The Detroit Lions have high expectations paired with a high profile schedule, and general manager Brad Holmes talked about it with SiriusXM.
The Detroit Lions have a lot of positive buzz around them, and a schedule which includes four prime time games shows the league is backing the idea they will be a good team this year. The Week 1 Thursday night opener against the Kansas City Chiefs will be a stern test to prove their meddle right out of the gate.
Head coach Dan Campbell offered his punch line for why the Lions drew that season opener against the Chiefs, and it’s fair to assume general manager Brad Holmes is of the same mind about the general idea of more spotlight and raised expectations.
Holmes was on SiriusXM’s “Movin’ The Chains” with Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan on Friday, talking about last month’s draft and naturally the 2023 schedule.
Brad Holmes embracing a schedule that raises expectations for the Detroit Lions
Here’s what Holmes had to say, via SI.com:
"We entered last season with really no primetime games on the slate,” “We were Sunday at 1 p.m. every week. And we said, ‘Okay, well, that’s who we are, and we’re going to do the best we can.’ And so now, when you have a little bit of success, again, we still got a lot of work to do to get into the postseason. But, I’m glad that it’s recognized. And, you start getting games like this. And, you can’t be scared of it. You can’t hide from it. You can’t be intimidated. It’s like, no, this is what we wanted. So, I think it’s going to be a great test. It’s very exciting. The opener, the kickoff (of 2023 season), primetime TV. And, I will say, I have no doubt that we’ll be ready.”"
Holmes also noted the Lions Week 9 bye being in a “really good sweet spot”, coming off a Monday night game in Week 8 and dividing the season in as equal a halves as there can be with 17 games.
Campbell and Holmes, not surprisingly, are setting an early public tone that the Lions will be ready for their moment(s) in the limelight this coming season.