Tag: Chris Spielman

Posted on

Little hints have been dropped about the Detroit Lions offseason plans

With new Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes brings a new direction for the organization. Also now in the mix is former Detroit Lions player and Lions legend Chris Spielman who is sitting in with Brad Holmes and Shelia For Hamp and others on draft and free agent plans. So here is a look at what Lions will probably do to improve the team.

The Detroit Lions have never been a franchise that has made big splashes in free agency. That trend looks like it will continue. In fact Lions fans should expect that the team will not sign any big name free agents. Look for Holmes to fill roster moves like Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila as well as Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman. Sign cheap players on a short 1-2 year deals.

01 May 2015: FormerDetroit Lion Chris Spielman during round 2 of the 2015. The NFL Draft is being held at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, IL (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

What should be noted is that Chris Spielman and Brad Holmes and new Lions Head coach Dan Campbell all share similar philosophies. That it is better to build a team through the draft. Once a core group of players has been established then add to the core via free agency.

The Detroit Lions are in my opinion on the right track with the build your team through the draft thought process. So it is more of a, draft, develop process that leads to a younger team that is hopefully more athletic than the current roster able to grow together. There will be lumps along the way to be sure.

The fact that the Detroit Lions actually have an offseason plan is refreshing, on many levels. In years past it felt like they were throwing darts at a dartboard hoping to hit the board. They rarely did.

This is not an overnight fix. It took the Detroit Lions years to put a slow team filled with holes on the field. It will take time to reshape the roster. I have total confidence in Brad Holmes who helped to put a Super Bowl team on the field in Los Angeles with the Rams to build the Lions roster in much the same way.

SAN DIEGO, CA – DECEMBER 20: Head coach Dan Campbell of the Miami Dolphins stands on the field before playing the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium on December 20, 2015 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

It is a good sign that owner Ford Hamp , Chris Spielman, Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes are all on the same page. It will do nothing but help the Lions moving forward.

Posted on

Chris Spielman has played a large role in the retooling, reshaping, rebranding of the Detroit Lions

Chris Spielman was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1988. He became a Lions legend in his eight seasons in Motown. Spielman was selected to four Pro-Bowls and was the Detroit Lions defensive MVP in 1993 and 1994. Since retiring from the NFL Spielman has spent time in the broadcast booth and now has a new job. Chris Spielman is the special assistant to chairman Sheila Ford Hamp and president Rod Wood.

When the Detroit Lions were looking for a new General Manager after the dismissal of former GM, Bob Quinn, Chris Spielman began to get to work. His goal was to help not only rebuild the Lions but change the culture.

Over the years many NFL team reached out to Spielman for job openings. Nothing tempted him enough to leave the announcers chair. That is until the team that drafted him came calling. When the Detroit Lions called Spielman’s loyalty answered. He was never going to work for another team. That would go against everything he believes in.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 26: Detroit Lions President and CEO Rod Wood (L) talks with Chris Spielman prior to the start of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field on December 26, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. Tampa defeated Detroit 47-7 (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Chris Spielman had a meeting with owner Sheila Ford Hamp, and he knew. This is what he wanted. His team needed him and like the defensive captain he was and still is he agreed to return to the Lions full-time.

Spielman has a good reputation around the league he has a lot of connections. He used those connections to identify Brad Holmes. He would meet with Holmes and do his own interview with him before he reported to the owner and team president.

After the meeting Spielman knew Brad Holmes was the right guy to rebuild the Detroit Lions and help unify the team as well as change the culture. Next up was finding the right head coach. Those who remember what type of player (hard nosed, tough as nails) Spielman was, were not surprised when he recommended Dan Campbell for the head coaching job.

WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 22: Chris Spielman #54 of the Detroit Lions before a NFL football game against the Washington Redskins on October 22, 1995 at RFK Stadium in Washington DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

So the new look Detroit Lions that have begun to take shape are being made in the image of an old gritty linebacker. That is part of why fans are actually pleased with the direction of the franchise.

 

Posted on

The Detroit Lions are rebuilding, even if no one will acknowledge it

Embed from Getty Images Do not call it a rebuild. Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn will not. Head coach Matt Patricia will not say the word either. Yet, that is exactly what is taking place within the Lions organization. The Detroit Lions have slid into last place in the NFC North standings with six straight losses and nine in their past 10 games, Patricia has referenced the “process” his team is going through.

Patricia was asked Wednesday if that (“process”) is code for “rebuild,” he simply would not associate that word with where the Lions are 29 games into his tenure as head coach.

“I don’t know. You can divide the English language however you want,” Patricia said. “I think for us, you know me, we’re just trying to get better this week. We got a lot of young players out there that are trying to get better and certainly for us, I think every season is a process.”

The 2019 Detroit The Lions are 3-9-1 and have won just nine games under Patricia, who inherited a team coming off back to back nine win seasons. Before he was brought in to coach the Lions, general manager Bob Quinn famously said he thought the Lions were better than their record under Jim Caldwell, and he was looking for a coach who could lead the team to Super Bowls.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford, Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay, left tackle Taylor Decker and wide receivers Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay, hid the fact the Lions were about to enter a rebuild. Last season’s 6-10 result was considered a minor step back to take two steps forward.

Back to this past Wednesday, Patricia would not utter the word rebuild, rather he stated the Lions are”just building.” This season was always going to be bumpy and tough, and that has been the case.

Current Fox NFL television analyst and former Detroit Lions legend, Chris Spielman, who still does a weekly spot on the teams official website said, “I think the Lions as an organization made a decision to rebuild. It’s like renovating the house. Sometimes you’ve got to tear it down to the studs. They’re changing what type of team they are and it’s my opinion that you have to be a little bit patient with that. I have numbers to back that up.”

I do not think Quinn or Patricia should be fired. There is enough evidence the suggests the Lions are on the right path.

Exit mobile version