Both general manager Brad Holmes and the front office of the Detroit Lions deserve a great deal of credit for their efforts in turning the team into a contender that appears to be here to stay.
To determine the top ten front offices in the league, The Athletic recently polled 40 NFL executives and coaches (subscription required). The Lions finished fifth in a tiered voting system, after the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, and Philadelphia Eagles. First-place votes were worth 10 points, second-place votes were worth seven, third-place votes were worth five, fourth-place votes were worth three, and fifth-place votes were for one.
The Lions appeared on 20 of the 40 ballots and scored 62 points, however they did not receive any votes in first place.
Kudos to Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell for structuring the Lions roster in their own style.
It’s obvious that Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have no regard for what outsiders think of the athletes they select, with Holmes especially defying “expert” opinion when it comes to draft selections. When discussing players that receive the right prompt to do so, Campbell frequently remarks that “he fits us.”
That alignment between the general manager and coach was noted and given in-kind credit by those who took part in The Athletic’s front office survey.
“Because Holmes and Campbell share a similar perspective, the general manager has been able to select players who will be successful for Campbell. They seem to have assembled a tough, generous, and gifted squad.”
“Detroit has done a great job of figuring out their style and getting guys who fit that in the draft and free agency” , a representative of the NFC stated.
An executive remarked, “Detroit has done a nice job building it in their own image, which is unique to everybody else.”
More specifically, the general manager who was given credit for the first quotation above mentioned something about Holmes.
“As one general manager stated it: “If you were to ask, who is the league’s top general manager at this very moment? He could be the culprit. I adore his attitude and what he stands for.
In complete agreement with Campbell, the Holmes-led front office has created the ideal roster for the Lions. Naturally, people in the league are noticing, and they will keep noticing.
