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Will Burchfield's previews the weekend's huge game between the Lions and Packers.
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00:00Doug Harf, Scott Anderson, 97.1 every Friday.
00:03We have a chance to catch up with the Burchey Kid from Allen Park on the ground,
00:08boots on the ground, news conference, Dan Campbell today,
00:11and of course getting set for Green Bay.
00:13Burchey, what's up?
00:15What's going on, boys?
00:16Big division game on Sunday.
00:17Can't wait to get there.
00:19Yeah, as we've talked our way through this one,
00:22it feels like when the Packers have the football is when this game is really,
00:26the story of this game is really going to be told
00:28because you've got a team that takes as many deep shots as anybody in Green Bay
00:33versus a secondary that's questionable,
00:35but it's also a team that hasn't protected Jordan Love all that well
00:38against a pass rush that's been great.
00:40So what goes down on Sunday?
00:43Yeah, and you're adding in maybe the Lions' most valuable defensive players,
00:47certainly their most valuable defensive back in Brian Branch,
00:50and that introduces an entirely new dynamic for their defense.
00:53But I agree.
00:54I mean, the Packers lead the league in 40-plus yard passes,
00:56and I think they're second in 20-plus yard passes,
00:58and the Lions lead the league in allowing 20-plus yard passes.
01:01So on paper, you're like, well, I gulp.
01:05But, you know, they made some changes schematically last week
01:08that I do think would behoove them to continue this week
01:11just with playing more man coverage
01:13and letting DJ Reed and Ennis Rakestraw do what they do best as man cover corners.
01:18So we'll see if they stick with those changes.
01:20Again, I think they should, especially with Ennis.
01:22I think Ennis is a guy that maybe you match up with Matthew Golden on one side,
01:28let him handle that assignment, and then maybe you can give DJ Reed some bracket help
01:32like they did with Michael Wilson and even, at times, Trey McBride against the Cardinals.
01:36So I agree.
01:37It's going to be a fascinating matchup.
01:38Then the other piece of it, as you referenced, Doug,
01:40is this is an offensive line that even with some newer pieces
01:44and maybe even Kevin Zeitler on Sunday is pretty banged up,
01:47has been pretty vulnerable,
01:49and this should be a game where the Lions can win by rushing four pretty consistently up front,
01:53and that was the other key for them against the Cardinals,
01:56not just the changes schematically in the secondary,
01:58but they were able to dedicate more resources there
02:00because they won rushing four against a wounded offensive line for most of that game,
02:05and that has been the one singular strength of the defense so far
02:09is a pretty good front four pass rush.
02:11How encouraged should we be about the progress of Ennis Raikestraw
02:17and also with Keith Abney and him moving over to safety, I should say?
02:23I know it's the one game we saw against maybe not a great offense.
02:28It's a bad offense that Arizona has, but the defense stood out,
02:32and Raikestraw's been healthy now for a few weeks here.
02:35Are they encouraged by this?
02:38Yeah, so Keith Abney, to start with him,
02:40says that he studies every position and knows it well,
02:43but I do think, Gator, if they asked him to play center,
02:45he'd be like, I don't know about that, boy.
02:50I'm not so sure about that one.
02:53But hey, if he's assignment sound, he can handle the job.
02:56No, I think with Abney, just sticking with him for a second,
03:00that's intriguing because he did play mostly as a free safety against the Cardinals,
03:04and we know that Branch traditionally has been most effective as sort of a strong safety.
03:08I think he's at his best when he's near the line of scrimmage,
03:11and so maybe that's the duo we see most consistently on Sunday,
03:14Abney playing more of that deep role, Branch playing more of that box role,
03:19and then that might cut into Chuck Clark's playing time more than anyone.
03:23It was Abney who sort of bumped Clark into that box safety role,
03:26and now he got Branch coming back.
03:28So Abney said the duo of Branch and himself can be scary.
03:31It's a much different challenge this Sunday against Golden, Watson, and Love,
03:36than it was against really just Wilson and Jacoby Brissett.
03:39So maybe they lean a little bit more on Clark's veteran experience there.
03:43And then, yeah, with Ennis, man, you know, I mentioned him off the top for a reason.
03:47I think that he has a chance to possibly fill, and some fans might resist this,
03:53the Lions' most glaring need for a legitimate cornerback to play opposite DJ Reed.
03:58And, frankly, even DJ Reed has become a question mark himself.
04:02But, Gator, I heard you referencing that chart that's making the round on social media this week.
04:05You wrote about that.
04:07And I actually, yeah, I wrote about it, and I asked Ennis about it,
04:09because it does paint him as one of the most effective, stickiest pressman corners in the NFL this season.
04:16And he's up there in the company with guys like Sauce Gardner and Christian Gonzalez and Quinjon Mitchell.
04:22Granted, in much fewer snaps and targets so far than those guys.
04:25And he was like, look, I'm just doing my job, man.
04:27I'm being in phase with the receiver.
04:29And the next step for him, he said, is to start disrupting the ball and getting the ball off them.
04:33He wants the ball.
04:34He wants the takeaway.
04:35So I do think that he has been their stickiest corner all season.
04:39And it's no coincidence to me that his best game was in the game when the Lions played their most
04:44man coverage.
04:45As Ennis said, I was drafted here to play man.
04:48And when the Lions got back to doing that on Sunday, now that he's healthy,
04:51we saw some of those talents begin to shine.
04:54Do you think there's a real concern that going with Cade Mays over Juice Scruggs is a mistake?
05:01Because we have some fans that call up and express, why are they fixing something that isn't broke?
05:08Not at all do I think that.
05:10And I think this is actually a pretty simple calculation for the Lions.
05:13I think Dan, early in the week, was a little hesitant to strip Juice of that job publicly,
05:17given how well Juice had played, until Cade proved in practice that he was ready.
05:21Well, Cade, by all accounts, has done that so far.
05:24And look, the offseason plan was centered on Cade Mays.
05:28And the way the Lions see it and the way they've always seen it,
05:30their best offensive line features Cade Mays in the middle.
05:33And they want that unit operating at peak capacity in November, December, and January.
05:38And the sooner they can bring that vision to life, the better,
05:41even if it comes with a couple rocky moments early on.
05:44And I think two things here are important to note.
05:46One small picture, one big picture.
05:47Small picture-wise, with the Vikings and that Brian Flores defense coming in next week,
05:52you want to work out any possible kinks in communication or cadence before then.
05:58And then bigger picture, the Lions signed Cade Mays because he fits their prototype
06:02as a big-bodied center who can anchor in pass protection.
06:07And that is not Scruggs' strength.
06:08He's done some good things in the run game,
06:10but we saw some of his weaknesses and vulnerabilities in pass protection against the Bills
06:15and also against the Cardinals.
06:17That is Cade Mays' strength.
06:19And as Campbell told me this week and said again today,
06:21there's a reason why we signed Cade.
06:23And in other words, they didn't give him $25 million to wait his turn.
06:28The last couple games against the Packers,
06:31they were actually able to corral Jameer Gibbs over 40 touches
06:35and like 145 yards in total offense in those two games.
06:39How do the Lions ensure that we see the Jameer Gibbs that we're accustomed to?
06:45Yeah, I think you have some hope in this emerging offensive line.
06:48I don't think this offensive line was at its best in either game they played last year.
06:52The first game, it was all out of sorts on the road in Lambeau,
06:55and they were blowing assignments and miscommunicating.
06:58It felt like every other series.
07:01And then by the Thanksgiving game,
07:03the offensive line was beginning its descent into a weakness of this team.
07:08It was banged up.
07:09It was missing parts.
07:10Decker and Glasgow were really on the final legs of their careers
07:14and not playing the way they had previously.
07:17And I think that had a lot to do with the Packers shutting down Jameer Gibbs.
07:20You look at it now,
07:21and there's a reason why Dan Campbell said Monday
07:23that he feels better at 3-2 in the bye this year
07:26than 5-2 in the bye last year
07:28because the offensive line is on a pretty clear upward trajectory.
07:32And I think you can make the case that last year at this time,
07:34and the offensive line really had nowhere to go but down
07:37because of those deficiencies that I just talked about.
07:40This year, it feels like it really has nowhere to go but up,
07:43especially with Tate Ratlidge emerging,
07:45Mahogany finding himself now over the past three games,
07:49Blake Miller and Panay looking like a pretty sturdy bookend duo,
07:53and then Cade Mays, your marquee acquisition, stepping back in.
07:57So those things should help spark a bigger game for Gibbs on Sunday.
08:01Okay, this has nothing to do with the game,
08:03but as you sit there out at Allen Park,
08:06how much legitimate trade talk do you think is going on with this Lions team,
08:10and what is your sense of having been around everybody in the building,
08:16and is something going to go down here?
08:19Yeah, I still get the sense that they are hunting
08:22and will ultimately add a cornerback,
08:24a proven cornerback before the November 10th trade deadline.
08:28I think that was clear when they were very much in on Joey Porter Jr.,
08:33and I don't think their stance has changed since then,
08:35and the name that I keep coming up or keep coming back to is Zion McCollum,
08:40who's now on a one-and-five-buck team that,
08:42even with Baker Mayfield returning, feels like it's not going anywhere,
08:45and he is signed through next season at $19 million.
08:48He would give you some cost certainty.
08:50He's been their number one corner since, ironically,
08:54Carlton Davis was traded to Detroit in 2024 for the cost of a third-round pick.
08:59I think, in this case,
09:00the third-round pick for Zion McCollum would make a lot of sense for the Lions.
09:04Well, that'd be great.
09:04Well, hold on.
09:05Is that something you really think could go down?
09:07I think that would be loved here in Detroit.
09:10Loved.
09:11Yeah, no, I just think it's a name among the possible available cornerbacks
09:15that make the most sense because he would be more than a rental.
09:18You would have him through next year,
09:19and, again, the Buccaneers might be compelled to move him for the right place
09:23given their straights in the standings right now.
09:27Huge.
09:27We're starting to get some more smoke around the whole Kirby Joseph
09:30coming back to this team and going to give it a shot.
09:32Is this something we should get maybe a little excited about that,
09:37hey, Kirby Joseph, come back,
09:38or is this Kirby Joseph's going to come back to see if he can still have a career
09:42in the NFL, and really that might be about it?
09:46Yeah, Gator, I think the latter is closer to the truth than the former,
09:51and I really hate to be this guy, but when Dan said this week
09:55that he expects Kirby to play at some point this season,
09:58I really don't think that was news.
10:01I mean, Kirby was always going to try to play this season,
10:04and Dan's expectation is that at some point he'll be out there
10:08because you have to at least give it a go.
10:10There would be no reason not to.
10:12The biggest questions remain, A, when, and to me it's probably sometime in December
10:18when they can unleash him for some important games,
10:22maybe the most important games, and then B, how long does he last?
10:26And no one knows, but based on how he returned last year for one practice
10:32before the knee flared back up, it's hard to believe that he will last long.
10:36So, yes, I think we'll see him on the field this year.
10:40It doesn't mean that he'll have any impact on the defense if he can't stay on the field.
10:45All right, what time are you on TV this weekend?
10:48I shocked all the Porter questions, by the way, but we're on.
10:52Well, I mean, let me ask you, is there anything else to add?
10:55Dan shut it down today.
10:56Jack Campbell spoke, which when Jack Campbell speaks, people listen.
11:00Or at least Doug listened.
11:01Yeah.
11:02But anything to add to that story?
11:04No, I mean, I would encourage you guys, or listeners, to go read what I wrote.
11:08We did speak to Jack Campbell yesterday, a couple of us,
11:10and he tried to tamp down the notion that this is any sort of distraction.
11:14I do just want to say this, guys.
11:16Like, you know, Brad Holmes and the Lions have long maintained
11:19they intend to sign LaPorta and Brian Branch.
11:21And my read here is that they probably told LaPorta in the offseason
11:25they just want to see him healthy and productive after back surgery
11:28before committing to him long term.
11:29And if they were waiting for that confirmation that he's the same player
11:33since back surgery, LaPorta's likely wondering what more they need to see.
11:38I think that explains some of the sentiments that he expressed on the podcast,
11:42notably that he's getting his heartstrings twisted.
11:45And then across the way on Sunday, you're going to see Tucker Kraft.
11:48And Tucker Kraft signed for four years and $75 million this year,
11:52$18.75 a year.
11:54And LaPorta has played one fewer game than Tucker Kraft in his career
11:57and has 75 more catches, 620 more yards, and seven more touchdowns.
12:03And Kraft did get pretty light guarantees on that deal.
12:06Maybe that's the sticking point here.
12:08But again, with every healthy, productive game LaPorta plays,
12:11he gains more leverage in those talks.
12:13So if it's $20 million per year, it's either going to be here or elsewhere.
12:17Okay, appreciate the update.
12:19And now, when do we see you on TV?
12:22Oh, well, you're seeing me on TV on Sunday morning,
12:24and you'll see us live from the Detroit City Distillery
12:27where we're going to be doing our pregame show live in the morning.
12:30So check that out.
12:30That's a bad idea.
12:31I just got the notice that apparently we can't drink booze on the air.
12:35So I don't know if that's like a suggestion or an actual rule,
12:39but I do intend to find out.
12:40There are commercial breaks.
12:41Yeah, Wojo.
12:43There it is.
12:43There it is.
12:45Get Wojo down there.
12:46It's a problem.
12:48He'll be down there.
12:49And Hammer.
12:50Oh, good God.
12:51Oh, boy.
12:52Don't miss this show.
12:54Thanks, Birchie.
12:55All right, thanks, guys.
12:56See ya.
12:56All right, there he is, a Birchie kid,
12:57with the very latest Lions from Allen Park.
13:00Big game coming up on Sunday.
13:03It's Karshan Anderson here on 97.1.