It’s been quite some time since we checked in with Detroit Lions fans regarding their opinion of general manager Brad Holmes. The last time we polled our audience was almost exactly a year ago, following the team’s 2025 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, those poll results were lost to time (and a migration to a new content management system at SB Nation).
Detroit, MI
From Detroit’s Cody High School to coin toss: NFL referee Shawn Smith talks Super Bowl journey
Two days after the confetti fell on Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, one Detroit native is still processing the weekend of a lifetime.
While the Seattle Seahawks were busy dismantling the New England Patriots in a 29–13 win, referee Shawn Smith was the man in the middle, wearing the “white hat” for the first time on the world’s biggest stage.
Smith is one of only a handful of Black referees in NFL history to lead a Super Bowl crew.
The road to Super Bowl LX didn’t start in the NFL; it started on the fields of Cody High School in Detroit.
Smith began officiating Pop Warner games while still in junior high. He was later a track athlete at Eastern Michigan University, where he also refereed intramural flag football, before transferring to Ferris State University to earn his degree in accountancy. He bypassed the traditional route, jumping from high school ball straight to Division II, eventually reaching the NFL in 2015.
Despite a decade of experience and eight seasons as a lead referee, Smith admitted that the pre-game jitters were real. Standing at midfield alongside NFL legend Joe Montana for the ceremonial coin toss, Smith felt the weight of 125 million viewers.
“The coin toss was the most nerve-wracking part,” Smith said. “But once that first whistle blew, everything settled in. It was just another football game.”
Analysts and fans alike praised Smith’s crew for their calm presence during a game that featured a record-breaking seven sacks by the Seahawks’ defense.
Smith says he has been overwhelmed by the support he has received from friends and family around the world. It’s something that makes this special memory even better.
4Warn Weather – SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy skies. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. A few storms could be strong with gusty winds and hail. High: 71.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy skies, becoming partly cloudy skies late. Low: 45.
SUNDAY (MOTHER’S DAY): Mix of sunshine and clouds, cooler temperatures. High: 61.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy skies. Another chilly night. Low: 41.
MONDAY: Mostly sunny skies, remaining chilly. High: 58.
After a beautiful end to the week on Friday with sunshine and a little cloud cover, with warmer temperatures moving into the region as well, some of us are waking up to some patchy dense fog on Saturday morning. Some places south of M-59 are seeing reduced visibilities down to around a mile. If you do run into some patchy dense fog, be sure to use your low beams.
That warming trend continues into the start of the weekend on Saturday, but it also brings a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Another cold front will work through the region by Saturday afternoon and early Saturday evening and that will bring our thunderstorm chance. High temperature is warming into low 70s by Saturday afternoon.
The Storm Prediction Center has placed most of the region under a Marginal Risk (1 out of 5) on our severe weather scale for the start of the weekend. Gusty winds and hail are the primary threats as we work through the start of the weekend, but this will not be a widespread threat for severe thunderstorms.
Behind that cold front for the end of the weekend on Sunday, we will keep a mixture of sunshine and clouds into the forecast. High temperatures running about 10 to 15° cooler to end the weekend. Expect high to warm into the upper 50s to lower 60s by Sunday afternoon.
Drier weather sticks around for the start of next week, before another chance of rain moves into the region by the time we get to Tuesday. The cooler-than-average temperatures will continue into the start of next week as well. Expect high temperatures to remain in the 50s for Monday and Tuesday.
Temperature start to warm up by the middle of next week, and Drier weather moves back in by Wednesday behind another cold front moving into the region. Expect high temperatures into the lower 60s on Wednesday to warm into the upper 60s by the time we get to Thursday. Above average temperatures move back into the region as we look ahead into the end of the week, expect high temperatures back into the lower 70s by the time we get to Friday.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
But as you can see below, Holmes has been an extremely popular figure among Detroit sports fans for pretty much his entire career.
Although, if there was a time when Holmes’ popularity took a hit, it was likely during the 2025 NFL season, when the Lions took their first clear step back since he and Dan Campbell came to town.
Since last year’s data was lost to time, this is a good opportunity to check back in with Lions fans. While Holmes certainly deserves a ton of credit for getting the Lions back to relevancy and helping them produce four consecutive seasons with winning records, there are some serious blemishes on his resumé now. The 2024 NFL Draft class has not lived up to his high standards through two seasons, some of his riskiest picks over the last few years have all failed to pay off, and last year’s roster just wasn’t good enough to withstand the injuries.
But Holmes is also coming off a very crowd-pleasing draft. Detroit addressed their two biggest needs with their first two selections, and there were no crazy head-scratching picks or expensive trade ups. Many have categorized his latest draft as “back to business as usual,” which could have some fans he lost back on his side.
However, that is all up to you. Vote on your thoughts about Holmes’ time in Detroit below, and share your extended thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the page.
-
Culture17 seconds agoBook Review: ‘Selling Opportunity,’ by Mary Lisa Gavenas
-
Lifestyle6 minutes agoHunting For Lexapro Clocks, Viagra Neckties and Other Vintage Pharmaceutical Merch
-
Technology18 minutes agoDyson’s powerful 360 Vis Nav robovac is down to $279.99 for a limited time
-
World24 minutes agoAs Trump forces NATO to pay up, alliance races to close military gap with US
-
Politics30 minutes agoInside the US military playbook to cripple Iran if nuclear talks collapse
-
Health36 minutes agoFitness expert visits gyms nationwide, shouts out 4 clubs for ‘getting it right’
-
Sports42 minutes ago2026 INDYCAR Odds: Alex Palou Clear Favorite for Sonsio Grand Prix at IMS
-
Technology48 minutes agoGlobal scam crackdown leads to 276 arrests