Mike Payton talks about the slow start for the Detroit Lions in NFL free agency, and why everyone needs to calm down about it.
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00:00The Detroit Lions have not done a whole lot during free agency and you need to stop freaking out about it
00:08Let's talk about
00:13Hi Mike Payne from a disease sports Detroit and today we're gonna talk about why you gotta just calm down on the Lions free agency
00:19Stuff it's been a very slow process for the Lions. They've watched, you know Lions fans have watched the Bears and the Vikings
00:27Seemingly load up with a lot of kind of older players and and you know, the Bears did a really good job
00:34Redoing their offensive line and got a couple of players
00:37The Vikings got Jonathan Allen and you know
00:40And really that's gonna help them a lot and the Lions have done a few things for starters. They lost
00:47Carlton Davis to the New England Patriots to a huge
00:5160 million dollar deal. I don't think anybody, you know
00:54We knew that Carlton was gonna get paid, but it was probably more in that
00:5950 range he got 60 20 million a year ish, you know when you break it down, it's more like
01:0617-5 to 18, but it's still quite a bit a lot more than the Lions probably wanted to pay and then they turned around and
01:13kind of corner of
01:15Equal or maybe even greater value in DJ Reed
01:18For significantly less for 48 million dollars. That was a huge signing
01:23I mean, that's a big big deal and then to add on to that
01:27They they go out and they get a good nose tackle and Roy Lopez somebody who could potentially be a starter for this team
01:34Going forward at some point when the Lions move on from DJ reader whether that's this year
01:40If he's like a cap casualty, which I don't really think that's gonna happen
01:44Or next year when he's no longer under contract with the Lions and then Grant Stewart is a really good linebacker
01:52Special teams guy is
01:54Your replacement for Jalen Reeves may have been something they really need the lines care about special team is an awful lot
02:00He's also somebody who could come in and and help out on defense as well
02:04Like that's a great pickup for this team and they've done all this
02:09While maintaining some of their players like getting Levi on Zarique back. That was huge at a huge discount. I
02:16mean, I know
02:18That people
02:20look at the way that the Lions season ended against Washington commanders, and they think well, geez, you know this defense really bad and
02:29You know, it's interesting because at that same time a lot of people were saying well, you know
02:33They're this bad because of the injuries
02:36But then all of a sudden those that excuse went away and it became while the Lions defense was always bad
02:41I mean you personally sitting here watching me you might not feel that way, but I could tell you on Twitter
02:47I could tell you on Facebook. I could tell you a blue sky on threads, whatever
02:51Social media you want to talk about there is a large amount of people who feel as though the Lions defense was really bad
02:58And that's just not the case
03:00Going into week 11 even without Aiden Hutchinson. This was a top-five defense in DVO a this was one of the best defenses in
03:07the entire NFL
03:08Then in succession they lost Alex Anzalone. They lost a Lee McNeil. They lost Carlton Davis
03:14They lost a whole bunch of backup players
03:16they had to you know, you remember the day after Thanksgiving when they had to go and poach a bunch of guys off of
03:22Practice squads just to make things work and even through all of that
03:26The Lions were still the team that allowed the second fewest passing touchdowns in the NFL
03:32This is a good defense and and it will continue to be a good defense once everybody's healthy and everybody's on the field
03:39You know Mike Clay from ESPN a really good analytics guy brought up this week
03:43He put together his his grades and for each position on each team and how that
03:50Cumulatively worked and and how each team would rank both offensively and defensively
03:55the Lions
03:56Came in at fifth on defense and that was after the moves that had been made on the first two days
04:03I mean think about that
04:05That's with the moves that have been made by the Bears the Vikings
04:10Everybody and the Lions are still a top-five defense
04:14Ranked higher than the Bears and the Vikings and the Packers, obviously
04:19so
04:20the analytic world the sports world does just does not see the Lions defense like
04:26Turns out a lot of Lions fans do this is going to be a very good group
04:31Could they use somebody else on the edge? Yeah, I think you know
04:34That would be great to have somebody doesn't need to be a superstar
04:37Does it need to be a 30 million dollar a year guy?
04:40No as cool as that would be to have Trey Hendrickson or something like that here
04:45I think the Lions would be just fine with somebody like Aziz. Oh, you Laurie on two-year ten million dollar deal
04:51Guy that gets seven to ten sacks a year like that's that's great. That's all this team needs plus
04:57You draft a rookie you get a good edge rusher like a Shamar Stewart or an ex-scout in there
05:03You know any one of these guys James Pierce that are in the draft
05:07and you're good to go and that allows you to go ahead and
05:11Pay some of these guys who are gonna be getting contracts here pretty soon Kirby Joseph Aiden Hutchinson
05:17Jameer Gibbs Sam LaPorta Brian branch Jack Campbell all these guys
05:21The bill is coming due on them very soon. Jameson Williams totally forgot to put him in there
05:27So while you may be upset that the Lions are not going out there and spending money on names that you know
05:34They're still getting it done
05:36This is still a very good team
05:39Do not freak out
05:42We'll see you next time