Around the NFC North: Detroit Lions/Minnesota Vikings

The BDCP crew will be joined by our good friend Matt Turner of the Roar of the Lions podcast to discuss the Lions off-season and how Lions fans see the Bears season going. Then, the boys will chat with Vikings super fans, Bryan Highfill and Dan Iverson to get a look at Minnesota's off-season so far.

[@johnthrasher8146]

Interesting show. For a quarterback with the credentials Jared Goff has for his 8 years in the league I am continually amazed at people who seem to follow the game giving such little respect for his accomplishments. He is by far the best precision timing passing quarterback in the NFL and the very best play action ball handling quarterback in the NFL. He is not a dual run-pass threat to extend plays with his legs when the protection or coverage stones the play call. However, he has done what no NFL QB has ever done by taking two very different and dismal franchises that were perennial losers to playoff success by winning playoff games for the 2 teams for the first time in over a decade. The Rams had gone 13 straight years without a winning record (2004-2016) and no playoff appearances in 12 straight years (2005-2016) before he became the season opening starter in 2017. The Lions had not won a playoff game in over 30 years prior to Goff becoming their QB. He has been the QB of four NFL Top 5 offenses over the past seven years doing it with both the Rams and Lions. Sean McVay, as the offensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins with Kirk Cousins while playing in his 3rd through 5th seasons in the league, never had a Top 5 NFL offense. Goff went back to back in 2017 and 2018 with NFL Top 5 offenses for the Rams, and these are the only two times a Sean McVay coached offense has achieved a ranking that high. Matthew Stafford has yet to do it with McVay, and Stafford's only time in the Top 5 offense rankings happened in 2011. Goff quarterbacked his third Top 5 offense feat in 2022 with an unknown offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, who became the hot coaching topic for two years running after the Lions with Goff had their second straight Top 5 offense in 2023. Goff was a dropped 4th down pass and a dropped INT which bounced off a face mask and into Brandon Aiyuk's hands away from his second Super Bowl just four months ago.

[@theYoopercorn]

I think the mistake comes in how people try to divide the pool of QB talent. Most QBs are bad under pressure, need talent around them, and a system that works for their skills. Is every top 10 QB elite? Is every elite QB on an elite offense? The answer to both is "probably not". If you ask "can Goff lead an elite offense?" The answer is conclusively yes If you ask "can Goff win in the postseason?" The answer is also yes.

[@MichaelLuchiesTrepRep]

Lions fan here. Matthew and the guys at ROTLUK put in the work and really know their stuff! Great show guys!

[@RoaroftheLionsUK]

Thanks Michael :)

[@anandnathan6851]

Great show.

[@brianmullins6430]

Lions are going into year 4 with same coordinators and have been drafting and acquiring talented players who fit the scheme.

[@MarkLeBay]

23:48 Great take Matthew. Jared Goff had the highest adjusted passer rating in a clean pocket of any QB in the league. If you don’t need to scramble, there’s no one better.

[@IanSinclair77]

Been a Lion fan before we drafted Barry. Holy cow, we need to make this dude an honorary citizen of (313)

[@RoaroftheLionsUK]

Haha thanks Ian!

[@jppagetoo]

You ask why Dan Campbell is a good coach, you also ask if Goff should be paid. The answer is somewhat the same to both. Dan and the coaching staff have built an offense that fits Goffs strengths to a tee. Does that make Goff a system QB? Maybe... but if it works that well is that bad? No, for me it is smart coaching. Campbell is honest with the players. He runs a meritocracy, if you earn the position you get to play, reputation be damned. As a player you are told what to improve to get playing time. Players want a coach like that.

[@brianmullins6430]

Goff improved a bad Cal team. Was part of the turn around in LA. Was part of the turn around in Detroit. Guess he’s just lucky to go to shitty teams when they just so happen to be getting better? And I’m sure any QB could run a McVay or Ben Johnson offense better. Most disrespected player in the NFL.

[@kjgallagher4]

Branch will not be playing safety often. Not sure where you're hearing this.

[@Plazu33]

Chicago has plenty of draft picks

[@theronin9984]

I hate the entire "system" convo. Stafford would have used ARSB like he did Golden Tate. Every QB has a system built around his strengths, unless the OC is an idiot.🤣

[@thefix2]

I find it funny that a Bears fan is saying that Goff would have made the Bears and/or Vikings worse last year if he was on their teams. Sorry that you dont have a good TEAM! Just keep winning the offseason so the good teams like the Lions can actually win games that matter. Yeah the Bears had a "great draft". Ok go prove it on the field. As a Lions fan I can see when a fanbase is relying on players to win meaningful games. The truth is you need a complete organization. When you get that, then you can start criticizing other teams. Until then, just keep winning your 5-8 games a year and starting talking about the draft in December!