Analytics the last thing new Lions brass is worried about

Sticking to the old script

Scouting a player’s intangibles isn’t just about watching their hustle on film, either. It’s about the interviews and gauging their mental makeup, passion, character, poise, culture fit, grit, dedication, all the way down to his projected health and availability.

This is the hard part of player scouting, looking at numbers is quick and easy.

To put so much value on a couple of athletic testing scores, ala the NFL combine, is very myopic. Not only are they not the greatest indicator of success, humans just have bad days. To put so much weight in a single number value, even if accurate, is barely telling you the story.

To take that, spin it around and a step further. Just like a prospect can have a bad day, they can also fine-tune themselves athletically leading up to the draft for a chance to cash in on an NFL paycheck.

But do they have the borderline insane dedication to continue that for years to become that best football player possible over a couple of contracts?

Because not everyone does, and that’s what it takes to be great in the NFL. A 3-cone shuffle won’t tell you that.

I think most fans will see this approach as being behind the times. I see this as more as truth rearing its head in front of perception for a bit. Analytics is a very useful tool, but a tool to make sure you didn’t miss anything in the real scouting process is how it’s best served. And it sounds like the Lions’ new management is sticking to the old script.