Tag: Dre Bly

Several former Lions are initial nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2022

Lomas Brown and Anquan Boldin are the headliners but Jason Hanson is somehow not on the list

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has released its initial modern-era nominees for the induction class of 2022. Among the initial nominees, several players spent at least part of their careers with the Lions.

Dre Bly (2003-2006)

Anquan Boldin (2016)

Lomas Brown (1985-1995)

Jeff Garcia (2005)

Kevin Glover (1985-1997)

Mel Gray (1989-1994)

Dave Krieg (1994)

Pat Swilling (1993-1994)

Not making the list is longtime kicker Jason Hanson, who retired in 2012. Hanson ranks fourth in NFL history in scoring, sixth in games and first in career extra points made. There are seven specialists nominated but none are Hanson. Also prominent among the snubs is former Lions wideout Herman Moore.

Of the ex-Lions, offensive tackle Lomas Brown and wide receiver Anquan Boldin appear to have the best chances to move forward in the nomination process.

The list of 125 modern-era nominees will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in November and subsequently down to 15 in January.

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Watch: Lions collaborate with former players for series of Juneteenth messages

The Detroit Lions collaborated with several former players for series of Juneteenth video messages on social justice.

Earlier in the week, the Detroit Lions released a prepared statement declaring Juneteenth a permanent organizational holiday.

“The Detroit Lions and Ford Field are establishing the observance of Juneteenth as a permanent organizational holiday and closing their offices Friday, June, 19th,” The Lions statement read. “Staff will be encouraged to use the day as an opportunity to reflect and further their awareness around racial inequality and social justice.”

Today, in addition to observing Juneteenth, the Lions used their social media platform to share video messages from former players as a way of “bringing awareness to social injustices in our world.”

You can watch all of the video’s in the tweets below:

Nate Burleson

Stephen Tulloch

Robert Porcher

Dre Bly

Joique Bell

Andre Fluellen

Patriots’ CB Stephon Gilmore is training with a former All-Pro CB this offseason

The CB is working hard to stay atop his game.

How does an elite athlete stay at the top of his game? By continually working on his craft and taking advice from his contemporaries.

New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore is doing just that.

After becoming the first cornerback to win the Defensive Player of the Year award since 2009, Gilmore is taking his offseason training very seriously.

As shown in a video posted on Twitter, the Patriots top corner is spending his days working with former All-Pro cornerback Dré Bly who is now the cornerback coach at North Carolina. Here’s a look at their workout.

Bly spent 11 seasons in the NFL, making two Pro Bowls and earning one All-Pro nomination. While Bly never won a DPOY award like Gilmore, he still has valuable insight that can help Gilmore retain his status as the best cornerback in the NFL.

There’s not much that Gilmore can do to elevate his status (aside from shutting down and shutting up DeVante Parker), but continued success would do a lot for his career resumé. And, with the offense potentially taking a step back without Tom Brady, Gilmore may need to play his best football to keep the Patriots in contention.

It’s great to see the team’s top defensive player working so hard during an offseason that’s been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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