By: Jeremy T. Ballreich
I have been a fan since I started school in September of 1975. Watching this team with my father as a kid. Listening to him and my Grandparents talk of the days of Legends like Night Train Lane, Lem Barney, Mel Farr, and Bobby Layne. About the heroics of Doak Walker. I personally saw the greatness in Billy Sims and Barry Sanders in person.
Yet, since the Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes hiring. I have never had more faith in a Front Office or Head Coach in my time here. Some say it’s blind devotion. I say it’s because, for the first time in my existence as a Lions fan. I don’t hear coach speak from Dan Campbell. I don’t get spoon fed a line of horse manure when I listen to Brad Holmes. It is so refreshing!!!
Dan Campbell says what’s on his mind, even if it’s ludicrous. For example, ‘ I don’t care if you have 1 a$$ cheek and 3 toes. I’ll beat you’re a$$!”
I still chuckle when I hear that clip courtesy on Hard Knocks on HBO. Or when he talked of the draft where we took Jahlani Tavai under the ‘Quintrasha’ era. When he said he may or may not have broken his tablet or laptop screen when they picked him.
People are saying Brad Holmes values his draft picks and got cheap this season. They just do not understand the ramifications of dead cap hits from all the players cut from this roster. Our dead cap is slowly approaching 30 million in cap space gone.
Leaving a paltry 3.4 million in cap space left. Again, yes cap is fluid, but trying to get star powered players with a toy budget isn’t easy. And they do not want to lessen the cap of the future of the franchise.
I for one am going to sit back and watch this story unfold. Because before my eyes. I am seeing a winner built in a very smart way. They do not like to overpay players. They jettison the ‘turds’ as Campbell calls them as soon as they can (except Will Harris and Benito Jones…ugh).
I just hope most Lions Fans see this too! Because we have waited almost 70 years to be relevant. Let’s not push the best thing we’ve seen being done out the door too soon!
Thanks For Reading!!!!
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