Detroit Lions article on only drafting "good guys"

valet

valet

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http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2015/05/27/detroit-lions-tom-lewand-kensington/28028839/
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Every Wednesday, three of the Detroit Lions' most important decision makers -- team president Tom Lewand, general manager Martin Mayhew and head coach Jim Caldwell -- sit down for a morning Bible study.

Lewand, Caldwell and Mayhew all display their faith prominently -- more than most in the NFL. And during a question-and-answer session at a "Man Up" event for Kensington Community Church today, Lewand acknowledged that the values they share have had "a lot" of influence on how the Lions have built their roster in recent years.

"There's not a test that we put guys through," Lewand told about 180 men over breakfast at Birmingham Country Club. "Are you a Christian? What's your religious background? Or anything like that. Far from it.

"But I think you look for -- Jim has a great saying, a great thing that he lives by and that he espouses to the team. It's very simple. He doesn't believe in a lot of rules, but he encapsulates it in a great way. He says, 'Do right and fear no one.' Do right and fear no one. You don't have to worry about a whole lot else if you do right. You don't have to worry about a lot of those things. And those are the kind of players that we look for."

The Lions have shied away from drafting or signing players with troubled pasts in recent years, since a spate of arrests cast a pall over the 2012 off-season and a splintered locker room contributed to that season's disappointing 4-12 record.

Since Caldwell replaced Jim Schwartz as coach last January, the Lions have drafted five players who've been married or engaged and targeted a host of high-character acquisitions in free agency.

Alex Carter and Gabe Wright -- third- and fourth-round picks this year -- were engaged at the time of the draft, and first- and second-round picks Laken Tomlinson and Ameer Abdullah were widely praised for their character.

"This group that we have that we drafted and signed as free agents is probably the best group of players as (far as) checking the three boxes of physical talent, emotional intelligence and maturity and work ethic that I've seen in maybe the 21 years I've been with the Lions," Lewand said. "And we've got players coming in here who have a previous disposition to doing the right thing, whether that's how they work off the field, whether that's how they work on the field, how they prepare, their love of the game.

"It goes beyond just their faith into how they want to approach it as a profession, because at the end of the day, that's our professional job is to put the best team on the field we possibly can. And to do that, those guys have to be prepared, they have to be ready, they have to work hard and they have to be available. And so you can have all the athletic talent in the world, but if you don't have that drive to prepare yourself, then chances are, when push comes to shove, you're not going to be available either, because you quit the sport altogether or you quit on your teammates on any given Sunday."
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manyfaces

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Don't really care about this one way or the other. Draft players that can play and won't be fukkups to the point they're suspended, constantly creating negative publicity, or out of the league because their actions and I'm good. If they're choirboys and can't play then don't fukking pick them.
 
dh86

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There's a big difference between being a saint and having high character. A character guy can still go get fukked up, but get fukked up at home and make it to work on time in the morning. Goodell is suspending left and right, Miami recent #3 pick is out for a year. Look how long Justin Blackmon been out, it's a competitive disadvantage now to have guys with demons and question marks.
 
Ain't That Something

Ain't That Something

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dh86 said:
There's a big difference between being a saint and having high character. A character guy can still go get fukked up, but get fukked up at home and make it to work on time in the morning. Goodell is suspending left and right, Miami recent #3 pick is out for a year. Look how long Justin Blackmon been out, it's a competitive disadvantage now to have guys with demons and question marks.
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We didn't have the #3 pick :dahell:
 
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