LIONS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER BRAD HOLMES AND ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER RAY AGNEW QUOTE SHEET
August 29, 2024
Opening Statement: (Holmes) “Alright guys, thanks for coming. First want to start off really thanking the players, all 90 of them that we’ve had in camp. They pour so much into this thing, they gave it their all, they sacrifice so much, and look, I know we’re talking about how training camp ended, but these guys, they’ve been grinding since the spring. I have the utmost respect and appreciation for all of them and I thought (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) did a phenomenal job preparing the team and managing this camp. I’m always in awe with him in terms of how he can put players in position to grow and develop all while getting the team ready to go. Even when you say that word, ‘Getting them ready,’ it’s a ton of work that goes into getting the team ready. So really, Dan and all the coaches, I just thought they did a great job. I want to thank our personnel department. They all worked really, really hard. It’s a lot of moving parts in the preseason and a lot of film that you have to watch, a lot of evaluation you have to do, our entire personnel department. It’s a lot more pro scouting led so I thought (Lions Director of Pro Scouting) Rob Lohman, our pro director, I thought he had a great process from a preseason scouting standpoint, but the entire operation, and really our whole organization, it’s far too many to name, but they all know it takes every single last one of them. It’s all-hands-on-deck, it’s very collaborative, so just want to give appreciation and thanks for everything that everybody did to have a successful camp. I want to congratulate the players that made our 69. I know the focus is on the 53, but our practice squad, we put a lot of work and pride into that, and we’ll have to use all of those guys at some point as we normally do.”
On if there was a moment in the offseason when he knew Lions QB Hendon Hooker was quarterback two and what Lions QB Jake Fromm was able to accomplish in the last two weeks with no practice reps that won him over: (Holmes) “Yeah, I’ll start off with Jake first. I’ve always been a fan of the player ever since he came out of Georgia and even dating back to high school coming out of Warner Robins. He’s always been a winner and I guess the best analogy I could say is – and I tell young kids all the time, I told the kids at the Combine when I spoke to them and speaking to the quarterbacks, some guys, they don’t want to throw, they don’t want to work out because they’re not working with their guys. They want to wait until their orchestrated pro day and all that, and same with all-star games to an extent too. When a quarterback can go out there and operate and be accurate for guys that he has not been working with, that’s impressive and it wasn’t just that. Obviously, there’s a lot more other things that he showed in a short amount of time that was not seen on film, but he was impressive in a short time. That’s what did it for him, and we’ll just see how it goes, the more that we’re around him and the more comfortable that he’ll get. I’ll say for Hendon, I don’t think it was one moment. I will say just the more reps he got, the more confident he got, and the more he played, the more confidence that we had in him as it went on. When I look back at Hendon, going back to his college career, really what he’s doing right now is not a whole lot different than what his college path was. When he came out of Dudley High School and got to Virginia Tech, he didn’t just become the guy. He had to work and grind. He was in a competition, he had to battle, he had to wait his time, and eventually it came. Then when he hit the portal and went to UT, it was the same thing. He was competing, he had a battle, he had to be behind somebody, and he just kept putting the work in. We have confidence in him because he’s wired right to go through that. He’s already proven that he can go through that, and so I think he’s really taken the same kind of steps that he’s always taken but obviously you see the ability and the talent he has. He gave a lot of life and spark to the offense when he had his opportunities, and he’s still learning, he’s still growing, but that’s kind of what went into all of it.”
On what gives him the confidence that this 53-man roster can get to the Super Bowl: (Holmes) “I just think going back to day one, we never wavered in our process in terms of roster building. We never – (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) and myself – we never changed our path or made a pivot in terms of each year, ‘Oh well we won these games so we’re in this window.’ I’m proud of us that we’ve avoided mentally putting ourselves into that we’re being in a window, and so we have to do something different from a roster standpoint. We’ve kept our approach and our process very consistent in terms of how we build it, the opportunities that we provide players, and that’s what gives us confidence. We’ve been saying it since day one, we want to get better every single year and we’ve done that, and we plan to continue to do that.”
On if they were considering former Lions QB Nate Sudfeld for the quarterback three spot before the final preseason game and if it was that game that won Lions QB Jake Fromm the spot: (Holmes) “Yeah, I mean because Jake – so (Lions QB) Hendon (Hooker) going into that Kansas City game, he was going through the concussion protocol and all that, so we didn’t know if he was going to be available. You have to pass all these phases and tests, so we didn’t know if he was going to be cleared, so we really brought Jake in because we didn’t know if we were going to have another quarterback behind Nate. We knew (Lions QB Jared) Goff wasn’t going to play, so that’s why we brought him in. We worked him out and he did a good job in the workout and all that, so he really kind of came in as just insurance and I give the kid credit. His mindset wasn’t, ‘I’m coming in as insurance.’ His mindset was, ‘I’m coming in to compete and do something with this opportunity.’ But yeah, it was something that he did some things even before that game during practice but in the game when he got his opportunity, he just took full advantage of it.”
On what their expectations are for Lions WR Jameson Williams and what he can bring to the offense at his best: (Agnew) “First of all, I think you can see the growth, tremendous growth in this kid as a player and a person. I think he’s attacking the game the way he should attack it now, like a professional. His route running has improved, catching the ball has improved. He’s an exciting kid to watch play and I’m expecting big things out of him this year and I’m sure he is too. I know how the kid’s built, and I know how he’s wired. There’s no lack of confidence so this kid – expect big things out of this kid.”
(Holmes) “I’ll just say on Jamo too, and not just him specifically, but in a lot of different situations, it happens in life often that you think you’re encountering a setback, and it ends up being a blessing in disguise a little bit. I think those first two years, we knew that he was going to be recovering from his injury that first year, so we knew that. But then he had another hurdle the second year, but those two years, he showed tremendous growth. Showed tremendous growth as a person and a player and so I see it as, actually it’s been a good thing because now he’s out there and he’s – you can clearly see the maturation in his game, and it’s just been a joy to see this year.”
On Lions WR Jameson Williams’ growth as a person: (Holmes) “I’m sure you guys have talked to him already and he’s told you that he had to mature a lot and you saw that. We do a lot of research and background on all of these players that we acquire, and we had a good sense of who Jamo was as a person, but we definitely felt comfortable that he was going to be a fit for us, and he’s shown the growth. When we drafted him, we said, ‘He’s going to need to grow up a little bit.’ And he did, so it’s been right on pace.”
On if there are examples of Lions WR Jameson Williams’ personal growth beyond staying out of trouble: (Holmes) “Oh yeah, you can clearly tell he’s put the work in and he’s been working even harder. It means something to him. This kid loves football. I mean he loves football and I think it’s very evident in the results that you saw this training camp that the work that he’s put in, just like Ray was saying, the route running, everything, just him working with (Lions Wide Receivers Coach Antwaan Randle) El, working with (Lions QB Jared) Goff, just doing all those things in the offseason in preparation, and he’s got some good guys in that room. Obviously, you have an elite player like (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown, and forget the performance, but how his intangibles are and (Lions WR) Kalif Raymond. He’s got really good guys to look upon and follow. But he’s seen how they work, but you can see the results that’s shown in camp.”
On how confident he is with the wide receiver group that he put together on the roster and practice squad: (Holmes) “We have confidence in what we have. I would say, obviously, we’ve already addressed that we wanted (Broncos WR) Josh (Reynolds) back on the team, but you can’t get everybody that you want back. But we felt good about the competition that we had going forward. I think the unfortunate part happened was right when (former Lions WR) Antoine Green’s injury came, I felt that’s right when he started showing the growth and that he was about to take the lead in it, in my opinion. But unfortunately, that happened. But we still have confidence in the guys that we have. Nobody really took that other position, and we’re not going to give out a position either, so that’s why we had four receivers on the active. I just don’t think that’s right to say, ‘We’re going to give this guy the spot because that’s the next guy.’ That’s not how we operate. But I will say, I would have less confidence if we didn’t have the other guys that we have, because you look at the one position, I know you asked just about that one position, but I’d have less confidence if we did not have an elite player leading that one position. If we did not have (Lions WR) Jameson Williams, if we did not have (Lions WR) Kalif Raymond. That’s that one piece of the offense, so then when you get – after those three guys I named in that one position, I’d have less confidence in the remaining people in the receiver room if we did not have the quarterback, the two tackles, the two guards, the center, or the tight end, the two running backs, I would have less confidence but because it’s completely team effort, I still have confidence.”
On how he sees Lions QB Jared Goff leading the team in this next stage of his career: (Holmes) “He’s the right guy. He’s the leader for us. He didn’t need a contract to go out there and do what he does on the field, he truly earned that. I have not seen a change in him. If anything, it’s been better just because it’s another year of the continuity that – I give (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) a lot of credit in terms of the continuity that he’s had with the coaching staff. That’s obviously helped, and we have a lot of familiar faces along with that too. I see it being even better. It’s been amazing to see his growth as a player ever since our days back with the Rams with him. But yeah, I’m not going to say that he needed the contract to elevate him, he was already elevating, playing at a high level, but I do think it’s going to be better for all the other things I named.”
On how important it was for him to get ahead of contract extensions before the preseason started and how it has affected some of his top competitors in the NFC: (Holmes) “The market’s going to change every single – you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. We’ve always felt the earlier the better for everybody. First of all, I know that the player doesn’t want to wait around and be strung along, and us as an organization, we do a lot of planning and preparation to reward these players as early as possible because you don’t know what’s going to happen the next week, the next month. You don’t know who’s going to – but we just have to worry about what we have to do, and we try to do with the best we can in terms of prediction and operating with discernment with all that stuff. But that’s how we choose to operate.”
(Agnew) “I just want to add this, coming from a player’s point of view, in the locker room, when the organization takes care of your top guys, it sends a message in the locker room that, ‘Hey, they’re about the right things.’ So, that’s what has been most exciting for me, as a former player, what the locker room sees when you pay a (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown and (Lions T) Penei Sewell who deserve to get paid. So, I think that sends a great message to the locker room and does a lot for the psyche of our players.”
On if contract negotiations get trickier in-season and if he is still hopeful to get an extension done for Lions DL Alim McNeill: (Holmes) “Yeah, it’s a good question. I don’t know if it gets tricker, it’s just that – well, first of all, the player, and especially a player like the one you just asked for, is just so focused on just playing and that’s it during the season. And so, when I made that comment about – It’s just he’s a player that was coming up that we want to keep around.’ And he’s been a darn good player for us. And so, we haven’t had anything really – I don’t want to – we haven’t had anything intense going on from a dialogue standpoint, but his camp knows that we want to get something done, but it’s very in the infancy stages right now.”
On what was uniquely challenging about this year’s roster cuts: (Holmes) “You really have to look at, ‘OK –,’ you’re really trying to weigh the now and the future and that’s where some of the hard decisions were coming. There were some players that we felt were going to have a future for us that we wanted to continue to develop and work with, and we just weren’t able to do it just because we’re looking at, ‘OK, well, we want to keep developing this kid, but we probably have to have three or four injuries happen before he would be able to contribute.’ So, there are other players that were a little bit ahead of the younger player that could help us a little bit quicker. So, we have done that in the past, in terms of kind of holding onto some of those guys and just kind of working with them and developing. Bottom line, it comes down with if they earn it, they earn it. Period. If it’s just, ‘OK, this guys, he’s ahead of this developmental guy but he didn’t really earn it in camp. He just is further ahead.’ No, all these players earned it. But that was – we had more of those conversations this year about just, ‘Man, we really want to hold onto this guy. Still had a good camp, he’s showing promise, he’s showing growth, but just not able to keep all of them.’ But, again, that’s – that was the 53 decision, but then when expanded to 69 – and that’s how we look at it, then we still feel good that we were able to retain those players.”
On the decision to keep three undrafted rookies and what they did to earn their spots: (Agnew) “I’ll speak on those three guys. (Lions LS Hogan) Hatten the long snapper, the guy’s just extremely athletic and the guy just made plays all camp, and at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. Who’s productive – it’s a production business, and he was productive, he made plays all day and he earned his spot. And (Lions S Loren) Strickland, man, Strickland just showed up every week. He wasn’t a guy that was talked about a lot early, just kept going, kept coming every day, every practice, kept making plays special teams-wise and the guy was tough and gritty. He’s a Lion. And then (Lions WR) Isaiah (Williams), Isaiah just made plays when he got the ball in his hand. So those guys, all three of them earned their spot, it wasn’t given to them, they earned it, and they deserved it. But it is unusual for a rookie free agent to be able to make a team like this, but those guys did it, they earned it. And that’s the great thing about this place, if you’re the best player you’re going to play. You’re going to be the one on the team. So, kudos to those guys.”
(Holmes) “I will say this on Isaiah. Look, when you have a guy that was truly in the draft consideration, as in Isaiah, and then being able to get him as an undrafted free agent and doing enough to make the team, that always is kind of – not saying you’re stealing a draft pick, but it’s a guy that we’ve been a fan of. But I echo everything Ray said with Strickland and Hatten as well.”
On what it was about Lions LB Trevor Nowaske’s upside that made them want to claim him off waivers: (Holmes) “Well, special teams, it’s just as important as offense and defense for us. But now, you’re right, we were disappointed when we lost him last year. We were just in one of those spots where you’re trying to sneak a guy through and I don’t know if there’s any sneaking anymore in this League, but we just couldn’t – we were trying to get him back on practice squad and people had their eyes on him. And I’m not surprised because he does have a lot of upside with his size, he’s got straight-line speed, he’s tough, he’s physical, he has instincts for special teams – I think that’s one of the things that, you look at a special teams player, you look at size, speed, trying to get downfield, being able to break down in open field, but he has instincts, he’s got the spatial awareness to understand where the ball’s coming. And so, all those things, it makes him have a bright future at special teams and he’s still going to be growing as a linebacker well. I know that that’s a really deep room, but we want to continue to grow him as well. But yeah, we were excited to be able to get him back. But yeah, it’s a deep room and he’s going to be competing with some other guys, but we’re not worried about him on that.”
On what they have seen from Lions K Jake Bates to have confidence that he can take the starting kicker job: (Holmes) “Obviously we all know the ability that he has. He’s got a big leg and, look, we get intrigued by some of the – as much as humans, we all crave certainty, we crave everything being coherent and all that, but there’s excitement about the unknown. We don’t know what – I don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring. I don’t know what’s going to happen in – I don’t even have my watch on – I don’t even know what’s going to happen in the next few hours. We try to prepare and do everything we can, but that’s really the intrigue. And look, I know that one thing about kickers is you have to be wired a certain way and we learned early on that he’s wired right, and I thought that that’s one of the smartest moves that we did make is, when we had (Lions K Michael) Badgley go down and we did not bring another kicker in. It wasn’t a whole lot available because when Badge got his injury, every team in the League had two or three kickers on their roster, so we brought a handful of guys in to work out, but we just said, ‘Look, let’s just let this kid get every single rep possible.’ And he did get better and he’s continuing to get better, but the main thing, regardless of what you say about accuracy and all that kind of stuff, if he does miss one, it doesn’t affect him, it doesn’t bother him. And so – and that was a good trait that Badgley has as well, so being that he has that, and he has the physical component and he’s gotten these reps in training camp, then let’s just see how far it can go. And look, we’ll still look at adding another kicker to the practice squad. Guy that had a little bit more experience. But yeah, I think he’s earned it to give it a shot.”
On how they are viewing Lions DL James Houston and what he can bring to the defense: (Holmes) “Yeah, I’ve always thought the best thing that James does is get after the quarterback. Can he do other things? Yes. He played linebacker at the University of Florida, but when he got to Jackson State and just put his hand in the dirt, that was – that toolbox opened up immensely. And it was the same thing when we first drafted him, and he kept working and had the production. And you’ve got to think, too, he missed basically all of last year. What was that, game two running down on special teams where he had that injury? So, for a young, developing player to miss a whole year when he only had really half a season of experience, albeit productive. So, he still – he had come back from the injury and then, now, he’s just rushing the passer now. He can play SAM linebacker, but I think what he does best is get after the quarterback. He’s a guy that, he showed in this last preseason game what he can do, and he’s got a tremendous ability to bend, change directions, counter. He might not be the power rusher that (Lions DL) Aidan (Hutchinson) is – he’s a completely different flavor, but that’s what we like about him, too, as well. But yeah, and he had to kind of battle through some stuff after that first preseason game, so he missed that second one, but it was good to see him show what we know that he can do in that last one.”
On if he had conversations with Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell on balancing aggressiveness with being smart: (Holmes) “We didn’t have that specific conversation this summer, but we’re very much in alignment that we are, if you want to call it aggressively smart or – you probably have heard Dan say it in the past, controlled aggression or calculated aggression. Whether that’s him coaching the team, that’s how we build the roster. I think that we do it in an aggressive way, but it’s calculated. And so, we’re not just kind of taking shots just to take shots. But yeah, I do think that, in this League, I’ve always said, ‘If you’re current, you’re behind.’ And so, if you don’t have a sense of aggressiveness in some capacity, then you might be coming up short.”
On what their experience has been like interacting with fans in Detroit since January: (Agnew) “It’s been great, first of all. I’ve enjoyed every minute here in the city of Detroit. I probably don’t get noticed as much as my buddy here, but it’s been great, and the fans are all great. I remember one at this certain wing spot that I like – I’m not going to give them a plot right now, but I go get wings a lot and a kid wanted to take a picture with me and, ‘Ah, you guys are doing great.’ But the fans are so passionate here and it’s just great to see when you’re out at restaurants and you do get noticed by some people. It’s great to see and it’s been a joy.”
(Holmes) “I’ve lived in different cities with football teams, and this is no shot to them, but this is completely different than I’ve ever experienced in my entire life, and I truly mean that. And I’ll never forget when I first found out that I was going to come to an interview for this role, my uncle, Luther Bradley, that played here, he told me, he said, ‘Brad, this is a fanbase, they’re about as passionate as can get.’ And so, I’m thinking, ‘That’s what you’re supposed to say. Whatever.’ But no, it truly – I would put our fanbase up versus anybody in the League and have full confidence that we are the most passionate. I guess I was a little bit, probably – yeah, I guess I’ll say I was a little naïve when I first got this job. I was just thinking about the work that we had to do, and I did not think that somebody would stop me in the street. Me and my family, we were walking down – we were living in Birmingham initially when we first got here and we were walking down to a restaurant and it was like – and they didn’t get here until the summer, so we had a little bit of time off. We’re walking down and people were stopping us, and I had no idea – I was thinking that I would just be the behind-the-scenes guy that just helps build the team. So, me and my family, we were all shocked. And we were thinking, ‘OK, that’s a one-off.’ But it kept happening, kept happening, kept happening, and this is all while a three-win season. And during a three-win season, it was not, ‘Brad, get the heck out.’ No, it was like, ‘Hey, I’m riding with –’ That’s a special group, and it’s always been positive, and I have the utmost appreciation and respect for our fanbase, and I absolutely love living in this city and I know Ray, he’s echoed the same. We talk about it constantly, about just, I’m not sure if we had any expectation really, we just know that we had a job to do really, but the way that they have embraced us, and we’ve truly embraced the city. I don’t have the pair of glasses yet, but I’m going to get some soon, but it’s been good.”
On what his expectations are for Lions WR Allen Robinson II and Lions WR Tim Patrick and how different his phone calls are with agents now that the team is having more success: (Holmes) “That’s a great question. Yes, it has been different. In the past, we were doing a lot of – I’d say for the first two years we had to do a lot of selling and convincing, constantly just to try to get guys here, and that’s in probably in each phase of player acquisition, year-round, whether it’s this time of the year, whether it’s the trade deadline, whether it’s free agency, whether it’s after the Draft. But now, it does feel good, and it makes you feel good that we’ve done something, and we’ve accomplished some good things that these agents want to send their players here. Now, the wide receiver front, that was even easier conversations. Every agent of a wide receiver wanted to send them here. Really the same thing happened with kicker, too, when (Lions K Michael) Badgley went down. We play, I think, all but one game indoors. Why would a kicker not want to come here? But that’s how the agent conversation went. Those two wide receivers, look, we know that those guys can play. I thought that it was really cool to see Tim Patrick, after everything that he’s done, move around in the preseason, run routes, show that he can still drop his weight, snap down, get out of breaks and still catch the football. So, we were excited to add him, and then Allen Robinson, he was a guy that we wanted to add in free agency a couple of years ago. Obviously, a Detroit kid from here, but that’s not the reason why he’s here, but he’s another guy that can step in and we know he can play. So right now, it’s all about getting them acclimated. Just however fast that happens, we will see. If it’s one week, two weeks, three weeks, we’ll see, but it gives us a lot of comfort knowing that it’s guys that have real stripes on the wall. They’re good character guys, they’re spoken highly of, so we know that they’re going to be culture fits, it’s just how quickly they can get acclimated.”
On if Lions WR Donovan Peoples-Jones is coming back on the practice squad: (Holmes) “Yes.”
On what the expectations are this season: (Holmes) “Win the Super Bowl.”
On if Lions DL John Cominsky is still headed to Reserve/Injured and if there is a conversation on if he will return this season: (Holmes) “Yeah, that move will be done probably today at some point. He wasn’t one of those ones with the new rule with the two spots at cut down, but it is for to return. We don’t have a crystal ball in terms of when it will be, but we had enough conversations that we feel good and we know the player well enough how he’s going to attack his rehab that we feel good that hopefully later in the season, that we’ll have him really probably right when we need him.”
