1st & Goal: Lomas Brown, Former Lions Offensive Lineman

The NFL season is inching closer and closer.

Who are the contenders and who are the pretenders? We have four downs to figure out your team's future. It's time now for First and Goal on the Zach Gelb Show. Alrighty, time to discuss one of the more talked about teams in the NFL entering the 2023 season, and that of course are the Detroit Lions. And we'll do so right now with a former Lions offensive lineman, does their games on the Lions Radio Network, and that is Lomas Brown, always kind enough to join us on the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio.

Lomas, appreciate the time as always. How you been? I'm great, Zach. How you doing today?

Well I'm doing fantastic. So I'm excited for this year of Detroit Lions football. I gotta start you off though going back to the draft at the end of the month in April. A lot of people were surprised when the Lions selected Jameer Gibbs with the 12th overall pick. What did you make of that selection and how do you kind of think of it a few months later?

Yeah, I was one of those people that was really surprised when they called his name. But man, after watching this guy at a training camp and some of the things that you see, what Ben Johnson, our offensive coordinator, is going to do with him, how he's going to incorporate him not just only in that run game, but incorporate him in the pass game, he's going to be a weapon for us. And we know with Jameson Williams serving the six game suspension, we can use as many weapons out there on the field as we can get. So very excited to see him get his action and very excited to see how Ben Johnson is going to utilize him in this offense this year. So I like Jameer Gibbs.

I was surprised like you were that he was selected with the 12th overall pick. We know Ahmad Ra's St. Brown is an excellent wide receiver as well. Everybody else, do the Lions have enough for Jared Goff once you get away from Gibbs and Ahmad Ra's St. Brown? I think we do.

I really think we do. I mean, look, Sam Laporta, we know he's a rookie, but he has been impressive in training camp. Of course, we're going to miss Shane Zestra, our tight end that we just lost for the year when we put on IR. And then you got guys like Marvin Jones, you got Trinity Benson. We got a quality receiver corps that's coming back. And to me, like I tell anybody, when you got the offensive line that we got, you can plug and play anybody behind them. So I think we have one of the best offensive lines in the league. So again, to me, I think we do have enough on the offensive side of the ball to make some real noise this year. We know Jamison Williams is not available for most of last season, had that one big catch for a touchdown. You mentioned the six-game suspension because of gambling. When he gets back, what do you think we're going to see from Jamison Williams as their high expectations, but so far mixed reviews? Yeah, it is high expectations, and you're right.

The productivity has matched the expectations, and it hasn't. And it's been various reasons, like you stated, the injury, and now with the suspension. We just want to see him play meaningful football. I mean, we know he's been teasing us, man. We know what the guy can do. We know what we've seen with all that speed out on the field.

And like I say, we know we're the creative offensive coordinator that we have. So we've just got to be, we just need Jamison to, like I said, go through this suspension that he's going to go. But he has to stay on top of his preparation. He has to hit the ground ready to run when he gets his opportunity in week seven. Let's get to the next down.

Momas Brown here with us. Jared Goff has impressed people. I don't think anyone believed that he'd probably still be the starting quarterback of the Lions when they made that trade a few years ago. What's your read on the Lions quarterback entering this season? Yeah, he's been fantastic, man.

He ended the season as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. And I thought he just carried over that momentum. He's been very, very great in camp so far. He's been, you can just see that the progression now with him is so much quicker. You can see that the game is so fast. And it's kind of crazy to be able to say that about the future.

But you can tell it slows down. Jared's out there. He's doing his leads, going through his proper reasons, making the proper throws.

He's leading this team. And that's what we're going to need if the Lions are going to get to where they want to get at this year, which is, I think, you have to win the division this year. When you look at the future of Goff, Momas Brown, he still has a few years left under contract, an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

They drafted Hendon Hooker because he fell because of the ACL injury. Do you think that Goff is in a long-term plan and they'll eventually get an extension ironed out here? Or is there still more to be seen from the quarterback? I'm quite sure there's more to be seen, but I think he's deserved an extension here.

I really do. I think Jared is 28 years old, I think he is. He's a guy that's accomplished a lot in this league, early in this league. He's a guy that's continuously growing. He's a guy that I think is a plug and play, put guys around him.

And he's a natural born leader. I've heard nothing but positive things from teammates about Jared. And to me, you need a guy like that, a guy that came in with things real rocky with this organization. I think he's steady to ship with the organization. So a guy that comes in and can do that, you have to seal it. And I hope the Longs do have a tendency to reward that guy because I think he deserves it. Let's get to the next down.

Momas Brown here with Dust. Going to the other side of the ball with the defense. Aiden Hutchinson had a phenomenal rookie year. We know other pieces as well that shined in 2022, but the defense got better down the stretch.

With the success that they had at the end of the season, how do you think the defense carries over now into 2023? Man, I tell you what, Aaron Glenn, he's out there pushing those guys. He really is. I mean, to watch him out there working with that defense each and every day, some of the things that he's incorporating with that defense, and just to see the growth of our second year guys.

I mean, you've grown up Aiden Hutchinson. You've got Malcolm Rodriguez, a guy that had a phenomenal rookie year that you want to see grow. Jerry Jacobs, another guy, young guy that had a great year that you want to see continuously grow. And then you've got the young guys and some of these guys that we brought in, the C.J.

Garver. You've got the Brian Johnson, the young guy from Alabama. Brian Branch.

Yes, Brian Branch that we brought in. You know, you've got a lot of guys that are in their second year, third year, guys that are still improving, still trying to prove that they belong in this game, and it's great to see. So I think Aaron Glenn has the attention of this defense. I think this defense is ready to take that next step to becoming just a better defense than they were last year. Let's get to the final down.

Lomas Brown here with us. Former offensive lineman in the NFL was a great Detroit line, does their games on the radio. You talked about earlier the expectation for this team. A lot of people are picking them to win this NFC North. How do you think they'll handle those expectations this upcoming season?

Yeah, that's been great. You're right. And look, Zach, I don't hear Super Bowl. That world is being thrown around here with a lot of our fans. So a lot of our fans, they snuck with the division title, they skip winning the playoff game, which we haven't done in 30 some odd years.

They go straight to the Super Bowl. So you know their anticipation, you know the excitement, you know everything, the hoopla that's going on around there. I think Dan has been, I think he's been feeding the right message to those guys that, hey, we haven't done anything yet, which they haven't. You know, it's nice to have the hype, it's nice to have this all behind you, but you got to go out there and you got to win. So until they get that done, until we win a game, win a playoff game and prove that we're not the same old Lions, you know, I think these guys are ready for that challenge. We only know when we lace it up against Kansas City on Thursday night.

But I do think Dan has the attention of his team and they're following his lead. You know, I was talking about this the other day, what the expectation should be bare minimum for the Lions. And at first we were like, all right, it's to win the division because everyone's picking them, but they just got to make the playoffs this year. Like Lions fans are not going to be bummed if they're the seventh seed in the wildcard, right?

Yeah. And I do think we got to win one. I think we got to win one. I mean, it would be great to give in there, but Zach, 31 years, 32 years since we won a playoff game, I think we have to win one this year. And I'm really curious to see inside that division because the Bears, they're not ready. I think the Packers will be better than what people expect, but they have a big question mark with Jordan Love. It seems like everyone's sleeping on the Vikings.

I get it. They're not as good as what the record said they were last year. They still got a good chance to win this division.

Absolutely. The Vikings have a good team. They have a lot of weapons. They're a team that we have to battle each and every year. We split with them last year, probably shooting one of both games against them last year, but they're dangerous. I mean, even with everything, like you said, that's going on with no Dalvin Cook and Adam Feeley not being there anymore.

They still have a lot of weapons on both sides of the phone. They're a team that has to be respected when you start talking about this division. I know a lot can change from now until the start of the season. It's only a month until you'll see the Lions kick off against the Chiefs in that first game of the year like you were talking about. What do you think the Lions can show people in that first game of the year up against Kansas City? Yeah, I mean, what they're going to show is their grit. That's the word in Detroit is grit.

That grit and determination. That's what you go get out of the Lions. Believe me, going into that game, the one thing you're going to learn about the Detroit Lions is they're going to fight you for that whole 60 minutes.

You're going to be in for a fight. I expect that out of them against Kansas City on Thursday night to open the season up. I mean, that's a tall task going up against the Super Bowl December champs in their home, raising their banner against the best quarterback or the best player in this league. But, hey, that's what the Lions love to put challenges in front of to see if they can conquer those challenges. And that's a big one to try to conquer on Thursday night opening the season. Well, Ms. Brown, I will tell you what the key is for the Lions this season.

And I don't think anyone else is saying this. If people know your story, you were a great trombone player in high school and then eventually found your way to the football field when someone said, hey, I don't think you have a career in the trombone. Let's get you out there and play some offensive line. I think you have to fire up the squad, dust off the old trombone and play the trombone for the Lions before each and every game.

They'll be undefeated. And you know what, Zach, so I'm going to start working on those lung exercises so I can hold those notes out. I got you, my good man.

You'll be playing the trombone all the way to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl. He's the great Lomas Brown. Lomas, always great to hear your voice. Thanks for doing this. Thanks, Zach. Take care.