Detroit, MI

KEY QUESTIONS: How does Holmes feel about Lions' depth at CB following NFL Draft?

Published

8 months ago

April 27, 2024

KEY QUESTIONS: How does Holmes feel about Lions' depth at CB following NFL Draft?

GM Brad Holmes put a bow on the 2024 NFL Draft after the Lions made four selections on Saturday to give them a three-day haul of six picks total. The work for Holmes and the Lions certainly isn’t over as they hit the phones after the draft to try and sign undrafted players to the roster.

Holmes addressed the media Saturday and started by acknowledging the amazing job the city did hosting the draft and the record-breaking attendance it saw.

He then addressed all the key questions from the media, as follows:

How did the Lions come across Giovanni Manu out of the University of British Columbia and what do they like about his potential?

Holmes traded a third-round pick next season to get Manu. He credited Senior Personnel Director John Dorsey with getting the train rolling on that evaluation.

“He kind of got wind of – he had a really good workout and he kind of got on the workout circuit, and really starting back with (Lions Scout, Auxiliary) Ademi Smith who scouted him and then Dorsey finds out about the workout, and Dorsey and (Lions Assistant General Manager) Ray (Agnew) talk and Ray comes to me and he’s telling me like, ‘Man, I think you’ve probably got to take a look at Giovanni here,’” Holmes said.

Holmes watched the tape and loved the physical traits at 6-foot-7, 351 pounds but with athletic traits that would have put him in the 90 percentile among tackles at the Combine.

“We just kind of got enamored with the upside and then when we reached out to his agent and tried to get him in for a visit because he wasn’t at the Combine, we could hardly get on the dance card,” he said.

“The whole dance card was filled up. So, he came in on a Sunday, like a Sunday afternoon and that was like visit number nine. He came in and he did a great job and sat with the coaches, and we felt really good about him. We talked about Brodric Martin last year. This is more of a down-the-road future deal, but the upside is enormous.”

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Detroit, MI

New Coach, Same Outcome for Red Wings

Published

2 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

The Detroit Red Wings announced the inevitable with the firing of head coach Derek Lalonde. The team showed life at the start of his tenure and even improved to 41 wins last season. But this year was a noticeable plateau under Lalonde, and Detroit made the only call they could.

In Lalonde’s place, the Red Wings hired Todd McLellan. The former San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings coach has over 15 years of NHL head coaching experience, and Detroit is hoping he can bring the team back to the postseason. It’s a gamble worth taking for the Red Wings organization, but the outcome won’t change as long as the roster construction remains the same.

McLellan is a good coach. He’s certainly an improvement over Lalonde, bringing more career wins and nine playoff appearances across three organizations, but he’s a band-aid. The wound in the Red Wings organization runs much deeper than who is behind the bench, and McLellan will be the next bench boss to fall victim to the lack of talent in Detroit

The Red Wings haven’t made the postseason since the 2015-2016 campaign. Long gone is the 30 year stretch where they were basically a perennial playoff team, capturing four Stanley Cups since 1996. The organization has been attempting to rebuild that dynasty for the last decade, with repeated failures along the way.

The current attempt to build the right core is another one of those missteps. They have good players. Captain Dylan Larkin will be a member of the United States roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off and is a talented point producer. Lucas Raymond continues to improve and become the team’s best offensive player. Alex DeBrincat has speed and scoring capabilities. Top defensemen Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson give them quality minutes every night.

Beyond them, though, the roster is so far from a playoff one, let alone a championship one. They lack depth across every position and they’ve consistently failed with their analysis of goaltenders. For several seasons now, the organization has been banking on their overflow of young prospects breaking through to the NHL, but it’s still a waiting game.

That won’t help McLellan take this middling team to the postseason. He has some weapons to work with and his arrival is sure to reinvigorate the Red Wings players. It ultimately won’t matter though. It won’t change the outcome this year or next year or even the year after until their NHL lineup improves drastically.

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Detroit, MI

Toledo vs Pitt bowl game in Detroit today: GameAbove Time, TV, channel, streaming info

Published

11 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

Toledo vs Pitt bowl game in Detroit today: GameAbove Time, TV, channel, streaming info

College football’s annual bowl game visit to Detroit has a new name. This year, the Pittsburgh Panthers (7-5) meet the Toledo Rockets (7-5) in the 2024 GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field, home to the Detroit Lions.

The Panthers lost five in a row in the ACC to close the regular season after beginning 7-0.

The Rockets were a MAC contender before losing their final two games of the regular season.

The GameAbove Bowl takes the name from what used to be the Quick Lane Bowl, won last year by Minnesota, 30-24, over Bowling Green.

Here’s the game info on Pitt vs. Toledo in the bowl game in Detroit:

Pittsburgh vs Toledo GameAbove Sports Bowl TV channel, start time

TV channel: ESPN.
Date: Thursday, Dec 26.
Start time: 2 p.m. ET.
Where: Ford Field, Detroit.
Streaming: ESPN+ or Fubo (free trial).

What are the bowl games today?

There are three bowl games today, Thursday, Dec. 26.

Pitt vs Toledo (GameAbove Sports Bowl): 2 p.m., ESPN
Rutgers vs Kansas State (Rate Sports Bowl): 5:30 p.m., ESPN
Arkansas State vs Bowling Green (68 Ventures Bowl): 9 p.m., ESPN

Watch today’s bowl games on Fubo (free trial)

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