College Football weekend is here, plus Lions preview

Another Friday night, another edition of the sports office right here on Fox 2. Thanks a lot for joining us. We got a lot to talk about tonight, including the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Lions. And I've also got my man, Dave Burkett here from Detroit Free Press to talk about our Detroit Lions. And you know what? You know what? I've also got a lot of other people in here tonight. Let me introduce Kenny and Howard over here. They'll be running things for you guys because I'm also asking you to call in and text in on the Zoom line right there. You can see the number right here. And you can also get in to be in this monitor right up here when you come into the Zoom room. And that information is right here, that QR code right at the bottom of the screen. So check that out as well. All right. Let's start tonight's conversation. Dave, how you doing, my man? Great. Are you ready for fun on Friday? Let's talk. I know you are. Hey, listen, you were in the news this week a little while with Brad Holmes. But let's move on from that and let's get into what... Why would you bring it up and not ask him about it? Well, you know what? I'll let... I did bring it up, so I will let you comment on it, Dave. OK. Earlier this week, you asked Brad Holmes a question about Terryon Arnold, and the answer got a little bit back and forth. Do you want to expand on it? How do you want to deal with that? I think everyone out there thinks that I hate Brad or Brad hates me. When these exchanges go on, and not just us, with any reporter, it's part of the job. You know that, Woody. It's just you have to ask questions. This is the first time Brad has really talked since the combine. I mean, he talked at the draft, but he didn't want to answer questions about it then. So I thought it was appropriate to ask about Terryon Arnold and whether the Lions had done enough to ensure themselves in case they lost Terryon like they did to legal problems. And I don't think they did. He certainly is comfortable and confident with the players that they have in the secondary. And I guess I wouldn't expect any other answer, but I did have to ask it. And for the record, I like Brad. I think maybe in that moment, he didn't like me coming back to it, but I hope he likes me a little bit. Well, the other thing that Brad likes, he likes his guys. He likes his guys, yeah. That's exactly what he said. All right, let's start talking about maybe some of this year's Lions and what we're looking at. I mean, how much pressure is Dan Campbell under to get Detroit on the right foot right away? Well, I mean, pressure is relative, right? True. He's not in any danger of losing his job, nor should he be, no matter what happens this year, I don't think. I mean, he's a really good coach. He's done great things here. But this is a team that disappointed last year at 9-8, and they have to do better this year. I mean, this is a team that I think should be in contention to win the NFC North. I'm picking them to win the NFC North. They should have a long playoff run in them. I think everybody looks at the Rams as maybe the Super Bowl favorite, but this is a good Lions team. It's a really good top of the roster. If they stay healthy, they can do some really good things. You know what, Dave? You just mentioned the key phrase, top of the roster. What's the biggest question you still don't have an answer to heading into week one? Because top of the roster, we have the answers. Yeah, well, I mean, my biggest concern is still the secondary, right? And that's, I guess, why we asked Brad about it the other day. I mean, look, it's not just cornerback. At safety, Brian Branch is still out. Kirby Joseph is still out. The Lions will be without both of those Pro Bowl caliber players for at least the first month of the season. I think there's some concerns on the offensive line that maybe there'll be some growing pains there. But the big one to me, I think the line will be fine in time. The big one to me is the secondary. What about the running back situation? I mean, now it's Jameer Gibbs and who else? It seems that guys are going down by the day. Pacheco is now hurt. Jabari Small is still an issue. And who is left in the room besides Jameer Gibbs? Yeah, look, I'll defend Brad and the Lions on this one. Like the amount of money they had to offer, the amount of carries they had to offer. I don't think that they were going to go out and get someone like a David Montgomery. They got rid of David Montgomery. He was unhappy here for a reason. He wanted a bigger workload. This is Jameer Gibbs' show. Jameer Gibbs is going to carry the ball a lot. Danic Campbell has already said he's going to be a bell cow for them this year. I wouldn't expect anything different. He's probably topping 300 carries for the first time in his career. And that's a good thing if I'm the Lions. You mentioned the two safeties just a minute ago. Who has to be a difference maker on defense in order to work out without those two safeties? Yeah, and I'm not going to go with the back end because I think they've got starting caliber players back there, but maybe not the playmakers that they're losing. The guy that I think is the wild card for them, who had a really good training camp, Aleem McNeil up front. Everybody knows Aiden Hutchinson. Jack Campbell's coming off a Pro Bowl season. If Aleem gets back to the player he was before he tore his ACL, we didn't see that kind of player last year. If he can do that again, I think that just makes this defensive line whole and complete. Isn't that kind of expected? Because everybody talks about how on the second year after an injury like that, guys come back much better than they did. So we expected the fall off last year as he came back. But this year, I have to think that, you know, Aleem is ready to go. The Lions' middle of that defense, the tackles, they're ready to go. So let's see exactly what they can put on the field in week one. And he's looked really good in camp. I mean, he's had a really strong camp. He looks back to being the player that he was. But you're right. You know, last year, you sort of expect there to be a little bit of hangover from the injury. He came back. He popped that first week because he was fresh. Fresh legs. But, you know, I think we'll see the Aleem McNeil that we saw on a more regular basis this fall. You know, we talked about pass rush just a minute ago. Did Brad Holmes do enough to fix the problem? Look, you always, you know, when... You always want more. When a Myles Garrett gets traded, you always scratch your head and say, well, why couldn't that have been us? You know, if you're a Lions fan. So did he do enough? He did more. And I think the Lions are more equipped to win up front than they have been in a long time. I like what they did. DJ Wanham drafting Derek Moore. They have more options up front. If Aleem and Tyleek stay healthy, that's a good pairing in the middle. But do they have enough? We'll find out in 17 games. Well, look, you know what? They certainly seem to have enough at training camp. I mean, it's like they had 17 defensive linemen for what? Nine, ten spots. So yeah, there was some serious competition in there. And it was a lot of the young guys that were showing up. Skyler Gilhoward. I mean, you saw it, right? He had big games. He had big practices. Eric O'Neill, who they kept at the back of the roster. Makai Wingo did some good things, even though he battled some injuries. So I think that's where the optimism lies, that there are so many talented young players up front in different ways to attack, that they're more equipped to do different things on defense as well. Yeah, I definitely like the Derek Moore addition, if he can step up. And Ahmad Hassanein, if he can show some of that motor and some of that fire that he had in the first year, then maybe this defense could maybe offset some of the problems that you have on the back end with no safeties there. Well, I think they're going to have to. Or I'm sorry, with not the top two safeties there. I think they're going to have to. And you know, look, every team, we talk about the Lions. We're so close to this roster. Every team and every fan base is asking the same sort of questions. Even in L.A., where the Rams are the favorite, it's Miles Garrett missed time. How much are we going to get from Aaron Donnell? There's new cornerbacks. What's going on with Puka? We see it up here. Lions have a lot of questions. So does everyone else. But you're right, Woody. If that line is what we think it can be, then maybe this defense is good enough to win some games on its own. You know what? Some of the texts are coming in. You can see the number right at the bottom of the screen. I got one right here, Dave. Do you actually think the Lions can win the Super Bowl? A simple yes or no. Why? I mean, if I was going to say a simple yes or no, I'd say yes. Yes, I do think they can. But again, I think if you're not picking the Rams, you're probably trying to be different at this point. That's how good they are. It doesn't mean they're going to win. I think the Rams are the best team in the NFC. The Seahawks are probably the second best. The Lions, the Eagles, they're in that next group right there. So they can win it. This is a question I had the other night, and I'm so glad that one of you guys has sent it in. Here it is, Dave. Who the heck is returning kicks right now? And that's a big question. I mean, will it be Tom Kennedy? Who is it? Yeah, it's going to be Tom Kennedy. I think he'll be back on the 53-man roster. And you know, look, the Lions kept four to begin with, right? They got rid of Greg Dortch. That was a little bit of a surprise. I was surprised at that. I mean, they made a big deal as far as bringing him in and showing, you know, love that way. But then when he doesn't make the team, what gives? And you know, I mean, part of it was, you know, Tay Martin is probably going to be a starting gunner on this team, right? Tom Kennedy might offer a little bit more as a receiver, even though they put him on practice squad to start. Really easy move to bring him back to the 53-man roster. Tom Kennedy will be your starting kick returner, starting punt returner in week one, I think. Well, you think. Let's hope so. There's no one else right now, so it's got to be him. Sticking with that, the receiver room, four receivers on the 53 right now. Is that like strategic chess or something to keep an eye on because it's lacking? Yeah, no. Again, I think Tom will be the fifth receiver before long. I mean, you know, this offense goes as Jameer Gibbs goes and Amon Ross St. Brown and Jameson Williams. And yeah, you're worried about the depth behind those guys a little bit. And that's why at the top I said this is a really good top of the roster. I don't know that this is the deepest Lions team that we've seen. And we all have seen that catch up to the Lions. When injuries, you know, start popping up. So I think especially at those positions where they only have four right now at running back where Jameer Gibbs is so important, they have to stay healthy. Got another text right here. It says Gibbs isn't the issue. It's if the offensive line can protect golf long enough to perform well. Is that unit close to being a single unit instead of five separate guys? Yeah, there's some moving parts. And you know, it's not going to be as bad as it was week one last year, right? Right, right, right. I saw something, you know, I think it was ESPN. They had said the Lions have the second youngest offensive line, starting offensive line in the NFL. So if you're a Lions fan out there watching, I wouldn't expect it to be perfect right off the bat. Blake Miller, he's going to have some growing pains. But I do think this line could be better by the end of the season. Take me inside your crystal ball. You talk about the end of the season. But maybe in the years coming, could this, you know, unit all of a sudden be the true tip of the spear, like Dan Campbell says it has to be in order to have success with this team? Yeah, Woody, I think you're right about that. And that's why they went young, right? I mean, Taylor Decker was a good player. Right. But he was missing practice time. He was banged up. Graham Glasgow, same thing. Now you've got this all under 27 offensive line. Cade Mayes should be back at some point in the middle of the season. Panay Sewell is still a star moving to the left side now. But I do think that this line, everyone on this line, every starter is under contract for at least this year and next year. It has room to grow. It should be pretty good. And I think I'm liking the natural evolution of Panay as the leader of that offensive line. I mean, it seems everybody looks up to him now and will continue to look up to him as like the spokesman and the senior statesman, even though you mentioned they are still around the same age. It's funny to think about Panay Sewell being the old guy. Maybe not old in terms of age. That's Ben Bartsch. But he's so experienced. He's he's he is the leader of that room. He broke these guys down in the huddles before games for a couple years now. So not totally new, but he's the old head. And that's crazy to think about. Hey, listen, there is plenty more of the sports office coming your way because on the other side of the break, we'll continue to talk about the Lions. We'll throw in some Tigers, get more of your text, and even try to get some of you guys into the Zoom room to talk tonight with me and Dave. You're right here on Fox 2. And you're in touch with the sports office. We'll be right back. Welcome back to the sports office. And to answer a question, the texts don't magically appear in my hand. Bobby over here has given them to me. So, yeah, we got people for that. Hey, let's continue on, Dave. Other than that, this text says, I believe we will win the division and see an NFC championship game. The Rams and Seahawks will be tough to beat. You on that train or not? Completely on that train. I think the Lions are the team to beat in the NFC North. I think they win the division. I think the Rams are the team to beat in the NFC. To me, the Rams and the Seahawks are the two best teams in the conference. I don't know how far they're going in the playoffs. I haven't mapped that out yet. But if you get a home playoff game by winning the division, you should at least win the first. Listen to how chesty Dave Burkett is getting with that. I love it, Dave. That's exactly the spunk we need to get into the season. You gotta have opinions, right? You gotta have opinions. I got another text right here. With training camp coming to a close, it is close, and the start of the season approaching, how would you rate Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell, and Sheila Ford's utilization of the trades during the offseason, the draft, and the end of training camp sessions? Had they done enough? That's a question you started to ask. David Montgomery, Zeus Scruggs, that was the only real trade. Again, you want more. I would like more. If I was a Lions fan, and I saw Miles Garrett getting moved, and I saw Max Crosby kind of get moved, then the trade rescinded, that's something that I would want my team to do. Exactly. But I understand why Brad didn't from his point of view as well. I would have loved to have seen Max Crosby step in here. That would have been huge. People have been clamoring for him for years. Oh, my goodness. That would have taken care of all the issues in the front seven and the back four. You wouldn't have to worry about any of it. Unbelievable. Hey, look. Producer James, he asked me for a briquette list, and here it is. We're just over a week before the Saints and Lions, who are the top five most important Lions, not named Goff, Sewell, or Hutchinson this season. Gabe, go. So he sprang this at me when I walked in, so he was nice enough to print it out, so at least I have it for the video. Number five, I put Amon Ross St. Brown. OK, it goes without saying, I mean, key player, best receiver, one of the best receivers in football. He's going to be key to everything they do. Number two, I put Blake Miller, rookie right tackle. I'm sorry, this is counting backwards. Right, right. Four, Blake Miller, rookie right tackle. We saw him struggle with Hutchinson a little bit in training camp. He's going to be a good player, but I just don't think the Lions have a lot else at tackle, so they need him to play. Is this a case of maybe Blake Miller gets better every day? I think that's, you know, Brad said that the other day, that they've seen steady growth from him since the start of training camp. That just needs to continue. They don't have a lot at that tackle position. They did a good job building up their depth on the interior line this offseason, but they need Blake Miller to protect Jared Goff's blind side to keep him. How much credit do we give to Hank Fraley, who's still in that offensive line room and still leading that group? I mean, it seems that he's the guy that can get it done. Yeah, and you know, he's a really good offensive line coach for a reason, right? And I think everyone that's come in here has raved about him, but you're working with young guys. So again, you know, nothing's going to be perfect, and Blake will have his ups and downs, but I think he's, and we saw it when he wasn't going against Aiden Hutchinson in those couple games that he played, he played pretty well. Okay, who's third on your list? Number three, and again, counting backwards, this is Aleem McNeil. I mentioned him earlier. He just completes the defense. If the Lions get some sort of interior pass rush, they're a much better team. He helps Aiden Hutchinson. He helps that back end. So maybe he's not the most important defensive player like a Jack Campbell or a Hutch, but I think he's most important on this list. I would agree with that because he will stop a lot of that escapability that quarterbacks seem to get because there's no push coming from the middle. And if the push comes from the middle, then Hutch and whoever you want to put on the other side are going to eat well this year. Hutch is poised for a huge season. I mean, he looked really, really good in camp. We're talking defensive player of the year, caliber season potentially, but it's only capable if Aleem McNeil is out there. All right, on the list of who are the top five most important Lions not named Goff, Sewell, or Hutchinson this season. Number two. I cheated. I put Kirby Joseph and Brian Branch at number two. They kind of fit in the same category. Yeah, they're injured. You know, you need at least one of them. If you get both of them, that's great. But because they're coming off injuries and because we don't have any idea really what they're going to be, right? If Kirby, can that knee hold up for the season as Brian coming off the Achilles, is he going to be the same player that we saw? I think it's imperative that they get both those guys on the field and they have to look at least reasonably similar to what we saw before. I'll agree with that. But what about the timelines? Those are the things we don't know. I mean, with Branch, it's a little easier because we know what that injury entails. But with Kirby, it could be a wild card. He could be in for one play in one game and then done. You're 100% right. And look, I worry that it might take Branch a little bit longer to get back to himself just based on what we always see from players returning from Achilles. I think Kirby could go out and be the player that we saw a couple of years ago, but maybe that ends after two games or four games maybe he lasts the whole season. So he's the biggest wild card of the bunch. Who do you got at the top of the list? Number one, Jameer Gibbs, without a doubt. I mean, look, you could put him in that category with Jared Goff, with Panay Sewell, Aidan Hutchinson. If something happens to Jameer Gibbs, this Lions offense could be in trouble. He's that good a player. He's that important to what they do. And that is why we need to protect Jameer Gibbs at all costs this year. That's why they paid him the big money. That is why they paid him the big money. But let's be honest, we need to see him in the lineup on a weekly basis because I don't think that the Lions can survive it if he's dinged up for a little minute or whatever. But, you know, the other thing is if he's going to be the bell cow, that's going to be a lot of carries. How will that weigh on him, especially near the end of the season when you might need him fresh? No, that's a great question. And I think, you know, that's why the Lions have gone with the dual running back role for all of Dan Campbell's tenure here. The one thing though, when it comes to running backs and what they play, it's about, you know, it usually comes up the next year where those injuries come to hurt you. Did you hear that bell? I heard it. That means that we have someone to come into the Zoom room. What do we got? Let's see. Who is it? Oh, that is Uncle D. How you doing, Uncle D? I'm doing real good, Woody Dave. Artificial tech. Listen, I like Dobbs. He's more poised. I think that, you know, his running ability, he showed me something and I have to disagree with you. Donaldson will not be the same coming back off of three years. I don't care what nobody say. Sewell had to him. So I'm disagreeing with you guys on that. You want Josh Dobbs to start? No, but he's a great asset. Yes. OK, that's what I'm saying. Yes, we agree with that. Because Josh Dobbs is the backup that I think a lot of people have been looking for as far as using his legs to help out. Yes, so that aspect of his game is there. But who was the other guy you were talking about? Donaldson, he's not going to be the same. Sewell had to him. Good. He will not be the same after a three year loss. So you're putting too much emphasis on Donaldson coming back. Well, that's Aaron Donald. And we won't see him until possibly a Super Bowl or playoffs. So so, yeah, we can we'll look for him down the road. What do you got in the first game, Uncle D? What do you think? Lions or Saints? What do you got? Give me a score. I'm going to be there. It's going to be the Lions, period. Hey, I agree. I agree, Uncle D. We don't even need a score. Thanks a lot, Uncle D. Appreciate you. All right. I got more text here. Let's be honest. It says the Lions are a five win team. Everyone got better. Dave, talk this guy off the ledge. Well, I mean, five win team. I mean, come on. They will. Yeah, yeah. No, I mean, I think you look at the top line talent. Jared Goff, Jameer Gibbs, Amin Ra, Saint Brown, somebody else in the room for us. I think they're winning. I think it's a minimum nine. It's probably 10 or 11. I'm going with 11. Let's go to the room. Who we got? Papa Doc, what's up? My man, how are you? Welcome back to the sports office. I've been seeing you in those news promos. Welcome back. Yeah, it's been a minute, but I don't want to talk about the Lions. I was trying to talk about the Tigers right quick. And you should know this yourself, Woody, because you hang around the locker room. What's the camaraderie around the locker room? Do they like each other? Or do they want to play for that coach? What's the deal? You know what? It don't make no sense. I'll be honest with you. From what I've seen, the players do like each other. It's not a clubhouse where there's a lot of contention and animosity and finger pointing like, hey, you're not doing your job or you're not doing your job. I think AJ Hinch has a good handle on that. But as far as performance goes, I can't explain that. Because I'm scratching my head just like you trying to figure out how this team can lose games the way they do, how they can blow leads the way they do. I just don't understand it. It's like a complete fall off after they were, what, maybe within three games of the 500 mark? Yeah, you're right, you're right. It just don't really make no sense. But it's sad. But I think the Lions gonna win by three. The Lions win by three. All right, we will take that. We will take that. Papa Doc, thanks a lot. See you soon. Come on back when you can. All right, how much time left in this break, Bobby? About a minute left. I got another text here. Dave, this is a big one. Are we worried about Sam Laporta being injury prone? Sam Laporta is back at practice at the end of camp. Certainly when you're coming off a back injury, you have to worry about that a little bit. But I think he'll be, he should be on the field week one. There's no reason to worry about the back right now. He said it's healthy. As long as he stays healthy, he's going to be a key part of this offense. Well, let's see if the Lions can keep him healthy as they move on. Look, I got to take a quick break here, don't I? I think I do. There's plenty more of the sports office coming to your way on a Friday night. My man, Dave Burkett from the Free Press here. We're talking Lions, looking for your texts and your calls right here on Fox 2. We'll be right back after this short break. Welcome back to the sports office. Kicking back with Dave Burkett on a Friday, talking Lions. Yes, I know that MSU plays Toledo tonight. Yeah, that's a big deal and all that kind of stuff. Let's continue on with this Lions discussion real quick. I got one more question for you. What is the matchup versus the Saints that decides if Sunday is a party or a hit-the-panic-button type of game? I'm not really worried about any matchup, if I'm being honest with you. That's my man right there. Not in this game at one, but you'd like to see Aiden Hutchinson just continue, in the defensive line for that matter, continue what they've done all summer and have a big day. I think that'll set him up well for the year. All right, in the time remaining, Dave, I told you earlier that we would have an episode, an incident of show and tell on this show, so I asked you to bring in something to show and tell. What did you bring for the fans? All right, I got two things to show you. All right, this is trusty little bag here. First, yeah, make sure that that sticker's still on there, right? This is like my favorite poster. My dad gave this to me when I was really young. Big basketball fan here. Bobby, now you can imagine what he's holding up in his hand right there. It's one finger. Tilt forward so we lose some of that glare. But you can imagine what that hand is holding up. All finger up. Thank you. I just wanted to show that off, but I found that when I was when I was going through some of these old cartoons that we had at the Free Press, Dick Meyer drawn on sports. These are from like the the 80s, the 90s. That is cool. And I just wanted to show you this. Red Wings, Pistons, Tiger, Lions, Tigers. That's the the wrap of or that's that's how they they ranked them back in the day. Think of how much things have changed now. Wings would be on the bottom. Lines would probably be at top. Yes, they definitely would. Dave, thanks a lot for coming in, playing show and tell. You can read Dave in the Free Press. Check him out at Lions Camp. Thanks a lot for you friends to coming out. We'll.