“Hello boys! I’m baaaaaack!”

Independence Day (1996) reference for all the cinephiles out there. But yeah, spring break + midterms gave way to a long break for the D-Brief. As Armageddon seems to be happening in the 313, I figured it was time for me to make my glorious return and educate the masses on the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in the greatest city in the world (if you don’t get that reference, there’s no hope).

Wings, Red

What isn’t going wrong in Hockeytown? Larkin’s hurt, Copp was hurt, we had 2 healthy centers, we’re losing games we should win, but despite all that, we’re still making our way through March with an almost .500 record. Which, given the past few years, is an improvement.

Things looked grim for a while. McClellan was saying how us traditionally losing in march is a myth made up by the media, and then proceeding to drop three games in a row, had me in the gutter emotionally. 

But with a standout win against the Canadiens of Montreal last night, we’re now tied for third in the Atlantic, with a tough as nails schedule ahead of us. Here’s why it’s not over yet.

I fully expected us to lose against Montreal. Larkin being out for a few weeks is monumental, and Montreal is just a really good team. But our guys gritted their teeth and got it done. We got Boston, Ottawa, and Buffalo, on the docket and we need to beat at least one of those teams. We might be able to beat Boston, who’s in a bit of a rough patch, and we should beat Ottawa, before going into the slaughterhouse that is the Buffalo Sabres this year.

Surprisingly, the Islanders are the biggest threat to overtake us in the wild card. One point behind us. 13 games left. It’s going to come down to the wire. With the rough three games that are coming up, we end March with the Flyers and Penguins, and we need to win both. April is a meh schedule, and with Larkin being re-evaluated this week, we can do this. We can make the playoffs. 

We need role players to step up, which they have, but this stretch requires the maximum amount of effort from everyone. And with our team being dragged through the mud for the last nine years, they recognize the importance of the situation. The demons will be put to rest.

Get it done.

Los Lions

So so so so much has happened with the Lions of Detroit. Monty is gone, Anzalone is gone, Amik is gone, Decker was cut, and so many more soldiers have departed the 313. The roster is worrying, I will not lie. We have so many holes. We have two edge rushers signed. But let’s focus on the positives first.

Isaiah Pacheco and Cade Mays are the two big names signed this offseason, both of which I’m relatively pleased with. Pacheco is… a fine running back. I wouldn’t call him good, but he’s a two time super bowl champion, with some experience as a #2. He just has a hard time getting more than five yards per carry. He was asked what his nickname was entering the year, and he responded with “Taz” referring to the famous Tazmanian Devil. Here’s the thing, Gibbs is known as “Sonic” because he’s fast. Both are fast. Pacheco is chaotic in the backfield, which is more of an insult than a compliment, but I’m sure he’ll be more than fine in our system. But nothing can replace Monty.

As for Anzalone, it pains me to see him go, but this is Campbell’s defense now. The best LB in the league with a healthy Rodriguez would be just fine on that end. But there are still a few holes to fill.

In order of least importance to most, the o-line, secondary, and defensive trenches are big ones. Let’s tackle each.

So while we do have younger players that will step up, Ratledge, Mahogany, Manu, ect, we still need a bit more to give Goff as much time as possible. The issue last year was the amount of injuries + older vets getting exposed. With Mays now added to this young core, this might be a year where the kinks get worked out on the o-line, compared to a few years ago when it was the best in the league. 

The secondary has always been an issue, and it’s evident in the fact that Amik Robertson, an okay cornerback that just left, hurts us. We need to either trade for some people, Paulson Adebo would be my #1, or take some dart throws in the draft. Otherwise it’s just going to be the same thing as last year where we get torched by these bigger, more physical receivers. I have a lot of confidence in Kelvin Sheppard to get things under control, but we need more bodies. Plain and simple.

The last one, more important than any other position for us (in my humble opinion), is the d-line. Yes, we have Hutch. But who else? Davenport? Gone. Reader? Gone. We have nobody. Again, the issue last year was that we didn’t have a certified number 2 rusher, which just caused teams to double Hutch and live with the consequences, which unfortunately worked a lot of the time. 

Now, there’s a lot of talk about Crosby. Maxx Crosby, a 5-time pro bowler for the Raiders of Las Vegas, was traded, but then sent back by the Ravens of Baltimore. He’s now cheaper than ever, but now more injury prone than ever, having a lingering knee issue that could delay his start. I’m not sure how to feel about that, given his large contract and previous locker room issues, but anything will do at this point. Just give us another person, either in the draft (the more likely option), or in trades. Anybody.

The last thing I want to touch on is the report from the controversial Mike Valenti. I’m not the biggest fan of Valenti, probably because my Dad isn’t the biggest fan of him either (shoutout Dad), but it’s reported that Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell are “disagreeing” on the roster this year.

This is the first time this has happened. I have had confidence in the two of them since day 1. They are the reason why the Lions aren’t the Lions of old anymore. They turned this around. And now it seems, we might be going in the opposite direction.

I don’t know who’s side to take, mainly because I don’t know who’s on which side, or if there’s any truth to it, but it’s clear that there needs to be some changes to the roster, one way or another.

The draft is approaching. More to come.

The ‘Stons

Losing streak, Cade’s injured, everything looks bad, but it’s not D-Day just yet for the Pistons.

So yes, Cade Cunningham, the best player on the Pistons and the best point guard in the league, has a collapsed lung. Now this is really bad for a number of reasons. Number 1: We can’t space the floor without Cade. This basically means because of his size and ability to drive to the rim, Cade creates a lot of open shots on the perimeter and around him, which leads to more buckets. We don’t have another player that can do this. The only one that comes close is Ausar, and while I do think he’ll step up, we’re going to be a bit of a different team offensively with him at the helm. 

Number 2: We don’t really know when he’s going to be back. While the team described it as “mild”, a mild collapsed lung is a bit of an oxymoron. His lung collapsed, guys. He’s going to be re-evaluated in 2 weeks, and with the playoffs right around the corner, that worries me quite a bit. We need him back for the playoffs. 

The good thing is that we’ve essentially clinched a top four seed in the east, which means a home series at least for the first round. Obviously we’d like the highest seed and easiest draw possible, but right now I’m just worried about the offense staying afloat. 

Depending on our first round matchup, we might not need him for all the games in the first series. However, I still need to see what the offense looks like without him before I make that statement with more confidence. 

Look, Batman always kept kryptonite in case something went wrong with Superman. I have every bit of confidence in JB Bickerstaff to figure this out. Healthy or not, Cade can’t play 48 minutes every night. We’ve dealt with it before, and we’re going to deal with it again.

Fingers crossed for that re-evaluation.

 Motor City Kitties

USA lost to Venezuela in the WBC, Aaron Judge was horrible in the clutch, Eugenio Suarez (of all people) scored the winning run, yada yada yada. We’ll be back in 2 years. Time for some Tigers talk.

So, there was this Roman guy in the late 200’s/early 100’s named Cato the Elder. Cato was a Roman consul and was extremely patriotic. Following the first and second Punic wars, both of which Rome fought Carthage, he hated Carthage. Every single speech he gave, and he gave a lot of speeches, he would end with “Carthage must be destroyed!” This eventually gave way to the third Punic war, where Carthage was destroyed. I am doing something similar with the Tigers. Only instead of ending with “Carthage must be destroyed,” I am ending with something different.

MCGONIGLE MUST START!

Kevin McGonigle, the #2 MLB prospect, is raking in spring training. He is by far the best hitter for the Tigers. Batting .257, with an on base percentage of .447, and an OPS of .990, he needs to start. I mean if he’s half the player he is right now in the majors, he would instantly bolster our offensive production, which is the main worry coming into this season.

The pitching is great. We know that. A top 5 rotation in the league, we’re going to do amazing on the defensive side of the ball. But with a lot of pending questions regarding Meadows, Greene, and Torkelson, the offensive side is a little lackluster. Kerry is amazing, Torres is one of the best 2nd baseman in baseball, but other than that, there’s a lot of concerns.

McGonigle, if he does make the opening day roster, would be at shortstop. The defense is the thing that’s the most concerning, but he’s turned it around quite a bit. I’m not saying he’s winning a golden glove anytime soon, but with a .933 feilding percentage, he’ll probably be fine. Plus, he’s just too good on offense that he’ll make up for any stupid errors he makes at shortstop.

So with opening day less than a week away, there’s still some kinks to be worked out, but I think we’re shaping up to have quite the season. We’re going to win the central, and we’re going to make the playoffs. Those are my predictions. I’m so ready for baseball to be back.

MCGONIGLE MUST START!