I frequently (and recently regarding the NHL Capitals) speak here about how front office courage makes the difference in sports. Far too often, front offices are absurdly risk adverse, lack any creativity, rotely emulate whatever is trendy, and ultimately just try to stay within the herd and keep their jobs. This, despite the evidence that those courageous few that do break away from the herd are often the real winners.
Take the Detroit Lions.
Sure, the teeming millions have focused on how Dan Campbell was an unorthodox selection for head coach who was universally - and wrongly - panned by those same always behind the curve sports media industrial complex people. Or how the "awful" Jared Goff bridge quarterback deal with the Rams now looks a whole sweeter in Motor City than it did in 2022. Again, the Goff deal was universally viewed at the time as so awful that many in the media questioned the loyalties of new Detroit GM Brad Holmes. Could he be trying to help his old friend Les Snead and buddies in the LA front office win a Super Bowl by giving away Stafford? Well, no it turns out.
Those are easy to see. Observational layups. Instead, I want to focus on something more unusual. Something more indicative of real front office courage...the 2023 Draft. Detroit finished 2022 at 9-8 and missed the Playoffs for the 6th consecutive year. The Lions were interesting but there was nothing much to see here.
Surprisingly, they traded two highly performing assets - T.J. Hockenson and D'Andre Swift - for Draft capital. These were not two replacement level rotational players. To the contrary. They were two valuable young pieces on rookie deals in Ben Johnson's rapidly improving offense. A lot of articles were quickly penned around the question of "why the hell did Detroit just trade Hockenson and Swift?" and criticized Brad Holmes for apparently starting another disastrous rebuild.
What happened next was not just unexpected, but I believe historic…and led to where the Lions are today. Once again, the media ignored the story because nobody else in the herd was reporting on it.
Holmes immediately replaced Hockenson and Swift with two rookies - Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta. In my more than 50 years of watching the NFL, I had never seen such transactions - trading away two higher level key young players and immediately replacing them with two untested Draft picks. Filling holes you just voluntarily made when you didn’t have to.
Both Gibbs and LaPorta were offensive players for an offense ranked 5th and not, as expected, defensive players for a 28th ranked defense. It was a daring but curious strategy to say the least for a team with many needs. In fact, the Gibbs selection was roundly criticized as a "way too early" pick at #12 when projected by the supposed Draft experts to be a later first round/early second round talent.
Despite team success in 2023, it was not entirely clear that Holmes' strategy had proven successful. Hockenson and Swift both had solid seasons. Gibbs and LaPorta had good ones too...but nothing to suggest that their additions were accretive to winning versus the other two players. That's now changed quite a bit this year.
While Swift remains solid, Hockenson has been hurt and both Gibbs and LaPorta now appear to have surpassed their predecessors in production while also being much cheaper. Whenever I catch a Lions game both Gibbs and LaPorta are portrayed as game changers for Detroit. Time has proven Brad Holmes and his unusual vision to be both bold and correct. His outstanding performance as GM goes way beyond these unusual transactions.
Yet, amidst all the Lions' success this year, here is what's bothersome to me. When it comes to Detroit leadership, all I hear about from the media is Dan Campbell and Ben Johnson. Nary a word about the real difference maker - Brad Holmes. Somehow, I know that if Howie Roseman, Brett Veach, Les Snead, or Brandon Beane made these same moves, we would hear about it ad nauseam as a purported "genius" playing strings like a virtuoso.
So why not Holmes?
It's an uncomfortable question and a profoundly disappointing one on so many dimensions if we're being honest with ourselves. It's time to take some of the focus off Campbell and Johnson and put it squarely on the guy who set the table for their dinner - Brad Holmes.
I frequently (and recently regarding the NHL Capitals) speak here about how front office courage makes the difference in sports. Far too often, front offices are absurdly risk adverse, lack any creativity, rotely emulate whatever is trendy, and ultimately just try to stay within the herd and keep their jobs. This, despite the evidence that those courageous few that do break away from the herd are often the real winners.
Take the Detroit Lions.
Sure, the teeming millions have focused on how Dan Campbell was an unorthodox selection for head coach who was universally - and wrongly - panned by those same always behind the curve sports media industrial complex people. Or how the "awful" Jared Goff bridge quarterback deal with the Rams now looks a whole sweeter in Motor City than it did in 2022. Again, the Goff deal was universally viewed at the time as so awful that many in the media questioned the loyalties of new Detroit GM Brad Holmes. Could he be trying to help his old friend Les Snead and buddies in the LA front office win a Super Bowl by giving away Stafford? Well, no it turns out.
Those are easy to see. Observational layups. Instead, I want to focus on something more unusual. Something more indicative of real front office courage...the 2023 Draft. Detroit finished 2022 at 9-8 and missed the Playoffs for the 6th consecutive year. The Lions were interesting but there was nothing much to see here.
Surprisingly, they traded two highly performing assets - T.J. Hockenson and D'Andre Swift - for Draft capital. These were not two replacement level rotational players. To the contrary. They were two valuable young pieces on rookie deals in Ben Johnson's rapidly improving offense. A lot of articles were quickly penned around the question of "why the hell did Detroit just trade Hockenson and Swift?" and criticized Brad Holmes for apparently starting another disastrous rebuild.
What happened next was not just unexpected, but I believe historic…and led to where the Lions are today. Once again, the media ignored the story because nobody else in the herd was reporting on it.
Holmes immediately replaced Hockenson and Swift with two rookies - Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta. In my more than 50 years of watching the NFL, I had never seen such transactions - trading away two higher level key young players and immediately replacing them with two untested Draft picks. Filling holes you just voluntarily made when you didn’t have to.
Both Gibbs and LaPorta were offensive players for an offense ranked 5th and not, as expected, defensive players for a 28th ranked defense. It was a daring but curious strategy to say the least for a team with many needs. In fact, the Gibbs selection was roundly criticized as a "way too early" pick at #12 when projected by the supposed Draft experts to be a later first round/early second round talent.
Despite team success in 2023, it was not entirely clear that Holmes' strategy had proven successful. Hockenson and Swift both had solid seasons. Gibbs and LaPorta had good ones too...but nothing to suggest that their additions were accretive to winning versus the other two players. That's now changed quite a bit this year.
While Swift remains solid, Hockenson has been hurt and both Gibbs and LaPorta now appear to have surpassed their predecessors in production while also being much cheaper. Whenever I catch a Lions game both Gibbs and LaPorta are portrayed as game changers for Detroit. Time has proven Brad Holmes and his unusual vision to be both bold and correct. His outstanding performance as GM goes way beyond these unusual transactions.
Yet, amidst all the Lions' success this year, here is what's bothersome to me. When it comes to Detroit leadership, all I hear about from the media is Dan Campbell and Ben Johnson. Nary a word about the real difference maker - Brad Holmes. Somehow, I know that if Howie Roseman, Brett Veach, Les Snead, or Brandon Beane made these same moves, we would hear about it ad nauseam as a purported "genius" playing strings like a virtuoso.
So why not Holmes?
It's an uncomfortable question and a profoundly disappointing one on so many dimensions if we're being honest with ourselves. It's time to take some of the focus off Campbell and Johnson and put it squarely on the guy who set the table for their dinner - Brad Holmes.
Thanks as always.