Lions general manager Brad Holmes is building something special in Detroit and his team made a big statement on Thursday night with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs to begin the 2023 NFL season. Following the victory, the 44-year-old front office executive was beyond pumped. Understandably so!
Holmes, who was named GM in Detroit on Jan. 14, 2021, inherited an organization that had long been the laughing stock of the league. The Lions were abysmal for all of the 2000s, found some success in the early 2010s but never made it past the Wild Card round, and then won no more than six games from 2018-2021.
As soon as Holmes arrived in Michigan, things had to change. And they did!
His first move in his new role saw him trade Matthew Stafford to the Rams for Jared Goff and draft picks. The team has drafted extremely well in each of the last two years as the rebuild continues and it’s starting to pay off in terms of wins and losses.
Head coach Dan Campbell also deserves a lot of credit. He and Holmes are a dynamic duo.
Although a lot of the success can be attributed to the talent on the field and coaching, the culture shift cannot be understated. Detroit was a depressing team with no hope prior to Campbell and Holmes’ arrival. Now it plays with grit, energy and passion.
That attitude trickles down from the top and it was on full display on Thursday.
A small contingency of Lions fans chose to stick around at Arrowhead Stadium after the win. Holmes, extremely fired up on the sideline, went up and down the row of supporters to celebrate. It was electric!
It doesn’t get much cooler than that! Rarely, if ever, do front office personnel interact with fans. They never get as pumped up as Holmes did on Thursday.
If anyone was still sleeping on Detroit, they aren’t anymore. Holmes is