Brad Holmes, general manager of the Detroit Lions, said he believes quarterback Matthew Stafford is a “good player” who has many intangible qualities that he would like to see in all of his players.
Holmes, however, made no definitive statement about the future of Stafford, who has two years left. The owner, Sheila Ford Hamp, said it was Holmes and their yet to be named head coach.
“What you really appreciate is that the talent was easy to see, but you really appreciate how his intangible things appear on film,” the 41-year-old Holmes said of Stafford. “How urgent he plays, how competitive he is, the toughness he shows. But it’s my job to evaluate the whole roster, and through the process I had no conversations with Matt or any players.
“So you know, I just want to be fair in the process of making sure we evaluate it thoroughly, but of course Matt, very good footballer.”
A large part of Holmes’ first news conference on Tuesday focused on how he wants to “recharge” a Lions roster that has finished last in the NFC North for the past three seasons. Everything he tries to bring in will be part of a larger process he envisions, something he saw working well with the Rams during his nearly two decades when he built himself from an international liaison officer to the director of the college research under Les Snead.
Holmes said the first thing he wants to do is meet the entire roster and move on after the team hires a new head coach. New Orleans Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell is expected to fill the position, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Team president Rod Wood said a collaboration between Holmes and the new head coach would have to say over the 53-man roster decisions. Holmes, the new head coach and vice president of football administration Mike Disner, who will add responsibilities within the organization, will all report to Wood and Hamp.
As they searched for the head coach and general manager at the same time, Hamp said they asked GM candidates who they had in mind as head coaches. And they would ask similar questions to coaching candidates about general managers. Hamp often said that the lists had common names.
Hamp did say that Holmes spoke to some of their remaining candidates after he was appointed.
It was during the interviews that Holmes ‘blew the competition away’, Wood said. Hamp said she believes, especially in terms of analysis and technology, what Holmes will bring “is definitely different from what we did here.”
Holmes did not want to dig into details, but this is all the beginning of what Holmes describes as his process.
“I would say let’s all rely on the process that is going to take place,” Holmes said. “It’s going to be a very healthy process. It’s going to be a very thorough and diligent process, and we’re going to hand over the results to the process, as I said earlier. ‘ and my intuition tries to slow down to the end.
“So if we keep the process healthy and then make the right intuitive decisions, I’ll believe the Lions’ fan base will be very, very happy with the results they see.”
Holmes does not see his process as a massive rebuild. He said he plans to appoint a competitive team in 2021, acknowledging that there are areas, specifically defensive, where the Lions are ‘definitely going to recharge’, but he did not offer details.
But he did say he sees building blocks in a defense that allowed the most points and yards in franchise history last season under head coach Matt Patricia and defense coordinator Cory Undlin.
Detroit has cornerback Jeff Okudah, last year’s overall 3rd pick, as well as cornerback Amani Oruwariye, safety Tracy Walker, defensive finisher Trey Flowers and linebacker Jamie Collins as beginners who are expected to return next season.
“The ultimate goal is to make sure that the most competitive team is on the field, and it starts now, this year, entering the 2021 season,” Holmes said. ‘So it’s a long term not to see it [project]I do not know how long it will take. This is not the approach.
“That is not the mindset that is being pursued. The approach is to make sure that in 2021 we can put the most competitive team possible on the field.”