Roundtable: Can D’andre Swift handle 25 touches a game?
The latest Lions Roundtable focuses on whether D’andre Swift can handle 25 touches a game plus more. Two of the writers at Sports Illustrated/all Lions — Vito Chirco and Adam Strozynski — shared their thought on a number of topics.
Q
: Are you concerned about D’andre Swift getting 25 touches a game?
• Chirco: Yes and no. Yes, because I don’t know if Swift is durable enough to withstand that kind of workload over the course of a full season.
But, also no, because the Lions need to give him the opportunity to prove that he can handle the workload. They took him in the second round of last year’s draft for a reason, and he has the skill set to be a bonafide No. 1 back.
So, I look at it like this ... it’s time to take the “training wheels” off the Georgia product. By doing so, Brad Holmes & Co. can find out whether he’s equipped to be the team’s long-term starter at running back.
• Strozynski: Oh God, yes! He’s a smaller back that didn’t stay healthy his rookie season. So, durability and health are major concerns with him.
Seems like we’ve been here before. Let me think, Jahvid Best, Kerryon Johnson, Kevin Smith ... should
I continue?
Q: Were you okay with the Matthew Stafford exit interviews?
• Vito Chirco: Yes, I was. His honesty was appreciated, and it was certainly a breath of fresh air, based on his typically canned answers during his 12 seasons as the Lions’ starting signal-caller.
It’ll be interesting now to see if him winning more consistently with the Rams -- which is expected -- makes him more open with the media during his weekly press conferences.
• Adam Strozynski: For a guy who never gave you anything in a press conference, going on a goodbye media tour struck me as odd.
The biggest issue I had is this robot-like-individual — who was a company man — has a personality, and it seems like it would have resonated with the average Detroit fan.
All I’m saying is if he didn’t have walls up, it feels like he could have been a Detroit all-timer and a true fan favorite.
Q: The philosophy is now clear. The coaching staff wants to relate better to the players. Will it work this time?
• Chirco: Well, let me just say ... it needs to work.
The Lions have already tried implementing the tight-lipped nature of the New England Patriots with
Matt Patricia, and it epically backfired.
Now, it’s on to Dan Campbell, the polar opposite of Patricia. He’s going to be a player-friendly head man that tries to win back the respect of the locker room, after Patricia lost it early on in his Lions tenure.
It’s a tall task to ask of Campbell, but I think he’s up for the challenge and can make it happen.
• Strozynski: I think so. Dan Campbell seems like a guy who gets it and who puts an emphasis on the individual and what his needs are. It’s a basic, good management strategy. Happy workers perform better.
: This has to be the year the Lions trade down in the draft, right?
• Chirco: I think so, especially if they know they can trade down and still get a Micah Parsons or a wide receiver like Devonta Smith or Jaylen Waddle in the middle of the first round.
With the current state the Lions are in, they should be aiming to collect as much draft capital as possible. And by trading back in the draft, they can accomplish that.
• Strozynski: Not necessarily. Remember, you need a trade partner and someone to give you what you want. Also, if there is a QB you fall in love with on the board, you take him or any guy you think will impact this franchise for the next five-10 years.