For the Detroit Lions, change is good and necessary
By Robert Jones
Change is long overdue for the Lions
The second reason that the Jamie Collins trade is big news is that it means rookie Derrick Barnes will be on the field.
In what limited time Barnes played in the preseason after bouncing back from injury he was all over the field making tackles from sideline to sideline. He also gathered a sack on the pass rush and played very well dropping into coverage.
Make no mistake about it, Barnes should absolutely be playing.
Will it be a perfect transition? Probably not since opposing coaches will make Barnes a part of their game plan to try to exploit his inexperience. However, I expect there will be more ups than downs and in a season that isn’t going to end in a playoff berth anyway, this is a great time for Barnes to dive right in.
This won’t erase the youth at cornerback or inconsistent play from the safeties, but it should make the front seven a little stronger. It should also make the run defense a little better.
What is being done is nothing more than getting rid of a player who hasn’t worked out and plugging in a player the team drafted and believes can have a productive future.
Ultimately, as far as the NFL goes this is considered small news. Yet it continues to plainly show the fans that Holmes and Campbell are not interested in wasting time and are willing to make changes when change is necessary.
The way the Lions held onto players for decades and just retooled around them getting nowhere in the process had to change. How this new regime is handling business is refreshingly different and considering this franchise’s history for the last six decades, it is also long overdue.
No one knows for a certainty if Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell with bring a Super Bowl championship or two back to the Motor City, but their insistence to change how the Detroit Lions go about their business is good and definitely necessary.
