Tag: Brad Holmes

Lions GM Brad Holmes, coach Dan Campbell embrace high expectations

ALLEN PARK — Lions GM Brad Holmes’ expectations are “very high” that the Detroit Lions can win the NFC North this season.

He is not alone. All of a sudden the Lions are NFL darlings. The hype train has been rolling for months.

They will get their first test — a huge one — when they open the season on Thursday at the Kansas City Chiefs, the Super Bowl champs.

“I do think that we took our medicine in the past couple years. Me and Dan (Campbell) talk about it all the time,’’ Holmes said on Friday. “We’ve coached the Senior Bowl, we’ve done ‘Hard Knocks,’ we’ve done all of that. We’ve got through a lot of darkness to get to this point.

“That’s where the grit comes in place in terms of just not really wavering, put your head down or get discouraged. We put the focus on building the best roster we can,’’ Holmes added.

Last season ended on a good note when the Lions won eight of the last 10 to finish 9-8 and out of the playoffs. Then throw in a good draft and a few key free agent signings and the Lions look like possible contenders.

Holmes said the hype was a little surprising since they didn’t make the playoffs last year.

“I love how we ended the season, but I didn’t think it would lead to this magnitude. But regardless of how much positive news is coming out we’ll still keep the same mindset,’’ Holmes said. “We’ll always be the hunters.’’

Holmes explained he wasn’t just looking for the most talent but he and Campbell have a vision of the type of player they want.

“It starts with football players first. What’s a football player? Smart, passionate, instinctive, relentless, tough, gritty. We have football players with talent,’’ Holmes said. 

There’s that word grit again. Last year’s second half was all about toughness, resilience and, yes, grit.

“We won’t sacrifice our identity for anything. I think we’re a pretty resilient group. That’s where I believe it all starts,’’ coach Dan Campbell said on Friday. “For us and for anybody that’s been around this game. Look, we’re going to hit some hard times, it’s the teams that can come out of that the other way and they can come out the other end unscathed and I think that’s what this roster is built for.’’

Holmes said they are not afraid of the expectations.

“The expectations are earned through what we’ve built and what we’ve done up to this point in terms of how we finished the end of the season and our player acquisition process,’’ Holmes said. “Now we just have to prove them right.’’

Lions WR Jameson Williams likely out rest of preseason after hamstring injury

Amon-Ra St. Brown expected back next week

ALLEN PARK — Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams could be out the rest of the preseason after sustaining a hamstring injury on Wednesday.

“There’s a good chance it probably could go through the preseason,’’ coach Dan Campbell said on Thursday morning prior to the second joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown’s ankle injury, which also happened Wednesday, is not as serious. Campbell expects him back sometime next week.

Williams’ injury is more worrisome since he’s suspended for the first six games of the season due to an NFL gambling infraction.

Campbell wanted the speedy second-year receiver, who played only six games in 2022 due to injury, to get as many reps in preseason games as possible so he’d be ready to jump in after his absence. He played until late in the third quarter in the preseason opening win over the Giants on Friday when he was targeted seven times and had two catches for 18 yards.

“As long as he stays on top of the mental portion of it, you can get a lot out of the mental work,’’ Campbell said. “He grinds on that and takes care of the hamstring, we’ll take it as it comes.’’

This is the second camp injury for Williams who was injured on the second day of camp and missed the next four sessions.

Campbell said he and GM Brad Holmes have discussed adding another wide receiver.

“But to do that you have to move on from somebody and that’s a hard move too with other areas, other spots. We’re thinking about it,’’ Campbell said.

These absences open the door for younger receivers with an eye on a roster spot like Chase Cota, Dylan Drummond, Avery Davis and Antoine Green.

“Great opportunity. It’s another spot, honestly. This room is wide open, we’ve got a pretty good feel of some of these guys. We have a spot, potentially two, wide open,’’ Campbell said. “Cota you want it? Go get it. Drummond you want it? Go get it. Trinity Benson, we’re going to get him back a little bit today.

“Our eyes are wide open, we’re looking for guys,’’ Campbell said. “We have a track record in a three-year period here. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been drafted, who you are, what it is. You’ve got an opportunity, you want to earn it, go get it.’’

The Lions and Jaguars held their second joint practice on Thursday. They will meet in a preseason game at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Ford Field.

Calvin Johnson checks out Lions minicamp as he continues to mend fences

ALLEN PARK — Calvin Johnson visited the Detroit Lions minicamp on Thursday. The Hall of Famer has not been a familiar site around the team since he retired after the 2015 season, but has mended fences in recent months.

Johnson said he was there Thursday to inquire about equipment for a football camp he is going to run on Saturday at the Lions’ facility. When most players were off the field, he got a lesson on how to start the motor that runs the JUGS machine which throws passes, punts and kickoffs.

He arrived fairly early and stayed until the end of the session which lasted nearly two hours.

Johnson was spotted talking on the sidelines and shaking hands with Rod Wood, the team president. 

He also chatted with several players and Sheila Ford Hamp, principal owner and chairwoman of the Lions. She was attending for the second straight day.

This isn’t the first sighting at the Lions facility recently. Johnson was on hand to welcome first-round picks Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell the day after they were drafted in April.

Johnson also chatted with Lions GM Brad Holmes after practice.

Coach Dan Campbell, a former Lions tight end, was teammates with Johnson in 2007 and 2008.

EXTRA: If you’re at the Taylor Swift concert at Ford Field and see a guy who looks like Dan Campbell, it’s him. While he’s more of a Metallica kind of guy, he will be there with his wife and guests.