Tag: Brad Holmes

Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes: Season was no fluke, it’s only going to get better

ALLEN PARK — Brad Holmes is tired of the Detroit Lions successful season being described as a “cute story.’’

That is because, in the mind of the Detroit Lions vice president and general manager, it was none of that. It was not a Cinderella, magical season. It was much more.

Yes, the Lions won their first playoff game in 30 years — and they won a pair of them — but it was not an accident. There was no magic dust involved and fans can expect more in the future.

“I want to tell our fans, look, it’s only going to get better. We’re only going to get better. … This is exactly what was supposed to happen,’’ Holmes said in his post-season press conference on Monday,

He understands the long-suffering fans’ line of thought, but would like them to shake that off and look at what has happened in the last three years since he and coach Dan Campbell arrived.

“Every move that me and Dan make has been made to sustain what we are building. Every single move we make and every single move we do not make, is to sustain what we have been building,” Holmes said. “It’s real. Look, it’s all to normalize what we’re doing.’’

The Lions finished 12-5 in the regular season, winning the NFC North along the way. They beat the Los Angeles Rams in the wildcard game and the Tampa Bay Bucs in the divisional round. They were one half away from earning a trip to the Super Bowl against the 49ers when they collapsed in the second half of the NFC Championship game and lost.

The Lions have improved from 3-13-1 in the first year of the Campbell-Holmes regime, to 9-8 and just missing the playoffs, to making a splash in 2023. 

“We love where we’re at, this is supposed to be expected, it’s the standard. We love the window that we’re in, we just got finished with Year 3,’’ Holmes said. “We’re still building, we’ll stick to our plan, we’ll continue to put all our effort into improve each year which we’ve done, in my opinion.’’

Holmes, who came out quite fiery, also had a warning for fans as free agency (March 13) and the NFL Draft (April 25-27) approach. 

He hasn’t always gotten good immediate feedback from the media on his draft picks. He can live with the criticism, but he wants fans to be patient and wait until December to judge, not in the spring.

“I want them to know that over the next few months, don’t get spooked this spring by speculation or negative talk or the entertainment news feed — don’t get spooked by that to not think we can’t build and sustain what we’ve been building,’’ Holmes said.

 “… The next few months there’s a lot of speculation and a lot of opinions, people don’t know what’s going to happen. I just hope that they know every year that we’ve been upfront and straight with everybody,’’ Holmes said.  “Every move we make is intentional and, again, every move we do not make is intentional.’’

This was a point he hammered over and over during his nearly 40 minutes behind the podium.

“I want to make sure the fans know what we always said, we draft, develop, sign our own and build through the draft,’’ Holmes said. 

Also he made clear that not everyone can play for the Detroit Lions who base their roster decisions not just on talent but on personal characteristics. “That’s just reality, the standard that has been set,’’ Holmes said.

“Look, I think we all know adversity will always come, but that’s why we’re built on grit,” he said. “We’ll be ready for adversity. It will come regardless. That’s why we’re always preaching grit, grit, grit.”

Lions acquire WR Donovan Peoples-Jones from Browns; plus notes

ALLEN PARK — The Lions filled a position of need on Tuesday when acquired wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones from the Cleveland Browns.

Detroit sent a 2025 sixth-round pick to Cleveland. Tuesday at 4 p.m. was the NFL trade deadline.

Peoples-Jones, who played at Michigan, was a sixth-round pick by the Browns in 2020. He’s a 24-year-old Detroiter who played at Cass Tech.

“We’re excited about the kid. He’s had good production in the past, he’ll be a good fit here. He’s been a high character kid,’’ Lions GM Brad Holmes said announcing the deal. “… I just talked to the kid. He’s fired up about getting this process going.’’

Holmes said they needed to add a wide receiver since Marvin Jones Jr. left the team last week. 

“You always feel like you’re one injury away and that was a position we felt like if we could find a steady, reliable guy that fits us, that can play outside. That was something we were looking at to see if we could acquire,’’ coach Dan Campbell said.

Holmes said Peoples-Jones is a big guy (6-foot-2, 204 pounds) who has good contested catch skills.

“We feel like he fits our style. And he’s smart and can play multiple positions,’’ Campbell said. “We feel like he’ll be a good fit for the team and the room.’’

This season Peoples-Jones has played in seven games with five starts for the Browns with eight receptions for 97 yards. In his career, he’s played in 50 games with 30 starts, with 117 receptions for 1,837 yards and eight touchdowns.

While it would seem that the defensive line is an area of need, Holmes said they looked at every position prior to the deadline. 

“A lot of these names that you might see pop up, they look good in the media and they are names, it’s not reality. Those same names that you see pop up when you start getting in conversations, it just doesn’t work out for us,’’ Holmes said. “Every team is in a different place, a different direction, a different phase. There’s nothing we leave unturned. We looked at every position and this was the best one for us.’’

Bye week timing

The players watched film from Monday night’s game on Tuesday then were given  the rest of the week off due to the bye. 

“I think it’s perfect timing. This is exactly when, from where we’re at, it’s perfect,’’ Campbell said. … “We’re going to get reinforcements back for the Chargers who will be critical to help us.’’

Campbell said he will spend all day Wednesday to look at the last eight games and then will get away for a few days.

The next game is Nov. 12 at the Los Angeles Chargers.

Long snapper out

Long snapper Scott Daly is going to need surgery after injuring his knee on the last kick on Monday, a missed 26-yard field goal. It’s a position that doesn’t get much thought unless there’s an injury.

“It’s going to hurt to lose him,’’ Campbell said.

Lions Dan Campbell aware of newfound praise and respect, but remembers those who didn’t like them 2 years ago

ALLEN PARK — In their third season, Lions coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes are getting praise heaped on them from around the NFL.

It’s got something to do with the Lions’ 5-1 start and climb to the top of the NFC North. It wasn’t like that the first two seasons when they started 0-10-1 in 2021 and 1-6 last season.

Still they stuck with their plan and, even with the 1-6 start last year, Campbell would routinely say loss after loss that he saw improvement. 

Campbell and Holmes have stayed true to themselves and stuck with their plan.

The coach is aware of the newfound respect and praise from other players and coaches, but said it doesn’t mean anything to him.

“I don’t mean that negatively. A lot of people didn’t like us two years ago. So we don’t forget those and we’re the same two people, we’re the same team. We’ve just gone about our business, we haven’t changed anything and so all we care about is what our players think, and the coaches, personnel and me and Brad, that’s it,’’ Campbell said on Friday. “We’ve got a job to do and we’re just going to keep doing it.’’

The Lions’ next big test is Sunday when they face the Ravens (4-2) at Baltimore.