Notes: Lions among youngest teams in NFL, set up well for future

According to Bill Barnwell’s data from the regular season, the Lions are the fifth youngest team in the NFL when accounting for Snap-Weighted Age.

Despite only being one win away from a berth in the NFC Championship game, the Detroit Lions are just getting started. At least that’s what data like Bill Barnwell’s Snap-Weighted Age for the 2023 season tells us.

Out of 32 teams, the Lions checked in as the fifth youngest in the league for the 2023 season—which is really impressive considering what they are on the verge of possibly accomplishing.

I get it. It’s tough to really stop and consider the long-term future of this franchise when the present is so exciting. But when you have a moment, pause and look around this team. Lions general manager Brad Holmes and his staff have done a fantastic job of rebuilding this roster from the ground up.

Think about it. He landed two first team All-Pro players in his first draft class with right tackle Penei Sewell and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Getting one in a class is considered to be a huge win, but two?!

Okay, now that you have day-dreamed about the future for a second, time to shift your attention back to the Lions’ Divisional round matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. Buckle up, and if you’re headed to Ford Field on Sunday—make sure your voice has had time to recover.

And now, onto the rest of today’s notes:

• Among the many heartwarming stories from the weekend was this tweet from Jeff Benjamin (@BenjiWriter on Twitter), where his father in hospice got his hair dyed Honolulu blue to show his support for the Lions’ playoff run.

I think it’s safe to say that Amon-Ra St. Brown is a fan of the hair.

• I don’t know about you, but seeing Lions’ legend and Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson react like this after the win over the Rams was really special to me.

• Justin Rogers of the Detroit News takes a look at the film to see what is happening when the Lions face elite receivers ($).

• Prices continue to soar for tickets to the Lions’ divisional round matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. MLive’s Kyle Meinke has more on just how much things have jumped.

• Dan Campbell is getting a lot of praise showered on him lately, and he certainly deserves it. But he hasn’t lost sight of who constructed this young, talented roster. Dave Birkett of the Free Press has the story on Campbell’s appreciation for general manager Brad Holmes.

• Lions’ All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown recorded a new episode of the ‘St. Brown Brothers’ podcast this week, and naturally—had a lot to say of his team’s Wild Card win.