Lions Mailbag: When Will GM Brad Holmes Talk, Rebounding From Bad Loss

Lone Wolves podcast addresses trade deadline concerns, second half of Lions season.

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions had a fairly quiet trade deadline, even though there were clear needs along the offensive line.

Instead of dealing for a proven player, general manager Brad Holmes and Detroit's front office opted to add several offensive linemen to the team's practice squad.

A mix of veteran linemen and developmental players are now tasked with aiding a battered offensive line unit that also lost left guard Christian Mahogany for the foreseeable future.

After the deadline, many supporters wondered if general manager Brad Holmes would address the media to provide additional insight into what moves could have been available, why deals did not end up being made and how he views the roster heading into the second half of the season.

Unfortunately, Holmes is not being made available to the media and declined an interview request to appear on the Lions OnSI Lone Wolves podcast.

Dan Campbell was asked what not making a trade does for the players in the locker room that he believes in that people have not really seen on the field yet.

“I go back to you know your own guys. You’ve been around them, you’ve seen them. You know the greatness behind them, you know their warts too. And we’ve all got them," said Campbell. "I don’t mean that physically, I mean I don’t know. I maybe have one - but my point is, you know some of the good, you know the strengths, you know some of the weaknesses, you know how they’re made, you know how they react under pressure."

Detroit's coaching staff and front office have been willing to play players that have proven they deserve playing time by earning it in practice.

"You know what they’re like every day in practice when they haven’t gotten an opportunity, but they want one. You see all these things and as long as they’re continuing to grow and get better and get better, then our trust goes up on those guys," said Campbell. "And it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be perfect, but yet, it gives you faith in those guys. And until further notice, they’d have to prove us wrong.

"They get an opportunity, then fine prove us wrong. If we do, we’ll move on to the next guy. But I just think that helps when you’re around these guys for a long enough time - training camp, here we’ve got these guys on vet squad," Campbell explained further. "I mean we’ve got some guys that have been here for a while now, so they’ve been trained a certain way, they understand what we want, what we’re looking for, how to play the game. And so, I think it gives them confidence, yeah.”

The latest 'Lone Wolves' podcast examines how the Lions will rebound following a tough loss to the Vikings, answering questions about the offensive line woes, will John Morton make the adjustments needed and why Holmes not addressing the media was a rare mistake by one of the league's top general managers.

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