Detroit Lions fans welcome back linebacker Alex Anzalone from injury
Linebacker Alex Anzalone returns to a big pop from Detroit Lions fans ahead of their game vs. the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 5, 2025, at Ford Field.
It’s wild how sports can bring lives together.
How a friendship can come out of nowhere.
And what happens after acts of kindness and compassion — just doing the right thing — whether that is an individual or an organization.
Like, say, the Detroit Lions, who did something amazingly cool over the weekend.
“Honestly, in the most simplistic way, this whole thing was overwhelming but in a good way,” Jeremy Schmidt said Monday morning.
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Wait a second. Let’s back up.
Because this is a story that has unfolded in the most unlikely way with several twists and turns, with moments of pain and joy.
Schmidt’s father, Wally Schmidt, collapsed at Soldier Field in Chicago on Dec. 22 as the Lions were getting ready to play the Chicago Bears. Ben Roth, an off-duty paramedic and Lions season-ticket holder, rushed to help, restarting Wally’s heart with an AED. That gave Schmidt, also a big Lions fan, four or five extra hours with his father, who passed away that night from heart failure.
So, the Lions wanted to do something for them, something quiet and dignified, just to bring them some joy, trying to make their lives a little better in a time of grief.
The Lions flew Schmidt and two guests and Roth and his wife and daughter to Detroit over the weekend, setting up several special moments. The Lions put them up in a hotel and gave them tickets and field passes for Sunday night’s regular-season finale against the Minnesota Vikings — the biggest regular-season game ever played at Ford Field.
“I just felt like I was kind of floating down there for a little bit,” Schmidt said. “It was kind of surreal.”
After Wally died, Roth decided to stay in Chicago and go to the funeral to pay his respects.
“I was nervous,” Roth said. “I met a bunch of the family while waiting in line. And then (Wally’s) sister gave me a hug, talked about how great her brother was; and then there was Jeremy standing next to the casket.”
Schmidt and Roth met in a tight embrace — the first responder and the son whose father had died.
“He was very strong for his family,” Roth said.
The service was emotional. “You could tell that (Wally) had a lot of people that loved him and he had a great life and would be missed, and they honored him really, really well,” Roth said.
After the service, Schmidt and Roth hung out, started talking and a friendship was born.
“We shared some sorrows and some laughs,” Schmidt said. “At the end, we were the last two to leave the services. We just talked life, just talked about what that whole day really meant to us. Obviously, it was a hard day, but he didn’t suffer. I was just showing Ben that there was genuine gratitude for what he did for me. And just, you know, trying to find the positivity.”
The Lions didn’t put out a press release about bringing in Schmidt and Roth. They didn’t make it known publicly.
In my eyes, that makes it even more genuine and special. You gotta give them all kinds of credit for this.
I only found out about it because both Roth and Schmidt texted me.
So, I called Roth on Monday morning, and he was still with Schmidt. They were about to share an Uber ride to the airport.
“Denver is a Bears fan,” Roth said, bringing up one of Schmidt’s close friends, Denver Worker, he brought to the game. “He wore Lions stuff, and he’s like, ‘Man, it’s hard not to cheer for you guys (the Lions). I’m still gonna be a Bears fan. But it’s so hard not to root for the Lions after seeing what this organization is doing for y’all. It’s absolutely amazing.’ ”
They were given field passes before the game and met Calvin Johnson, several members of the front office, the Lions cheerleaders and Roary, the team mascot.
But the big moment was meeting Barry Sanders, the Hall of Fame running back. Both Roth and Schmidt became Lions fans because of Sanders, even though Roth grew up in Texas and Schmidt in Chicago.
“Barry just talked to me like it was just a person he’d known forever,” Roth said. “It was surreal.”
After I interviewed Roth, he handed his phone to Schmidt.
“Meeting Barry Sanders was a special moment for both of us,” Roth said. “We’re Lions fans because of that guy.”
The Lions allowed Roth and Schmidt to stay on the field during player introductions and through the kickoff.
“Everybody was so insanely generous and just nice,” Schmidt said. “Everybody went out of their way to make sure that it was a special moment. Just a first-class organization. So amazing.”
Schmidt and Roth’s friendship has only grown.
“My dad placed him in my life for a reason,” Schmidt said. “He’s a great person. His family’s awesome. His daughter has got more personality than anybody I think I’ve ever met. It’s great to continue that bond and make it stronger.”
On Monday, Roth and Schmidt headed to Chicago; and they planned to do an ESPN interview on Tuesday.
“We’re doing the interview with ESPN that’ll air on Sunday NFL Countdown,” Schmidt said. “Just to share the story and also the meaning behind everything. Just trying to inspire people who can relate in any sort of way and find some positivity when things are dark.”
He is still grieving. But he’s trying to find some hope.
“We’re gonna make this just a beautiful story beyond the sadness,” Schmidt said.
And that beautiful story included a win over the Vikings.
“You know, the other special moment was just getting that victory for my dad,” Schmidt said. “We wanna keep the keep this train rolling, because we’re going all the way because of him. His spirit is going to bring the Lions a Super Bowl.”
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.
Detroit’s dining scene just got even more flavorful with the opening of Sunda New Asian, bringing modern Southeast Asian cuisine to the city.
Restaurant owner Billy Dec joins the show to share what guests can expect from the new hotspot, from bold dishes and incredible cocktails to an energetic atmosphere.
Watch the video above to see what’s cooking up at Sunda New Asian.
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Detroit Lions podcast includes Purple Insider Matthew Coller to talk about NFC North offseason moves.
Nolan and Richard are joined by Purple Insider Matthew Coller to talk about NFC North offseason moves.
By this point in the offseason, it’s well documented who the Detroit Lions have added, as well as who they’ve lost.
Former Carolina Panthers center Cade Mays was the prize of free agency. He’ll replace Graham Glasgow in the middle of Detroit’s offensive line. Clemson’s Blake Miller, selected 17th overall in April’s draft, is poised to quickly take over at the tackle spot opposite Penei Sewell, stepping in for Taylor Decker. The pass rush was overhauled across from Aidan Hutchinson, with Ahmed Hassanein and Tyler Lacy being the only other edge defenders still on the roster from last season.
Today, we’ll try to take our analysis a step further, identifying a few patterns within Detroit’s offseason approach and exploring what those acquisitions, retentions and departures mean for a Lions team looking to bounce back and reemerge as a title contender in 2026.
Detroit’s offense had its own share of issues throughout 2025. But what the defense produced down the stretch with the season on the line failed to meet reasonable expectations. Opponents averaged 28.1 points and 382.1 yards per game from Weeks 12-18, a stretch that resulted in four losses. Pinning all of Detroit’s defensive woes on one factor would be foolish (and you can’t ignore the role injuries played), but an inconsistent, at best, pass rush certainly didn’t help. The Lions owned the third-slowest time to pressure (2.86 seconds) in the NFL last season, according to Next Gen Stats.
Aside from the retooling opposite Hutchinson, the Lions also seemingly put an emphasis on acquiring interior defensive linemen who can get after the passer. Levi Onwuzurike is back after his contract tolled last season — Josh Paschal, a run-defending lineman who also had his contract tolled but was released in March, wasn’t afforded the same opportunity — and the Lions spent a couple of late-round draft picks on Texas Tech’s Skyler Gill-Howard and Tennessee’s Tyre West. Both players were drafted because of the flashes they’ve shown as pass rushers, particularly Gill-Howard, whose win rate in 2025 (14.4%) ranked 10th out of the 512 FBS interior defenders who rushed the passer on at least 100 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Copying the Super Bowl champions isn’t always wise — every team’s personnel has its own set of skills — but it’s striking how much Detroit’s defense differed from that of the Seattle Seahawks, who rode their defense on the way to winning the franchise’s second title. The Lions led the league in use of base defense (three linebackers) last season, deploying those packages for 657 plays, according to Next Gen Stats. The Seahawks were last, with 66 plays. It was the opposite for use of nickel defense (five defensive backs), with the Seahawks leading the league (815) and the Lions at 32nd (355). Of course, Seattle is unique, given head coach Mike Macdonald’s defensive system and nickelback Nick Emmanwori’s immediate impact as a rookie.
The Lions won’t overhaul their entire scheme in one offseason, but it’s difficult to see their moves in totality and not come away thinking they could lean more on nickel packages in 2026. Alex Anzalone, one of the league’s better linebackers against the pass, allowed the Lions to play base defense as much as they did, as he was comfortable in coverage. He’s now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Lions added a number of viable options to play nickelback next season, including veterans Christian Izien Jr. and Roger McCreary, as well as fifth-round rookie Keith Abney II (Arizona State).
Assuming the starting five, from left to right, winds up being Sewell, Christian Mahogany, Mays, Tate Ratledge and Miller, Detroit’s offensive line will have an average age of 25.2 next season. That’s down from 2025 (27.8) and 2024 (29.8). In no way does the influx of youth indicate surefire success, but the Lions would certainly be set up for sustained success if each of the five projected starters reach their ceilings. The offensive line could be even younger if 2025 fifth-rounder Miles Frazier, who is 11 months younger than Mahogany, wins the starting job at left guard. Juice Scruggs, another contender at left guard, is nine months older than Mahogany. Ben Bartch, 27, is the veteran option.
Whether Mays continues ascending at center will be key to Detroit’s success in 2026. He’s only started 20 games at the position over his four seasons in the NFL, and all of those starts have come within the last two years. He showed week-to-week growth in his 12 starts in 2025, enough for the Lions to commit $25 million ($14 million guaranteed) to him over the next three years. Mays surrendered 13 pressures last season and didn’t allow sack, according to PFF.
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18
How the PWHL unveiled Detroit’s team amid much fanfare
Chris Ilitch, Mary Sheffield, Jayna Hefford and Amy Scheer talk about the PWHL Detroit team on May 6, 2026.
Josh Sciba comes to the Detroit Professional Women’s Hockey League team with a tremendous recent accolade.
Named to coach the ninth franchise in the PWHL’s history on Thursday, May 28, Sciba joins the team fresh off having served as an assistant coach with the women’s team that won the gold medal at the 2026 Milano Olympics.
“I’m incredibly honored and excited for the opportunity to become the coach of PWHL Detroit and beyond grateful for the trust placed in me to help lead the organization from the beginning,” Sciba said in a statement. “This is home and especially meaningful for me and my entire family, knowing Detroit’s rich hockey history and identity firsthand and how much the women’s hockey community has been yearning for this moment.”
The Detroit PWHL team has taken shape over the past month: From being introduced on May 6 in a gala event at Little Caesars Arena (where the team will play starting late November/early December 2026) to naming Manon Rheaume general manager on May 15.
“Josh is a highly respected coach with a knowledge of the game and experience at all levels of women’s hockey that set him apart, and his passion for teaching and individual character are qualities I value in a leader,” Rhéaume said in a release “Hockeytown is in his blood, and this is an opportunity I know he is eager to embrace with an understanding of what it means to represent this city and be part of its legacy.”
Next on the agenda is shaping the roster itself, which will happen at the June 17 expansion draft at Detroit’s Fox Theatre.
Sciba, 41 and a native of Westland, has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the PWHL’s New York Sirens and brings more than 15 years of coaching experience to the role.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
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