WEBVTT 00:00:06.620 --> 00:00:11.939 This is the Litterbox, a Detroit Lions podcast 00:00:11.939 --> 00:00:15.660 with your hosts, Chad West and Bill Patterson. 00:00:17.219 --> 00:00:20.839 Lions Litterbox fans, we got a little preview 00:00:20.839 --> 00:00:23.160 for you guys today here for the commander's game 00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:26.760 coming up this weekend in Washington, D .C. We 00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:31.460 get the afternoon launch. The 325 game, I am 00:00:31.460 --> 00:00:34.939 partial to the late game on a Sunday for one 00:00:34.939 --> 00:00:36.679 reason or the other. Gives me a little time to 00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:38.640 do a few things maybe early on in the day and 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:41.200 then come home, relax and watch some Lions football. 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:45.700 Bill, we got the commanders on tap. Do you have 00:00:45.700 --> 00:00:49.159 any instant thoughts in regards to this team? 00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:51.380 I have a feeling you have a few things on your 00:00:51.380 --> 00:00:53.939 mind. Yeah, I do check. Good question. One of 00:00:53.939 --> 00:00:56.159 the commanders have lost four games straight. 00:00:56.399 --> 00:00:59.640 And they're dealing with a lot of media backlash 00:00:59.640 --> 00:01:02.700 for the fact that they were getting smoked by 00:01:02.700 --> 00:01:05.939 the Seattle Seahawks at home and left their second 00:01:05.939 --> 00:01:09.260 year quarterback, Jaden Daniels in, and he ended 00:01:09.260 --> 00:01:13.379 up dislocating his elbow. With that, all three 00:01:13.379 --> 00:01:16.540 of their should be starting receivers are out 00:01:16.540 --> 00:01:19.879 at this point. Noah Brown is on the injured reserve 00:01:19.879 --> 00:01:22.439 list. Scary Terry McLaurin is taking some time 00:01:22.439 --> 00:01:25.840 to get back. And Luke McCaffrey is also on the 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:28.260 injured reserve list. So it's going to be Debo 00:01:28.260 --> 00:01:31.739 Samuel and a bunch of other guys. So I would 00:01:31.739 --> 00:01:35.099 think the mismatch in this in advantage would 00:01:35.099 --> 00:01:38.319 be the Lions secondary and the fact that the 00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:41.719 Lions pass rush has been healthy this year. And 00:01:41.719 --> 00:01:44.180 if they can get home on a backup quarterback, 00:01:44.540 --> 00:01:47.599 Marcus Mariota, who doesn't have a full arsenal 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:50.739 of weapons, it would seem that the Lions defense 00:01:50.739 --> 00:01:53.280 would have the advantage against the commander's 00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:56.079 offense. I'm going to take a slightly different 00:01:56.079 --> 00:01:58.859 approach here. Yeah, I don't disagree with you, 00:01:58.859 --> 00:02:01.799 but I think if there was a game where the Lions 00:02:01.799 --> 00:02:05.140 offense could get healthy, especially the passing 00:02:05.140 --> 00:02:07.569 game. and I know we're focusing a lot on the 00:02:07.569 --> 00:02:10.990 rush lately. The commanders have a terrible pass 00:02:10.990 --> 00:02:13.990 defense. They're like 24th in the league. The 00:02:13.990 --> 00:02:17.210 Lions apparently have the 10th rated passing 00:02:17.210 --> 00:02:19.090 offense in the league, even though it wouldn't 00:02:19.090 --> 00:02:22.009 look that way to you and I, especially over the 00:02:22.009 --> 00:02:24.909 last couple of games. I think week two and three 00:02:24.909 --> 00:02:29.580 blew that up. The Bears could have. Although 00:02:29.580 --> 00:02:32.259 we've had good passer ratings, I mean, Goff's 00:02:32.259 --> 00:02:35.199 passer ratings have been quite good. I mean, 00:02:35.219 --> 00:02:39.319 you know, 108 .4 against the Vikings, 118 against 00:02:39.319 --> 00:02:43.639 the Chiefs, 151 against the Bengals. I just think 00:02:43.639 --> 00:02:47.939 you look at the commander's stats against passing 00:02:47.939 --> 00:02:51.400 offenses, it is not good. And quarterback ratings 00:02:51.400 --> 00:02:53.580 are through the roof and they haven't played 00:02:53.580 --> 00:02:57.620 the strongest offenses. The Raiders had a 132 00:02:57.620 --> 00:03:00.539 .7 quarterback rating. The Falcons had a 125 00:03:00.539 --> 00:03:04.240 .9 quarterback rating. The Chargers, they beat 00:03:04.240 --> 00:03:06.400 the Chargers. The Chargers struggled in that 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:08.620 game. That's their one win on their entire schedule 00:03:08.620 --> 00:03:10.780 that's impressive. The other two teams they beat 00:03:10.780 --> 00:03:13.020 were the Giants in week one, who was not good, 00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:16.300 and the Raiders. The Chargers were without both 00:03:16.300 --> 00:03:18.840 starting tackles. I believe they were. At that 00:03:18.840 --> 00:03:20.800 point, that was week five. That's the secret 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:23.360 sauce there. Yeah. But they've lost to the Bears, 00:03:23.580 --> 00:03:25.680 the Cowboys, the Chiefs, and the Seahawks. Not... 00:03:25.740 --> 00:03:28.300 Pushovers by any stretch over the last four games 00:03:28.300 --> 00:03:30.580 and I still do believe we're gonna get a fight 00:03:30.580 --> 00:03:34.180 because unlike you I think they could Expose 00:03:34.180 --> 00:03:36.560 our defensive backfield right now only because 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:38.780 of the fact that our D backs are just not if 00:03:38.780 --> 00:03:40.599 we're running Arthur mullet out there And I'm 00:03:40.599 --> 00:03:42.199 sure you're gonna have some injury updates here 00:03:42.199 --> 00:03:44.419 in a little bit But if we're running Arthur mullet 00:03:44.419 --> 00:03:46.979 and Amiko Robertson out there again I don't have 00:03:46.979 --> 00:03:49.520 a lot of faith that we could defend anyone even 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:51.759 if they have their key receivers out for the 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:54.699 game my thoughts all right, I disagree completely 00:03:54.699 --> 00:03:59.520 and Wash out your mouth. We do not diss on him. 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:06.060 He is dirt. He is a fabulous Nickelback. I appreciate 00:04:06.060 --> 00:04:08.900 him, but I just don't know that he's the corner 00:04:08.900 --> 00:04:11.120 that we, you know, you don't want him one on 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:14.240 one man, man coverage on a guy. I just don't 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:17.259 see it as he's working. He's the nickel slot 00:04:17.259 --> 00:04:20.100 guy. I know being forced. I know, I know asked 00:04:20.100 --> 00:04:23.000 to do something that I'm saying. No, you're exactly 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:25.689 right. You're right. At any rate. All right, 00:04:25.870 --> 00:04:27.529 injuries. You want to move on to injuries? Give 00:04:27.529 --> 00:04:31.269 me your injury talk. It's it's a brutal. You 00:04:31.269 --> 00:04:34.269 wouldn't think having already had the Detroit 00:04:34.269 --> 00:04:37.430 Lions by that it would be this bad. Kirby Joseph 00:04:37.430 --> 00:04:40.790 is not practicing. He is at the facility in Ellen 00:04:40.790 --> 00:04:43.790 Park, but his knee is still bothering him. Pat 00:04:43.790 --> 00:04:46.589 O 'Connor, who's really more a depth piece on 00:04:46.589 --> 00:04:48.850 the defensive line, is battling a knee injury 00:04:48.850 --> 00:04:51.579 as well. He is not practicing. And then the last 00:04:51.579 --> 00:04:54.339 player who is not practicing or participating 00:04:54.339 --> 00:04:57.500 is Jacob Sailors, the running back. He's dealing 00:04:57.500 --> 00:05:00.319 with a back injury of those three. Joseph is, 00:05:00.339 --> 00:05:03.519 you know, a starter. He's a Pro Bowl player. 00:05:03.819 --> 00:05:06.000 He's led the league in interceptions, you know, 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:07.839 from the safety position. So he's going to be 00:05:07.839 --> 00:05:10.379 the biggest miss there. I think Roy Lopez will 00:05:10.379 --> 00:05:13.439 be able to take some of Pat O 'Connor's snaps. 00:05:13.970 --> 00:05:16.649 And Jacob Sailors has really only been performing 00:05:16.649 --> 00:05:20.389 on kick returns and kick off coverage. And I 00:05:20.389 --> 00:05:22.910 would like to think that Vahki is going to be 00:05:22.910 --> 00:05:25.689 an upgrade over him in both those areas. Now 00:05:25.689 --> 00:05:28.589 let's get to the meat on the bone a little bit 00:05:28.589 --> 00:05:31.089 more. Taylor Decker is still dealing with that 00:05:31.089 --> 00:05:33.930 shoulder. He's just going to play hurt. And good 00:05:33.930 --> 00:05:36.310 news is that Miles Frazier, who I thought was 00:05:36.310 --> 00:05:38.829 lost for the season, he was the fifth round pick 00:05:38.829 --> 00:05:42.589 from Louisiana State. He can play guard and tackle. 00:05:42.750 --> 00:05:45.129 His knee is rehabbing well, and he is on the 00:05:45.129 --> 00:05:47.009 practice field. Whether that means we see him 00:05:47.009 --> 00:05:50.649 this week or not is still to be determined. It's 00:05:50.649 --> 00:05:52.410 good to see the clock running on him, right? 00:05:52.649 --> 00:05:54.550 I mean, just want to see these guys get out there 00:05:54.550 --> 00:05:56.189 and run around a little bit and see that they're 00:05:56.189 --> 00:05:59.040 on their way back. Exactly. And then another 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:01.379 guy that we haven't seen this year that could 00:06:01.379 --> 00:06:03.939 definitely help the defense is Joshua Pascal. 00:06:04.139 --> 00:06:07.279 His back is healing nicely and he is practicing. 00:06:07.560 --> 00:06:10.519 Craig Reynolds is back from that hamstring injury. 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:13.649 So come on, Craig. He can... He can take a little 00:06:13.649 --> 00:06:15.970 bit of that. I mean, it is a Friday today, so 00:06:15.970 --> 00:06:20.410 we have to say... Why not? Why not? Pay the homage. 00:06:20.629 --> 00:06:22.810 Yeah, we got to get a little... Come on, Greg. 00:06:22.949 --> 00:06:25.910 So he's back. Malcolm Rodriguez is back. He's 00:06:25.910 --> 00:06:27.589 still battling a knee injury. All right, then 00:06:27.589 --> 00:06:30.410 let's go a little bit deeper. Panay Sewell battling 00:06:30.410 --> 00:06:33.089 a shoulder injury. Dan Skipper is battling a 00:06:33.089 --> 00:06:35.670 back. Grant Stewart is battling a foot injury. 00:06:35.930 --> 00:06:38.050 Tarian Arnold is battling a shoulder injury. 00:06:38.370 --> 00:06:41.230 Ty Summers, a backup linebacker, has an injured 00:06:41.230 --> 00:06:44.100 hand. and Daniel Thomas Backup Safety has a forum. 00:06:44.500 --> 00:06:47.040 That is the biggest injury list I've seen since 00:06:47.040 --> 00:06:49.459 we started this pod. Maybe we should just be 00:06:49.459 --> 00:06:51.899 doing healthy lists. I feel like injury lists 00:06:51.899 --> 00:06:54.100 are just so long. You wanna call the guys out 00:06:54.100 --> 00:06:56.019 there healthy, there's like four. At any rate, 00:06:56.300 --> 00:06:59.360 good coverage there. Thanks for that list. You 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:01.279 did a little more than meat on the bone. You 00:07:01.279 --> 00:07:03.240 got down into the marrow a little bit there on 00:07:03.240 --> 00:07:06.060 a few guys. What about the commanders? I know 00:07:06.060 --> 00:07:08.819 Daniels will be out. He's gonna be out. for a 00:07:08.819 --> 00:07:11.639 while. It sounds like Terry McLoran's gonna be 00:07:11.639 --> 00:07:13.720 out for this one. Unfortunately, he's on both 00:07:13.720 --> 00:07:15.839 my fantasy teams and I have not got much use 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:17.879 out of him this season. When he has been in there, 00:07:17.879 --> 00:07:20.180 he's been good, but when he, he just doesn't 00:07:20.180 --> 00:07:22.879 seem to stay healthy, especially this year. Any 00:07:22.879 --> 00:07:24.800 other thoughts on the commanders besides those 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:26.939 two? Those are the main ones. Normally I would 00:07:26.939 --> 00:07:30.180 say this is a crazy list for the commanders as 00:07:30.180 --> 00:07:33.019 well, but the Lions just pales in comparison. 00:07:33.300 --> 00:07:35.360 Yeah, I just had my jaw on the floor. Hopefully 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:38.949 we get better news today. Doing this pod Friday. 00:07:39.170 --> 00:07:42.269 So happy Friday everybody Trey Amos cornerback 00:07:42.269 --> 00:07:46.189 is dealing with a hip injury a jacory Kroski 00:07:46.189 --> 00:07:49.810 merit their rookie running back has a tooth injury. 00:07:50.170 --> 00:07:53.029 A tooth injury? But he's been a full participant, 00:07:53.149 --> 00:07:55.810 but he's still listed. Is it a cavity? Do we 00:07:55.810 --> 00:07:57.850 have the first ever running back missing a game 00:07:57.850 --> 00:08:00.430 for a cavity? I don't know if he... I know that 00:08:00.430 --> 00:08:02.310 we're supposed to see more of Chris Rodriguez, 00:08:02.629 --> 00:08:05.490 which did spend a spell on my fantasy squad this 00:08:05.490 --> 00:08:08.949 year. He is now gone, but he may get a look here, 00:08:08.970 --> 00:08:11.290 and he's got a little bit of skill, but I don't. 00:08:11.290 --> 00:08:14.100 I mean... You're running behind Laramie Gas Mask 00:08:14.100 --> 00:08:17.100 Tunsel. I have no idea how that's going to work 00:08:17.100 --> 00:08:19.740 out. Hold on. He's also on this list. He's dealing 00:08:19.740 --> 00:08:22.660 with a hamstring. Oh, no. So they've lost him 00:08:22.660 --> 00:08:25.300 to goodness. Well, I think he's going to play. 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:27.279 Yeah, he'll probably play, but he's ding. This 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:30.060 is kind of an insider one for you. Eddie Goldman's 00:08:30.060 --> 00:08:32.860 their nose tackle. He was a full participant, 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:35.259 but he was limited earlier in the week, and he's 00:08:35.259 --> 00:08:38.750 dealing with a concussion. He's kind of the bedrock 00:08:38.750 --> 00:08:41.730 of their defensive line and what allows the commanders 00:08:41.730 --> 00:08:47.049 to either stop the run or be run upon. It's concussion, 00:08:47.070 --> 00:08:49.590 so he has to go through protocol. Chet, if he 00:08:49.590 --> 00:08:52.490 doesn't clear protocol, clear advantage to the 00:08:52.490 --> 00:08:56.230 Lions offense. And I think we see Monte and Gibbs 00:08:56.230 --> 00:08:59.870 go crazy. They still have the Chase Youngs. They 00:08:59.870 --> 00:09:01.870 still have a few guys that can cause some issues, 00:09:01.889 --> 00:09:04.610 but they are not quite the pass rush we faced. 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:07.570 over the past couple weeks, at least in my estimation. 00:09:07.830 --> 00:09:10.070 They will not blitz nearly as much as the Minnesota 00:09:10.070 --> 00:09:12.990 Vikings and Brian Flores did. All right. Continuing 00:09:12.990 --> 00:09:16.269 Quan Martin safety hamstring. Scary Terry's still 00:09:16.269 --> 00:09:19.750 dealing with his quad. Gerson Newton, another 00:09:19.750 --> 00:09:23.049 defensive tackle that occupies space and is tough 00:09:23.049 --> 00:09:25.690 for let's say a Graham Glasgow to move out of 00:09:25.690 --> 00:09:28.330 the way is dealing with an ankle injury. Okay. 00:09:28.450 --> 00:09:31.330 Tyler Owens safety hamstring. Laramie Tunsel, 00:09:31.389 --> 00:09:34.289 the gas mask himself. He's an offensive tackle. 00:09:34.330 --> 00:09:36.610 He's dealing with a hamstring. Bobby Wagner, 00:09:36.769 --> 00:09:39.429 their middle linebacker, is dealing with a broken 00:09:39.429 --> 00:09:42.090 thumb and will probably have a cast on that. 00:09:42.129 --> 00:09:45.129 And he is the quarterback of their defense. And 00:09:45.129 --> 00:09:47.429 then the last guy - He caused havoc for us last 00:09:47.429 --> 00:09:50.090 year in the playoffs. The divisional game. He 00:09:50.090 --> 00:09:52.210 would have gotten a gimmick watching a 40 year 00:09:52.210 --> 00:09:53.850 - is he like 40 or something? He's so old. The 00:09:53.850 --> 00:09:56.750 guy has been in the league forever. Okay. And 00:09:56.750 --> 00:09:59.509 then the last one is not their starting tight 00:09:59.509 --> 00:10:02.110 end. He's kind of the commander's Brock Wright. 00:10:02.450 --> 00:10:06.269 Colson Yankoff, easily my favorite name. On the 00:10:06.269 --> 00:10:09.049 commanders Colson. That's a gem. That's a gem. 00:10:09.230 --> 00:10:11.610 Yeah, that would be a Jersey. If I, you know, 00:10:11.629 --> 00:10:13.889 were a commander's fan, I'd probably have to 00:10:13.889 --> 00:10:15.889 get a yank off. Hey, yank off. Hey, yank off. 00:10:15.950 --> 00:10:18.090 Get in there. He's dealing with he's dealing 00:10:18.090 --> 00:10:21.629 with a hammy. The bad news for the Lions is that 00:10:21.629 --> 00:10:24.889 if I go down the list for full participation 00:10:24.889 --> 00:10:28.409 to these guys are practicing the ones that didn't 00:10:28.409 --> 00:10:32.330 were Daniels and McLaurin. So and then Tyler 00:10:32.330 --> 00:10:35.090 Owens had a limited and then Yankov's a little 00:10:35.090 --> 00:10:37.730 bit limited. Kwon Martin's limited, but everybody 00:10:37.730 --> 00:10:40.690 else is full participation. Do you... Okay, so 00:10:40.690 --> 00:10:43.970 both teams dinged up. The last year after the 00:10:43.970 --> 00:10:45.889 playoff, a lot of the Washington fans, it's been 00:10:45.889 --> 00:10:49.470 kind of... Well documented, the Lions were making 00:10:49.470 --> 00:10:52.210 some hay about their injury issues and now, you 00:10:52.210 --> 00:10:54.529 know, they lost that playoff game due to injuries 00:10:54.529 --> 00:10:56.450 and all the injuries we had to deal with and 00:10:56.450 --> 00:10:58.629 a lot of the Washington fans were like, boohoo, 00:10:58.710 --> 00:11:00.309 you got to play with injuries as part of the 00:11:00.309 --> 00:11:02.549 NFL. Well, guess what, guys, you get to deal 00:11:02.549 --> 00:11:04.570 with that now this season and you see what it's 00:11:04.570 --> 00:11:07.210 like to lose half your team. But injuries are 00:11:07.210 --> 00:11:09.210 no injuries. You got to play the games every 00:11:09.210 --> 00:11:11.590 weekend. We've covered the injuries. Do we have 00:11:11.590 --> 00:11:14.029 some thoughts on the trade deadline, Bill? Where 00:11:14.029 --> 00:11:16.700 do you stand on this whole thing? don't think 00:11:16.700 --> 00:11:20.940 Brad Holmes did enough. And here is my only point, 00:11:21.240 --> 00:11:25.039 is that Brad Holmes has been very aggressive 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:27.659 in moving up the draft. And right now the plan 00:11:27.659 --> 00:11:30.139 is working. The Lions draft, they develop and 00:11:30.139 --> 00:11:33.240 they sign guys for low market deals. They're 00:11:33.240 --> 00:11:35.679 avoiding free agency. Two years in a row, what 00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:39.159 were their big free agent signings? DJ Reed and 00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:41.779 Roy Lopez. And then they made a trade for Carlton 00:11:41.779 --> 00:11:44.250 Davis with the Buccaneers. Outside of that they 00:11:44.250 --> 00:11:47.129 really don't have to fray into the free agent 00:11:47.129 --> 00:11:49.990 waters Which is a great way to run an NFL franchise 00:11:49.990 --> 00:11:51.990 and a great way to run your business However, 00:11:51.990 --> 00:11:55.070 if there is a chink in Brad Holmes armor and 00:11:55.070 --> 00:11:58.149 you know I'm not gonna go too crazy on him because 00:11:58.149 --> 00:12:01.750 I think the world of him but that he does trade 00:12:01.750 --> 00:12:06.009 up for players that seem to be luxuries at times 00:12:06.009 --> 00:12:09.850 and I'm gonna bring up our guy Isaac Tesla or 00:12:09.850 --> 00:12:13.559 coleslaw And talk about the fact that we gave 00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:16.840 up three third round picks to move up to get 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:19.659 him. We did get some picks in return, but the 00:12:19.659 --> 00:12:21.740 fact is one of those third round picks could 00:12:21.740 --> 00:12:25.120 have gone to Miami. for Jalen Phillips, who I 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:27.539 think, I don't know for sure, but the opportunity 00:12:27.539 --> 00:12:29.899 for Jalen Phillips to come off the edge on third 00:12:29.899 --> 00:12:33.519 down and help this team win is more likely than 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:36.360 Tesla. There's not enough balls on the offense 00:12:36.360 --> 00:12:38.460 right now. Gibbs isn't getting what he needs. 00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:41.120 Montgomery's not getting what he needs. St. Brown's 00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:44.360 getting his and so is Laporta. But, you know, 00:12:44.480 --> 00:12:46.200 we heard last week, you know, we need to get 00:12:46.200 --> 00:12:48.039 Jamo involved in the offense. And then we heard 00:12:48.039 --> 00:12:50.259 this week, we need to get Tesla involved in the 00:12:50.259 --> 00:12:52.399 offense. There's not enough balls to go around 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:55.200 and I guess my icing on this - There isn't enough 00:12:55.200 --> 00:12:58.120 time in the pocket. Yeah, to get to that third 00:12:58.120 --> 00:13:02.120 read. My icing on this complaint cake would be 00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:05.330 - Why would you draft Tesla knowing that you 00:13:05.330 --> 00:13:09.830 were going to extend JMo? And so it seems like 00:13:09.830 --> 00:13:12.309 it's an embarrassment of riches. And I'm also 00:13:12.309 --> 00:13:14.629 frustrated that if Tesla really is the second 00:13:14.629 --> 00:13:16.750 coming or someone that's going to be someone 00:13:16.750 --> 00:13:19.009 we should get excited about, Caliph Raymond should 00:13:19.009 --> 00:13:21.649 not be keeping him off the field. Yeah. Yeah. 00:13:21.809 --> 00:13:24.029 And I actually don't think Caliph Raymond should 00:13:24.029 --> 00:13:26.610 be keeping him off the field, period, right now. 00:13:26.750 --> 00:13:30.429 But he is. But he is. So it's hard to determine 00:13:30.429 --> 00:13:32.860 what it is they're looking at. I just don't know 00:13:32.860 --> 00:13:35.720 how they're evaluating the situation and, you 00:13:35.720 --> 00:13:38.940 know, we seem to be plagued with front offices 00:13:38.940 --> 00:13:42.100 in our two big sports in Detroit between baseball 00:13:42.100 --> 00:13:45.860 and football that do not want to make moves of 00:13:45.860 --> 00:13:49.200 late. I do not know why. Maybe it's coincidental. 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:53.759 I'm sure it is, but We just don't seem to have 00:13:53.759 --> 00:13:57.059 the ability to go out there and gamble on some 00:13:57.059 --> 00:14:00.519 trades or gamble on some free agents or gamble 00:14:00.519 --> 00:14:03.399 on talent period. We're signing our own guys. 00:14:03.539 --> 00:14:05.379 You can't say the Lions aren't spending money. 00:14:05.460 --> 00:14:07.799 They're putting a lot of money into their own 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:11.299 guys. So it's not a cheap thing. With the Lions, 00:14:11.460 --> 00:14:15.460 it seems a little more like they're afraid to 00:14:15.460 --> 00:14:19.419 upset the apple cart a little or deviate from 00:14:19.419 --> 00:14:22.289 their path. slightly... Two schools of thought 00:14:22.289 --> 00:14:26.009 here. One, it's not that Martha Firestone Ford's 00:14:26.009 --> 00:14:28.570 being cheap. There's close to a billion dollars 00:14:28.570 --> 00:14:32.049 in extensions. So the Lions are not the Cincinnati 00:14:32.049 --> 00:14:35.830 Bengals. They are not. No. The Cleveland Browns 00:14:35.830 --> 00:14:38.330 that just mismanage everything. What they are, 00:14:38.389 --> 00:14:40.509 though, these are my two thoughts, and I hope 00:14:40.509 --> 00:14:42.990 one of these is wrong. The one I hope is incorrect 00:14:42.990 --> 00:14:45.850 is that, hey, we've got a waiting list for the 00:14:45.850 --> 00:14:48.110 first time in franchise history. We've raised 00:14:48.110 --> 00:14:51.009 ticket prices. We're the hottest ticket in town, 00:14:51.929 --> 00:14:54.590 and we're pretty much in the mix to make the 00:14:54.590 --> 00:14:57.289 playoffs, and should be for quite some time. 00:14:57.629 --> 00:15:01.129 If that is what's coming down from Sheila and 00:15:01.129 --> 00:15:04.629 Rod Wood to Brad Holmes and company, because 00:15:04.629 --> 00:15:06.169 you know Dan Campbell doesn't think that way, 00:15:06.289 --> 00:15:07.789 you know Chris Spielman doesn't think that way, 00:15:07.870 --> 00:15:11.710 but if that's Brad Holmes' operating MO, then 00:15:11.710 --> 00:15:15.100 we've got an issue. Otherwise, I think what really 00:15:15.100 --> 00:15:17.139 could be happening is that Brad Holmes was a 00:15:17.139 --> 00:15:19.500 scout by trade. He was never a GM before this. 00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:22.240 He worked under less need the legendary GM for 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:26.360 the Rams. And I don't know that Holmes he trusts 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:28.980 himself so much in the draft process and the 00:15:28.980 --> 00:15:32.139 evaluation and development process that he may 00:15:32.139 --> 00:15:35.279 not pull every lever out there. And the other 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:37.100 thing is, I don't know, maybe Jalen Phillips 00:15:37.100 --> 00:15:39.279 is a bad locker room guy. You know, there's some 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:41.480 other things we don't know. Philadelphia's always 00:15:41.480 --> 00:15:43.519 willing to take those risks. I mean, look at 00:15:43.519 --> 00:15:46.200 all the Georgia guys that had, you know, homicides 00:15:46.200 --> 00:15:48.320 and speeding tickets and all that. Philly does 00:15:48.320 --> 00:15:50.620 not care about the locker room whatsoever. I 00:15:50.620 --> 00:15:53.580 mean, A .J. Brown throws a tantrum every other 00:15:53.580 --> 00:15:56.179 week if he doesn't get his, you know, 10 looks. 00:15:56.779 --> 00:15:59.779 So I think Howie Roseman, you know, is probably 00:15:59.779 --> 00:16:02.299 who we're comparing Brad Holmes to. It's just... 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:04.299 he probably is a little more risk adverse on 00:16:04.299 --> 00:16:06.879 that. And the fact that maybe he thinks getting 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:10.379 Pascal back, and I cringe to say this, but Marcus 00:16:10.379 --> 00:16:12.440 Davenport should be back at some point, I'll 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:14.860 believe it when I see it, that maybe the reinforcements 00:16:14.860 --> 00:16:17.659 are already there. Maybe the reinforcements are 00:16:17.659 --> 00:16:19.539 better than what they could have got by giving 00:16:19.539 --> 00:16:22.519 up anything at the trade deadline. And I'm willing 00:16:22.519 --> 00:16:25.779 to buy into that a little. I tried it. I was 00:16:25.779 --> 00:16:27.960 initially very disappointed we didn't make a 00:16:27.960 --> 00:16:29.879 single deal. And then after I thought about it, 00:16:29.879 --> 00:16:32.139 I was like, you know, I feel that there's got 00:16:32.139 --> 00:16:34.080 to be a decent reason for it. I mean, they did 00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:36.679 make a deal last year at the deadline. It wasn't 00:16:36.679 --> 00:16:39.360 it didn't pan out to be something ground shaking 00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:43.019 or earth shattering for the team or change the 00:16:43.019 --> 00:16:45.559 trajectory of the team in the season. But it 00:16:45.559 --> 00:16:48.700 provided an edge rush nowhere near what we had. 00:16:48.779 --> 00:16:51.980 And it came at minimal cost. But this year, they 00:16:51.980 --> 00:16:54.990 just didn't do a deal. And I think, as fans, 00:16:55.450 --> 00:16:58.669 we look at, we want change, especially the timing 00:16:58.669 --> 00:17:01.450 of it, right? Right after they lost to the Vikings 00:17:01.450 --> 00:17:03.990 at home. The deadline hits two days later. So 00:17:03.990 --> 00:17:06.670 we're all looking for change because we hated 00:17:06.670 --> 00:17:09.130 what we saw last Sunday. And then the deadline 00:17:09.130 --> 00:17:11.369 hits and nothing happens. It's like a thud. Yeah. 00:17:11.589 --> 00:17:14.470 Number one, the only guys that moved that I would 00:17:14.470 --> 00:17:16.849 have really wanted would have been Jalen Phillips 00:17:16.849 --> 00:17:19.730 for a third or fourth round pick. And then Roger 00:17:19.730 --> 00:17:22.410 McCreary, who the Rams picked up as a cornerback, 00:17:22.450 --> 00:17:24.579 that's... pretty much washed up, but he was a 00:17:24.579 --> 00:17:26.519 former second round pick. Those would be the 00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:29.240 only two that I would say really moved the needle. 00:17:29.539 --> 00:17:32.480 I mean, what the Colts gave up to get Sauce Gardner 00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:37.259 is mind -blowing. There's no way Brad Holmes 00:17:37.259 --> 00:17:39.259 would give up that kind of draft capital for 00:17:39.259 --> 00:17:41.380 a guy that, so far this season, and it could 00:17:41.380 --> 00:17:44.700 be just the Jets defense, but he's showing decline, 00:17:44.759 --> 00:17:46.960 and Sauce has never been the biggest guy. I mean, 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:49.119 he's slightly framed. He's not a great tackler. 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:53.230 That's a lot of capital to invest in a... position 00:17:53.230 --> 00:17:55.930 that I don't let's face it. You have to have 00:17:55.930 --> 00:17:57.930 a quarterback first and foremost in the NFL. 00:17:58.009 --> 00:18:00.250 You have to have an edge rusher second and then 00:18:00.250 --> 00:18:03.410 you need protection for your quarterback. Hand 00:18:03.410 --> 00:18:05.930 it to the Colts that they're going for it. Yeah, 00:18:05.930 --> 00:18:07.549 hand it to them that they're going for it. They 00:18:07.549 --> 00:18:10.750 see a real small window here. I'm sure they've 00:18:10.750 --> 00:18:12.809 resurrected Daniel Jones. And so they're and 00:18:12.809 --> 00:18:14.609 you know, I just don't know that the one D back 00:18:14.609 --> 00:18:16.190 is going to get them there. The other thing is 00:18:16.190 --> 00:18:19.569 we're not comparing apples to no oranges because 00:18:20.309 --> 00:18:22.509 The Colts play in the most winnable division 00:18:22.509 --> 00:18:24.529 in the NFL. When they have a soft schedule, right? 00:18:24.730 --> 00:18:27.369 We have the toughest in the NFL right now. So 00:18:27.369 --> 00:18:29.150 we're seeing that. We're five and three are the 00:18:29.150 --> 00:18:31.630 toughest schedule in the NFL. And I told you 00:18:31.630 --> 00:18:34.089 and I will tell anybody that I'm happy with the 00:18:34.089 --> 00:18:36.029 five and three. I just wasn't happy. I didn't 00:18:36.029 --> 00:18:38.930 have the Vikings loss at home on my bingo card. 00:18:39.309 --> 00:18:41.420 So I think it's... 100%. It was a shock to the 00:18:41.420 --> 00:18:43.759 system. It was a shock to the system. So did 00:18:43.759 --> 00:18:45.980 I answer your free agent questions? No, you did. 00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:47.980 I mean, the trade deadline happened. We didn't 00:18:47.980 --> 00:18:50.339 do anything. I think everybody's just kind of 00:18:50.339 --> 00:18:52.559 like, we're still willing to trust Brad Holmes. 00:18:52.579 --> 00:18:55.079 It's rough to see that and the timing of it. 00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:57.279 But if we'd won that Vikings game, we might have 00:18:57.279 --> 00:18:59.539 said, maybe we don't need that much. Last year 00:18:59.539 --> 00:19:02.480 was totally different. When Hutch went out, they 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:06.119 didn't. Davenport never emerged. So it was Josh 00:19:06.119 --> 00:19:10.140 Paschal and... And that was it. Levi Onzerike 00:19:10.140 --> 00:19:13.779 and Aleem McNeil generating a very meager pass 00:19:13.779 --> 00:19:16.720 rush. They had to do something and Zedaria Smith, 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:19.660 I look at it more favorably than maybe some others, 00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:22.720 you included, but it was out of much greater 00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:25.799 necessity than what we have now. So let's take 00:19:25.799 --> 00:19:27.980 a look at what's coming up in this game for a 00:19:27.980 --> 00:19:30.690 spread. How do you feel? Vegas got us at seven 00:19:30.690 --> 00:19:33.049 and a half right now. I saw eight and a half 00:19:33.049 --> 00:19:35.349 in some lines. Where are you at on this game? 00:19:35.470 --> 00:19:37.849 What do you feel here? It's an away game. We 00:19:37.849 --> 00:19:41.670 get the commanders who I feel like we should 00:19:41.670 --> 00:19:43.609 handle them, but I felt like we should handle 00:19:43.609 --> 00:19:45.990 the Vikings. What are your thoughts here in the 00:19:45.990 --> 00:19:48.289 spread? The line opened at three and a half. 00:19:48.519 --> 00:19:50.779 And that's when they thought Daniels still might 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:52.799 play. It went to eight and a half, it settled 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:55.000 at seven and a half. Even the totals dropped 00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:59.519 a point, so it's 49 and a half now. I would say 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:03.319 the Sharks and Sharps are begging you to take 00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:05.140 the commanders. I think that's the smart money 00:20:05.140 --> 00:20:07.059 in this play. You think they are, huh? Yeah. 00:20:07.819 --> 00:20:12.190 And my initial reaction was 31 -14 Lions. Hedging 00:20:12.190 --> 00:20:14.269 that in a big way. I'm gonna say something like 00:20:14.269 --> 00:20:19.009 28 24 lions. I am gonna go 35 27 lions Okay, 00:20:19.309 --> 00:20:22.390 I think we we we just either if it's seven and 00:20:22.390 --> 00:20:24.630 a half We just covered if it's eight and a half. 00:20:24.650 --> 00:20:28.470 We don't I think they over goes quite over I 00:20:28.470 --> 00:20:31.289 have a feeling the defenses are gonna be struggling 00:20:31.289 --> 00:20:33.730 here in this game now if we can get a pass rush 00:20:33.930 --> 00:20:36.369 That all goes out the door and we'll know, we'll 00:20:36.369 --> 00:20:38.250 know in the first couple drives how we're looking. 00:20:38.690 --> 00:20:40.410 I get the feeling we're going to know how this 00:20:40.410 --> 00:20:42.769 thing's going to go because lions don't come 00:20:42.769 --> 00:20:45.430 out ready to, ready to rip somebody apart after 00:20:45.430 --> 00:20:47.789 what happened last week. The fire just isn't 00:20:47.789 --> 00:20:49.710 there and it's going to be, it'll be a close 00:20:49.710 --> 00:20:52.789 one if that happens. Be a long afternoon. Who 00:20:52.789 --> 00:20:56.430 are you taking for fantasy? Nobody on the Redskins 00:20:56.430 --> 00:20:59.019 because You got nobody on the red skin. Look, 00:20:59.140 --> 00:21:01.420 you just did it. I know. You just did what I 00:21:01.420 --> 00:21:04.420 do. You just did what I do. All right. Nobody 00:21:04.420 --> 00:21:07.180 in the commanders for you. You don't like any 00:21:07.180 --> 00:21:09.940 of them. I mean, I guess Debo, if you had to 00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:13.539 pick somebody would just maybe take Debo, maybe 00:21:13.539 --> 00:21:15.619 dabble in some earths. We've struggled a little 00:21:15.619 --> 00:21:18.400 with tight ends at times this year. I don't know. 00:21:18.619 --> 00:21:20.960 Old man Hertz is getting there. And I can't figure 00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:23.400 out if Rodriguez or the rookie is going to get 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:25.599 the bulk of the carries. Plus, with this four 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:27.920 game slide, the commanders are going through 00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:31.259 their ability to run the ball yards per run is 00:21:31.259 --> 00:21:33.519 just falling off the cliff. So I don't buy into 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:36.359 their run game at all unless they sneak up on 00:21:36.359 --> 00:21:37.900 us. You know who I'm going to look at again? 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:40.079 And I keep pushing this guy for the Lions is 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:43.210 Laporta. Yeah, the commanders have not been good 00:21:43.210 --> 00:21:44.890 against tight ends this year. They've given up 00:21:44.890 --> 00:21:47.470 quite a few touchdowns and some decent yards 00:21:47.470 --> 00:21:50.630 to some halfway decent tight ends so far. I jump 00:21:50.630 --> 00:21:52.910 on maybe Laporta in this game. Hopefully they 00:21:52.910 --> 00:21:54.930 decide to use him for longer than a drive this 00:21:54.930 --> 00:21:59.049 time around. And I'm thinking possibly we see 00:21:59.049 --> 00:22:01.869 a little St. Brown resurgence here. He's been 00:22:01.869 --> 00:22:04.809 a little quiet. the last couple games, kind of 00:22:04.809 --> 00:22:07.710 on and off, right? He's dropped his quota of 00:22:07.710 --> 00:22:10.190 passes for the season. So I think he's going 00:22:10.190 --> 00:22:13.109 to catch everything thrown his way. I know. And 00:22:13.109 --> 00:22:15.509 then as far as running backs go, I think Monte 00:22:15.509 --> 00:22:18.190 after that fumble, because that really was the 00:22:18.190 --> 00:22:19.970 turning point in the Vikings game. I think he 00:22:19.970 --> 00:22:22.670 comes on strong this game. So that meant Monte 00:22:22.670 --> 00:22:25.990 fumble was rough. We were we had it and then 00:22:25.990 --> 00:22:28.390 he fumbled and it all just sort of slid downhill. 00:22:28.529 --> 00:22:31.369 OK, well, we've given you guys our thoughts. 00:22:31.640 --> 00:22:34.539 on this upcoming game against the Commanders 00:22:34.539 --> 00:22:37.700 in Washington DC. Enjoy the afternoon game on 00:22:37.700 --> 00:22:41.380 Sunday. We'll be back for a recap shortly after. 00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:42.480 Go Lions!