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For the Detroit Lions, 2024 has already been a year of unfamiliar, if not unchartered territory.
Their first division crown in three decades. Two playoffs victories — the franchise had previously won just one since 1957. A second-half lead in the NFC championship game. Chants of “Jared Goff” replacing laments of the “Same Old Lions” echoing across the state of Michigan.
And now comes another fresh experience — it’s go time, all-in time, playing-for-broke time.
No one in football has done a better job building a roster and a culture the last three years than general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. Yet as challenging as it was to turn a toxic, woebegone franchise into a viable championship contender, it’s the final steps of the ladder that always prove the most challenging of them all.
It’s what makes the Lions a team to watch as the league gathers in Indianapolis for the annual NFL scouting combine. It’s not just Holmes’ proven skill at zeroing in on talented, game-changing players and drafting them regardless of what conventional wisdom and draft analysis suggest.
It’s he and Campbell’s interactions around town with other front office personnel and agents — from formal sit-downs to casual talks at a coffee shop — that matter.
Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has had an incredible hit rate across the last three drafts. Can he keep the hot streak going this year? (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Detroit has a nice roster, but one with a few glaring holes — cornerback, defensive line, etc. — that stood in the way of beating San Francisco in the NFC title game.
Plugging those holes, bolstering other spots and resigning top talent (including an extension for Goff) is all available.
The Lions have draft picks, abundant cap space and, for the first time in maybe forever, the kind of coach, program and opportunity in front of them that they can attract, not merely overpay, quality free agents.
Detroit, for once, is a place to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/after-lions-breakthrough-season-its-time-to-go-all-in-toward-a-championship-push-182345235.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-02-29 18:23:45
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