As the Detroit Lions prepare to close yet another disappointing season, talk will once again shift to typical offseason topics: the draft, free agency, and selling the team.
There have been no signs of the Ford family showing interest in selling the team. In fact, just a month ago, Lions president Rod Wood publicly declared that the team was “not for sale” amidst rumors that Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert may be interested in making a play for the franchise.
Now, Gilbert has spoken out and claimed that those rumors never had much of any heat behind them.
“The truth of the matter is is that the stuff that was out earlier—there was nothing there,” Gilbert said on Thursday according to the Detroit Free Press.
“The team owners in this city are committed to the future. You really should focus on a sports team’s sellers. The sellers gotta want to sell something, and we’ve got our hands full. Believe me, our plate is full.”
So, for now, it looks like there isn’t much of a chance for a change in ownership any time soon.
- Charles McDonald, more famously known as @FourVerts on Twitter, ranked all the NFL defensive lines into tiers. The Detroit Lions were placed in the third tier which was labeled “A piece away from really making noise.” McDonald noted Detroit’s big need for a play-making edge rusher.
- This week, several Lions player helped out students at the Robot Academy to provide mentorship and enthusiasm. Though, as Jamal Agnew said, the kids were doing some of the teaching themselves:
Yesterday, the #Lions and @TheRobotGarage came together for a robot battle with students from Detroit Lions Academy. pic.twitter.com/7M5rZDOsGu
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 12, 2018
- ESPN has a thorough study on the health inspections from all of the major professional sports arenas. Ford Field actually looks pretty good, coming in with the ninth-least health code violations, and the surrounding area of Detroit is actually three times more likely to have a violation than Ford Field.
- From earlier in the week, the Lions made three new additions to their practice squad:
The #Lions have added 3 new players to the practice squad:
— Pride of Detroit (@PrideOfDetroit) December 12, 2018
DT Joshua Frazier,
OL Jarron Jones
DE Jonathan Wynn
The three spots were vacant because TE Jerome Cunningham and OL Leo Koloamatangi were promoted to the active roster. Additionally, the Rams signed OL Jamil Demby off Detroit’s practice squad.
In addition to those transactions earlier in the week, the Lions also made another move on Friday, signing G Salesi Uhatafe to the practice squad and releasing WR Deontez Alexander:
Lions have signed free agent G Salesi Uhatafe to the practice squad and released WR Deontez Alexander from the practice squad
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) December 14, 2018
- MLive’s Nate Atkins did a deep dive into a couple of crucial roster decisions that may have directly led to the Lions’ disappointing 2018 season.
- If you, for some reason, want to revisit Lions vs. Cardinals, but in a slower fashion, SandmanLions’ Slowlights are here to fulfill your odd curiosities: