Lions General Manager Brad Holmes was asked on his confidence level about the Lions winning their division. He was quick and solid in his answer…
“Very high," he said.
Holmes said he and Dan Campbell have taken their medicine over the last couple of years and explained how they coached in the Senior Bowl, appeared on Hard Knocks, he said that they’ve done all that.
"We’ve had to go through a lot of darkness to get to this point," said Holmes. "That’s where the grit comes in play in terms of not wavering, putting your head down, don’t get discouraged."
It’s a process three years in the making and Dan Campbell said he is pleased to see where they are at as they enter the 2023 season.
"You start with the end in mind and then you have to go back to reality," said Campbell. "But you have this vision of where you want to go, where you see it going, and what it’s going to take to get there."
It’s now time for the Lions to get there, to solidify all the hype and all the expectations that surround them.
"People expect a lot of us but we expect a lot of us," said quarterback Jared Goff.
"We feel even more confident that we can compete with the big dogs," said Holmes. "That’s what I love about the league. 'Oh yeah the Lions are gonna do this, gonna do that,' opening game, let’s see it," said Holmes.
Jared Goff said he is having a lot of fun with this new phase of the Detroit Lions and that being in the city filled with so much excitement is fun. However, he is the first to bring people back down to reality, admitting the responsibility that is at hand.
"It doesn’t mean anything if you don’t win," said Goff.
The Lions know the buzz around them is at an all time high. They don’t care. Holmes said expectations are earned and that the Lions aren’t scared of those expectations.
