Lions front office honored with ‘Best Draft Award’ at NFL Scouting Combine

Lions front office honored with ‘Best Draft Award’ at NFL Scouting Combine for their 2023 draft haul

The 2023 draft class selected by the Detroit Lions has been heralded as one of the best on this site and by many in the media. At the NFL Scouting Combine, it was honored by those within and around the league.

Brad Holmes and his staff were awarded the “Best Draft Award” for their April selections. It was a class that was seen as risky or overreaching at the time, but in the end, the results spoke for themselves. The team found themselves in the NFC Championship game after winning their first division title in over 30 years.

Holmes made several moves on day one of the draft starting with a trade back to get extra picks before landing Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell in round one. Gibbs and Campbell both showed to be leaders on their respective sides of the ball with the Alabama running back looking to become one of the best at his position sooner rather than later.

The Lions general manager then proceeded to make even ore impactful selections on day two of th draft. Between rounds two and three, he would draft the record-breaking Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch, and Hendon Hooker.

LaPorta was ultized by playcaller Ben Johnson and quarterback Jared Goff all year as both a safety blanket option in the passing game but also as a game breaker when need be. Branch made his impact known from the start of the season when his pick-six against the Chiefs on the league’s opening night was just a sign of what was to come.

While Hendon Hooker din’t see the field in 2023, he is someone the franchise remains high on. Coming off a torn ACL in his final year in college, the team got what was seen as a first roudn talent in round three tht they have stashed for the future.

 

NBA awards: Which players would have lost accolades with the 65-game rule?

HoopsHype presents all of NBA players, including LeBron James and Stephen Curry, who won awards in seasons they played fewer than 65 games.

Under the new CBA, if players don’t play in at least 65 games, they are automatically disqualified from winning awards. Just this season, reigning MVP winner Joel Embiid has already been deemed ineligible for an end-of-season award because of this rule.

It’s February.

Today, we’re going to look through NBA history at some of the players in the past who have won end-of-season honors despite playing in fewer than 65 games (or 79.26 percent of contests). What accolades would NBA players lose if the league retroactively applied this new rule?

Among those who would see some of their awards wiped out are Bill Walton, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Shaquille O’Neal.

Check out the full list below:

Dan Campbell didn’t win Coach of the Year and fans aren’t happy about it

Detroit’s Dan Campbell didn’t win Coach of the Year and fans had a lot to say about it

Dan Campbell was one of the finalists for the NFL Coach of the Year at the annual NFL Honors. The Lions head coach was a great candidate, leading Detroit to a division title and a 12-5 record.

Alas, Campbell did not win the award. Kevin Stefanski of the Browns was the winner, followed by Houston’s Demeco Ryans and then Campbell in third.

The lowly finish for Campbell did not sit well with a lot of fans.

Twitter is obsessed with Kirk Cousins dancing at NFL Honors

From Kirko Chains to Dancing WIth Kirk Cousins, it’s been a wild couple of years for the Vikings soon to be free agent quarterback

The last two years for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins have been a fascinating ride.

Through his first four seasons with the Vikings, Cousins was really reserved in both media appearances and the public eye. Ever since Kevin O’Connell took over as head coach, that has changed.

The team and organization has outwardly embraced the quirky guy that Cousins is with the chains and Kohls Cash and it has culminated two years in a row with Cousins having a blast at the NFL Honors ceremony.

Just a few months after rupturing his Achilles tendon, Cousins was dancing with New Orleans Saints DE Cameron Jordan and Twitter was immediately obsessed.

Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs finish top 4 in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting

Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs finish top 4 in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting

Neither Sam LaPorta nor Jahmyr Gibbs won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year at the annual NFL Honors extravaganza. But the Lions duo finished in the top four in the voting.

LaPorta captured 40 of the 48 third-place votes to finish in third. Gibbs earned three third-place votes to come in fourth.

The Lions finished well behind winner C.J Stroud of the Houston Texans and also second-place finisher Puka Nacua of the Rams. The top two captured all the first and second-place votes.

It’s an impressive showing for LaPorta and Gibbs, who were integral parts of the Lions 2023 draft class. LaPorta broke the rookie productivity record for tight ends, while Gibbs finished with over 1,200 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns.

Two Lions added to the Pro Bowl roster

Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and RB Jahmyr Gibbs are now Pro Bowlers

The NFL finally corrected an egregious slight. On Tuesday, the league announced that Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was one of two Detroit players added to the 2024 Pro Bowl.

St, Brown and rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs are among the additions to the all-star extravaganza, which has changed formats to a games style of event rather than an actual football game. St. Brown is replacing injured Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, while Gibbs takes the spot of 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.

St. Brown was a first-team All-Pro but somehow failed to make the cut for the initial Pro Bowl roster. He finished second in the league in receptions and third in receiving yards.

These would have been the MVP winners if you could only receive the award once

There are many NBA players with multiple MVP awards, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who won six such accolades in his career, the most of any player ever. His lead there should be pretty safe, too, especially as LeBron James’ career continues to …

There are many NBA players with multiple MVP awards, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who won six such accolades in his career, the most of any player ever. His lead there should be pretty safe, too, especially as LeBron James’ career continues to wind down. James has four in his own right.

But what if NBA players could only win the award once in their careers, as is the case with, for example, writers and the Literature Nobel prize.

We went back in time and looked up the MVP vote through the years to find out.

Check out the results below.

Harrison Phillips named finalist for Alan Page Community Award by NFLPA

The NFLPA announced Thursday evening that Minnesota Vikings DT Harrison Phillips was named as a finalist for the Alan Page Community Award.

The NFLPA announced Thursday evening that Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips has been named as one of the five finalists for the Alan Page Community Award. The award — formerly known as the NFLPA Community Award — is awarded yearly to players for their exemplary contributions within their community.

Phillips, nominated for his work through is foundation “Harrison’s Playmakers”, joins Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, Washington Commanders offensive tackle Charles Leno, and Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Calais Campbell as nominees. This is Phillips’ second nomination for the award, previously being nominated in 2020 while with the Buffalo Bills.

Phillips faces some stiff competition for the award. Hamlin won the award last year after his annual toy drive raised millions following his on-field cardiac arrest event. Calais Campbell was the Walter Peyton Man of the Year Award winner in 2019 for his impact in the community, and Charles Leno was a finalist last year for his “Leno Claus” initiative.

The award, now named in honor of former Minnesota Vikings defensive end and Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page, has previously gone to a Viking twice, with Cris Carter winning in 1999 and Chad Greenway getting the award in 2015. This year’s winner will be announced on February 7th.

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WR Jordan Addison snubbed from being Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist

Minnesota Vikings WR Jordan Addison was snubbed from being a finalist for Offensive Rookie of the Year

On Thursday morning, the National Football League announced the finalists for all of the major awards. Five players for awards like Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year and Head Coach of the Year.

When it came to Offensive Rookie of the year, the award had five finalists just like every other award, but it had one glaring omission.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison.

Yes, the Vikings first first-round pick at 23rd overall was not a finalist for the award, despite being a force for the Vikings all season, winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month in October and catching 70 passes for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Sure the Vikings’ offense wasn’t as potent as it could have been over the last half of the year because of the torn Achilles tendon suffered by quarterback Kirk Cousins. That doesn’t mean Addison’s rookie year wasn’t any less impressive. Heck, you could argue it was even more impressive due to the circumstances.

He might have been snubbed, but we all know that Addison should be at the NFL Honors ceremony as a finalist for the award.

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Brad Holmes wins Executive of the Year from PFWA

Holmes is the first Lions exec to ever win the PFWA award

The latest set of awards for the 2023 NFL season from the Pro Football Writers of America are now out, and the Lions brought a big one home. Detroit GM Brad Holmes won the PFWA voting for NFL Executive of the Year.

Holmes earned the award for guiding the Lions to the team’s first NFC North title and the most road victories in a season, as well as the most wins by 10 or more points in any season in Detroit history. He is the first Lions exec to win the honor since its creation in 1993.

Head coach Dan Campbell was a prime candidate to win the Coach of the Year honor, but that instead went to Texans rookie head coach Demeco Ryans. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson lost out on the Assistant Coach of the Year to Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.