Brad Holmes didn’t put cart before horse in Lions rebuild

Trust the process and don’t reach for players

Rome wasn’t built in a day and the old mentality of this franchise to put the cart before the horse as a quick fix wasn’t about to work.

That didn’t mean selecting a quarterback with the number seven overall pick would have been the wrong choice, but selecting a quarterback just for the sake of selecting one certainly doesn’t mean that success will follow.

Let’s talk about how often blue-chip quarterbacks become a bust. Even with a draft class of quarterbacks like this one that was considered to be very talented at the top, stats still say that maybe two of the top four will have success.

Brad Holmes admitted that if the right quarterback had been available they would have selected him. The fact that he didn’t take a flyer on one he wasn’t sold on is in the best interest of the franchise.

There was no magic draft formula that would turn the Lions into contenders this season. With that in mind, becoming stronger in the trenches is absolutely a great foundation for this franchise. If the Lions nab a quarterback next season in the draft that they believe in, then that lucky passer will be that much further ahead of what Stafford had to deal with.

Consider this; if next offseason the Lions are able to add their quarterback of the future, a talented receiver, a gifted safety, and an impact linebacker, then by the time that passer is able to get on the field after learning behind Jared Goff for at least half a season, if not the whole campaign, he would probably be surrounded by one of the most talented teams this franchise has fielded since 1957.

And if one or two of those pieces don’t get added until the next offseason, then Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell will still have set up that quarterback of the future for success.

Listen, I get it, the Lions have been losing forever it seems, but without building a team that can contend instead of just saying ‘let’s just take any quarterback and receiver we can get and hope they become the next Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson’, then the misery will only continue.

Especially considering that the real Stafford and Johnson, despite all their talent, were unable to carry all the substandard teams they played on to postseason glory.

For once I will say that we need to trust the process. Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell have a vision that matches what championship teams through the years have done, and it does not include putting the cart before the horse.