Category: Lions News

Visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a Lions fan

Our Jeff Risdon visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame to explore the museum as a Lions fan

For the first time in nearly 25 years, I made a return visit inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Friday. Along with my family, I made the trek back to where pro football began.

I’ve been at the Hall of Fame for the enshrinement ceremonies and the annual exhibition game (canceled this year) several times over the years, most recently in 2017. But I haven’t toured the Hall since 1995, when I was fortunate enough to get to access some of the archives in the basement library as a college student doing research on my senior thesis.

It had been too long. Even as a Detroit Lions fan, there’s still a lot to take in and experience at the Hall of Fame.

Despite the team’s relative lack of success for the last few decades, the Lions are distinctly represented. One of the very first busts you encounter in the (truly grand) hall of enshrinees is Dutch Clark, the touchdown master of the 1930s. Seeing the busts of Joe Schmidt, Charlie Sanders, Dick Lebeau, Lem Barney, Barry Sanders and other Detroit legends brings an instant connection with the reason why we are Lions fans.

Outside the main hall, there is quite a lot of fascinating NFL history. Some of it encapsulates the Lions, with mementos like Matthew Stafford’s draft selection card from 2009 and a purple (?!?) coach’s jacket with Honolulu blue trim from a bygone era. The large board with the team records year-by-year and color coding for success is a reminder of the Lions’ dominance back in the 1950s, the Bobby Layne era. Layne is the featured performer in the Lions section of a well-produced video on NFL dynasties.

Outside of Lions fandom, it’s worth a trip. The theater featuring a Joe Namath hologram is impressive. My kids were both worried it would be cheesy but the technology worked well. The Madden exhibit is currently limited due to COVID-19 restrictions, unfortunately. I enjoyed the small USFL display and the Black College Hall of Fame in that area.

Some of the objects on display are eye-opening. Seeing the progression of helmets from leather to the modern ones is crazy. The old uniforms are fascinating too.

Canton is a little over a three-hour drive from Ford Field. If you haven’t been in the last few years, it’s worth a refresher trip. Tip: wear Lions gear and represent your fandom.

ESPN poll slots Kenny Golladay just outside the Top-10 WRs in NFL

ESPN polled NFL executives, coaches, scouts, and players to name the top wide receivers for the 2020 season and Detroit Lions Kenny Golladay landed just outside the Top-10.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler polled more than 50 NFL executives, coaches, scouts, and players to name the top wide receivers for the 2020 season ($) and Detroit Lions’ Kenny Golladay landed just outside of the Top-10.

Fowler noted that each voter submitted their top 10-15 wide receivers and then ESPN “compiled the results and ranked candidates based on (the) number of top-10 votes, composite average, interviews, and research”. The goal of this exercise was to “identify the best players right now for 2020”.

Here’s how it played out. No surprises at the top, as Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, DeAndre Hopkins, and Odell Beckham Jr. have all earned Top-4 spots. Tyreek Hill road the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory to the fifth spot, while more established receivers Mike Evans, Davante Adams, and Keenan Allen rounded out the Top-8. Chris Godwin — who was selected 12 spots ahead of Golladay in the 2017 draft — grabbed the nine spot, and Amari Cooper closed out the group.

Five players received honorable mentions, and while it’s unclear if those players were ranked in order, Golladay was the third receiver listed among them.

“He’s central to the game plan, scares you more than some of those other younger guys,” an unnamed NFL passing game coordinator told ESPN. “Big dude who can go over you.”

Golladay is coming off a career year where he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns, earned his first Pro Bowl nod, and because he is still under his rookie contract, he received a well-earned performance escalator bumping his contract from $750,500 to $2.15 million. Even with the significant contract increase, he is still massively underpaid and is in line for a contract extension in the ensuing months.

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D’Andre Swift ready to go ‘full force’ and seize his role with the Lions

2nd round RB D’Andre Swift ready to go ‘full force’ and seize his role with the Lions while also paying great respect to Kerryon Johnson

D’Andre Swift is used to competing with other talented running backs in a shared backfield. He’s done just that at Georgia for the last three years, splitting carries with four other RBs who are now in the NFL during his time with the Bulldogs.

Now Swift joins a Lions den of RBs that includes Kerryon Johnson, Ty Johnson and Bo Scarbrough, as well as fellow rookie Jason Huntley. Swift, Detroit’s second-round pick, is ready to work with Kerryon Johnson and find his own way to significant carries.

“I’ve been competing all my life,” Swift said Thursday on a conference call sponsored by Panini, via the Detroit Free Press. “Kerryon is a great back, great player. I remember when he was at Auburn, and he was killing us. He’s still doing great in the league.”

Swift continued,

“I can’t even give you my role. Whatever role they have for me, I just gotta make sure I’m in the best shape and know all of the plays so I’m ready to take it on full force. But I’m not going in there looking to do anything, just doing what I’ve been doing.”

Sorting out the running back room is one of the biggest issues on the Lions’ to-do list for training camp. Swift is ready to prove he is worthy of being at the top of the list.

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Jason Huntley announces he has signed his rookie contract with the Lions

Detroit Lions fifth-round pick, running back Jason Huntley, announced on social media that he has signed his rookie contract.

The Detroit Lions have apparently signed both their 2020 fifth-round draft picks in the same afternoon. Quintez Cephus agent posted he has signed his rookie contract earlier in the day, and now running back Jason Huntley announced on social media that he has also joined the party.

Like Cephus and D’Andre Swift signing this past weekend, the Detroit Lions have yet to confirm Huntley’s signing, but assuming the paperwork goes through, the Lions currently have seven of their nine drafted rookies under contract. The only remaining picks not signed would be first-round corner Jeff Okudah and seventh-round defensive lineman Jashon Cornell, both out of Ohio State.

Terms of the deal are not immediately available, but according to OverTheCap.com’s 2020 draft pick estimates, as the 172nd pick in the draft, Huntley’s contract would be for 4-years totaling roughly $3.58 million, with a cap hit this season of $682,578 and just under $300,000 in guaranteed money.

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Lions sign 5th round WR Quintez Cephus per agent

Detroit Lions fifth-round pick, wide receiver Quintez Cephus, has signed his rookie contract per his agent, Sports Trust Advisors.

Detroit Lions fifth-round pick, wide receiver Quintez Cephus, has signed his rookie contract per his agent, Sports Trust Advisors.

The deal has yet to be confirmed by the Lions organization, but this move (along with the D’Andre Swift signing this past weekend) would put six of the Lions’ nine drafted rookies under contract. The only remaining picks not signed would be first-round corner Jeff Okudah, fifth-round running back Jason Huntley, and seventh-round defensive lineman Jashon Cornell.

Terms of the deal are not immediately available, but according to OverTheCap.com’s 2020 draft pick estimates, as the 166th pick in the draft, Cephus’ contract would be in the ballpark of 4-years totaling $3.6 million, with a cap hit this season of $686,073 and only a little over $300,000 in guaranteed money.

“He’s a very different kind of player than current slot Danny Amendola, or Golden Tate before him in Detroit,” our own Jeff Risdon said of Cephus in a film review. “Cephus is a size mismatch for the smaller, quicker-based slot corners that predominate the NFL today. While Cephus is not quite as big and not quite as fast, he could emerge as the type of player Eric Decker was for the Broncos and Jets for several years, a big, reliable target from the slot who worked very well in conjunction with talented receivers on the outside.”

ESPN names Matthew Stafford a Top-10 QB heading into 2020

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler polled NFL executives, coaches, scouts, and players to name the top quarterbacks for the 2020 season and Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford landed in the Top-10.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler polled more than 50 NFL executives, coaches, scouts, and players to name the top quarterbacks for the 2020 season ($) and Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford landed in the Top-10.

Fowler noted that each voter submitted their top 10-15 quarterbacks and then ESPN “compiled the results and ranked candidates based on (the) number of top-10 votes, composite average, interviews, and research”. The goal of this exercise was to “identify the best players right now for 2020”.

Here’s how the results played out. The half-billion-dollar man Patrick Mahomes led the way, followed by Russell Wilson in the two spot. Three through five featured three quarterbacks the Lions will face in 2020, Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, and Drew Brees. Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson landed sixth, followed by three-time MVP Tom Brady. Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott land eighth and ninth, with Matthew Stafford edging out Matt Ryan for the final spot in the Top-10.

Per the section on Stafford, the highest-ranking he received was fourth and the lowest was 14th, and while “Ryan had slightly more top-10 votes”, Fowler noted, “Stafford’s average overall was higher”.

“Most everyone agrees Stafford’s arm is top-five level,” Fowler said. “He was on pace for nearly 5,000 yards and 38 touchdowns before a back injury cut his 2019 season short. He was phenomenal from inside the pocket, with a league-leading 82.7 QBR, 66.2 completion percentage, 8.8 yards per attempt, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions.”

One NFC executive took an opportunity to take a shot at Detroit and their inability to put a winning team around Stafford during his career, but also noted that Stafford is “a major talent who’d probably be a top-five quarterback with an established franchise. He can score from anywhere on the field.”

PFF ranks Lions OL in the middle of the pack heading into 2020 season

Pro Football Focus ranked all the offensive lines in the NFL heading into the 2020 NFL seasons and the Detroit Lions checked in at 16.

Pro Football Focus ranked all 32 offensive lines heading into the 2020 NFL seasons and the Detroit Lions checked in the dead middle of the pack at 16th overall.

“The Lions finished with the No. 11 offensive line last season as they had two players finish in the top 10 at their respective positions — center Frank Ragnow finished sixth and right guard Graham Glasgow finished 10th — while left tackle Taylor Decker ranked 19th,” PFF’s Steve Palazzolo said. “There will be some turnover as Glasgow moves on in free agency and right tackle Rick Wagner also departs.”

The loss of Glasgow is a big enough blow for the Lions to drop in pre-season rankings but swapping out Wagner for Halapoulivaati Vaitai was an upgrade according to PFF’s end of year grades, where Wagner finished as the 61st ranked offensive tackle and Vaitai graded as the 22nd.

“At tackle, Decker enters the fifth year of his rookie contract, and he has ranked above the league average on true pass sets and run blocking grade on both gap and zone runs since 2016,” Palazzolo continued. “Left guard Joe Dahl performed well in his first year as a starter in 2019, though it was a bit lopsided as he ranked 23rd with a pass-blocking grade of 73.0, but he finished just 48th as a run blocker at 57.1. Ragnow had the No. 2 grade among centers in the run game at 78.2, showing off the skills that made him one of the best interior offensive line prospects of the PFF College era (since 2014).”

Decker, Ragnow, and Dahl give the Lions a trio of returning talent, solidifying the left tackle and center spots, while Dahl’s ability to play both guard spots — and center — gives the Lions flexibility to find the best player available at the other guard position.

“The questions are on the right side, where Halapoulivaati Vaitai signed for $45 million over five years to start at right tackle,” Palazzolo said. “Vaitai is coming off a career-high 76.2 run block grade, but his pass-blocking grade of just 55.2 since 2016 ranks 84 out of 94 qualifiers, so that remains a major question mark. At right guard, third-round pick Jonah Jackson was our favorite pass protecting guard in the draft, and he has the all-around game to step right in as a starter. He’ll compete with veteran Oday Aboushi, who hasn’t posted an overall grade above 62.7 since 2014. Keep an eye on fourth-rounder Logan Stenberg, who brings excellent power and size to the line and may be a solid starter down the road.”

Curiously missing from Palazzolo’s assessment is Kenny Wiggins, who finished last season as PFF’s 41st highest-rated guard. Last season he played ahead of Aboushi and figures to be the biggest challenger for Jonah Jackson at right guard in 2020. At worst, Wiggins is likely ticketed to be a big part of the guard rotation.

“Between Decker, Dahl and Ragnow, the Lions have a strong foundation up front,” Palazzolo summarized, “but the right side of the line will determine where the Lions finish in the end-of-the-season rankings.”

Based on the COVID-19 environment and lack of warm-up practices/preseason games, it wouldn’t be overly surprising to see the Lions turn to Wiggins at right guard to start the season. He has scheme experience and familiarity playing next to Ragnow which could give him an early edge over the rookies. How long Wiggins can hold Jackson/Stenberg off will be one of the more interesting storylines to follow during training camp and the early parts of the season.

Jahlani Tavai hit in the face by his own fireworks

Lions LB Jahlani Tavai got hit in the face by his own fireworks and was fortunate to escape injury

Lions linebacker Jahlani Tavai played with fire, or rather fireworks, and it nearly cost him dearly.

Tavai was celebrating the Fourth of July in a private setting and decided to launch some backyard fireworks. One of the ordinances flew directly into Tavai’s face as he backed away from the launching area.

He got lucky and escaped injury. Tavai quickly admonished everyone to “not try this at home.”

Tavai posted the video of the fireworks mishap on his Instagram live feed. Because those disappear, here are a couple of screenshots of the incident, taken from Reddit.

Lions sign RB D’Andre Swift to his rookie contract

The Detroit Lions have signed 2nd round draft pick RB D’Andre Swift to his rookie contract

The Detroit Lions made it a very happy holiday weekend for D’Andre Swift. The team signed the rookie running back from Georgia on Saturday to his first NFL contract.

Swift is the team’s second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and is expected to immediately see ample playing time. He joins a Lions backfield that also includes Kerryon Johnson, Ty Johnson, Bo Scarbrough and fullback Nick Bawden. Fellow draftee Jason Huntley (5th round) is also in the mix for touches.

Terms of the deal are not immediately available. Standard salary slotting for the No. 35 overall pick projects the value at just over $8.5 million for four years.

Golladay, Jones, Amendola among the best WR trios in the NFL in 2019

Despite offensive struggles in 2019, the Detroit Lions still managed to have one of the top receiving corps in the NFL based on production.

Despite some overall offensive struggles throughout the 2019 NFL season, the Detroit Lions still managed to have one of the top receiving corps in the league based on production.

It is clear that the Lions, who finished 3-12-1 in 2019, were nowhere near being one of the top offenses in the league. With injuries to Matthew Stafford, they had to rely on backups Jeff Driskel and David Blough. On top of that, they had the second-worst running back stable based on overall offensive production.

With the starting trio of Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola, Detroit managed to have the second-best wide receiver corps in the NFL. The only team to outperform them was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Breshad Perriman (who is now with the New York Jets).

The Lions’ three receivers combined made up over 38-percent of Detroit’s offensive production. Even when having to deal with three different quarterbacks throughout the year, each of these receivers also managed to bring in at least 62 receptions. which is more consistent than any other wide receiver trio in the league.

When breaking down the statistics, Golladay ranked fifth out of all receivers in the league, Jones sat at 19th and Amendola at 48th. Golladay’s 11 touchdowns also ranked most by a receiver in 2019.

The Lions will be faced with some tough financial decisions for these three players after the 2020 season, as Golladay, Jones, and Amendola are all set to be free agents in 2021.

But for now, all three return to Detroit ready to make their marks once again as one of the best and most consistent wide receiver trios in the league.