Lions In The Fight Of Their Lives This Saturday
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00:00But Gator?
00:01Doug?
00:02It's a huge day for some Lions.
00:05It is.
00:06Let's start with the wide receivers.
00:07Huge day for Isaiah Williams, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Caden Davis, and Dereese Fountain.
00:15It's one of those weird deals where, I mean, I can conclude Tom Kennedy in this group.
00:19I'm not sure that Tom Kennedy is going to break through and make the team out of camp
00:27again.
00:28I mean, he seems like he's a practice squad guy, he's an emergency break glass.
00:32When you need him, he'll be there.
00:37But who makes this team?
00:40Do they keep five wide receivers?
00:43Is Donovan Peoples-Jones a bigger wide receiver as Isaiah Williams?
00:46Not only do these guys have to win out the battle amongst each other, they're going to
00:51have to win out the battle amongst guys who become available on Tuesday.
00:54Right?
00:55I mean, there are 31 other teams that also are going to be cutting people.
01:01So if you're Donovan Peoples-Jones, Isaiah Williams, for any of those guys, you're like,
01:04not only do I have to beat these guys, I have to beat all the guys that are going to be
01:09released on Tuesday.
01:11And at least I know the system, I'm here, but if they evaluate somebody somewhere else
01:15better than me, and there's a list of candidates we're going to go through later that could
01:18get cut, then it could be a very short-lived time on the roster.
01:23It could be.
01:25When Dan Campbell said that he was desperate to see somebody come up and claim the prize
01:31of that extra receiver, I feel like he meant it for a group of people and not this guy.
01:39I don't think he meant that for Isaiah Williams.
01:41I think he was looking specifically for one of the bigger body types, and they're all
01:466'2".
01:47It's not like they're huge, right?
01:48Right.
01:49But one of those guys that's 6'2", 200 plus.
01:51I think that's what it was meant for.
01:52I think that was meant for Caden Davis, who's 6'1", I guess, but Dories Fountain at 6'2".
01:57I think it was meant for Donovan Peoples-Jones at 6'2".
02:01One of those guys, unfortunately, Traquan Smith also at 6'2", he broke his hand.
02:04So it's for those guys, and somebody step up, because none of you has when it comes
02:10to the preseason game.
02:11We've seen maybe in practice these guys have looked good.
02:14We haven't seen it, because we're only at two practices, but all the reports were Dories
02:19Fountain was really good.
02:20The DPJ for a very short time, a short stretch, had a really good short stretch of practices.
02:26But when it comes to the games, nobody has stepped up.
02:31Isaiah Williams has stepped up, and it looks like, okay, yeah, I didn't mean you, but good.
02:39It's awesome that he has stepped up.
02:40So I hope he makes the team, because he deserves it.
02:42You go by merit, he deserves it.
02:44So the other receiver spot, now you're looking specific for a body type, I think.
02:48I really do.
02:49Because I think Isaiah Williams has done everything to show that you shouldn't let
02:54him go.
02:55And I don't know if you can sneak him on the practice squad.
02:58But these other guys step up, but I really think that it's coming from outside the roster.
03:03I think they're going to pick up somebody from another team, or find another player.
03:08I think it's quite possible.
03:09Or even trade.
03:10Dave Burkett projected his 53-man roster, a Lions insider, a freep.
03:16And he's got Amin Ra, St. Brown, obviously, Jamison Williams, and Kalief Raymond making
03:22the team.
03:23Duh.
03:24I'm not duh-ing, Dave.
03:25I'm just saying, we all know that.
03:28But he also has Donovan Peoples-Jones and Isaiah Williams making it.
03:36Now, the good news is, if they love Caden Davis and Dereese Fountain, those guys might
03:43be able to get snuck through into the practice squad, right?
03:47Davis, I would imagine.
03:48Yeah.
03:49Dereese Fountain.
03:50I mean, I think both can be snuck on there.
03:51But I think there's different rules that apply.
03:53I mean, Fountain's a four-year player.
03:54Yeah, I think you can keep veterans now.
03:57I went and read the...
04:00It's just changed.
04:01It's just changed.
04:02And you can keep a veteran player.
04:05So it feels like it's a huge day for all those receivers.
04:08Is it a huge day for Brandon Joseph?
04:11Is Brandon Joseph going to make this roster?
04:13Does Brandon Joseph need to perform one more time to kind of be a guy that solidifies the
04:18spot?
04:19Well, it feels like Brandon Joseph...
04:20The battle is between Brandon Joseph and C.J. Moore, right?
04:24And C.J. Moore has the upper hand in that he's a special teams guy.
04:27He's been very good on special teams.
04:30But as an overall defender, I don't think there's any question, Brandon Joseph has been
04:35the better overall defender.
04:37So when it comes down to it, I mean, to me, I'd go Brandon Joseph, not just because he's
04:42my guy, but trying to be as objective as I can.
04:46This is a guy who's played well when the time comes when you're going against an offense
04:50and you need somebody on the back end of the defense.
04:53And I think he really has played well, and he deserves to be on this team.
04:55So here's the thing about it.
04:57Just like everything else, we have been privy to some of the information, but not all the
05:02information.
05:03Remember yesterday, when we were out of camp, we saw Hendon Hooker put the ball on the ground
05:07again.
05:08We were watching.
05:09He did it two other times in that practice on Wednesday.
05:14And he's got a ton of promise.
05:16I'm really excited about the future of Hendon Hooker.
05:19But when otherwise somebody that we accept as a really good coach, Dan Campbell, says
05:24something that we don't understand, like Nate Sudfeld has the leg up right now, in spite
05:28of what we've all seen on Sundays, and that is Sudfeld has struggled in the preseason
05:33games and Hendon Hooker's looked better.
05:36But I mean, what do they always say about quarterback play?
05:39You have to take care of the football.
05:42And again, the blame might not have been on Hendon Hooker when he ran into the fullback
05:46in practice and fumbled.
05:47It might not be on Hendon Hooker on the missed exchange with Zonovan Knight in the preseason
05:51game against Kansas City.
05:54But if you're building a case for why Dan Campbell would say it, not building a case
05:58for Sudfeld, but trying to understand why Dan Campbell would say something that many
06:01people out there and us, I mean, we were like, huh?
06:05The case would be built around taking care of the football.
06:08Brandon Joseph had a interception and a forced fumble in two preseason games.
06:14Part of the information that we are seeing screams Brandon Joseph should make this team.
06:20It feels like he would do himself a lot of good by having a good game.
06:23But in practice, if he keeps getting burnt deep and missing assignments, then that could
06:29be part of the evaluation as well.
06:31Sure, it could be.
06:32It doesn't sound like that's it.
06:33I think it just sounds like it's special teams versus, you know, just having a guy
06:37who's a potential quality backup safety.
06:43And does Brandon Joseph even have, does he have more potential?
06:46Does he have potential to be a starting safety someday?
06:50And I just, you know how I feel about the attrition with injuries in the secondary.
06:54I don't think you can have enough guys back there.
06:56So if it comes to it, I want the guy that can play, not that CJ Moore can't, but it
07:01sounds like, and it looks like Brandon Joseph is more adept at playing safety than CJ Moore
07:05is.
07:06I'd rather have the guy that can play that than the guy that's going to be, you know,
07:10your contributor on special teams.
07:11And he's a big contributor on special teams.
07:13Well, the 53 man projected roster from Dave Burkett of the Detroit Free Press.
07:19I made one change from my pre, this is, I'm quoting now.
07:22You want to do a Dave Burkett voice?
07:26Let it go.
07:27Maybe not.
07:29Could you, could you do a Dave Burkett voice?
07:31Not really.
07:32Yeah.
07:33I mean, it's, he's measured and says smart things.
07:37So if I.
07:38That's neither one of us.
07:39Yeah.
07:40Yeah.
07:41That's a great point.
07:42Here's what Dave wrote.
07:43I made one change from the pre-training camp roster prediction, giving Brandon Joseph the
07:46fourth safety spot over CJ Moore.
07:49Moore still has special team value, but Joseph is a more capable defensive player and the
07:53Lions have a solid core of coverage guys in Vaki, Reeves, Mabin, and Dorsey.
08:00So meaning kick coverage guys.
08:03So if it's a huge day for Brandon Joseph, it would do him some good.
08:07I guess it would do CJ Moore some good.
08:09Those guys go out and have good games.
08:11All right.
08:12Is it a huge day for James Mitchell and Shane Zylstra, the two tight ends?
08:18I think it is.
08:19I don't think they keep both of them.
08:20So one guy's got to step up over the other or show himself more.
08:26This is a tough one because I could see there's both guys have qualities you like.
08:32Zylstra might be a more polished receiver and yet, I don't know.
08:36I just like James Mitchell.
08:37Yeah.
08:38I feel like James Mitchell gives them more.
08:40There's more after the catch.
08:42I think he's more of a weapon is, is he, he's not as tall.
08:47I don't think as Zylstra is, but as I look at it, Zylstra, well, they're 6'4", and they're
08:52both 6'4", and they're both, well, Mitchell's a little bit bigger.
08:54So who's going to give you more in the running game?
08:58I don't know if it's a wash or not in the passing game.
09:01Zylstra might have the upper hand there, but to me, I just like James Mitchell better.
09:06Well, I always like James Mitchell, and you know, I've cited this stat a lot, but I know
09:10everybody doesn't listen to every second of every show.
09:13His Virginia Tech, his last two seasons of Virginia Tech, his numbers, and that was over
09:18two seasons, looked like Brock Bowers.
09:21The tight end out of Georgia, in terms of number of catches, it was twice as many games.
09:24But the part that I think is comparable was the yards per catch.
09:28James Mitchell was a big play wide receiver, but a big part of that third tight end is
09:32you have to be able to block.
09:35You have to be, because your third tight end comes in a lot in goal-to-goal situations.
09:39They don't come in where being an 18 yards per catch guy matters this much.
09:45I feel like if Zylstra's a better blocker, and that's an if, if he's a better blocker,
09:51Mitchell might be the better guy to have on the roster if one of your top two tight ends
09:56gets hurt, and he's going to play more when the ball's at the middle of the field.
10:01I mean, plus Shane Zylstra played under Hayden Fox over at Minnesota State, so.
10:07Yeah, that was a TV show.
10:09But he went to Minnesota State.
10:11Yeah, but that was a TV show.
10:13That wasn't.
10:14That wasn't a real thing, no.
10:15Huh.
10:16No.
10:16So he didn't.
10:17No, that wasn't a documentary.
10:19It was a comedy.
10:20He didn't play for Dauber?
10:21He did not play for Dauber.
10:22Or Luther Van Dam?
10:24All right, a couple other guys.
10:25Huge day four.
10:26We'll get to that coming up.
10:27Also, we got an update on Costa.
10:30Oh, already, huh?
10:31We got an update on Costa.
10:34We'll get to that update.
10:36He played the tables a little bit, finished the morning show.
10:42I told him to walk away.
10:43Gator said, no, go to the tables.
10:46He told us at the end of the morning show he was going to the tables.
10:49Because he was basically a little bit.
10:51Was he even, or was he slightly ahead?
10:52He was even.
10:53Yeah, right.
10:53He was even.
10:54And so he listened to you and decided to go to the tables.
10:58We'll tell you what happened today at 1038 on Carson Anderson, 97 won the ticket.
14:36It's our car, Scott Anderson, 97 won the ticket.
14:41Lions in action tomorrow.
14:43Got a college football question I want to get to.
14:44Michigan to Michigan State related.
14:47We'll do that today at 1102.
14:50Also got an update on Costa coming up.
14:53Tried to get him to walk away from the tables.
14:55Gator said, go for it.
14:56We'll tell you what happened when he went for it.
14:59In the meantime, we talked about a huge day for the receivers.
15:05Isaiah Williams, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Caden Davis, Dereese Fountain.
15:08Huge day potentially for Brandon Joseph, the safety, and CJ Moore.
15:12Huge day for James Mitchell and Shane Ziltra, the tight ends.
15:15Is it a huge day for Mitchell and Goudet, for Matthew Betts, for the Iwuku kid?
15:22I mean, how big a day is it for those guys that are battling for backup edge rusher spots?
15:32Well, that seems like it's a pretty big day for them.
15:35You're talking about that last edge rusher on the roster.
15:40Not just edge rusher, but defensive lineman.
15:45Even with Kaminsky out, you still have to account for whatever you want.
15:49Nine or 10 guys.
15:52I don't know if you go higher than that or not.
15:55I still feel like Houston is safe.
15:57Do they have room to add another?
15:59Do they have room for Iwuku or Goudet?
16:03The fact that we saw Goudet lead that team out onto the field for,
16:07was it the second half or was it for the second half of the scrimmage?
16:11I'm trying to figure out if that's something or nothing.
16:14I mean, that's sticking with me.
16:17And I think that that's a guy that they've liked.
16:19It feels like all offseason long.
16:21Back to minicamp time, we were hearing about a Goudet that,
16:24hey, this guy's showing up a little bit.
16:26And he's played well enough in training camp and in preseason.
16:31So, I don't know.
16:34If I'm looking at the numbers, can you add a Goudet?
16:36If you can, I would.
16:39But that means some of the roster spot has to be trimmed.
16:42So, I think Houston makes it.
16:44I think a Goudet makes it.
16:45So, according to Dave Burkett, Free Press, Houston makes it and a Goudet makes it.
16:52And they don't have a spot for Matthew Betts and Iwuku.
16:57So, I mean, look, it's...
16:59But those are two guys that might make it to a practice squad.
17:02Might make it to a practice squad.
17:03And I will tell you right now that if Betts doesn't land in the Lions practice squad,
17:08he'll be on somebody else's roster.
17:10It's quite possible.
17:11So, if the Lions are trying to hope to get him through,
17:14I'm not sure they're going to be able to.
17:15Because he has...
17:17He's flash.
17:18I don't know if he's been great, but he has flash.
17:20And the one sack that he had last week was,
17:23he just made a quick inside move and the right tackle had no chance.
17:26The right tackle was Kansas City's international player project guy.
17:31And so...
17:31Well, he's Canadian.
17:33No, he played in the Canadian League.
17:34Yeah, you're talking about a guy that each team has an international player that is...
17:42I don't want to say a gimmick, but it's...
17:44I mean, it's cool that the game's trying to expand
17:46and they're allowing people to have these roster spots taken up by Europeans, but...
17:50But it's more than one to play.
17:52He has flash in some other plays.
17:54And because he was so productive in the Canadian League last year with 18 sacks,
17:59I mean, that's hard to ignore too.
18:01I just...
18:02I don't think he makes the Lions roster, but I think he makes somebody else's.