It’s about time to remind people that the Detroit Lions still have a pretty stacked roster. But don’t take it from me, a biased Lions fan. Take it from former NFL Pro Bowl center Mitch Morse.
On Tuesday, “Good Morning Football” had an entire segment on whether the Lions have the parts to make a Super Bowl run. And while the entire panel—consisting of LaGarrette Blount, Manti Te’o, and Morse—were all very optimistic about the Lions, no one was more behind them than Morse.
“I am looking at his projected
starting offense and defense for the Detroit Lions, and it’s going to be hard-pressed for me to find another team in the NFL with a more complete team on paper,” Morse said. “They have the pieces: Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa. All of these guys.”
Morse also really liked Detroit’s defense, and had some really interesting insight into Alim McNeill, tapping into his days in the offensive line meeting rooms.
“They also have Alim McNeill, who is one of the most underrated d-tackles,” Morse said. “You get to work with him and Aidan Hutchinson? Listen, I’ve game-planned against these two. Alim McNeill gets the credit he deserves in the offensive line rooms and in protection rooms.”
Finally, Morse talks about the moves the Lions made on the offensive line. Pointing out how tough it was to lose Frank Ragnow at a critical point in the offseason last year, Morse likes how Detroit responded this offseason.
“Frank Ragnow is the exception and you lost him at a real pivotal time last year,” Morse said. “You bring in Cade Mays over from the Carolina Panthers. You bring in Blake Miller at the 17th overall pick. You bring in guys who have that mantra, that moxie that Dan Campbell loves in Detroit.”
You can watch the entire conversation below. But be warned: Manti Te’o is far more skeptical, particularly of the team’s defensive scheme.
- A couple of highlights from Tuesday’s practice—both of which were described in detail in our Lions minicamp observations article:
- Couple of good one-on-one interview from Detroit Football Network: one on veteran safety Chuck Clark, another on rookie UDFA Erick Hunter.
- Epic answer from Dan Campbell during Tuesday’s press conference:
- An update on Frank Ragnow’s charity event from last Friday: They were able to raise over $100,000 for the Rags Remembered Foundation, just in time for Father’s Day. You can read our coverage of the event, including Ragnow’s comments on retirement here.
- Detroit Free Press photographer Junfu Han is a great follow on Instagram. Here are his photos from Tuesday’s minicamp practice:
