Monday Overreaction: ‘The Lions need to get rid of Brad Holmes’

Has everyone lost their minds?

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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There’s no doubt about it, Sunday night’s loss for the Detroit Lions was a rough one. They went out against a really good Eagles team, and we found out who the better team was.

This wasn’t a loss to some team they really should have beaten; this was a loss to the defending Super Bowl champions. But that won’t stop some Lions fans from waking up Monday morning and fixing their lips to say Lions GM Brad Holmes is the entire problem, and maybe he should go.

Of all the Monday Overreactions I’ve covered, this is the most overreacted one. Can I use that word that way? I’m going to. Let’s talk about why this is an overreaction by really breaking down the key complaints.

Holmes didn’t trade for an offensive lineman at the trade deadline

This one has become a favorite for Lions fans. Look, this was never going to happen. I was so confident it wouldn’t happen that I wrote an article about why it wouldn’t before the deadline. No, it’s not because Holmes is cheap or didn’t want to do a deal; it’s because only eight offensive linemen have been traded at the deadline since 2002. It rarely happens.

The answer to why it doesn’t happen is right in front of your face. You see how hard it is to reload on the offensive line? That’s why when teams have guys who are good or even remotely good, they’re not moving them. It’s not happening. Stop blaming Holmes for other GMs also being smart.

If you want to blame Holmes for anything offensive line-related, you have to blame him for losing Kevin Zeitler. If there was ever a time for a small dump truck of money to get a guy to not want to be around his family for just one more year, it was this time. But, of course, that’s a lot easier said than done.

Ragnow’s retirement hurt this team, and he didn’t give them much time to prepare. They still did everything they could in the draft. It hasn’t worked out fully yet.

Brad Holmes failed the last two drafts

That brings me to my next point. You’re all incredibly spoiled. Holmes nailed the hell out of his first three drafts and has some solid free agencies in there, too. But according to Lions fans, the last two drafts have been garbage and nothing but misses. I strongly disagree.

Look, it’s simple. Where are all these new All-Pros you expected the Lions to draft supposed to play? The team is already built to contend. You might not believe it at 6-4, and it doesn’t matter, but this team is ready, and you will see it as we move forward.

Let’s take a quick look at each draft pick from the last two drafts:

Taking a look at each player drafted by the Lions in the last two drafts

  • Terrion Arnold: Having a career season, and has been one of the best corners in the league since Week 2.
  • Ennis Rakestraw: Not a bad player, just struggling with injuries
  • Giovanni Manu: I agree, this was a bad idea in hindsight. But I do contend the idea that Holmes was the only guy in on this. Teams wanted him badly, and that is why Holmes traded up to get him. Also, I still really think he should be playing guard. The jury is still out on this one.
  • Sione Vaki: Dealing with injuries this year, but was a Pro Bowl-level special teams player last year and is still good this year when healthy. The experiment with him is far from over, as he’s still expected to be the David Montgomery replacement when that day comes. And it’s not as far away as you think.
  • Mekhi Wingo: Buried on the depth chart right now. Had a lot of hope for this one, but how do you compete with Alim McNeill, DJ Reader, Tyleik Williams, and Roy Lopez?
  • Christian Mahogany: He’s a starting left guard right, and he’s pretty good at it. He just had a bad injury. You’re seeing the issue the Lions are having with that right now.
  • Tyleik Williams: Played 36 snaps against the Eagles on Sunday night and looked great. He’s been good all season, even in the couple of games he played with limited snaps.
  • Tate Ratledge: He’s the Lions’ starting right guard, and he’s played pretty well all season.
  • Isaac TeSlaa: Nobody in the world expected a big rookie season from him. I don’t know why drafting him is suddenly a big issue for Lions fans when he was everyone’s favorite player this summer. He was hurt in this game. Beyond that, you’re not witnessing anything you didn’t see with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, or Jahmyr Gibbs. You’re well aware of how the Lions handle skill position rookies. Why are you suddenly ignoring that?
  • Miles Frazier: This was a great pick, and now that he’s healthy, he’s probably going to be a starter before you know it. He’s likely to be the right guard of the future if Ratledge still moves to center.
  • Ahmed Hassanein: He’s back with the team after a lengthy injury, and in my opinion, this is still one of Holmes’ biggest steals.
  • Dan Jackson: Suffered a season-ending injury in camp
  • Dominic Lovett: Has been a pretty solid special teams guy.

So to recap, what are you all talking about? If your proof that Holmes is a bad GM is Hendon Hooker and Manu, man, that won’t hold up in court. The Lions have hit on plenty of picks in the last two years, and some we just haven’t seen yet because the Lions haven’t needed them.

You have no idea how good you got it. Holmes wasn’t given the last two GM of the Year awards because nobody else wanted to take them. The team has been built well, and it’s time to stop looking at the draft as a method of getting a bunch of new immediate starters and start treating it as a tool for the future, so the Lions have future starters to continue their plan for sustained success.

Brad Holmes is cheap

The Lions are one extension away from spending $1 billion on extensions in the last few years. This is by far the weirdest thing some Lions fans say. Is it because the Lions didn’t spend a billion dollars and then $180 million more getting Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, Micah Parsons? Go play Madden somewhere.

Conclusion

It’s rather simple. You’re upset the Lions lost and are looking for something to blame it on. This one isn’t it. But hey, I overreact sometimes, too…

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