[ad_1]
New Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has said he believes quarterback Matthew Stafford is a “great player” who has a lot of intangible traits that he likes to see in all of his players.
Holmes, however, has made no definitive statement on the future of Stafford, who still has two years on his contract. Owner Sheila Ford Hamp said it would be Holmes and their head coach yet to be named.
“What you really appreciate is that the talent was easy to see, but you really appreciate the way his intangibles show up on the film,” Holmes, 41, said of Stafford. “How well he plays, how competitive he is, how tenacious he shows. But it’s my job to assess the whole roster, and through this process I haven’t had any discussion with Matt or no player, for that matter.
“So you know, I just want to be fair in the process to make sure we assess this thoroughly, but obviously Matt, a really good football player.”
Much of Holmes’ first press conference on Tuesday was about how he wants to “rearrange” a list of Lions who have finished last in the NFC North in each of the past three seasons. Anything he tries to bring will be part of a larger process he envisions, something he has seen work well during his nearly two decades with the Rams as he progressed from PR intern to director. of college scouting under Les Sneads.
Holmes said the first thing he wanted to do was meet and go through the entire roster after the team hired a new head coach. The post is expected to be filled by New Orleans Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell, sources have told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Team president Rod Wood has said a collaboration of Holmes and the new head coach will have a say in decisions about the roster of 53 players. Holmes, new head coach and vice president of football administration Mike Disner, who will have additional responsibilities within the organization, will all report to Wood and Hamp.
Hamp said that as they were doing the head coach and general manager searches simultaneously, they asked the GM candidates who they were thinking of as head coaches. And they were asking coaching candidates similar questions about GMs. Often, Hamp says, the lists had common names.
Hamp said Holmes spoke with some of their remaining candidates after being hired.
It was during these talks that Holmes “blew the competition away,” Wood said. Hamp said she believes, particularly with the analysis and the technology, what Holmes will bring is “certainly different from what we’ve done here.”
Holmes didn’t want to go into detail, but this is all the start of what Holmes describes as his process.
“I would say let’s all trust the process that’s going to be in place,” Holmes said. “It’s going to be a very solid process. It’s going to be a very careful and diligent process, and we’re going, like I said earlier, we’re going to surrender those results to the process. I’ve always been the one who enjoys going through the process. and try to delay my intuition towards the end.
“So if we keep the right process going and make the right intuitive decisions going forward, I think the Lions fan base will be very, very happy with the results they see.”
Holmes does not see his process as a massive rebuild. He said his plan was to field a competitive squad in 2021, acknowledging there were areas, particularly defensively, where the Lions were “definitely going to reorganize”, but he did not give a details.
But he said he saw the building blocks of a defense that allowed the most points and yards in franchise history last season under the direction of head coach Matt Patricia and coordinator. defensive Cory Undlin.
Detroit has cornerback Jeff Okudah, the third overall pick from last year, as well as cornerback Amani Oruwariye, safety Tracy Walker, defensive end Trey Flowers and linebacker Jamie Collins as starters who are expected. come back next season.
“The ultimate goal is to make sure the most competitive team is on the pitch and that starts right now, this year, as we enter the 2021 season,” said Holmes. “So don’t see this as it will be a long time [project], I don’t know how long this is going to take. This is not the approach.
“It’s not the mindset that goes there. The approach is to make sure we can put the most competitive team on the pitch in 2021.”
[ad_2]
Source link