"So tensed" is also very dramatic. We were never going to retain Reed, but he still left a void that we chose to fill with a worse player over retaining a better one for less money. Letting Echols leave for Stephens is a downgrade that we're paying more for. Solomon Thomas plays a position of need and got a very fair deal elsewhere, we're going to rely on the bargain bin or a rookie to play that spot. Morgan Moses walked and we're relying on a guy who quit football last year, or a rookie, or a reshuffled OL which includes a downgrade at C to replace him. We also were never retaining Davante Adams, but we needed WRs and we'll be relying on the bargain bin or a rookie to fill the void. Do any of these things sound like "win now" to you?
This CS must really trust their ability to teach and coach up players. https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/jets-jamin-davis-re-signs-with-new-york/
Echols sucks. It didn’t take long for our HC to figure that out. Our HC who by the way was NFL all pro corner, scout and defensive backs coach. Stephens is coming off a bad year after a really good one. Echols is better than Stephens only in the days of the week that don’t end in the letter “y”, none of them. Solomon Thomas also sucks. We need bigger bodies which the upcoming draft is loaded with. Moses is old, stays injured and chose to go elsewhere. Adams, like Reed, wasn’t trying to stay. The WR FA market is weak but there’s draft and trade markets still available. The guys you are crying about won a total of 5 games. So yes, moving on and taking a different course screams “win now” to me.
Tim Patrick just posted a picture of a jacket on Instagram that says "I only want to work with the Lions" We can't even sign a WR4 to be our WR2 under a guy that coached him last year, and a head coach he was in the same locker room with. I'm starting to get concerned that we're trying and people have no desire to play here or for Aaron Glenn. That's far worse than not trying.
Well you can.. Especially if they are of the belief that they are inheriting a roster that really isn't that bad to begin with. I would say that talent wise, we are still in the top half of the league. Then you have to factor in comp picks for players we've lost, the draft, cuts, etc... There is a lot more going on with this than I think you and some realize. If you really pick this apart, it appears they are being extremely calculated heading into the draft. It may not be obvious but I truly do think they are not just sitting on their hands here. The FA market right now, isn't great. To be honest.. the FA class wasn't all that good before it even began. I still maintain.. You should try to have patience and see what plays out here. I think you are getting ahead of yourself.
While I’m not exactly exited about the current crop of FA additions your post is an excellent summary…..
I’ll let you know when the season starts, not less than 24 hours from the official start of free agency.
They are rebuilding without saying so publicly. They are also hamstrung with a lot of dead cap money and a weak FA class. I think as of now they plan on resigning Sauce, Wilson, JJ, etc and depending a lot on the next two drafts….2025 for the obvious current positions needed such as both lines, secondary and WR. Assuming 2025 is a wash regarding win total they go into next year with a year of experience under the belt for those players and more money. That’s when they make their big QB splash with a high pick….
It’s not rebuilding when you keep ALL your core players. Rebuilding would be trading core players for picks. We’re just shedding some fat. Mostly aging players that signed on as FAs thinking we’re Super Bowl bound. This is a retool w/ younger talent and more reasonable expectations. In no particular order, Garrett, Quincy, Sauce, McDonald, Jermaine, Sherwood, Quinnen, Breece…etc. are all still here. If AG can coach, we should be able to do better than 5 wins.
Again, Brandin Echols is a zone CB. Aaron Glenn runs a man defensive scheme. From the Detroit paper: "The Lions run some form of man coverage on 43 percent of opposing pass plays. No team uses more base man coverage than the Lions through the first 10 weeks. There is one specific coverage scheme where the Lions really lean heavily: Cover-1. That's man coverage from the cornerbacks with one safety roaming over the top and another safety buzzing more shallow, and LBs running with underneath routes. The Lions use this base cover scheme 38 percent of the time, the highest usage of Cover-1 in the league." Don't cry in your beer for Echols, he would've struggled mightly in this scheme. He was a zone CB at Kentucky and a zone CB/ special teamer with the Jets.
It's not a rebuild when you still have a core group of guys that make up the important aspects of the team. We haven't lost strength with all this, the foundation is still strong as hell. I supposed the issue is that some of ya'll don't think we have enough talent to win already, when I see it like we could win now even without the new HC or GM being here. It's already built to go. With pieces to that foundation being the lone thing needed heading into the season. This just isn't a rebuild with the roster we have. Yet you guys seem to think that it is. It's confusing.
We won 5 games last year with a better roster. I don't think there's a single area you can say we've gotten better. You can pinpoint at least three where we've gotten worse: WR, DL, TE (which already was a bad group). I believe in Aaron Glenn which means I trust the staff as an extension... but how could you be THAT confident that you're saying a 5 win team that got worse will actually win now?
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet The #Jets are signing former #Chargers TE Stone Smartt on a 1-year deal, source said. An RFA who was non-tendered, he came on late in the season and NYJ likes the upside. I like this deal. More than half of his receptions (albeit that's only 19) went for first downs. He's big bodied and has athletic ability. We still have a terrible TE room and I sure hope this doesn't take us out of the Warren convo but this is a good lottery ticket.
Then I should say rebuilding around the core players …. Breece may or may not be around to see the finished product…..other than those guys there are a lot of gaping holes. I’ll call it a partial rebuild. But it’s going to take about 2 drafts if it’s done correctly.
That depends on whether you think Fields will become the longterm answer at QB. It’s a one year audition for now. Yes it’s not a full blown rebuild but you’re also assuming all of the above players will stick around. That’s not a guarantee. A lot will depend on which of those guys stays long term, the QB puzzle, and of course whether or not this new admin pulls the right strings with the draft and FA.
