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Switching sports for a moment, the NBA offseason is only in its second week and it has already been loaded with insane rumors. High draft picks are being dealt, teams are reportedly throwing everything they can at the Bulls for Jimmy Butler, but perhaps the biggest story from Monday was the Cleveland Cavaliers moving on from general manager David Griffin and sources say former Detroit Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups is one of the leading candidates for the job.
This would be a shocking move, considering Billups doesn’t have any front office experience and is just three years removed from his playing career.
But this isn’t a completely unprecedented move in sports. We’ve seen former players take over GM duties all of the time. John Lynch took over the 49ers GM job this year. Joe Dumars held the job for the Pistons for 15 years. I’m sure it happened to the Detroit Lions at some point, but my brain is not allowing me to remember such a thing.
Alright, so we let’s pretend the Lions never hired a former player with no front office experience as general manager and ask today’s Question of the Day:
What Lions player, past or present, would make the best NFL general manager?
My answer: Herman Moore. When thinking about this question, there were several characteristics I wanted in my imaginary general manager. First, I wanted this player to still be involved in the organization to show a true desire to improve the team and a passion for football. Second, I wanted someone who has shown at least a little ability to scout and/or analyze football. Finally, I wanted someone with some business acumen.
Herman Moore checks all of these boxes. He’s still very involved in the Detroit community and shows up to several Lions events throughout the year. Moore has also served as an analyst during the Lions’ preseason games and some pregame shows locally. That shows to me he’s still keeping a close eye on the NFL and has a passion for analyzing talent. Finally, Moore has had several business ventures after his playing career was over, including owning his own coffee franchise and, more importantly, he’s been involved in building recruiting software.
Your turn.