November 8, 2024 • 11 mins
The Houston Texans return to primetime to host the Detroit Lions for Sunday Night Football. Dan Miller, sports director for FOX2 in Detroit and radio voice of the Lions, joins "The Matt Thomas with Ross" to discuss the Lions looking to extend their winning streak to seven games. Jared Goff will be facing a Texans' defense that ranks third in the NFL by allowing just 167.4 yards passing a game and ranks fourth in sacks. "Jared is now playing the best football of his career," Miller said. Goff is the first quarterback in league history to complete at least 72% of his passes with a passer rating of 105 or higher in six straight games. Wide receiver Jameson Williams will return to the field after serving a two-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy. Miller also breaks down head coach Dan Campbell's game plan, whether newly acquired Za'Darius Smith will suit up and more.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sunday, the Rockets will being in Detroit to take on
the Pistons. Meanwhile, the Lions come to Houston for the
seven to twenty national broadcast against the Detroit Lions. Joining
us right now the longtime voice of the Detroit Lions.
He's also the sports director at the Fox affiliate in Detroit.
It's Dan Miller here on the Matt Thomas Show. Dan,
It's Matt and Ross. Thank you for joining us. I
(00:20):
have to ask, is this the most excited you have
been as a sportscaster and voice of the Lions about
the Lions realistically playing on a Super Sunday.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah, I think so, and I appreciate you guys having
beyond Look, they really at the end of twenty twenty
two when they went the eight out of ten to
close the season, the then camp right back last year
started the season with the winning Kansas City tonight they
hung the banner. You started to believe there was something
happening here that was real. And then to see them
win the division last year, something they hadn't done in
(00:53):
thirty years, to beat the Rams, to beat the Bucks,
to get the NFC Championship game, and basically thirty minutes
away from a Super Bowl, you understand what they've got
and I think the most impressive thing about it, Matt
is that it's built on a firm foundation with young
players that are developing and getting better. Whereas in the
(01:14):
past we've seen maybe a Lions team that got to
the playoffs and it looked like it was just kind
of you know, put together with Stixon glue had a chance,
but nothing really that was gonna last. So, yeah, it's exciting.
They're legitimately good. They are are playing great football right now.
They've endured some injuries, but it's I think the most
(01:36):
that Lions fans have been able to sink their teeth
into in a long, long time.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Let me ask you this to go back to your
memory banks a little bit, if you don't mind. The
day that Matthew Stafford gets moved to Los Angeles in
return for Jared Goff. The reaction to Detroit sports fans,
people that cover the team, guys like yourself is saying,
what are we doing here? Or was it time for
Matthew to go? And then fast forward to now about
the development of Golf as a quarterback while wearing the
(02:03):
Lions gear.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Yeah, completely respectful of Matthew. It was time to go.
They just needed to turn the page. Now, the acquisition
of Jared Goff, I don't think a lot of us
thought that he was going to be the long term
quarterback in Detroit. I thought there was a chance. I
knew they had to rehabilitate him, and I'd seen him
(02:26):
take a team, you know, into the playoffs and into
a Super Bowl, and he had done some good things.
But he had just fallen. It seemed so far off
the map in LA, and they had lost faith in
him and certainly seemed like they were just shipping him out.
But I will say this, the guys that believed that
he could be the lions next starting quarterback for the
(02:47):
long term were the general manager Brad Holmes and his
assistant general manager Ray Agnew, both of whom were in
LA when they drafted him, and both of whom were
part of the Rams organization that saw him play his
best football out there. So while I think the widespread
view was he's a place holder, he's a bridge quarterback,
(03:07):
I think they felt like this guy, with the right
team around him, can be the starting quarterback for the
Detroit Lions. And I think that belief has been born out,
and Jared is now playing the best football of his
career and really put together a one month stretch here
that you could throw some numbers up there that no
quarterback in NFL history has ever put together in terms
(03:29):
of completion percentage, quarterback rating and getting through a tough
five week stretch here that we looked at at the
beginning of the year and thought, man, that's going to
be probably the most difficult part of their schedule, and
he's been at his best.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
The talent of Dan Miller, the voice of the Lions,
with us here on a Sports Talk seven on any
coming to you from Oklahoma City. You do a weekly
second with Dan and Campbell. We obviously only get sound
bites and whatnot. Obviously, the guys love him, the city
loves him. He's a typical of the typical coach speak
that we'll.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
See around the NFL circles. But take us into your
world a little bit.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
You get a chance to talk with him on I'm
assuming several times during the week, whether it's on television
or radio. Give me some things about him that maybe
the average fan in Houston, Texas watching the Lions from
a distance wouldn't know about him.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
You know, start with this. He's a great person. I mean,
he's got a good heart. He means well in everything
that he does. He cares about other people. And I've
been doing this long enough to know that not all
coaches are like that. They can get caught up in
their own little world and it is about what they're
doing and not worrying about anybody else. He's a heck
(04:40):
of a person. I think that's that's where you start
with him. His wife's outstanding, He's got a great family,
and I think that's that's kind of what permeates everything
he does. There's a consistency to him. He's the exact
same person if you're sitting on the couch talking to him,
doing in an interview, as if you drinking a beer
(05:00):
in the corner, as if you were spending any time
with him. He doesn't change. I've not seen him lose
his temper ever in a press conference. I've not seen
him ever let somebody get under his skin. He just
he has an ability to kind of go with the flow.
And I think the players appreciate. They appreciate the consistency,
they appreciate the honesty, they appreciate always knowing where they stand.
(05:24):
They appreciate the fact that he clearly cares about them
and wants to do best by them and get them
the best opportunity to succeed. He has been exactly what
Detroit needed. And you know, his initial press conference was
the whole kneecap thing that everybody pulled that thirty seconds out.
But I tell you, we've seen a lot of press
(05:45):
conferences here because unfortunately we've changed a lot of coaches
with the Lions, with the Tigers, with the Pistons, with
the red Wings. That was the best introductory press conference
I'd ever seen because he said the things that people
needed to hear, and it wasn't blowing smoke, it wasn't
just blue skies. It was about what the vision was,
what it was going to take. And I think it
(06:08):
resonated with people right away. But he just has an infectious,
charismatic personality that I think people like, I think players like,
and it has been perfect for Detroit.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Dan Aiden Hutchinson's leg injury was gruesome, sad for a
lot of Detroit Lions fans, like what it's going to
happen Now you lose one of the best defensive players
in the games.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Zadarius Smith comes in the trade.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
First of all, what do you know about Zadarius except
on the opposite side calling games against the Browns?
Speaker 3 (06:37):
And then what's his availability for Sunday?
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Do you think, Yeah, I think that's up in the air.
I think there's a chance you won't play. I think
they are cognizant of the fact that this was his
bye week. Have he stayed in Cleveland, and he's a
thirty two year old guy who, if he played, would
be on schedule for eighteen games. And I think they
are cognizant of the fact that he might need a
little downtime before he jumps in there. They gave him
(07:01):
some time to go back home and get everything in order,
and he just came back today, So obviously it's gonna
be a crash course in the playbook. If he plays,
it'll be a limited snap count. Look, here's what I
know about him, and he's been in the NFC North,
so we've seen him for quite some time. He's thirty
two years old, so he's not what he was when
he was twenty six. But he still can provide something
(07:24):
that they desperately need, and that's an ability to get
after the quarterback, because when Aiden went down and Marcus
Davenport went down and Derek Barnes went down, you know,
they lost three of their best edge guys. And John
Kaminski was another guy that went down for them earlier
this year in training camp, so they really needed something.
And he walks in the door as their best edge rusher,
(07:48):
So again, don't know if he's gonna play this week.
Josh Pascal will be back. He's a former second round
pick that I know they're hoping is going to be
able to take some steps this year and help them out.
But it is a question mark, Matt about this team
and what they're going to be able to accomplish if
they can't get that pass rush going, because it's been
a problem even the last couple of weeks when we've
(08:10):
played some quarterbacks. You know, Jordan Love wasn't one hundred percent,
Mason Rudolph isn't top of the line when it comes
to NFL starters, but they get a lot of time
back there, and it's hard to survive in this league
if you're not at least impacting the pass or somehow.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Lastly, Dan, as you and I are speaking, the Texans
have activated Nico Collins and put him on the off
of the injured reserve list. He can now open to
practice today, So that's going to be a very encouraging
sign for Texans fans.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Tell me what the Lions.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Secondary will be like if indeed Nico Collins and Tank
Dell are the main two guys that CJ.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Strock can throw two on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, their secondary is a lot better. They got two
guys playing great at safety right now, Kirby Joseph and
Brian branch Or, two of the highest rated safeties if
you look at PFF or or one of those sites.
They've been outstanding. And Terry and Arnold the rookie first
round pick, has gotten better. Carlton Davis, a veteran, has
been a great ad for them. A Meek Robertson, a
(09:07):
veteran that they signed as a free agent, has been
solid as a nickel. So look, their secondary is good.
It's worlds better than it was last year. But again,
I think the equalizer is if you can't pressure Stroud
into throwing the ball maybe a little bit before he
wants to, or at least force him to get it
out of there. And he's got a lot of time
back there. A lot of quarterbacks in this league are
(09:29):
going to pick you apart, and he's certainly one of them.
So that's one of the things I'm watching in this game. Look,
we saw what happened last time out against the Jets.
He got roughed up that offensive line, in particular in
the middle where the Lions do have some strength with
DJ Reeder and Aleem McNeil. Houston's been vulnerable there, so
the Lions have to find a way to impact him
(09:50):
or else he can make these receivers into big play guys,
and that can be problematic for Detroit. So I think
if you're looking at this game, that's something to keep
an eye on. Is Detroit getting a pass rush or
is Houston able to function offensively with Stroud kind of
having time back there, And if that is, that's problematic
for Detroit.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Well, the reality is Dan as we speak here in
the middle of the day, it's the sixty four thousand
dollars question. Is Nico just practicing or is he going
to try to plan Sunday? And we'll obviously know more
in the next twenty four hours. The last time a
Detroit team played a Houston team, it was to and
out for the Tigers over the Astros. I've got the
Pistons Rockets on Sunday, You've got the Texans and Lions.
(10:32):
This Detroit Houston series with all these teams have been
elevated here in the last thirty days or so.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Yeah, it's fun. And then you know, the the Houston's
done a nice job with their basketball team. The Pistons,
I think kind of looked at fans looked at those
two franchises. It's kind of moving at the same time.
And last year, obviously, Houston moved a lot further than Detroit,
so we're hoping to catch up in that regard. And
you know, the Astros have kind of done some things
that the Tigers would like to and the Lions know
(11:00):
they got a tough game coming up this week. So
it's all good fun.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Save travels this week, and my friend, thank you very
much for joining me a great conversation, and again thanks
for joining us here on the show this afternoon.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Have a great weekend and a great call.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
I appreciate it. I have a good time in Detroit
and we'll look forward to being there as well.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Very good Dammuler with Fox two and the Voice of
the Detroit Lions with us here on The Matt Thomas
Show with Ross
Sunday, the Rockets will being in Detroit to take on
the Pistons. Meanwhile, the Lions come to Houston for the
seven to twenty national broadcast against the Detroit Lions. Joining
us right now the longtime voice of the Detroit Lions.
He's also the sports director at the Fox affiliate in Detroit.
It's Dan Miller here on the Matt Thomas Show. Dan,
It's Matt and Ross. Thank you for joining us. I
(00:20):
have to ask, is this the most excited you have
been as a sportscaster and voice of the Lions about
the Lions realistically playing on a Super Sunday.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah, I think so, and I appreciate you guys having
beyond Look, they really at the end of twenty twenty
two when they went the eight out of ten to
close the season, the then camp right back last year
started the season with the winning Kansas City tonight they
hung the banner. You started to believe there was something
happening here that was real. And then to see them
win the division last year, something they hadn't done in
(00:53):
thirty years, to beat the Rams, to beat the Bucks,
to get the NFC Championship game, and basically thirty minutes
away from a Super Bowl, you understand what they've got
and I think the most impressive thing about it, Matt
is that it's built on a firm foundation with young
players that are developing and getting better. Whereas in the
(01:14):
past we've seen maybe a Lions team that got to
the playoffs and it looked like it was just kind
of you know, put together with Stixon glue had a chance,
but nothing really that was gonna last. So, yeah, it's exciting.
They're legitimately good. They are are playing great football right now.
They've endured some injuries, but it's I think the most
(01:36):
that Lions fans have been able to sink their teeth
into in a long, long time.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Let me ask you this to go back to your
memory banks a little bit, if you don't mind. The
day that Matthew Stafford gets moved to Los Angeles in
return for Jared Goff. The reaction to Detroit sports fans,
people that cover the team, guys like yourself is saying,
what are we doing here? Or was it time for
Matthew to go? And then fast forward to now about
the development of Golf as a quarterback while wearing the
(02:03):
Lions gear.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Yeah, completely respectful of Matthew. It was time to go.
They just needed to turn the page. Now, the acquisition
of Jared Goff, I don't think a lot of us
thought that he was going to be the long term
quarterback in Detroit. I thought there was a chance. I
knew they had to rehabilitate him, and I'd seen him
(02:26):
take a team, you know, into the playoffs and into
a Super Bowl, and he had done some good things.
But he had just fallen. It seemed so far off
the map in LA, and they had lost faith in
him and certainly seemed like they were just shipping him out.
But I will say this, the guys that believed that
he could be the lions next starting quarterback for the
(02:47):
long term were the general manager Brad Holmes and his
assistant general manager Ray Agnew, both of whom were in
LA when they drafted him, and both of whom were
part of the Rams organization that saw him play his
best football out there. So while I think the widespread
view was he's a place holder, he's a bridge quarterback,
(03:07):
I think they felt like this guy, with the right
team around him, can be the starting quarterback for the
Detroit Lions. And I think that belief has been born out,
and Jared is now playing the best football of his
career and really put together a one month stretch here
that you could throw some numbers up there that no
quarterback in NFL history has ever put together in terms
(03:29):
of completion percentage, quarterback rating and getting through a tough
five week stretch here that we looked at at the
beginning of the year and thought, man, that's going to
be probably the most difficult part of their schedule, and
he's been at his best.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
The talent of Dan Miller, the voice of the Lions,
with us here on a Sports Talk seven on any
coming to you from Oklahoma City. You do a weekly
second with Dan and Campbell. We obviously only get sound
bites and whatnot. Obviously, the guys love him, the city
loves him. He's a typical of the typical coach speak
that we'll.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
See around the NFL circles. But take us into your
world a little bit.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
You get a chance to talk with him on I'm
assuming several times during the week, whether it's on television
or radio. Give me some things about him that maybe
the average fan in Houston, Texas watching the Lions from
a distance wouldn't know about him.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
You know, start with this. He's a great person. I mean,
he's got a good heart. He means well in everything
that he does. He cares about other people. And I've
been doing this long enough to know that not all
coaches are like that. They can get caught up in
their own little world and it is about what they're
doing and not worrying about anybody else. He's a heck
(04:40):
of a person. I think that's that's where you start
with him. His wife's outstanding, He's got a great family,
and I think that's that's kind of what permeates everything
he does. There's a consistency to him. He's the exact
same person if you're sitting on the couch talking to him,
doing in an interview, as if you drinking a beer
(05:00):
in the corner, as if you were spending any time
with him. He doesn't change. I've not seen him lose
his temper ever in a press conference. I've not seen
him ever let somebody get under his skin. He just
he has an ability to kind of go with the flow.
And I think the players appreciate. They appreciate the consistency,
they appreciate the honesty, they appreciate always knowing where they stand.
(05:24):
They appreciate the fact that he clearly cares about them
and wants to do best by them and get them
the best opportunity to succeed. He has been exactly what
Detroit needed. And you know, his initial press conference was
the whole kneecap thing that everybody pulled that thirty seconds out.
But I tell you, we've seen a lot of press
(05:45):
conferences here because unfortunately we've changed a lot of coaches
with the Lions, with the Tigers, with the Pistons, with
the red Wings. That was the best introductory press conference
I'd ever seen because he said the things that people
needed to hear, and it wasn't blowing smoke, it wasn't
just blue skies. It was about what the vision was,
what it was going to take. And I think it
(06:08):
resonated with people right away. But he just has an infectious,
charismatic personality that I think people like, I think players like,
and it has been perfect for Detroit.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Dan Aiden Hutchinson's leg injury was gruesome, sad for a
lot of Detroit Lions fans, like what it's going to
happen Now you lose one of the best defensive players
in the games.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Zadarius Smith comes in the trade.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
First of all, what do you know about Zadarius except
on the opposite side calling games against the Browns?
Speaker 3 (06:37):
And then what's his availability for Sunday?
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Do you think, Yeah, I think that's up in the air.
I think there's a chance you won't play. I think
they are cognizant of the fact that this was his
bye week. Have he stayed in Cleveland, and he's a
thirty two year old guy who, if he played, would
be on schedule for eighteen games. And I think they
are cognizant of the fact that he might need a
little downtime before he jumps in there. They gave him
(07:01):
some time to go back home and get everything in order,
and he just came back today, So obviously it's gonna
be a crash course in the playbook. If he plays,
it'll be a limited snap count. Look, here's what I
know about him, and he's been in the NFC North,
so we've seen him for quite some time. He's thirty
two years old, so he's not what he was when
he was twenty six. But he still can provide something
(07:24):
that they desperately need, and that's an ability to get
after the quarterback, because when Aiden went down and Marcus
Davenport went down and Derek Barnes went down, you know,
they lost three of their best edge guys. And John
Kaminski was another guy that went down for them earlier
this year in training camp, so they really needed something.
And he walks in the door as their best edge rusher,
(07:48):
So again, don't know if he's gonna play this week.
Josh Pascal will be back. He's a former second round
pick that I know they're hoping is going to be
able to take some steps this year and help them out.
But it is a question mark, Matt about this team
and what they're going to be able to accomplish if
they can't get that pass rush going, because it's been
a problem even the last couple of weeks when we've
(08:10):
played some quarterbacks. You know, Jordan Love wasn't one hundred percent,
Mason Rudolph isn't top of the line when it comes
to NFL starters, but they get a lot of time
back there, and it's hard to survive in this league
if you're not at least impacting the pass or somehow.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Lastly, Dan, as you and I are speaking, the Texans
have activated Nico Collins and put him on the off
of the injured reserve list. He can now open to
practice today, So that's going to be a very encouraging
sign for Texans fans.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Tell me what the Lions.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Secondary will be like if indeed Nico Collins and Tank
Dell are the main two guys that CJ.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Strock can throw two on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, their secondary is a lot better. They got two
guys playing great at safety right now, Kirby Joseph and
Brian branch Or, two of the highest rated safeties if
you look at PFF or or one of those sites.
They've been outstanding. And Terry and Arnold the rookie first
round pick, has gotten better. Carlton Davis, a veteran, has
been a great ad for them. A Meek Robertson, a
(09:07):
veteran that they signed as a free agent, has been
solid as a nickel. So look, their secondary is good.
It's worlds better than it was last year. But again,
I think the equalizer is if you can't pressure Stroud
into throwing the ball maybe a little bit before he
wants to, or at least force him to get it
out of there. And he's got a lot of time
back there. A lot of quarterbacks in this league are
(09:29):
going to pick you apart, and he's certainly one of them.
So that's one of the things I'm watching in this game. Look,
we saw what happened last time out against the Jets.
He got roughed up that offensive line, in particular in
the middle where the Lions do have some strength with
DJ Reeder and Aleem McNeil. Houston's been vulnerable there, so
the Lions have to find a way to impact him
(09:50):
or else he can make these receivers into big play guys,
and that can be problematic for Detroit. So I think
if you're looking at this game, that's something to keep
an eye on. Is Detroit getting a pass rush or
is Houston able to function offensively with Stroud kind of
having time back there, And if that is, that's problematic
for Detroit.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Well, the reality is Dan as we speak here in
the middle of the day, it's the sixty four thousand
dollars question. Is Nico just practicing or is he going
to try to plan Sunday? And we'll obviously know more
in the next twenty four hours. The last time a
Detroit team played a Houston team, it was to and
out for the Tigers over the Astros. I've got the
Pistons Rockets on Sunday, You've got the Texans and Lions.
(10:32):
This Detroit Houston series with all these teams have been
elevated here in the last thirty days or so.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Yeah, it's fun. And then you know, the the Houston's
done a nice job with their basketball team. The Pistons,
I think kind of looked at fans looked at those
two franchises. It's kind of moving at the same time.
And last year, obviously, Houston moved a lot further than Detroit,
so we're hoping to catch up in that regard. And
you know, the Astros have kind of done some things
that the Tigers would like to and the Lions know
(11:00):
they got a tough game coming up this week. So
it's all good fun.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Save travels this week, and my friend, thank you very
much for joining me a great conversation, and again thanks
for joining us here on the show this afternoon.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Have a great weekend and a great call.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
I appreciate it. I have a good time in Detroit
and we'll look forward to being there as well.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Very good Dammuler with Fox two and the Voice of
the Detroit Lions with us here on The Matt Thomas
Show with Ross
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