit’s Divisional round opponent — has been on a more accelerated path.

The franchise reset started with the hiring of new leadership last offseason. First-year general manager Adam Peters was lured away from San Francisco, where he had served as John Lynch’s assistant GM the previous three seasons. Then, after being spurned by Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, the Commanders pivoted to Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to helm the roster.

In Dallas, Quinn had led three straight top-10 scoring units. And before that, he compiled a 43-42 record as the Falcons head coach, including a 2017 Super Bowl appearance.

But the heart of the Commanders’ resurgence has been a near-total overhaul of its roster. While Holmes was handcuffed by a subpar salary cap situation upon his arrival to Detroit — exasperated by having to fulfill quarterback Matthew Stafford’s trade request — Peters inherited more than $90 million in space and wasted little time putting those funds to work.

By the time the offseason was complete, the Commanders' roster barely resembled the group that finished 4-13 the previous season. Each position group, down to the long snapper, was retooled to meet a new vision.

As with most great NFL turnarounds, it begins at quarterback. Holding the No. 2 pick in the draft, the team made the easy decision to move on from middling starter Sam Howell. He was replaced by Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, a dynamic dual-threat passer out of LSU.

Paired with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury — who coached Patrick Mahomes in college and Kyler Murray in Arizona — Daniels flourished as a rookie, posting a passer rating north of 100.0 while racking up nearly 900 yards rushing.

Daniels stepped into a decent situation, with a quality running back in Brian Thomas and an excellent No. 1 receiver in Terry McLaurin, but Peters revamped the rest of the offense to give his young QB the best chance to succeed. That included three new offensive linemen — center Tyler Biadasz, Nick Allegretti and rookie Brandon Coleman — veteran tight end Zach Ertz and productive receiving back Austin Ekeler.

Added up, the Commanders increased their scoring by 47% year-to-year, finishing fifth in the league in 2024.

Defensively, Quinn and first-year defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. were charged with repairing the league’s worst unit, which had allowed 30.5 points per game in 2023.

Comparable to the offense, the Commanders invested heavily in reshaping the porous unit’s personnel. Along the defensive line, they retained the tackle tandem of Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, supplementing the front with three free-agent additions and second-round draft pick Johnny Newton.

There was familiarity with the edge signings, as Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr played for Quinn in Dallas and Clelin Ferrell spent 2023 with Peters in San Francisco. The trio combined for 16.0 sacks and 108 QB pressures this season.

In the second level, the changes were even more significant. The Commanders signed highly productive seek-and-destroy linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu. The tandem logged more than 2,100 defensive snaps this season, racking up 231 tackles, 10.0 sacks, 11 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries.

The team’s defensive backfield was also reworked. Underrated Kamren Curl was allowed to walk in free agency and replaced by the bigger, more athletic Jeremy Chinn. He delivered 117 tackles, 2.0 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble in 2024.

And at cornerback, the team signed Noah Igbinoghene and drafted Mike Sainristil to replace secondary stalwart Kendall Fuller and 2023 first-round draft pick Emmanuel Forbes. Sainristil, the former Michigan standout, led the team with 14 pass breakups and two picks.

Regarding Forbes, the team dumped its previous three first-round picks the past several months, releasing the corner and linebacker Jamin Davis midseason while trading wide receiver Jahan Dotson during training camp.

The defense's improvements weren't as drastic as what the offense experienced. Still, the 2024 group finished middle of the pack in scoring, allowing a touchdown less per game than 2023.

Peters’ two-pronged approach of attacking his rebuild through free agency and the draft paid immediate dividends, resulting in 12 wins and the franchise’s first playoff victory since 2005.
 
Deamon said:
BobbyLayne said:

Dan Campbell on Facing Commanders, David Montgomery, and More​


Coach's weekly 10 minute segment on 97.1 with Costa & Jansen
Click to expand...
How many carries do you guys think Montgomery gets? Back to his usual workload?

I have the first pick in a fantasy draft that drafts every week, and am torn between Gibbs and Barkley and Henry. Had decided on Gibbs until hearing Monty is back. Will this cut into Gibbs a lot?
Click to expand...
Depends on what Monty can handle, impossible to know at this point. Gibbs has been incredible though, so I doubt they have any plan to take the ball out his hands too much.
 
Deamon said:
BobbyLayne said:

Dan Campbell on Facing Commanders, David Montgomery, and More​


Coach's weekly 10 minute segment on 97.1 with Costa & Jansen
Click to expand...
How many carries do you guys think Montgomery gets? Back to his usual workload?

I have the first pick in a fantasy draft that drafts every week, and am torn between Gibbs and Barkley and Henry. Had decided on Gibbs until hearing Monty is back. Will this cut into Gibbs a lot?
Click to expand...

:shrug:

Asked & answered, right?

Walk through today, hard practice tomorrow. Can’t evaluate where he’s at until after tomorrow. “There’s in place in this game for David Montgomery.”

I think Jah has been awesome in his absence, 3 straight weeks with 150+ Yfs & 6 TD. But if there’s one area they missed with Monty out is the comfort he brings when it’s 3rd/4th & short. David has a little more weight and has insanely strong legs.

Montgomery has had a phenomenal year receiving. Caught 36/37, led the league’s RBs in Y/RR (2.24 - next highest was 1.75.) Their PFF Elusive Rating was almost identical - Gibbs 5th (80.6), Monty 6th (80.4); I think people presume David’s all power but he forces a lot of missed tackles. Gibbs has decent power for his size. The only real separator is Jah has track speed to break off long gainers.

I think if he’s healthy he’ll rotate per usual. If he’s not then who knows. Tough call because I don’t know if we’ll have complete clarity before Saturday night.
 
King of the Jungle said:
Deamon said:
BobbyLayne said:

Dan Campbell on Facing Commanders, David Montgomery, and More​


Coach's weekly 10 minute segment on 97.1 with Costa & Jansen
Click to expand...
How many carries do you guys think Montgomery gets? Back to his usual workload?

I have the first pick in a fantasy draft that drafts every week, and am torn between Gibbs and Barkley and Henry. Had decided on Gibbs until hearing Monty is back. Will this cut into Gibbs a lot?
Click to expand...
Depends on what Monty can handle, impossible to know at this point. Gibbs has been incredible though, so I doubt they have any plan to take the ball out his hands too much.
Click to expand...
ya, tough call there.
 
1st team All Pro punter Jack Fox bought every member of the punt coverage team, 15 in total, Shinola watches. Hogan Hatten said his was $4,000. Generous gift from the punter after the unit helped him set a new NFL record for net average in 2024.
 

Ahead of return, Lions RB Montgomery shares value of faith, intense offseason workouts and vivid Super Bowl dreams​


JUSTIN ROGERS
JAN 15

Allen Park — Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery prays as hard as he works. He believes it’s that combination of nurturing his body and spirit that will allow him to take the field for Saturday’s playoff game against the Washington Commanders, a little more than a month after he suffered what was initially reported to be a season-ending MCL tear in his right knee.

“The speculation that I was getting surgery, or that was kind of the end-all-be-all, like, nobody really ever knew,” Montgomery explained Tuesday evening. “When that got put out, I didn't know that I was getting surgery. The media told me, so it was news to me.

“But, you know, I'm always pretty confident in who I am and how I prepare,” Montgomery said. “I mean, I know who my God is, so there ain't really too much, or anything, that I know that I can’t overcome when I know who is the head of my life. …I'm supposed to be here if I'm supposed to be here. It's never been up to me. It'll never be up to me. It’s His way.”

But, as the cliche goes, God helps those who help themselves. And Montgomery's dedication to getting ready for the season is the stuff of legend around the team's practice facility. The hit that put him on the shelf, he’s watched it with his trainer and remains convinced his approach to the offseason limited the extent of the damage.

“We looked at when the hit happened and the way it happened, there’s no way — if you look at the hit the way it happened — I didn’t tear my ACL,” Montgomery said. “But when people were laughing at me in the summer, saying, ‘Why is he deadlifting 800 pounds? Why is he doing all this crazy stuff?’ I’m like, it’s a fierce, crazy game. It’s grown men hitting each other at full speed. If you’re not strong and your body can’t take it, you’re not going to make it. So I’m blessed and I’m lucky to be standing here to be able to play right now.”

Montgomery is one of the players who set a tone for Detroit on the field and in the locker room. His position coach has said the veteran’s back’s work ethic and intensity elevate those around him. And when linebacker Alex Anzalone showed up to an offseason press conference, it wasn’t an accident he did so wearing a Montgomery t-shirt. Everyone in the building respects what he brings to the table. It's why the team awarded Montgomery a contract extension in the middle of the season, more than a year before his current deal was set to expire.

When coach Dan Campbell was asked this week about what it would mean to be able to re-incorporate Montgomery into the game plan, the coach had one of those moments where he got briefly choked up before answering.

“It’ll mean a lot,” Campbell said. “Five’s a big part of us. He’s a huge part of us, and to me, he’s a bell cow. He’s a tone-setter, he’s a catalyst, so there’s a place for him. There’s a place for him here, so there’ll be a place for him in this game. It’s going to be good to get him back.”

Recovering wasn’t sitting back on his couch and waiting for the knee to heal. Montgomery had to attack his rehab with a similar intensity as his offseason workouts.

“Kind of put the horse blinders on and silence the noise of the world and just kind of attack it every day, no matter what the day looks like,” he explained. “As long as I get the opportunity to wake up every day, no matter how the day before it looked, I've got a chance. So I kind of looked at it that way, put my best foot forward every chance that I got.

“…You know, MCL sprain, or whatever you want to call it, it's all about strengthening,” he explained. “The more you can get the scar tissue to grow, the better off you’ll be. For the scar tissue to grow, you need to strengthen it. We did a lot of stuff that was kind of focused toward regaining that strength.”

He has no concerns about his knee holding up on Sunday and doesn’t expect to be on a pitch count. If he had any hesitations, he wouldn’t risk putting himself or the team in a bad situation.

Additionally, he has no doubt about the outcome of all of this. Call it faith, or a vision, but he’s confident about where he and the Lions are headed.

“I tell my brother all the time — I've really been saying it since I was training last year in Arizona — I would tell him all the time I would have dreams about us going to the Super Bowl,” Montgomery said. “It was crazy. And the closer we get, the more vivid they become. I have them often.

"It ain't going to be (easy)," Montgomery said. "I don't know how it's going to look with us getting there, but I know we gonna be there. That's going out, performing, and being who we're capable of being.”

Do the Lions win the Super Bowl in these dreams? You can probably guess, but there’s a limit to what Montgomery cared to reveal.

“I'm going to keep that to myself."
 
Deamon said:
BobbyLayne said:

Dan Campbell on Facing Commanders, David Montgomery, and More​


Coach's weekly 10 minute segment on 97.1 with Costa & Jansen
Click to expand...
How many carries do you guys think Montgomery gets? Back to his usual workload?

I have the first pick in a fantasy draft that drafts every week, and am torn between Gibbs and Barkley and Henry. Had decided on Gibbs until hearing Monty is back. Will this cut into Gibbs a lot?
Click to expand...
This is what Chris Harris (the fantasy podcaster, not the former DB) calls a "Type 2 question". There's no way to know without knowing how healthy he is, and they're not going to tell us that information
 
This fantastic piece came out in the Free Press today (part 1 of 3; part 2 comes out Monday)

Matthew Stafford's secret was rocket fuel that revived Detroit Lions​

Jeff Seidel
Editor's note: This is part one of a three-part series on how the Detroit Lions became the best team in the NFC.

Matthew Stafford had a secret that would change everything for the Lions.

It was the end of the 2020 season and Stafford sat in a big conference room in the back corner of the Lions' headquarters.

Rod Wood, the Lions president, was meeting with a group of team captains to talk about the season. It was a chance to clear the air, as the organization was going through yet another massive change.

The Lions were searching for both a new coach and a new general manager after they had fired Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn.

“If there’s anything on your mind, as we are doing this search, we’ll do the best we can to keep you informed,” Wood told the captains.

The players went around the room, offering opinions.

“Everybody had a few things to say,” Wood remembers.

Everyone except Stafford. He was the face of the franchise and had just finished his 12th season in Detroit.

“And Stafford goes, ‘Well, I’d just really like to talk to you in private,’ ” Wood said.

So, they went into Wood’s office.

“He got very emotional and said, ‘I just want to be traded and I don't want to go through another regime change,’ ” Wood said.

Wood wasn’t stunned. He understood it and he quickly called owner Sheila Hamp and put her on speakerphone.

The Lions were coming off a 5-11 season, their third losing season in a row. Stafford had already been through three coaches: Jim Schwartz, Jim Caldwell and Patricia. None could figure out how to make the Lions a Super Bowl contender — they couldn’t figure out how to win a playoff game, a milestone the franchise hadn’t reached since 1991.

“He said, ‘I hope I can go someplace where I can win a Super Bowl, and I hope you can get enough for me that you can win one a couple years later,’ ” Wood remembers Stafford saying. “ ‘We’ll do the best we can do to accommodate you,” Wood said. “You know, right now we are doing a GM and the head coach search. Can we keep this out of the public domain?’ ”

Stafford agreed.

“To his credit and his camp’s credit, they never said anything, and we never said anything,” Wood said recently, sitting behind his desk in that same office. “So every coach and GM interview we did, this was not something that was brought up.”

Wood leaned back in his chair.

“So that was a big moment,” he said, smiling.

If there is something that changed everything for this franchise, that was the key that unlocked everything.

“Now, we don't have a head coach,” Hamp said recently, recalling that moment while sitting in her office. “We don't have a general manager, we don't have a quarterback and it's COVID.”

Rattling off the challenges four years later, it sounds even more daunting to say it out loud.

“We'll work this out, no problem,” she said, with self-deprecating sarcasm — she has a warm sense of humor. “But actually, you know, as crazy as it was at the time, it was actually an opportunity to really clean house and start over. Let's really do what we say we're going to do and build it from the ground up; and that's really what happened.”

The results have been remarkable — the Lions just went 15-2 this regular season, captured the NFC North for the second straight year and earned the No. 1 seed entering the NFL playoffs for the first time. All this can be traced to that moment as the franchise enjoys the reward of this weekend's first-round bye.

All because they tore down the organization and built it back, topped off with the perfect pair of leaders: GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell.

“The two of them are just literally peas from the same pod,” Hamp said. “Watching them work together is a joy. They really are like brothers, and it's very cool. They don't always agree on everything, and that's fine, but they listen to each other, and then that's how they work, too.”

It’s an amazing story of transformation, turning a perennial loser into a championship favorite.

To chronicle how they got to this moment, the Free Press was granted unprecedented access in the first week of January to a small group of front office executives who made it happen yet who rarely talk to the news media.

Finding a 'noble cause'​

When Hamp became the principal team owner in June 2020 — taking over for her mother, Martha Firestone Ford — she was straightforward about her intentions.

“I told my family from the get-go, I'm not going to do this unless I can really dig into what I think has gone wrong for the last however many years,” Hamp told the Free Press, sitting in her office at Lions headquarters in Allen Park. “My very first call was to a really good friend of mine, who I went to college with. … Sandy Cutler. He ran Eaton Corp for a long time. We were great friends. I always admired his leadership style.”

Hamp and Cutler went to Yale together and she asked him the billion-dollar question: “If you were me, how would you think about this and this job?”

Hamp considered Cutler a smart, bold leader. He started as a financial analyst and retired as chairman and chief executive officer of Eaton Corp., a $20.9 billion industrial manufacturer.
“He said, ‘Well, the first thing you need to do is to define your noble cause,' ” she remembers.

After much thought, she decided her “noble cause” was the city of Detroit, all the long-suffering fans. But there was something else Cutler said that was just as important. He told her, “once you've done that, find a few key people that buy into it, and then the rest should fall into place.”

She smiles, telling the story: “which is easier said than done.”

Here was another Cutler piece of wisdom: “Great leaders have the ability to translate challenges into opportunities,” Cutler told Fast Company magazine in 2012. “To connect the dots when others just see random facts; and the ability to inspire others around them to find creative, innovative solutions.”

The Lions were more than a challenge; they were a mess. A random series of dots. There were the haves — the people on the football side. And the have-nots — the business folks, most of whom had offices at Ford Field. The right hand wasn’t talking to the left. There were siloes and turf wars, no cohesion or connection.

It was a losing culture under a dark cloud of joyless mistrust.

Hamp had a lot of work to do, to say the least. “As far as the organization was concerned, I think I had the opportunity to look at it a little differently,” she said.
To find those creative solutions.

Sheila Hamp takes control​

The lazy, easy narrative is Hamp learned from her parents' mistakes and did the opposite.

But that might be simplifying things too much. Mainly, because it’s all apples and oranges.

William Clay Ford, Hamp’s father, bought the Lions in November 1963. “The game changed so much, since the days when my dad bought them,” Hamp said. “It wasn't the business it's become.”
After her father died in 2014, Hamp’s mother took over when she was 88.

“It was just a little different,” Hamp said. “She was great. She particularly did a great job with the league.”

If there is one thing Hamp did learn from her mother, it was how to hold her own as a woman in a roomful of billionaire men.

But now, this was Sheila’s time — her shot to run the organization — and she fired Quinn and Patricia on Nov. 28, 2020, two days after a Thanksgiving loss to Houston.

In early December, Hamp interviewed three internal candidates for the GM job: vice president of player personnel Kyle O'Brien, director of player personnel Lance Newmark and director of pro scouting Rob Lohman.

It turned into a revealing, important moment for Hamp because they told her the problems in the organization.

“I didn't realize how bad it was until they told the truth,” she said.

Give her credit for truly hearing what they were saying.

Give her credit for having an open mind to consider what was wrong.

“It really opened my eyes,” she said. “I realized no one was talking. There was no communication between Allen Park and Ford Field.”

Or between the football side and the business side.

She started to realize she needed to strip the organization down to the studs and build it back again.

“We wanted a horizontal organization,” she said. “Everyone working together, collaborating, talking. And I realized that was not happening at all.”
 

Learning what makes real culture​

After firing Patricia and Quinn, there were all kinds of questions.

“Who is the interview group?” Hamp asked. “How were we going to do this?”

One thing was clear — Hamp didn’t want to hire an outside firm to help identify candidates because they had already tried that and it didn’t work.

“It goes back to the (coach Jim) Caldwell days,” Wood said.

In 2015, after Firestone fired president Tom Lewand and GM Martin Mayhew, the Lions used outside help to pick a new GM.

“The rest of that season we didn't have a GM,” Wood said. “I was brand-new in this role, and working with Jim (Caldwell), and then trying to figure out how to hire.”

They brought in Ernie Accorsi, a longtime NFL executive, hoping he would identify somebody from a winning team who would bring winning to Detroit.

“Everybody tried to import a winning culture,” Wood said.

So, the Lions back then tried to import the Patriots Way, hiring Quinn and then he eventually hired Patricia, which didn’t work.

“I didn't really know that many people (around the NFL at that time),” Wood said. “I think I learned how important it is to know more people and not rely upon somebody who's not going to be here and have to live with the results. Ernie was very good, but he moved on.”

The Lions were left with the New England Patriots culture. Without the winning. Without the great coach, Bill Belichick. Without legendary quarterback Tom Brady.

And it failed spectacularly.

The lesson? Hamp and Wood discovered it’s impossible to bring in another team’s culture. You can’t import it. It has to grow from within.

“We decided we're not going to go to the league,” Hamp said. “We're not going to ask for their help. That's what happened before, right? Didn't work out too well. Yes, we can handle this.”

Hamp wanted Wood to be on the selection committee. That was a given.

“I've known Rod for many years,” Hamp said. “He was head of our family office before he became the president. We've worked together for a long time and I love Rod. He’s great. But we thought we need to — or I knew — I needed some help on the football side."

Hamp had no doubt that everybody they would interview would be qualified, but she worried about something else.

“How am I going to know if they're really blowing football smoke at me?” she asked.

“What do you think about Chris (Spielman)?” Wood asked about one of the greatest Lions to ever play.

“I think that'd be great,” she said.

Spielman, who had strong NFL contacts, was working as a TV analyst and still had a few games left on his contract.

“I actually sent him a text while he was calling a game,” Wood said. “I said ‘give me a call and let me run something by you.’ ”

At first, the plan was to have Spielman vet some candidates and help do interviews. Not much more than that.

“Then we started talking, and then he got all excited about it,” Wood said.

“Chris is sort of the consummate Detroit Lion, loves this team,” Hamp said. “So I called Chris, and sort of just talked about how we wanted to change things, how I saw it, and he was just intrigued at the idea of coming in and changing an organization.”

Spielman didn’t really know Hamp that well but he sensed her passion.

“Like a lot of people in Detroit, it was personal for her, obviously, because it's her family, and they own the team, and it was her shot at it,” he said. “For her to be able to assemble the amount of people, the right people, and put them in place, was very important to her. And you could hear her passion for Detroit. You could hear the passion for Lions fans and for the team. And she was just,

‘I think we got to do this. We have to do it.’

“So it was her resolve, and her love of the team and the city that really came through.”

The more they talked, the bigger the idea became. Spielman wanted to help in any way possible.

“Then that kind of just morphed into, would you want to come work here full-time?” Wood said. “That was within two days, basically.”

What would his role be?

“I said, ‘Well, we'll figure it out as we go,’ ” Wood said.

Searching for what they wanted​

The four-person selection team was set: Hamp, Wood, Spielman and Mike Disner, a rising star in the organization.

Disner is an important name for fans to know because some believe he is positioned to become the next Lions president, whenever Wood retires. He interviewed for the Carolina Panthers GM job in 2024.

“Disner was fabulous,” Hamp said. “Our salary cap guru at the time.”

Hamp, Wood, Disner and Spielman were being thrown into a foxhole together, trying to figure out who to hire; and the task was herculean. The Lions had been trying to find a winning culture, that could be sustained, since 1957 — the team’s last title.

“We spent a lot of time, ahead of time, thinking about what are we really looking for?” Hamp said.

In the past, the organization had tried just about everything: young coaches and old ones, retreads and new treads, defensive-minded coaches and offensive ones, not to mention, Tom Izzo’s best friend. But the losing was so pervasive that Wayne Fontes, the winningest coach in team history, actually had a losing record (66-67).

As far as GMs, they tried everything from older schoolers to a converted TV guy to someone from the New England tree.

In short, nothing had worked for long.

The futility could be measured not only in years, but in decades, if not lifetimes.

So, instead of trying to fix the organization piecemeal, which is what the Lions had done countless times, churning through different GMs and coaches, they started to develop a much bigger plan. To change the organization at its core.

“What is your vision, Sheila?” Spielman asked. “What do you want? What type of team do you want? What type of organization do you want?”

As they brainstormed, trying to come up with the guiding principles of this new organization, Spielman wrote the cornerstones on a whiteboard:
  1. 1.Leadership.
  2. 2.Culture.
  3. 3.Staff.
Under staff, Spielman drew three arrows: “Manage, find the best and handling turnover.”

Handling turnover? It’s ironic, now, that the Lions have become so successful that everybody is trying to poach their coordinators and even Spielman, who just completed a virtual interview for the New York Jets GM role. But it’s also interesting this organization started preparing for turnover before it even started to taste success.

Out on the margin, Spielman drew an arrow pointing at culture: “Stay focused on this,” he wrote and underlined four times.

In Hamp’s mind, it went back to her “noble cause.”

“We wanted somebody that understood the city, understood kind of where the city had been, where it's going, kind of understanding our fans,” she said.

Hamp, Wood, Disner and Spielman all signed the whiteboard on 12/29/2020; then Holmes and Campbell signed it after they were hired, like it was a binding agreement.

Now, a framed copy hangs in their offices.

At this point, you could roll your eyes and say: Those are just buzzwords.

Or you could scoff: A noble cause? Get real.

But when you consider how this organization has been transformed, when you learn how those guiding principles determined whom they hired and how they built this organization and even how they select players, when you find how the rest of the NFL is trying to copy the Lions' way or just flat out poach their coaching talent, when you see how the fan base has become electrified from all the success — a noble cause indeed — the words on that whiteboard seem even bigger. They offer a road map on how they did it.

It explains why they were willing to risk hiring Holmes and Campbell.

“We have got a lot of great stories on this team,” Hamp said. “Everyone's in love with Dan Campbell. How can you not be? Dan is Dan. He's really one of the most charismatic leaders I've ever seen in my life. Plus, I think he's one of the most emotionally intelligent people I've ever met.

"You know you listen to his postgame speeches in the locker room, win or lose, he has the right thing to say. I hear him at practice, and he just knows kind of when the team needs maybe a kick in the pants, or whether they need to have fun, or whether they need a little encouragement. I mean, whatever it is, he's just got such a handle on it.”

But how they put together this team is a wild story on its own.

Elephant in the room​

They interviewed 12 candidates for the GM job and eight for head coach.

“Each person we interviewed, we'd say, ‘Well, what do you think of our team?’ ” Hamp remembers. “And, you know, they said, ‘Well, at least you have a quarterback, right?' ”

Trouble was. They didn’t. Stafford wanted to be traded.

After every interview, the four would grade the candidates.

“We filled out a grade sheet — kind of like a scouting report,” Spielman said.

“Everyone kind of came at it from a different angle,” Hamp said. “And, you know, we didn't always agree, and that was perfect.”

The list of candidates kept morphing. Holmes wasn’t on the original list, but Disner found a video of a mock interview.

If you wonder if the Lions' success is sustainable, the fact Disner found Holmes in a pile of video clips should be encouraging.

“The NFL has these sort of canned interviews that you can look at,” Hamp said. “They've got tons of them — GMs or presidents, or whatever. And he found Brad's interview, and he said, ‘You guys have to see this guy.’

“And we all did, and we kind of went, whoa.”
 

Finding a fresh start​

Hamp started every interview by being blunt with the candidates, describing the organization’s past mistakes as well as her vision.

“She would talk about the history of how we got to where we are, and philosophically, what she wanted to see going forward,” Disner said. “It's representing the community, the organization, her family, to the point where we are cohesive, working together, no real siloes, and ultimately, working together toward a common goal, as opposed to … “

Well, the way they had been doing it.

“She was very clear in terms of the direction the organization wanted to take and the pitfalls of the organization’s past,” Disner said.

They didn’t want to bring in a GM and coach from the same organization — that would be trying to copy somebody else.

The Lions were trying to create their own culture. They were looking for new leadership. Someone who would embrace it. But it was a complicated process. During every interview, they had to define Spielman’s role, because it was so unusual.

“It could be intimidating,” Wood said. “If you were coming in as a GM, well, who is this gonna be, this guy who played for the Lions, legendary player? He could be the GM. His brother is a GM.

"And same thing on the coaching side. So, we kind of described it as, he's here to help us. He's not looking to do your job. He's not looking to overlook you. And I think it would only work with somebody like Chris.”

Brad Holmes finds a home​

When Holmes interviewed, he came across as smart, incredibly prepared and offered a sharp analysis of the state of the Lions.

“He blew us all away,” Hamp said. “He said things about our team specifically that no one else had said. His insights were incredible for someone who wasn't here.”

Holmes remembers how that interview was just so unusual.

“It just felt different,” he said. “It felt home, like family. It felt like it was a conversation.”

In the interview, Hamp made clear she wanted an organization built on collaboration.

“But it wasn't an in-depth conversation about culture,” Holmes said.

It was clear to him the Lions had “thoroughly did their homework, research and vetting thoroughly enough to know” what he stood for before they even interviewed him.

“I probably spoke more about my background and my upbringing and those kinds of things,” Holmes said, “more so than what kind of culture you need to have.”

Tell me about Dan Campbell​

At the same time, the Lions were trying to find a coach, which was like trying to build a house, while trying to hire a general contractor at the same time the architect was drawing up the plans.
It was a whirlwind.

Spielman had noticed Campbell while calling his games on TV.

“I watched him,” he said. “Because he draws you to him. If you're a competitor or you're a player, you're drawn to that. He has an aura or that it quality factor.” Spielman called then-New Orleans head coach Sean Payton, who had known Campbell for years, both as a player and from working with him as a coach.

“Tell me about Dan Campbell,” Spielman said. Payton talked for 28 straight minutes.

“He didn't stop,” Spielman said. ”I was looking on my watch — 28 minutes.”

Campbell was put on the list of candidates. But he was just a name on a list that kept morphing.

An interview for the ages​

Campbell’s interview has become something of lore in Allen Park.

“Dan's interview was probably the most unique,” Disner said. “He was at a random hotel in New Orleans, I believe, and he was jumping off the screen. He was up in his seat. He was crushing the biggest Starbucks I've ever seen. You know, at one point he kind of did one of these — “

Disner mimicked slamming a gulp of coffee. Like somebody guzzling a mug of beer.

“Just threw it down,” Disner said. “You could feel the energy through Zoom, which is really hard to do. And Brad, too, you know, there were two people that you could feel the energy. You could feel the desire and how they wanted to come here and make a difference.”

Whatever makes a leader, Wood could see it in Campbell: “Some people just have it, and whatever the it factor is, Dan has it, you know, in spades. And it came through in the interview, same with Brad.”

While searching for a coach can seem like speed dating, this was different at its core. It was clear both Holmes and Campbell wanted the job desperately. During their interviews, it was clear both had done extensive research on the Lions, the city, the team’s history, the ownership and had ideas on how the organization could succeed.

“Dan desperately, passionately wanted the job,” Spielman said. “Wanted to come here. He wanted to be a part of what Detroit was doing. He believed in Sheila’s vision.”
Spielman picked up on something else he deemed vital.

“The other thing that really sold me on him, and I'll never forget this, he said, ‘I will get good coaches to come with me,’ ” Spielman said. “He said that without any arrogance or without any cockiness.

And the reason why that's so important in this world, sometimes coaches are afraid to hire guys that are maybe smarter than them or better than them, because they may view them as a threat. He's not.

"He's so confident in his ability and what he does. He wants to hire guys that may have strengths that he does not have, because we all don't have every strength. And so that's what really sold me.”

Now remember, this was done during COVID-19. At a time when the world was adjusting to Zoom calls. But that didn’t stop either Holmes or Campbell.

“When a leader stands out, through a one-dimensional screen — and both Dan and Brad stood out, exuding leadership in that kind of tough environment — you say, ‘Oh, this is interesting,’ ” Wood
said. “Let's learn more about this person.”

Revealing the Stafford news​

Then came the tricky part. The elephant in the room — oh, by the way, you don’t have a quarterback.

“So how did they react?” I asked. “I'll start with Brad,” Wood said. “And I said, ‘well, before you take the job, oh, here's something you should know.‘ ” But Holmes didn’t blink.

“He said, ‘Oh, OK, let's go,' ” Wood said, slamming his fist on the table. “ 'Let's figure this out. I can really build my team, as opposed to one I inherited, and one I have to build around him.' ”

While going through different interviews, Wood preferred GM candidates with a strong draft background because he figured they would get a haul in trading Stafford.

What did Campbell say, when told that they were going to trade Stafford?

“Dan said the same thing — ‘Let's go. Let's go!’ ” Wood remembers.

There was one last but vital question: How would they work together? The Lions were about to hire Holmes and Campbell, even though they had never met.

“I introduced them via cellphone,” Wood said.

“You guys talk,” Wood said. “Because you're likely going to be working together, and I want to make sure that they see the world the same way.”

That’s where there was a bit of luck, too. It was like they were meant to be together.

“Brad said, ‘Did he read my book?’ ” Hamp said. “They were so on the same page about everything — what kind of team they wanted to build, what kind of players, so we were pretty sure, you know.”

The next day, the Lions hired Campbell. It would be disingenuous to say the Lions knew this would work out so spectacularly. “That was a little bit of luck,” Hamp admitted.

At its core, this was an arranged marriage. “We thought we were doing the right thing, but, you know, it could have blown up,” she said.

It took tremendous courage for a brand-new owner to hire a first-time GM and a first-time coach. There were all kinds of examples in the NFL where that had failed in the past.

“Big reward comes with big risks sometimes,” Wood said. But they trusted their process, guided by the principles on that whiteboard.

“We were pretty sure these were the right people,” Hamp said. “Dan, of course, played on the 0-and-16 team. He was in Detroit for a couple years and he and his wife, Holly, loved the city. And he has seen the team at probably its worst and still loved everything about it and really wanted to be here.”

But hiring Campbell and Holmes was just the first step.

Coming Monday: Part Two, Brad Holmes defines the on-field product.
 
BobbyLayne said:

Finding a fresh start​

Hamp started every interview by being blunt with the candidates, describing the organization’s past mistakes as well as her vision.

“She would talk about the history of how we got to where we are, and philosophically, what she wanted to see going forward,” Disner said. “It's representing the community, the organization, her family, to the point where we are cohesive, working together, no real siloes, and ultimately, working together toward a common goal, as opposed to … “

Well, the way they had been doing it.

“She was very clear in terms of the direction the organization wanted to take and the pitfalls of the organization’s past,” Disner said.

They didn’t want to bring in a GM and coach from the same organization — that would be trying to copy somebody else.

The Lions were trying to create their own culture. They were looking for new leadership. Someone who would embrace it. But it was a complicated process. During every interview, they had to define Spielman’s role, because it was so unusual.

“It could be intimidating,” Wood said. “If you were coming in as a GM, well, who is this gonna be, this guy who played for the Lions, legendary player? He could be the GM. His brother is a GM.

"And same thing on the coaching side. So, we kind of described it as, he's here to help us. He's not looking to do your job. He's not looking to overlook you. And I think it would only work with somebody like Chris.”

Brad Holmes finds a home​

When Holmes interviewed, he came across as smart, incredibly prepared and offered a sharp analysis of the state of the Lions.

“He blew us all away,” Hamp said. “He said things about our team specifically that no one else had said. His insights were incredible for someone who wasn't here.”

Holmes remembers how that interview was just so unusual.

“It just felt different,” he said. “It felt home, like family. It felt like it was a conversation.”

In the interview, Hamp made clear she wanted an organization built on collaboration.

“But it wasn't an in-depth conversation about culture,” Holmes said.

It was clear to him the Lions had “thoroughly did their homework, research and vetting thoroughly enough to know” what he stood for before they even interviewed him.

“I probably spoke more about my background and my upbringing and those kinds of things,” Holmes said, “more so than what kind of culture you need to have.”

Tell me about Dan Campbell​

At the same time, the Lions were trying to find a coach, which was like trying to build a house, while trying to hire a general contractor at the same time the architect was drawing up the plans.
It was a whirlwind.

Spielman had noticed Campbell while calling his games on TV.

“I watched him,” he said. “Because he draws you to him. If you're a competitor or you're a player, you're drawn to that. He has an aura or that it quality factor.” Spielman called then-New Orleans head coach Sean Payton, who had known Campbell for years, both as a player and from working with him as a coach.

“Tell me about Dan Campbell,” Spielman said. Payton talked for 28 straight minutes.

“He didn't stop,” Spielman said. ”I was looking on my watch — 28 minutes.”

Campbell was put on the list of candidates. But he was just a name on a list that kept morphing.

An interview for the ages​

Campbell’s interview has become something of lore in Allen Park.

“Dan's interview was probably the most unique,” Disner said. “He was at a random hotel in New Orleans, I believe, and he was jumping off the screen. He was up in his seat. He was crushing the biggest Starbucks I've ever seen. You know, at one point he kind of did one of these — “

Disner mimicked slamming a gulp of coffee. Like somebody guzzling a mug of beer.

“Just threw it down,” Disner said. “You could feel the energy through Zoom, which is really hard to do. And Brad, too, you know, there were two people that you could feel the energy. You could feel the desire and how they wanted to come here and make a difference.”

Whatever makes a leader, Wood could see it in Campbell: “Some people just have it, and whatever the it factor is, Dan has it, you know, in spades. And it came through in the interview, same with Brad.”

While searching for a coach can seem like speed dating, this was different at its core. It was clear both Holmes and Campbell wanted the job desperately. During their interviews, it was clear both had done extensive research on the Lions, the city, the team’s history, the ownership and had ideas on how the organization could succeed.

“Dan desperately, passionately wanted the job,” Spielman said. “Wanted to come here. He wanted to be a part of what Detroit was doing. He believed in Sheila’s vision.”
Spielman picked up on something else he deemed vital.

“The other thing that really sold me on him, and I'll never forget this, he said, ‘I will get good coaches to come with me,’ ” Spielman said. “He said that without any arrogance or without any cockiness.

And the reason why that's so important in this world, sometimes coaches are afraid to hire guys that are maybe smarter than them or better than them, because they may view them as a threat. He's not.

"He's so confident in his ability and what he does. He wants to hire guys that may have strengths that he does not have, because we all don't have every strength. And so that's what really sold me.”

Now remember, this was done during COVID-19. At a time when the world was adjusting to Zoom calls. But that didn’t stop either Holmes or Campbell.

“When a leader stands out, through a one-dimensional screen — and both Dan and Brad stood out, exuding leadership in that kind of tough environment — you say, ‘Oh, this is interesting,’ ” Wood
said. “Let's learn more about this person.”

Revealing the Stafford news​

Then came the tricky part. The elephant in the room — oh, by the way, you don’t have a quarterback.

“So how did they react?” I asked. “I'll start with Brad,” Wood said. “And I said, ‘well, before you take the job, oh, here's something you should know.‘ ” But Holmes didn’t blink.

“He said, ‘Oh, OK, let's go,' ” Wood said, slamming his fist on the table. “ 'Let's figure this out. I can really build my team, as opposed to one I inherited, and one I have to build around him.' ”

While going through different interviews, Wood preferred GM candidates with a strong draft background because he figured they would get a haul in trading Stafford.

What did Campbell say, when told that they were going to trade Stafford?

“Dan said the same thing — ‘Let's go. Let's go!’ ” Wood remembers.

There was one last but vital question: How would they work together? The Lions were about to hire Holmes and Campbell, even though they had never met.

“I introduced them via cellphone,” Wood said.

“You guys talk,” Wood said. “Because you're likely going to be working together, and I want to make sure that they see the world the same way.”

That’s where there was a bit of luck, too. It was like they were meant to be together.

“Brad said, ‘Did he read my book?’ ” Hamp said. “They were so on the same page about everything — what kind of team they wanted to build, what kind of players, so we were pretty sure, you know.”

The next day, the Lions hired Campbell. It would be disingenuous to say the Lions knew this would work out so spectacularly. “That was a little bit of luck,” Hamp admitted.

At its core, this was an arranged marriage. “We thought we were doing the right thing, but, you know, it could have blown up,” she said.

It took tremendous courage for a brand-new owner to hire a first-time GM and a first-time coach. There were all kinds of examples in the NFL where that had failed in the past.

“Big reward comes with big risks sometimes,” Wood said. But they trusted their process, guided by the principles on that whiteboard.

“We were pretty sure these were the right people,” Hamp said. “Dan, of course, played on the 0-and-16 team. He was in Detroit for a couple years and he and his wife, Holly, loved the city. And he has seen the team at probably its worst and still loved everything about it and really wanted to be here.”

But hiring Campbell and Holmes was just the first step.

Coming Monday: Part Two, Brad Holmes defines the on-field product.
Click to expand...
Just a fricking outstanding article. These are the details I as a Lions fan want to know.
 
BobbyLayne said:

Learning what makes real culture​

After firing Patricia and Quinn, there were all kinds of questions.

“Who is the interview group?” Hamp asked. “How were we going to do this?”

One thing was clear — Hamp didn’t want to hire an outside firm to help identify candidates because they had already tried that and it didn’t work.

“It goes back to the (coach Jim) Caldwell days,” Wood said.

In 2015, after Firestone fired president Tom Lewand and GM Martin Mayhew, the Lions used outside help to pick a new GM.

“The rest of that season we didn't have a GM,” Wood said. “I was brand-new in this role, and working with Jim (Caldwell), and then trying to figure out how to hire.”

They brought in Ernie Accorsi, a longtime NFL executive, hoping he would identify somebody from a winning team who would bring winning to Detroit.

“Everybody tried to import a winning culture,” Wood said.

So, the Lions back then tried to import the Patriots Way, hiring Quinn and then he eventually hired Patricia, which didn’t work.

“I didn't really know that many people (around the NFL at that time),” Wood said. “I think I learned how important it is to know more people and not rely upon somebody who's not going to be here and have to live with the results. Ernie was very good, but he moved on.”

The Lions were left with the New England Patriots culture. Without the winning. Without the great coach, Bill Belichick. Without legendary quarterback Tom Brady.

And it failed spectacularly.

The lesson? Hamp and Wood discovered it’s impossible to bring in another team’s culture. You can’t import it. It has to grow from within.

“We decided we're not going to go to the league,” Hamp said. “We're not going to ask for their help. That's what happened before, right? Didn't work out too well. Yes, we can handle this.”

Hamp wanted Wood to be on the selection committee. That was a given.

“I've known Rod for many years,” Hamp said. “He was head of our family office before he became the president. We've worked together for a long time and I love Rod. He’s great. But we thought we need to — or I knew — I needed some help on the football side."

Hamp had no doubt that everybody they would interview would be qualified, but she worried about something else.

“How am I going to know if they're really blowing football smoke at me?” she asked.

“What do you think about Chris (Spielman)?” Wood asked about one of the greatest Lions to ever play.

“I think that'd be great,” she said.

Spielman, who had strong NFL contacts, was working as a TV analyst and still had a few games left on his contract.

“I actually sent him a text while he was calling a game,” Wood said. “I said ‘give me a call and let me run something by you.’ ”

At first, the plan was to have Spielman vet some candidates and help do interviews. Not much more than that.

“Then we started talking, and then he got all excited about it,” Wood said.

“Chris is sort of the consummate Detroit Lion, loves this team,” Hamp said. “So I called Chris, and sort of just talked about how we wanted to change things, how I saw it, and he was just intrigued at the idea of coming in and changing an organization.”

Spielman didn’t really know Hamp that well but he sensed her passion.

“Like a lot of people in Detroit, it was personal for her, obviously, because it's her family, and they own the team, and it was her shot at it,” he said. “For her to be able to assemble the amount of people, the right people, and put them in place, was very important to her. And you could hear her passion for Detroit. You could hear the passion for Lions fans and for the team. And she was just,

‘I think we got to do this. We have to do it.’

“So it was her resolve, and her love of the team and the city that really came through.”

The more they talked, the bigger the idea became. Spielman wanted to help in any way possible.

“Then that kind of just morphed into, would you want to come work here full-time?” Wood said. “That was within two days, basically.”

What would his role be?

“I said, ‘Well, we'll figure it out as we go,’ ” Wood said.

Searching for what they wanted​

The four-person selection team was set: Hamp, Wood, Spielman and Mike Disner, a rising star in the organization.

Disner is an important name for fans to know because some believe he is positioned to become the next Lions president, whenever Wood retires. He interviewed for the Carolina Panthers GM job in 2024.

“Disner was fabulous,” Hamp said. “Our salary cap guru at the time.”

Hamp, Wood, Disner and Spielman were being thrown into a foxhole together, trying to figure out who to hire; and the task was herculean. The Lions had been trying to find a winning culture, that could be sustained, since 1957 — the team’s last title.

“We spent a lot of time, ahead of time, thinking about what are we really looking for?” Hamp said.

In the past, the organization had tried just about everything: young coaches and old ones, retreads and new treads, defensive-minded coaches and offensive ones, not to mention, Tom Izzo’s best friend. But the losing was so pervasive that Wayne Fontes, the winningest coach in team history, actually had a losing record (66-67).

As far as GMs, they tried everything from older schoolers to a converted TV guy to someone from the New England tree.

In short, nothing had worked for long.

The futility could be measured not only in years, but in decades, if not lifetimes.

So, instead of trying to fix the organization piecemeal, which is what the Lions had done countless times, churning through different GMs and coaches, they started to develop a much bigger plan. To change the organization at its core.

“What is your vision, Sheila?” Spielman asked. “What do you want? What type of team do you want? What type of organization do you want?”

As they brainstormed, trying to come up with the guiding principles of this new organization, Spielman wrote the cornerstones on a whiteboard:
  1. 1.Leadership.
  2. 2.Culture.
  3. 3.Staff.
Under staff, Spielman drew three arrows: “Manage, find the best and handling turnover.”

Handling turnover? It’s ironic, now, that the Lions have become so successful that everybody is trying to poach their coordinators and even Spielman, who just completed a virtual interview for the New York Jets GM role. But it’s also interesting this organization started preparing for turnover before it even started to taste success.

Out on the margin, Spielman drew an arrow pointing at culture: “Stay focused on this,” he wrote and underlined four times.

In Hamp’s mind, it went back to her “noble cause.”

“We wanted somebody that understood the city, understood kind of where the city had been, where it's going, kind of understanding our fans,” she said.

Hamp, Wood, Disner and Spielman all signed the whiteboard on 12/29/2020; then Holmes and Campbell signed it after they were hired, like it was a binding agreement.

Now, a framed copy hangs in their offices.

At this point, you could roll your eyes and say: Those are just buzzwords.

Or you could scoff: A noble cause? Get real.

But when you consider how this organization has been transformed, when you learn how those guiding principles determined whom they hired and how they built this organization and even how they select players, when you find how the rest of the NFL is trying to copy the Lions' way or just flat out poach their coaching talent, when you see how the fan base has become electrified from all the success — a noble cause indeed — the words on that whiteboard seem even bigger. They offer a road map on how they did it.

It explains why they were willing to risk hiring Holmes and Campbell.

“We have got a lot of great stories on this team,” Hamp said. “Everyone's in love with Dan Campbell. How can you not be? Dan is Dan. He's really one of the most charismatic leaders I've ever seen in my life. Plus, I think he's one of the most emotionally intelligent people I've ever met.

"You know you listen to his postgame speeches in the locker room, win or lose, he has the right thing to say. I hear him at practice, and he just knows kind of when the team needs maybe a kick in the pants, or whether they need to have fun, or whether they need a little encouragement. I mean, whatever it is, he's just got such a handle on it.”

But how they put together this team is a wild story on its own.

Elephant in the room​

They interviewed 12 candidates for the GM job and eight for head coach.

“Each person we interviewed, we'd say, ‘Well, what do you think of our team?’ ” Hamp remembers. “And, you know, they said, ‘Well, at least you have a quarterback, right?' ”

Trouble was. They didn’t. Stafford wanted to be traded.

After every interview, the four would grade the candidates.

“We filled out a grade sheet — kind of like a scouting report,” Spielman said.

“Everyone kind of came at it from a different angle,” Hamp said. “And, you know, we didn't always agree, and that was perfect.”

The list of candidates kept morphing. Holmes wasn’t on the original list, but Disner found a video of a mock interview.

If you wonder if the Lions' success is sustainable, the fact Disner found Holmes in a pile of video clips should be encouraging.

“The NFL has these sort of canned interviews that you can look at,” Hamp said. “They've got tons of them — GMs or presidents, or whatever. And he found Brad's interview, and he said, ‘You guys have to see this guy.’

“And we all did, and we kind of went, whoa.”
Click to expand...
That quote from Stafford about hopefully he can go somewhere and win a SB and the team can use the draft picks to build a contender was amazing!
 
Deamon said:
King of the Jungle said:
Deamon said:
BobbyLayne said:

Dan Campbell on Facing Commanders, David Montgomery, and More​


Coach's weekly 10 minute segment on 97.1 with Costa & Jansen
Click to expand...
How many carries do you guys think Montgomery gets? Back to his usual workload?

I have the first pick in a fantasy draft that drafts every week, and am torn between Gibbs and Barkley and Henry. Had decided on Gibbs until hearing Monty is back. Will this cut into Gibbs a lot?
Click to expand...
Depends on what Monty can handle, impossible to know at this point. Gibbs has been incredible though, so I doubt they have any plan to take the ball out his hands too much.
Click to expand...
ya, tough call there.
Click to expand...

Per his media appearance yesterday, I'd say Montgomery is a full go. No pitch count.

OTOH, given how effective Jah has been for the past month, will be interesting to see if they go back to alternating series. They run Zone about 2:1 over Gap, and the ratio for each back is roughly the same. I think the biggest mismatch in the WAS-DET game will be the Lions OL versus the Commanders DL. WAS was 30th in rush yards allowed per game, and their PFF RDEF grade was 28th. DET ranked 3rd in RBLK grade and 7th in RUN grade.

Gibbs - Zone 66.5% Gap 33.5%
Montgomery - Zone 65.7% Gap 34.3%

Snap Counts:

Wk 1-15: Gibbs 511 (36.5), Montgomery 390 (27.9)
Wk 16-18: Gibbs 127 (42.3), Reynolds-Jefferson-Vaki 75 (25.0)

Utilization (Att + Trgt):

Wk 1-15: Gibbs 235 (16.8), Montgomery 223 (15.9)
Wk 16-18: Gibbs 78 (26.0), CR-JJ-SV 33 (11.0)

YFS

Wk 1-15: Gibbs 1442 (103.0), Montgomery 1116 (79.7)
Wk 16-18: Gibbs 487 (162.3), CR-JJ-SV 180 (60.0)
 
Stafford never had any ill will toward the Lions and at that stage of career I get he did not want to start over again. Quite frankly given the Lions history the odds were good that things would not be any better than before.


Lions did very well in the Stafford trade. Just getting Goff would have been pretty equal. Then adding the others made this team what it is. They kept Stafford it would not have been the same.

What was the bottom line for players we ended up with in the Hock trade?
 
Da Guru said:
Stafford never had any ill will toward the Lions and at that stage of career I get he did not want to start over again. Quite frankly given the Lions history the odds were good that things would not be any better than before.


Lions did very well in the Stafford trade. Just getting Goff would have been pretty equal. Then adding the others made this team what it is. They kept Stafford it would not have been the same.

What was the bottom line for players we ended up with in the Hock trade?
Click to expand...
www.profootballnetwork.com

T.J. Hockenson Trade Revisited: Who Were the Real Winners and Losers From Minnesota Vikings-Detroit Lions Trade?

The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings managed a surprisingly fair trade involving T.J. Hockenson. We recap it and find the winners and losers.
www.profootballnetwork.com www.profootballnetwork.com
 
Da Guru said:
Stafford never had any ill will toward the Lions and at that stage of career I get he did not want to start over again. Quite frankly given the Lions history the odds were good that things would not be any better than before.
Click to expand...

I've always respected that we moved on from our franchise QB with zero drama (In stark contrast to just about every other team that did the same in the last few years.) Credit to Matthew, and to management for finding a great landing spot for him.

Maybe the best win-win trade in league history.
 
All 22 films

HAS TERRION ARNOLD BECOME A GAME-CHANGING CORNER FOR THE LIONS? WK 18 ROOKIE FILM STUDY​


Coach takes a look 14 plays to break down how the Lions rookie CB has evolved his play style. He is (obviously) still playing a lot of press man but with less contact. CD3 is obviously very physical, and Amik Robertson has a wicked punch off the line. When Terrion stopped trying to emulate them and just played his own game, his man coverage improved dramtically.
 
Da Guru said:
Stafford never had any ill will toward the Lions and at that stage of career I get he did not want to start over again. Quite frankly given the Lions history the odds were good that things would not be any better than before.


Lions did very well in the Stafford trade. Just getting Goff would have been pretty equal. Then adding the others made this team what it is. They kept Stafford it would not have been the same.

What was the bottom line for players we ended up with in the Hock trade?
Click to expand...
Interesting hypothetical: Let's say Stafford was willing to go through another rebuild and they didn't trade him. How would the team have done with him but without the draft capital? That means no Goff, Gibbs, Jamo and LaPorta. But Hutch, Campbell and I think Branch were taken with the team's original picks (ignore for a moment that they would likely have finished with different records and might not have been in a position to draft those guys).

On balance, hard to argue they would have been better off. But given how well Holmes has drafted, I can imagine Campbell turning that team into a contender as well.

He can take hiz'n and beat your'n. And he can also take his hypothetical'n and beat your'n
 
Leroy Hoard said:
BobbyLayne said:
Maybe the best win-win trade in league history.
Click to expand...
I remember you posting the final tally on the picks we got back + Goff. Do you remember the specific players?
Click to expand...
www.sportingnews.com

Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff trade details: Full list of players Lions received for star QB | Sporting News

Matthew Stafford finished the 2023 season against Jared Goff and starts the 2024 season against Jared Goff. Here's a look back at when they were traded for each other in 2021.
www.sportingnews.com www.sportingnews.com
 
King of the Jungle said:
Da Guru said:
Stafford never had any ill will toward the Lions and at that stage of career I get he did not want to start over again. Quite frankly given the Lions history the odds were good that things would not be any better than before.


Lions did very well in the Stafford trade. Just getting Goff would have been pretty equal. Then adding the others made this team what it is. They kept Stafford it would not have been the same.

What was the bottom line for players we ended up with in the Hock trade?
Click to expand...
www.profootballnetwork.com

T.J. Hockenson Trade Revisited: Who Were the Real Winners and Losers From Minnesota Vikings-Detroit Lions Trade?

The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings managed a surprisingly fair trade involving T.J. Hockenson. We recap it and find the winners and losers.
www.profootballnetwork.com www.profootballnetwork.com
Click to expand...

Minny seemed to get the better of the Hock trade for sure in terms of player talent. Hooker is still an unknown and Broderic Martic has been a bust.

Then to look at a different angle if the Lions kept Hock they would have had to resign him to a large contract and would not have drafted LaPorta who is as good and under team control for 4-5 years.

So I take that as a plus trade.
 
Da Guru said:
Stafford never had any ill will toward the Lions and at that stage of career I get he did not want to start over again. Quite frankly given the Lions history the odds were good that things would not be any better than before.


Lions did very well in the Stafford trade. Just getting Goff would have been pretty equal. Then adding the others made this team what it is. They kept Stafford it would not have been the same.

What was the bottom line for players we ended up with in the Hock trade?
Click to expand...
Another aspect is that Goff if he continues his current play level will likely still be playing for the Lions at a time when Stafford is retired. There is a 6 1/2 year age difference between the two.
 

Lions film review: Separating fact from fiction regarding the defense's handling of mobile quarterbacks this season​

Justin Rogers | Detroit Football Network

Allen Park — Earlier this week, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell was asked if he bought into the narrative that his team struggles against running quarterbacks. The coach immediately flipped the question back on the asker.

“Do you buy that?”

The snappy retort is valid. Moments can have a stronger place in our memory than trends. In 2022, the response to Campbell would have been, ‘Um, yeah.’

Quarterbacks ran wild on the Lions that year, more so than any defense in the past decade. Former Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields was the primary culprit, racking up 279 rushing yards across two meetings. Overall, Detroit allowed a staggering 700 rushing yards to the position that season.

They’ve been better the past couple of seasons, surrendering 419 yards in 2023 and 454 yards this season. Those totals still rank closer to the bottom of the league, but not egregiously far off the NFL's 344-yard average this past season. Broken down further, we're talking a difference of 6 yards per game.

Regardless, the topic merits additional exploration ahead of Saturday’s playoff game with the Washington Commanders and fleet-footed rookie QB Jayden Daniels, who finished second in rushing yards for his position.

How big of a concern is Daniels’ ability to do damage with his legs, not just because that’s who he is, but because of Detroit’s preparedness to stop it?

Ahead of this weekend's matchup, I reviewed the tape from the Lions’ eight games against quarterbacks who finished the year with at least 250 rushing yards. Against Detroit, those QBs registered 49 carries, 331 yards and three touchdowns. That accounts for nearly three-quarters of the position's rushing production against the team in 2024.

What showed up in the tape from those games and how equipped are the Lions to handle what Daniels is bringing to Ford Field this week?

Week 2: Tampa Bay Buccaneers​

  • Baker Mayfield’s season stats: 60 carries, 378 yards (6.3 yards per carry)
  • Against the Lions: 5 carries, 34 yards, one touchdown
What happened: In reality, it was a four-carry performance for Mayfield, who was one of two quarterbacks to take a knee to run out the clock on a victory against the Lions in 2024.

In the contest, Mayfield scrambled three times and had one designed run. In the opening quarter, the Lions rushed five with rookie defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo coming up the middle on a stunt. The QB was able to evade that defender and found a lane when nose tackle DJ Reader was dragged to the ground by the guard — a missed holding infraction — resulting in a 12-yard gain.

When Mayfield tried to scramble toward the end of the first half, he had less luck as defensive end Josh Paschal shed his blocker and dropped the QB after a gain of 1 yard.

Unable to find an open man against Detroit’s Cover-2 zone on a third-and-4 snap in the third quarter, Mayfield danced in the pocket before bailing a third time. Detroit’s rush lane integrity was good, but the quarterback found a narrow lane as defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike spun while attempting to beat a double team. Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez had a shot at Mayfield in the second level, near the first-down marker, but was juked by the QB in the open field, resulting in an 11-yard pickup.

On the next snap, Mayfield ran a designed draw from an empty-set shotgun formation. Tampa’s blocking was excellent, although the officials again missed a hold, this time on defensive tackle Kyle Peko, which sprung the QB into the second level, where Tampa’s center climbed to neutralize linebacker Jack Campbell, giving Mayfield a cutback lane into the end zone.

Week 3: Arizona Cardinals​

  • Kyler Murray’s season stats: 78 carries, 572 yards (7.3 yards per carry)
  • Against the Lions: 5 carries, 45 yards
What happened: Murray is one of the league’s quickest quarterbacks. He gave Detroit some early issues with a pair of first-quarter runs — one designed and one scramble — netting 34 yards.

On the first, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson got caught surfing too far inside on a zone-read as the QB kept the ball and took the edge for 13 yards.

With the second, after the Lions took away Murray’s first and second reads with man-to-man coverage, the quarterback bolted around the left edge of his formation. Linebacker Derrick Barnes was responsible for setting the edge, but a subtle hold by left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. (70) was all the speedy Murray needed to turn the corner into space for the 21-yard gain.

The Lions did a nice job the rest of the way. Safety Brian Branch stopped a scramble after 3 yards, safety Kerby Joseph came forward to drop Murray short of the sticks on a third-and-9 and force a punt, and cornerback Carlton Davis III made one of the biggest plays of that game, keeping pace with Murray on a fourth-and-1 sprint to the perimeter, driving the QB out of bounds before he could make the line to gain.

Week 4: Seattle Seahawks​

  • Geno Smith’s season stats: 53 carries, 272 yards (5.1 yards per carry)
  • Against the Lions: Five carries, 38 yards
What happened: Smith didn’t attempt to run until the closing seconds of the first half when he had a designed carry against Detroit’s prevent defense that helped get his team in range for a 62-yard field goal try that kicker Jason Myers missed.

In the third quarter, Smith had a standard sneak to convert a fourth-and-1 and a desperation scramble up the middle for 2 yards on a clearly broken play.

Smith added two scrambles, going for 11 yards each, late in the fourth quarter. At that point, the Seahawks were down two scores and neither play was particularly impactful. On both, an overzealous Hutchinson overran the pocket, providing the escape lane.

Week 12: Indianapolis Colts​

  • Anthony Richardson’s season stats: 86 carries, 499 yard (5.8 yards per carry)
  • Against the Lions: 10 carries, 61 yards
What happened: Richardson, with his supersized frame and elite athleticism, was the first quarterback to give the Lions consistent issues with his running ability this season.

The Colts like to run a zone-read where if the QB keeps the ball, he has pulling blockers to follow on the backside.

Detroit struggled with the concept, giving up gains of 10 and 17 yards in the first five minutes of the game.

Richardson added another 8 yards on a sprint out to the left edge, giving him 35 yards in the first quarter. That slowed to a trickle in the second frame before he broke off another 17-yard gain in the third quarter. Richardson’s size and power were the problem here as the Lions had him stopped for a modest gain before the QB broke two tackles.

Detroit limited the damage the rest of the way and even found an answer to the pulling lead blockers, having defensive end Za’Darius Smith (99) go low to blow up the design.

Week 13: Chicago Bears​

  • Caleb Williams’ season stats: 81 carries, 489 yards (6.0 yards per carry)
  • Against the Lions: Four carries, 39 yards
What happened: What happened: All four of Williams’ runs on Thanksgiving were scrambles. On the first, the Lions arguably conceded it on a third-and-13 with an aggressive rush featuring twists, paired with a deep zone drop by the underneath layer. Williams gained 10 before he was stopped.

On the next, the QB converted a second-and-4 when Wingo, rushing from the edge, overran the pocket and conceded the escape lane for the easy first down.

Later, on second-and-11, Williams took an open path up the middle when Detroit’s defensive tackles both tried to take the outside edge of the guards blocking them, resulting in a 7-yard pickup.

Finally, Smith lost his footing while trying to slice inside. That blew up Detroit’s entire rush plan as Williams sidestepped Alim McNeill in the pocket, turning a 2nd-and-17 into third-and-manageable with a 13-yard carry.

Week 15: Buffalo Bills​

  • Josh Allen’s season stats: 102 carries, 531 yards (5.2 yards per carry)
  • Against the Lions: 11 carries, 68 yards, two touchdowns
What happened: The MVP candidate delivered the best rushing performance by a QB against the Lions in 2024, part of a wholly dominant showing by the Bills offense that afternoon.

Similar to what the Colts did for Richardson, the Bills ran a lot of designed looks for the bigger-bodied Allen, often providing him pulling lead blockers. Still, the output was modest through the first half. The first touchdown came on a sneak, then it was 6 yards, 4 yards, 4 yards, the latter his second rushing score of the game.

That play was a defensive disaster, with two linebackers following the same coverage assignment to the flat, allowing Allen to skip into the end zone untouched on the keeper.

Even with the breakdown, it’s tough to get worked up about four carries for 15 yards. But Allen’s total swelled with gains of 10, 11 and 21 in the second half.

Paschal whiffed one-on-one in the backfield on the first, Turner was sluggish to react to a scramble up the gut in a spy-like role on the second, and Paschal inexplicably sold out on a shotgun handoff from the backside edge, giving Allen an easy lane for his biggest gain of the day that goes for more than 21, potentially even a 44-yard touchdown, if the QB doesn’t give himself up to kill more clock.

​

 

Week 16: Chicago Bears​

  • Caleb Williams’ season stats: 81 carries, 489 yards (6.0 yards per carry)
  • Against the Lions: Six carries, 34 yards
What happened: It was effectively four carries, with Williams being assessed fumbles on a pair of botched end-arounds to his receivers, and just like Thanksgiving, all the runs were scrambles, not designed.

Similar to that first meeting, Williams took advantage of an interior stunt on third-and-long to make a run for it. He should have been dropped quickly, but linebacker Ben Niemann couldn’t make the open-field tackle, resulting in a 13-yard pickup.

Detroit pursued well the next two scrambles, limiting the gains to 4 and 6 yards, with one of those forcing a punt on third down. The fourth and final scramble was Williams’ most productive run, netting 11 yards to convert second-and-10. Detroit initially did an outstanding job crushing the pocket, but Paschal got a little loose with his lane integrity late in the snap, providing an interior escape for the QB.

Week 17: San Francisco 49ers​

  • Brock Purdy’s season stats: 66 carries, 323 yards (4.9 yards per carry)
  • Against the Lions: Three carries, 12 yards, one touchdown
What happened: Purdy ran QB sneaks on back-to-back plays during the game’s opening drive, failing to get a first down on the first before successfully moving the chains with a second try.

His final carry came on a second-and-goal scramble from the 9-yard line. With Detroit’s zone defense taking away his reads, the QB took advantage of some sloppy rush lanes and three of four linemen overrunning his pocket, bolting up the middle.

Linebacker Ezekiel Turner was in conflict between halting Purdy’s scramble and protecting his zone. The QB took advantage of this with a pump fake, freezing the defender long enough to plow into the end zone for the score.

Had Purdy opted to throw instead of fake the toss, it would have also resulted in a touchdown.

Concluding thoughts​

● Jayden Daniels is a different style runner than the Lions have faced this year. In terms of his scrambling, the closest comparison is Caleb Williams. Both are quick and elusive in space and the open field.

But Daniels has far more designed runs built into his scheme than Williams, like Allen, but with more speed, or Richardson, with less power. That said, Daniels has been known to embrace contact to a concerning degree, given his leaner frame. If he doesn’t slide or take the sideline against the Lions, expect them to embrace the opportunity to put a little extra hot sauce on their hits the way Campbell laid into Williams on Thanksgiving when the Bears QB tried to cut back inside instead of running out of bounds.

● In addition to zone-reads, the Commanders bring another layer of stress to defenses with their heavy reliance on run-pass options, better known as RPOs. They ran the third-most in football this season, gaining nearly 1,100 on those 150 snaps.

● Detroit’s issues against running quarterbacks, to date, are overblown. They gave up a handful of ugly gains this season, but there’s not much troubling in the overall body of work.

It was notable how infrequently Alex Anzalone showed up on the tape of the worst plays/games against mobile quarterbacks. It was often the backup linebackers — Turner, Rodriguez, Niemann — making miscues in the open field. Having the veteran leader out there will undoubtedly be a big boost for Detroit’s defense.

● Dan Campbell emphasized discipline up front as a key. That showed up repeated in Detroit’s breakdowns against running quarterbacks. Still, they’re so much better at not overrunning the pocket compared to two years ago and need to remain diligent in that area against the Commanders. Also, at the risk of sacrificing some interior pressure, the defensive tackles would be better off focusing their efforts on pushing their blockers into the pocket with bull rushes, as opposed to trying to get an edge on the guards, which tends to create those inside escape lanes.

● Given how often Daniels gets outside, perimeter tackling will be huge. The Lions have built a roster of willing and eager tacklers in the secondary, so look for Amik Robertson, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Terrion Arnold and Branch to factor into slowing Washington’s quarterback.

Normally, against a running QB, you could reasonably expect a heavy dose of zone coverage. I’m not sure the Lions go in that direction. First, it’s not their schematic preference. And second, Daniels has shredded zone coverage throughout his rookie season.

● I was curious which teams had the most success stopping quarterback rushing this season. It was the Vikings. They allowed just 160 rushing yards. I imagine that has to do with coordinator Brian Flores’ aggression and league-high blitz rate, which creates chaos that rushes decisions while preventing quarterbacks from frequently escaping the pocket.

In the past, I’ve noticed the Steelers have generally been strong in the department, likely an emphasis given they share a division with Lamar Jackson. Without studying their tape, I have to believe it’s a combination of a fundamentally sound 3-4 front taking away many of the inside lanes, an elite run-stopper on the edge in T.J. Watt, mixed with a historically aggressive use of the blitz.
 
@jon_mx any Lions bets this weekend? I bet them -8.5 at the open and DEF/ST TD at +500 (thinking a healthier Raymond and Arnold help this cause). I looked though all (4) apps I use to try and find a TD by an OL, but the best I found is you can find Skipper on FanDuel but no bets yet. I'd be fun to put a buck or two on Sewell, Decker and Skip (or just an OL as I have seen this type of prop before) as I am sure the bag of trick plays is wide open.
 
I was all set to fly out to Detroit for this game, but I’m not going to make it. But, when they win, I’m coming out for the championship game. I already have my flight and hotel booked for that game.

Let’s go!!
 
BobbyLayne said:

Lions film review: Separating fact from fiction regarding the defense's handling of mobile quarterbacks this season​

Click to expand...
Interesting. I really think Daniels is a one-of-one (or maybe a one-of-two, since he has a lot of similarities with Lamar). Lions should win, but if they make a few mistakes and give him the opportunity, he is absolutely capable of putting the team on his back and pulling off the upset
 
2Young2BBald said:
@jon_mx any Lions bets this weekend? I bet them -8.5 at the open and DEF/ST TD at +500 (thinking a healthier Raymond and Arnold help this cause). I looked though all (4) apps I use to try and find a TD by an OL, but the best I found is you can find Skipper on FanDuel but no bets yet. I'd be fun to put a buck or two on Sewell, Decker and Skip (or just an OL as I have seen this type of prop before) as I am sure the bag of trick plays is wide open.
Click to expand...

I really haven't looked. Been out of country and will be arriving home later. I will take a look. But I am not feeling anything at the moment besides jetlag.
 
Playoff rooting guide for casual fans looking for a team to adopt:

Most Super Bowl Appearances, remaining teams
  1. Chiefs 6
  2. Redskins 5
  3. Rams 5
  4. Eagles 4
  5. Bills 4
  6. Ravens 2
  7. Texans 0
    Lions 0
Most Super Bowl Wins, remaining teams
  1. Chiefs 4
  2. Redskins 3
  3. Ravens 2
  4. Rams 2
  5. Eagles 1
  6. Bills 0 (1 of 12 teams to have never won the Super Bowl)
    Texans 0 (1 of 4 teams to have never appeared in a Super Bowl)
    Lions 0
Acceptable teams are in bold
 
BobbyLayne said:
Playoff rooting guide for casual fans looking for a team to adopt:

Most Super Bowl Appearances, remaining teams
  1. Chiefs 6
  2. Redskins 5
  3. Rams 5
  4. Eagles 4
  5. Bills 4
  6. Ravens 2
  7. Texans 0
    Lions 0
Most Super Bowl Wins, remaining teams
  1. Chiefs 4
  2. Redskins 3
  3. Ravens 2
  4. Rams 2
  5. Eagles 1
  6. Bills 0 (1 of 12 teams to have never won the Super Bowl)
    Texans 0 (1 of 4 teams to have never appeared in a Super Bowl)
    Lions 0
Acceptable teams are in bold
Click to expand...
Yeah, if it were a Buffalo-Detroit Super Bowl I would root like hell for the Lions but, if they lost, would be genuinely happy for the Bills fans in my life.

Not going to even bother with a Lions-Texans hypothetical because, c'mon!
 
Listening to the Mina Kimes Show she said Washington runs no huddle more than any other team in NFL, dramatically more.
Lions rank 30th in defense against no huddle.
Also said Washington goes for it on 4th down a bunch and leads the NFL in success rate.
This looks like a shoot out.
Hopefully Daniels loses his composure.
Lions run game should carve Washington up.
 
Moonlight said:
Listening to the Mina Kimes Show she said Washington runs no huddle more than any other team in NFL, dramatically more.
Lions rank 30th in defense against no huddle.
Also said Washington goes for it on 4th down a bunch and leads the NFL in success rate.
This looks like a shoot out.
Hopefully Daniels loses his composure.
Lions run game should carve Washington up.
Click to expand...

Pride of Detroit covered that aspect this week. A couple things:
  • the Commanders ran 673 snaps (62.4%), the Lions faced no huddle 120 times
  • the Lions run defense was 30th; the sample size is 31 attempts
  • the Lions pass defense was solid v no-huddle
  • We don't know when these no-huddle plays happened, but it's reasonable given the run:pass run/pass ratio (31:89) the majority came in late game and trailing situations. Typically that's a lot of light boxes because Detroit would be running nickel packages.
  • Detroit runs the highest rate base defense 45.% of the time; the next highest is 37.5%. They have yet to lineup in Dime this season. They were caught in nickel (or didn't care because of the score) and did poorly on 31 rushing attempts, but it's unlikely that will translate to how they play tomorrow night.
Daniels is good, no question.

It's really hard to win back to back road playoff games. It's only happened 30 times (see game thread for breakdown.) Washington has never done it - they're 0-5 in their franchise history.

If you go through both lineups position by position, you won't find more than a half dozen Commanders' players who would start over their peer in the Lions offnese/defense/ST.

Could they win? Of course, it's the NFL, any given Sunday. At Ford Field, the loudest environment in the league? Not likely.

Detroit has a ton of guys who went through it last year. 20 guys who have been around since Y1, 9 who have been on every 53-man roster the last four years. They are going to be ready. They've been there before, they know what it takes, and they know what this is like for the Commanders.

No-Huddle Havoc​

One aspect that makes the Commanders offense unique is their reliance, and unified mastery, of a no-huddle offense helmed by Daniels. It’s something they have incorporated at an absurdly high frequency throughout the year, as the Kingsbury offense often does, in part to ease Daniels’ transition to the NFL.

Daniels played 1,079 snaps in the regular season and an overwhelmingly league-leading 673 of the snaps (62.4%) were out of no-huddle. No other quarterback ran more than 290 snaps out of no-huddle. Daniels had 388 out of his 599 total dropbacks out of no-huddle (64.8%) which translated to 18.1 no-huddle attempts per game—the most as far back as FTN’s data goes (2019).

The Commanders no-huddle approach allows them to dictate the defensive personnel on the field, and prevent them from fully communicating their defensive arsenal of plays while tiring out some of the defenders on the field.

This season, from no-huddle, Daniels produced 2,147 passing yards (first), 13 passing touchdowns (first), and 109 first downs (first). Interestingly though, those impressive counting statistics, don’t translate to some efficiency metrics.

From no-huddle this season, Daniels also produced 7.0 yards/attempt (t-14th), 66.1% completion percentage (18th), seven interceptions (most in the NFL), +0.66 EPA/dropback (18th), 3.1 YAC/Attempt (18th), 48.9% success rate (19th), and only a 7.5% explosive rate (24th). Every single one of those passing metrics is worse when Daniels runs no-huddle versus when they huddle normally.

One advantage to the no-huddle is the improved success Daniels has toting the rock, which is likely part of the rationale. When doing so, Daniels’ results on the ground totaled 579 rushing yards (first), 6.4 yards/carry (fifth), 37 first downs (first), 0.39 EPA/attempt (third), 6.4% DVOA (sixth), 59.3% success rate (sixth), 12.1 avoided tackle rate (third), 5.3 yards before contact (fifth), and 1.1 yards after contact (first).

Overall as a rushing offense, when it comes to no-huddle, the Commanders 309 rushing attempts is 148 more rushing attempts than the next closest team this season. Their 111 no-huddle rushing first downs is 56 more than the next closest team. From no-huddle, they average 5.3 yards/carry (fifth), +0.22 EPA/attempt (eighth), 55.3% success rate (10th), 3.1 yards before contact (sixth), and 14.9% explosive rush rate (seventh). The fact that those efficiency metrics are all top 10, despite their frequent tendency to do so, is quite impressive. The Commanders’ no-huddle attack on the ground is their strength on that side of the ball aside from Daniels’ magic-making on late downs.

Having Alex Anzalone back for the Lions defense is a major benefit for a number of reasons but in particular with no-huddle assignment and alignment communication.

The Lions defense has faced 89 dropbacks (14th) from no-huddle passing and only 31 rushing attempts (23rd) from it this season. The discrepancy is likely based on opposing teams no-huddle efforts against them being when the opponents are trailing and attempting to make up the deficit. Facing the Bears twice this season was good preparation for the no-huddle, as they run it the second most in the league and accounted for 21.6% of the no-huddle snaps the Lions faced.

Against no-huddle passing, the Lions defense has fared decently in making plays. They’ve allowed only a 59.0% completion percentage (sixth), 7.6 yards/attempt (23rd), +0.06 EPA/dropback (17th), a 48.7% success rate (13th), forced a 5.1% throwaway rate (sixth), had 13 pass break-ups (fifth), and recorded three interceptions (t-third).

But as highlighted above, passing hasn’t been the strength of the Commanders no-huddle offense. It’s a limited sample size, 31 carries, but the Lions run defense regresses mightily when defending it from no-huddle.

From no-huddle, the Lions defense has allowed 5.7 yards/carry (29th), +0.32 EPA/carry (29th), 71.0% success rate (31st), 3.3 yards before contact (28th), 2.4 yards after contact (25th), a 29.0% avoided tackle rate (31st), and a 19.4% explosion rate (29th). They devolve into one of the worst run defenses when the opposing offense doesn’t huddle.

The Lions defense will need to key in on not letting the Commanders catch them off guard after a successful first or second down play or after converting for a new set of downs. I’ll be keeping an eye on if the Lions still lean into their base defense usage, as they did for a majority of the season, or if the Commanders’ no-huddle frequency has them playing more nickel, as they’ve done so more recently. Regardless, it’s safe to assume that Aaron Glenn has been hammering home their strategy in defending the hurry up in this week’s preparation.
Click to expand...
 
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ignatiusjreilly said:
BobbyLayne said:

Lions film review: Separating fact from fiction regarding the defense's handling of mobile quarterbacks this season​

Click to expand...
Interesting. I really think Daniels is a one-of-one (or maybe a one-of-two, since he has a lot of similarities with Lamar). Lions should win, but if they make a few mistakes and give him the opportunity, he is absolutely capable of putting the team on his back and pulling off the upset
Click to expand...

AG was on the radio yesterday, but I missed half of it. What I caught was that Daniels was much more effective when he rolls to his right than to his left. So the Lions will probably try to keep wide containment. That is where Allen hurt Lions. Seems like he always got outside the containment and bought 4-5 more seconds.
 
Most Combined Wins of Super Bowl Opponents

Super Bowl XIX - 33, MIA (16-2) v SF (17-1)


This 40-year old record could be surpassed or tied by the 4 home teams of the division round.

If KC wins the AFC, the record could be broken if DET or PHI wind the NFC.
  • 17-2 v 17-2 or 17-3
If BUF wins the AFC, the record could be tied if DET or PHI wins the NFC.
  • 16-4 v 17-2 or 17-3
If any of the road teams win this weekend & next, the record could not be tied or broken.


Regardless, the record for fewest losses by Super Bowl opponents (3) will remain unchallenged.
 
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