As the offseason unfolds with the Lions playing it safe, there's a feeling of "a divide or a disconnect within the fanbase," says Mike Valenti. On one side are the fans who believe that "the organization does no wrong, everything Brad Holmes does is perfection, every player you sign is a Hall of Famer, every player you let go is a shameless bum."
"That’s how you behave, that you believe you never need to make a splash, never need to sign a big free agent, you just stay the course. 'The process, the process, the process.' We’re going to draft, develop and re-sign and it’s all going to be OK and we’re going to win a Super Bowl."
On the other side, says Valenti, are those who say, "Look, we love the work that Brad has done and we love that Lions are good again, but being good for a prolonged time without ever being great is a road to immense frustration. And no one, not even the Brad Bots, will end up happy. Example: the Baltimore Ravens. They’ve been good for a while. It has won them nothing."
It's "not a referendum on Holmes," says Valenti. Or a suggestion that the Lions "have failed or succeeded." But where some fans see D.J. Reed as a massive upgrade over Carlton Davis III, "I think he’s a good player. I don’t think one is great and one is now homeless. I like the contract."
"You’ve retained Derrick Barnes. Player is good. I don’t like the contract. You brought back Marcus Davenport, you’re paying him in Chunky Soup because he’s never healthy. And Iffy Melifonwu has gotten a prove-it deal from the Miami Dolphins. That’s the offseason so far."