Los Lions

Okay, one game down, three to go. Before I get to the Stafford-Goff duel this Sunday, let’s go over the win against the Cowgirls of Dallas. First of all, even though CeeDee Lamb went down in the third quarter, I think we did a decent job of slowing down Dallas’ red hot offense. At least a lot better than what I was expecting. The win was great for morale, and the showing on offense was superb as well. Amon-Ra St. Brown, despite his lingering injury, played on Thursday, and showed up with six catches for 92 yards, which may not seem like a lot, but given the circumstances, I’m incredibly proud of the Sun God. Goff looked back as well, throwing for 309 yards on 73% passing with a touchdown. The pass rush looked so much better, with Muhammad and Hutch actually pressuring the quarterback and getting a few sacks.  This was such a much needed win for us, and can’t be overstated how much it mattered for the emotional state of the Lions. 

Now for the bad. Branch went down with an achilles injury and is out for the season. I know I keep saying how Kerby will be back, but it’s actually looking like the opposite now. He’s going to be sidelined for a little longer, which is devastating for the defense, which is already struggling enough. It doesn’t help that we’re going up against Stafford and the Rams of Los Angeles, the 4th best offense in the NFL. Dallas was number 3, but has a significantly worse defense than LA. The Rams’ defense ranks third in the league. This certainly isn’t an ideal matchup. We’re beat up, they’re the super bowl favorites. We are down our two starting safeties, they have the best wide receiver duo in the league. I’m never not going to have faith in Dan and the boys to win any given game, but this one is going to be a dogfight.

We did sign veteran safety Damontae Kazee to the practice squad, an extremely hard hitting and experienced weapon, so that’s the first bit of hope I’m going to give you. The second is this: just like with Dallas, we’ve owned Stafford as of late. But whenever Sean McVay is involved in the equation, things get dicey. The Rams lost to the Panthers of Carolina just two weeks ago, the first instance in which the heel of Achillies was shown to the world. I think we’re a better team than the Panthers. So given the transitive property that I learned in sophomore year geometry, we have a fighting chance. When Stafford makes mistakes, you have to capitalize. He turned the ball over multiple times to Carolina, whose defense isn;t that great. The Panthers pounded the ball on the ground, something we are very good at, and got a few key 4th down conversions, something that we are okay at. 

Take advantage of their mistakes, and don’t take your foot off the gas. This isn’t David vs Goliath. The Rams are good, but they have their weaknesses. One game at a time.

If we win this, it’s going to be a very close one. Lions by a point (or two).

Motor City Kitties

So things have changed slightly with the Skubal situation. I say slightly but really it couldn’t be more significant. The ‘rumors’ are that the deal is in place to send Skubal to the Dodgers of Los Angeles for a hefty package of prospects. Let me preface this by saying that I don’t know who this David Pingalore guy is that broke the news from winter meetings, and I don’t really believe him. I am on the train that doesn’t want Skubs gone just yet. We had the best record in baseball for a good portion of last year, and got most players back and are bridging up a few that should break onto the scene. I want to wait until the trade deadline to see where we are, even though his value is going to diminish a bit by then. But best case scenario, he’s on track to win 3 straight Cy Young’s, and we have the best record in baseball. I know a lot of people don’t agree with me, but, again, we were number 1 last year. We clearly have the minerals. And Skubal is at the center of it.

I don’t want to trade him. But if we did trade him, I’d want it to be anywhere besides the Dodgers. Giving him to LA would break baseball. For a team that just went back to back, just signed Edwin Diaz, a top five closer, and acquired Tarik would be unbeatable. We’re talking about a potential rotation of Skubal, Yamamoto, Ohtani, and Snell. Those are four hall of fame players. Might be the greatest rotation since the 2012 Tigers. Don’t get me started on them. I’ll start crying. 

But let’s say this Dodgers news isn’t from a random LA reporter who got bored and decided to post a clickbait tweet for attention that he doesn’t get from the media (I’m a little mad at this guy if you couldn’t tell). If the Dodgers were to trade for Skubal, what would the price entail? Well, for one, I’d love to see Tyler Glasnow involved. Glasnow pitched 18 games for the Dodgers last year with a 3.19 ERA. He’s 31, and is nails when he’s healthy. The only problem is that he’s never healthy. Glasnow has started over 20 games twice in his career. He’s 31. The times he did start over 20 games, he was at his best and named to an all star team. He obviously would never fully replace Skubs, but would ease the gap in the rotation that Tarik’s absence creates. 

I would also love to see one of the top two prospects for LA, those being Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope. Both are left handed batters in double A who can play the outfield. Pretty much the same player, but I would prefer De Paula just because his stats are just slightly better than Hope’s. One of these two would definitely be included in the deal.

Jackson Ferris is ranked as LA’s sixth best prospect, and their best pitching. Asking for him would be greedy, but I would love to see him next to Melton and Jobe in a few years. That whole package, Glasnow, De Paula/Hope, and Ferris, would be a ton to ask for, but hey, it’s Tarik Skubal. We’re not giving him up for nothing.

In an ideal world for me, Skubal makes it through the offseason. But sadly, Ebeneezer Illitch isn’t looking to make that happen. Boycott Little Caesars.

The ‘Stons

We’re not going to trade for Anthony Davis. That’s a good thing for those wondering. I don’t want AD for multiple reasons. A. He’s never healthy. B. We don’t need him. C. Nobody is beating the Thunder. We’re great right now. Hell, we might run through the east this year if things stay this great. But we’re still a few years away from being really great. 

Trajan has developed what might be the best young core in the east. But what happens next is absolutely crucial for him to stay well liked in the Motor City. I’m not saying Yzerman is a bad GM, but he’s definitely made his mistakes. His thought process is always on young players. Always. He’s never super willing to make a move that would put us above where we are. He just wants to keep developing young players. But there needs to be a time in every successful GM’s time when they recognize that they have the young core, and now need to build around it. Yzerman hasn’t really been doing that, and it’s time for Trajan to start. 

In the current NBA trade market, the only really ‘untouchables’ for the Pistons in my opinion are Cade, Duren, and Ausar. AD is the exact type of player we don’t need. We are top three in paint defense currently. We’re number one in paint offense. We do not need a 7 footer down low. We clearly have that down. 

What we do need are shooters. Bottom three in three pointers. Cade isn’t exactly the most efficient at it, and Duncan Robinson can only do so much. AD is definitely not a three point shooter. I’m pretty confident that Trajan can recognize this, I just don’t know why the media keeps linking us to AD. I’d rather be a balanced team that can do it all then a team that’s lights out down low but can’t make a three down the stretch.

If there’s one person I do want to trade for, it’s Trey Murphy III, from the New Orleans Pelicans. He reminds me a lot of Joe Dumars, a gritty 3 and D type player that would fit right in with the quad. Ironic that Dumars happens to be the GM of the Pelicans, who’s made some extremely questionable decisions over the past year in New Orleans. Trading for Murphy would cost a pretty penny, but since he’s only 25, I think he would do great things in Detroit, and he’s got time to develop. 

The Pistons are still atop the east, but the Knicks are right on our tail. 

Wings, Red

The primary issue with the Wings, as stated in last week’s D-Brief, is the goaltending. The only thing is, we have a goaltender who is lights out in Grand Rapids. Sebastian Cossa, the 23 year old Canadian, was selected 15th overall in the 2021 draft. Cossa has notched back-to-back-to-back 20 win seasons in the minors. This year he has a .911 save percentage, and 2.45 goals against average. Forget about trading for a goaltender, bring this man up. I know the competition in the NHL is a lot steeper than that of the AHL, but still. Even though Gibson shut out the Canucks this past Monday, it’s safe to say him and Talbot haven’t been great this year. And with Cossa in the midst of a hot streak, it wouldn’t be a terrible option to bring him up for a home stand or a few games in the future.

And what was the reason why everyone was so excited at the start of the season? The fact that we were doing so good. But it’s also because of the breakout rookies. Danielson, Finnie, Sandin-Pellikka and others were brought up and did pretty well to start the season. So it’s clear that Yzerman has no problem bringing up young players, all of these guys are at least 2 years younger than Cossa, if not more.

Cossa was brought up for a singular game last year, allowed two goals, and got the win. He didn’t start, but he still had pretty impressive stats for a 22 year old thrown into the middle of a professional hockey game. 

The other news that involves the Wings is the potential trade asset of Quinn Hughes. Hughes plays for the Canucks of Vancouver, who are sitting at the bottom of the Pacific Division. Hughes is a 26 year old defenseman who has been named to two all-star teams in his eight seasons in the NHL. He took home the Norris in the 2023-24 season, the NHL’s equivalent of defensive player of the year. He placed 3rd for it last year, and does not look to be slowing down whatsoever, aside from missing a few games to injury last year.

Not only is Vancouver willing to shop Hughes, but he’s been linked to the Wings in discussions. I can’t express how monumental this move would be for the Wings. Bringing in another elite defensive weapon would boost a team that currently ranks 27th in the league in goals against. Not to mention that he’s been racking up 60+ assists since the 2021-22 season. Hughes would bring a spark to a team that is looking more mediocre by the day, the only question is whether or not Yzerman will make the move.

Trading for Hughes would likely cost us a pick or two (which Stevie values oh so much), and at least two of our young centers. Some combination of Copp, Edvinsson, Kasper, and Danielson would likely be included in the deal. I would really, really hate to see Kasper go, but if that means it will bring in Hughes, I would certainly do it. With the Wings’ upcoming Canadian tour, don’t leave the country without Quinn.