Despite a dismal finish in the NFC Championship Game, the Detroit Lions had a great 2023 season. With the majority of the team’s roster and staff returning, Detroit will face high expectations in 2024.
On February 5, Lions general manager Brad Holmes was open about the team’s prospective expectations. In fact, Holmes may have lifted the bar with a message he sent to Detroit’s fans.
“This is what I want to tell our loyal fans. Look, it will only get better. “We’re only going to get better,” Holmes stated during his postseason press conference. “I don’t want anyone to think that this was a one-time, Cinderella-like wonderful adventure that happened. No, it is real. This is exactly what was intended to happen.
“Based on history, and what has happened in the past, I get that when you have a season like this, it’s easy to feel like this was a one-shot, miraculous, lucky, adorable narrative, which I’m sick of hearing. There was none of that.
“It’s tempting to believe this, but it’s not true. Every step Dan and I make is intended to support what we are building. Every single step, and I mean every single move we make and don’t make, is intended to sustain what we’ve been developing.
READ MORE……
5 important things Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes stated during the year-end news conference.
Brad Holmes, the Detroit Lions’ general manager, delivered a memorable year-end press conference full of confidence, receipts, and meaty context following a historic season. During his 11-minute introduction, Holmes described his work as “intentional” in every move they make and don’t make. He also defended his classes dating back to 2021, which include two All-Pros and multiple staters.
See below for noteworthy statements and responses from the GM’s news conference:
Brad Holmes on what he wishes to tell fans: “Look, it will only get better. OK? We’re just going to get better, okay? I don’t want anyone to think this was a one-time Cinderella-esque miraculous journey that happened. No. It is real. This was the expected outcome. I understand that based on history, what has happened in the past, and the fact that you have a season like this, it’s tempting to believe that this was a one-shot, wonderful, lucky, cute narrative — which I’m weary of hearing. There was none of that. It’s simple to believe that.
“But no. Every step Dan and I make is intended to support what we are building. Every single step, and I mean every single move we make and don’t make, is intended to sustain what we’ve been developing. It is real. Look, it’s all about normalizing what we’re doing. “This is to normalize it.”
On Dan Campbell’s success as head coach, Holmes said, “I think the world of Dan. He’s a special leader and coach, and he is those things because he is a special person. Just our entire coaching staff, the endless hours they put in for preparation, player teaching, player development, and weekly game planning, there is a lot that goes into it. Many thanks to them.
Holmes on Jared Goff’s continuous success and expansion of thoughts: “In terms of Jared, hey, I’ve always believed in Jared. You’ve always heard me. I’m not sure what else needs to be stated or done in terms of leadership and performance… What I didn’t understand was why his career was characterized by his appearance in the Super Bowl in his second year as a full-time starter (in Los Angeles).
Then he came to us, and I always believed in him, so what he performed this year, or even the year before, did not surprise us.”
Holmes on what he wants fans to know about the offseason: “Over the next few months, don’t be spooked this spring by speculation, negative talk, or the entertainment newsfeed.” Don’t be alarmed; don’t believe that we can’t develop and sustain what we’ve been building.
Don’t be scared by that here. I completely get it. Over the next three months, there will be a lot of speculation and opinions, and no one knows what will happen. But I simply hope they understand that Dan and I, year after year, have not led them astray. We’ve been really open and honest with everyone.
“Look, again, every action is deliberate. Every action we make, and every move we don’t make, is intentional.”
Holmes on the first national reaction to last year’s draft class, as well as his feelings about how things went with Gibbs, LaPorta, Branch, Campbell, and Co.: “I am not up here to give my ‘I told you so’s.’ I would argue that the ‘I told you so’s’ occurred when we chose the player. You can rest easy as long as Dan and I are confident in our decision to select these athletes.
We slept like babies after we chose those players. All of the criticism that came and went the day after the draft, or the week after the draft, was always — you can’t be a prisoner of the present. You cannot let that impact you. You just have to get through the post-draft storm. I told you guys after the draft that OTAs will be here shortly. People forget about the draft. Training camp will be coming shortly. People forget about the draft.
“But I had complete trust in those players, as did Dan. They did exactly what we expected. The players we chose were our favorites in the draft.”
