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As tampering opens Monday, I’m honestly perplexed by the amount of hate Brad Holmes gets for one down year.
I’m constantly told the gold standard of GMs in this league are John Lynch, Les Snead, and Howie Roseman. And they are — phenomenal executives. No question.
But let’s look at reality.
Times they missed the playoffs after a winning season:
Snead – 2
Roseman – 3
Lynch – 2
So what’s the point?
Point One:
Winning consistently in the NFL is extremely hard. Staying in the playoffs every single year is even harder.
We’re also told it doesn’t take long to build a contender.
Lynch was hired in 2017. It took three years to make the playoffs — that third year they went to a Super Bowl and lost. Since then, they’ve still missed the playoffs twice.
Roseman was hired in 2010 but didn’t have personnel authority until 2013. They won the Wild Card that year, then missed the playoffs the next three seasons before winning the Super Bowl in 2017. He’s missed the playoffs four times total, even with two Super Bowl wins.
Snead was hired in 2012 when the franchise was still in St. Louis. They had five straight losing seasons, including their first year in Los Angeles. Their first playoff appearance was 2017, and since then they’ve missed the playoffs twice, while winning one Super Bowl.
Point Two:
It’s extremely difficult to build a team that can consistently compete for championships — let alone win one.
Another thing I constantly hear is that the Lions are “built only through the draft.”
That’s partially true… but if you could build through the draft at a high level, why wouldn’t you?
Players drafted during each GM’s tenure:
Holmes – 29
Roseman – 81
Lynch – 74
Snead – 89
Pro Bowl players drafted:
Holmes – 6
Roseman – 8
Lynch – 7
Snead – 10
First-Team All-Pros drafted:
Holmes – 2
Lynch – 2
Roseman – 3
Snead – 3
Hit rate of drafted players becoming starters:
Holmes – 49%
Roseman – 39%
Lynch – 39%
Snead – 38%
Average starters produced per draft class:
Eagles – 3.2 (elite)
49ers – 3.2 (elite)
Lions – 2.8 (borderline elite with far fewer picks)
Rams – 2.4 (good)
Typical NFL benchmarks:
• 2–3 starters per draft class = very good GM
• 3+ starters per draft class = elite drafting
Now let’s talk trades.
Average player trades per year during their tenure:
Roseman – 1.7
Lynch – 1.6
Snead – 1.4
Holmes – 1.2
Point Three:
Yes, trades matter. But drafting is the backbone of every successful franchise.
The truth is, trades account for a tiny percentage of roster building. What matters most is drafting well — and every GM listed here does that.
Brad Holmes does too.
So when people panic after one season or demand massive roster overhauls, remember this:
Even the best GMs in football miss the playoffs.
Even the best GMs in football take years to build a contender.
And the best teams in football are built through the draft.
Holmes isn’t behind the curve.
If anything, he’s right in it.
#OnePride | #NFL
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