00:00Thanks for being with us. It is the start of OTAs for the Detroit Lions and thus
00:06let's do a Lions Blitz thingy.
00:19Heads or tails Gator? Heads. It is a tail. I will defer.
00:28All right, here we go Gator. Question number one. Give me your way too early surprise cut candidate.
00:35I think it's Levi Onzerike. They just drafted several more defensive linemen. Levi hasn't given
00:41them anywhere close to what I think we all thought that he would at this point. He's only played in
00:4742 games since being drafted in the second round back in 2021 and he's had little impact as a run
00:54stuff or a pass rush or at least little consistent impact. He's on the roster currently I think due
01:00to a technicality which allows him to keep him for real cheap because of you know when the injuries
01:07have taken place in his career. So I think I think he's maybe a surprise cut candidate.
01:14There's a player on this roster I really want to be successful and I like him but I think the
01:18chances of him doing what needs to be done are slim and that is quarterback Teddy Bridgewater
01:23teams like the Lions need a veteran that can step in run the offense avoid catastrophic mistakes move
01:29the chains since 2022. He didn't throw a pass in 2023. He sat out 2024 coaching high school football
01:37and he threw 15 passes last year with Tampa. I think Luke Altmaier outplays him and I think
01:45they actually go out and try and get another veteran. I think the odds of Teddy Bridgewater being what
01:50they need him to be aren't high and so he's the only veteran quarterback on that roster there other
01:57than Altmaier. I go Teddy Bridgewater. Wow Doug. I think it's interesting. Yeah. Calling a shot. I like it.
02:02Yeah. It is way too early surprise. The guy I got may not be as surprised as some but I
02:06think he will be
02:07a surprised other because of the draft capital used to get him and that's tackle Giovanni Manu.
02:11I really wanted this work out. I think the guys you mentioned Levi and Teddy I think we all want
02:16those guys to work out but you know there's just not going to be enough room in the end.
02:19I love these type of stories too unfortunately you know draft develop you saw something else that no
02:24one else did but I think you got to know when to cut loose and right now the Lions are
02:28in a win now
02:28mode and last year showed that they don't have it all to win now and all guys available you miss
02:33the
02:33playoffs completely and they this team cannot miss the playoffs they want to do real damage get in
02:37the playoffs and win the whole damn thing. Homestead also it is a postseason postseason after the
02:42season presser said Manu's gonna have to beat someone out they're just not gonna hand him a
02:46position and I don't think he beats somebody out this year. All right going the other way give me
02:52your way too early surprise breakout candidate. Earlier in the show I talked about planting a flag
02:57so I'm gonna stick with it I don't waffle. I think Terry on Arnold overcomes all the stuff
03:03and has a good year. He needs to and a talented player that got him drafted in the first round
03:09so you know I'm gonna go down swinging I guess with my Terry on Arnold opinion when they drafted him
03:14I think he can start to live up to his potential this season and please go better in my Tiger
03:19bullpen
03:20prediction. I'm gonna say Christian Mahogany the left guard now maybe this is more of what I want
03:25than what I expect but with Mahogany now he's gonna be playing behind or in between I should
03:30say the best left tackle arguably in the National Football League. I have full confidence Penny Sewell
03:35is gonna make that switch and not have any issues because it's what he knew in college and why they
03:39drafted him in the first place and and he's also gonna be playing between Kate Mays as well who's an
03:45upgrade at center. He's got to improve he's got to be better and I think if he's healthy that's exactly
03:51what I expect. I mean it gives him a real solid head start and doing well and just imagine how
03:55good that running game will be if the entire left side of the line is stellar. I've got linebacker
04:03Eric Hunter from Morgan State. You know Doug I've been talking about him since the draft. He's long
04:08rangy versatile athletic little undersizes in weight but actually he can put on some muscle add some weight
04:14to be an NFL type body. I think he'd actually contribute to the team right now. I think he'll make
04:19the team
04:19because of his special teams but as far as making on the field with the base defense I think he'd
04:24cover tight ends. He's a good blitzing linebacker on passing downs. I could see him being like a
04:29Derek Barnes replacement or if Derek Barnes gets hurt knocking wood hopefully he doesn't but someone to
04:34you know you need someone behind that guy. You know you saw the injuries the last couple years
04:37guys. They don't have someone behind the guy. I think Eric Hunter could be really surprised
04:40you know at really surprised linebacker on that defense. It might help out more than ways than we
04:45think. All right. Who would you rather see win most of the very early rookie battles between
04:52the rookies Blake Miller and Derek Moore?
04:57They're going to be going up against each other. Yeah they are but I'm not going to glean too much
05:02off of because not pads but I'll say Blake Miller. I mean he's the first round guy. He's supposed to
05:08be
05:08the safe pick and he's going to have I think they both have tough competition there to get those
05:15starting jobs but because he's the first round pick I want him to show up better so that he's better
05:23than the alternative which would be Larry Boer. I've got other feelings on Derek Moore for perhaps
05:29later but for right now I'm going to say Blake Miller is the guy I want him. Yeah they need
05:34that group
05:35up front to be cohesive and as good as they can possibly be and it goes back to a philosophy
05:40that I switched about four years ago that I think in the NFL it's more true that offense wins
05:45championships and defense wins championships and that doesn't mean you ignore the defense
05:50but if you're going to give me a high powered offense or a great defense I'm starting with a
05:54high powered offense and for the Detroit Lions that means being good up front so yeah those early
06:00early OTA non-padded uh one-on-ones I'll be on uh I'll be rooting for Blake Miller to win
06:07those
06:07battles I think they need him more. Yeah I think it's pretty obvious you want Blake Miller to win
06:11most of these battles because the old line is that important to the Lions it's the most important
06:15thing to the Lions success. Love it or hate it this is an offensive team first and if the offense
06:19is
06:20really good and as good as we think they can be guys that will help the defense out a lot
06:23more as
06:24well. Moore's going to be part of a rotation I mean they got one of them one of them probably
06:27start the
06:28year to be honest with you but Miller needs to be that guy from day one there's no rotation spot
06:32at
06:32the tackle you got to be that guy so Blake Miller more important. All right a lot of injuries last
06:40year like I spoke of who in the secondary though needs to prove their health early on DJ Reed,
06:45Terry and Arnold, Enis Rakestraw, or Kirby Joseph? You know if Kirby Joseph is healthy it's a game changer
06:55it just feels like a long shot at this point I don't know if it makes sense to root for
07:01him if I
07:02were to pick one of those guys to hit the ground and be healthy I would go with Joseph. I
07:09go back
07:09to Terry and Arnold though which was my pick as a breakout player a kid is talented he's gotten in
07:16his own way on some occasions here and but I'm hoping for that typical think about early 20s Doug that
07:23I
07:23mature 21 22 23 I did and and probably was more professional as I went through my 20s and I
07:30could
07:30see that happening with Terry and Arnold but there's no question to get a all pro safety back and healthy
07:37would be a big deal. I think answers Kirby Joseph they desperately need to have somebody healthy in the
07:42back end he's a pro bowl safety he's such an instinctive ball hawk I mean this guy flips the field
07:50so quickly at times and he ruins great days for quarterback in a blink I but everything else you
07:56said is spot on because I don't have confidence he's going to be healthy but that also adds to why
08:02I
08:02think need to know that he is because if it is if he is healthy and can play 15 games
08:0716 17 games he plays
08:08the whole season my god I'm feeling great about the secondary because they need to have one of the
08:13anchors back there and I just don't I think he's the guy who has a chance to see the field
08:17from day one as
08:18opposed to Brian Branch. So it's obviously important for any of these guys to be healthy you know I mean
08:22they dealt with so many injuries the last few years but if you had to pick one in my opinion
08:26I think it's DJ Reed guys DJ Reed is the number one corner on this team number one corners in
08:31the
08:31league are very hard to find he needs to be the guy week in and week out that takes on
08:35the number
08:35one receiver from the other team that's very very important. Terry and Arnold, Rakestraw,
08:41Rocky Elson actually filled well it filled in pretty well for those guys last year and they've been
08:45also they've done a pretty good job of finding that second you know dairy cornerback that nickel
08:50cornerback just to keep them afloat. Kirby Joseph would be huge of course but it's actually more of
08:54in my opinion a luxury type position you can kind of hide the safety a little bit now don't get
08:58me
08:58wrong you want a good safety and when Kirby Joseph is healthy he's an all pro safety but if I
09:02had to
09:02pick between the secondary DJ Reed number one corner. All right in your opinion what's going to be the
09:11biggest storyline heading into OTAs? I'm keeping my eye on the sophomore class
09:19Tyleek Williams will he live up to the first round billing Tate Ratledge big step forward
09:25Isaac Tesla who showed great promise does it give the Lions three really good wide receiver options
09:30the assassin on the edge Miles Frazier in the line like that group has a year of seasoning now and
09:37I
09:37think they're more likely to impact the coming year than the rookies are given that year of seasoning
09:43time to see that sophomore class that's my my storyline take a big step forward. I think for me
09:49it's it's the new offense uh it's it's Drew Petsing you know what's he going to come up with that's
09:55going
09:55to take advantage of all the tools that he has to work with all these great offensive weapons how does
10:00he do it how is it going to look different than past teams that we've seen and and whom is
10:05he going to
10:06unlock all of a sudden oh my god this guy look at the big leap he made from one year
10:11to the next
10:12are we going to see a more aggressive team or we're going to see a more control team is it
10:15all
10:15going to be about the running game and and use it utilizing tight ends I don't know but I'm curious
10:19to see what this offense is going to be I think that's a big storyline yeah I think so too
10:24Gator
10:24I got Drew Petsing and that that storyline he needs to be the guy I mean they said all the
10:30same
10:30stuff about Morton I felt like so talk is cheap at this point you know we're going to hear the
10:33other
10:33gelling the players really like him yeah that's cool but in the end I don't want Dan Campbell
10:38calling out calling one offensive play this entire year unless Petsing's like out sick or something
10:43Petsing needs to be the guy this offense I told you I said it before this team is an offensive
10:48team
10:48and he's going to be ahead of that offense with all these tools they have to produce
10:57all right last one guys who's the player that you personally are keeping an eye on the most as we
11:01start OTAs well I'm all about the rookies and I think Derek Moore specifically is the guy that I'm
11:07really looking forward to I want to hear that he's a terror off the edge I want to hear that
11:12he's mean
11:12and almost out of control that the coaches are smiling because they they know he's a better option
11:18for this team moving forward than Elkadeem Muhammad Derek Moore is the guy that I think you look
11:23they traded up to get him in the second round they feel very strongly about him okay I want to
11:29see it
11:29because I think I saw some of that at Michigan let's see it translate and and explode here the
11:34National Football League this is tough because I'm basically watching a position group of veterans
11:39guys who they've kind of had to bring in and that's a safety spot Christian Izzy and an interesting young
11:45player uh who started 15 games in three years Chuck Clark decreased role in Baltimore and Pittsburgh
11:51those are the safeties the free agent quarterback Roger McCreary who's been uh had a decreased role in
11:57Tennessee and the LA Rams there is a likelihood that these guys are going to play and play early
12:02so I guess I circle back to the safeties and if I'm going to focus in on one I think
12:06Izzy and has
12:07the most upside so that's a player I would love to hear looks great in OTAs and training camp after
12:13that because I think they're going to be counting on him so the guy I'm personally keeping an eye on
12:17is
12:17Isaac Tesla all right boy boy let's see why they traded up for you right let's see why you you
12:22were so
12:22sought after I mean when they lost uh Tim Patrick they lost that that big frame wide catch radius
12:28receiver if Sam Laporta is slowed down at all I like to see them use Tesla's big frame more
12:33not just as a red zone target because obviously he can catch touchdowns but the real key is keeping
12:38drives alive third down catches that extend the drives that keep these things going keep the defense
12:43off the field all that draft capital they use for him I think sometimes it takes a rookie a year
12:48or
12:48two this is year two for Tesla I think he can do some damage so I'm going to keep an
12:51eye on him
12:51during the OTAs there you go that concludes a Detroit Lion OTA Y9 Omaha four down around the
13:00league blitz thingy 248-539-9797 love to hear your comments and if you have answers to any of those
13:08questions we just had we will get to your calls and texts 1102 what's being said around Major League
13:13Baseball about the availability of Tarek Skubal you'll hear it here on Carson Anderson on 97.1
13:19you've got
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