WEBVTT 1 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:16.399 Get some facts and come back and seebe. Get some facts and come back 2 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:20.679 and Seebee. Don't fill up salaries or other things. Get some facts and 3 00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:25.000 come back and Seebee. You can't handle the true now told our players you 4 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:27.760 need a bit more like a dog. We don't need a bunch of cats 5 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:31.399 in here. Looking in the mirror, I look good. I got my 6 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:35.280 extra bands on, I got my other shoes. Be a doll. We 7 00:00:35.320 --> 00:00:38.920 don't need no mouns. We don't need no cats. We need more dolls. 8 00:00:39.240 --> 00:00:43.880 Why you're not a detain Oh you're not. At the time, we 9 00:00:43.880 --> 00:00:46.399 weren't good. There's no sense of asking me things about the game. I'm 10 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:48.960 telling you we laid an egg. So I'm not gonna break it down for 11 00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:53.960 you. He sucks. He sucked. He laid an egg. That's all 12 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:56.079 I have to say. Guys, I'm sorry. I'm not gonna break it 13 00:00:56.119 --> 00:00:59.119 down for you. Nothing went well for us. It's on us. We 14 00:00:59.240 --> 00:01:03.000 have to figure it out every way. SHOWDA, it is showtime. Welcome 15 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:06.799 on a Thursday. Glad you're with us throughout the great state of Michigan. 16 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:10.719 On Exes and Bros. We're with you Monday through Friday, six until nine 17 00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:14.439 Flint, Cadillac, Grand Rapids, Grayling, Gaylord, Midland, Saganaw, 18 00:01:14.519 --> 00:01:18.560 Bay City, Pataski, Charlevoid, Traverse City. We are there for you 19 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:22.319 to talk about anything that might be on your mind here on Exus and Bros. 20 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:25.560 On a day to day basis really fortunate to be able to bring in 21 00:01:25.640 --> 00:01:30.000 this next guest. He's as admired as maybe any writer who has ever written 22 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:34.359 in the state of Michigan. I mean, there are certain writers where you 23 00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:37.480 look at and you say, you know what, I believe him. That's 24 00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:41.120 not always easy. A lot of people feel like they have been fortunate to 25 00:01:41.239 --> 00:01:45.599 work with a legend like Mike O'Hara, who's in the Michigan Sports Hall of 26 00:01:45.640 --> 00:01:48.280 Fame, and rightfully so, he's been doing as well as anybody. From 27 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:53.079 nineteen sixty six through two thousand and eight he was of the Detroit News and 28 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:57.000 after that time with the Lions in on Lions dot Com, and he's been 29 00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:01.159 a Liones beat writer since nineteen seventy seven. He has served his country and 30 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:05.359 he has served this area so gracefully and so well, and he joins us 31 00:02:05.640 --> 00:02:08.840 now that he's going to retire on Monday, and rightfully so Michael Harris with 32 00:02:08.919 --> 00:02:13.319 us here on Exis and Bros. Michael, thank you, congratulations. It's 33 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:19.400 so well deserved. How did you know it was time? It just felt 34 00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:22.599 that way, And I think I was probably a year late. I probably 35 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:25.879 should have retired last year, not this year. Yeah, not this year. 36 00:02:28.439 --> 00:02:31.400 It's just the things that were easy to do were quite as easy, 37 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:36.520 and just just just had that feeling that it's time to go. But now 38 00:02:36.599 --> 00:02:38.960 I guess I think I kind of got caught up in the new organization and 39 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:44.199 all that thought. I could just see what they had in this last year, 40 00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:46.840 and it turned out they had a lot, And I don't regret staying 41 00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:50.439 another year. I really don't. Yeah, I don't think anybody who reads 42 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:58.120 your synopsis, your breakdowns, your analysis feels that either what have you enjoyed 43 00:02:58.199 --> 00:03:02.719 most about your career? Well, it's you know, I'm not a player, 44 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:07.000 so I can't, but it's really similar to that for us. You 45 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:10.039 know, it's it's the test room, you know, kind of to come 46 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:14.360 to work and the the insults start to fly and all of that, and 47 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:16.840 then I start to talk about things in the game, and you know, 48 00:03:16.840 --> 00:03:21.680 it's still competing. Don't get me wrong, but you know what it's like 49 00:03:21.800 --> 00:03:24.599 to start talking about what happened yesterday what might happen tomorrow, you know. 50 00:03:25.080 --> 00:03:30.360 And that was the fun part, just sort of interacting with with guys from 51 00:03:30.360 --> 00:03:34.400 you know, from the other other papers and other media outlets. That that 52 00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:38.319 was really to me the fun of the business. What's interesting, too, 53 00:03:38.439 --> 00:03:42.080 is that this team might have its best opportunity. You would know this better 54 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:45.879 than I, but this team might have its best opportunity to reach the super 55 00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:49.319 Bowl, and you may not be able to write about that if you're leaving 56 00:03:49.360 --> 00:03:53.759 on Monday. Did you ever think about that as you were contemplating this decision? 57 00:03:53.719 --> 00:03:59.520 Well, that's why I stayed another for this year. It was just 58 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:02.439 know the season we just had. No I thought about it, Yeah, 59 00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:05.639 but no I didn't. They wouldn't do it for that reason. I really 60 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:09.800 wouldn't. By the way, I just like to mention one thing. A 61 00:04:09.879 --> 00:04:12.960 guy who's made boll of this a lot easier is Tim twenty than you know. 62 00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:15.800 He came over from the Detroit News about a year before I did to 63 00:04:15.879 --> 00:04:24.120 the and I think he's probably one of the most prolific writers I've ever been 64 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:27.720 prouded my life. He just does so many things does him so well. 65 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:30.800 It's just it's really been a pleasure looking with Tim. Yeah, it's a 66 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:34.480 great points. He's excellent at what he does and he yeah, he really 67 00:04:34.519 --> 00:04:41.600 is. And he sent something out on Twitter. He's been so well accommodating, 68 00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:45.240 endearing and understanding and willing to learn. I mean, it's it's funny, 69 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:48.240 even when you do it for as long as you and Tim has done, 70 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:53.800 you can still learn from people. And absolutely yeah, and he wrote, 71 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:57.319 look, legend I'm so fortunate to being able to work with and learn 72 00:04:57.399 --> 00:05:00.759 from Mike at both the Detroit News and here with the Lions over the last 73 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:03.480 twenty years. It's not like he stayed to claim to his territory and said 74 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:08.639 I'm sorry, I feel threatened by a legendary writer. Instead, he opened 75 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:11.720 his arms to you. And I think you've done that for quite a few 76 00:05:11.720 --> 00:05:15.639 people as well, so many stories with the Detroit Lions. I'm sure you 77 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:18.519 get asked this all the time by people. So I'll just be one in 78 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:21.439 the many of a line of people who've asked you this. Is there any 79 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:27.879 one particular player or storyline that sticks out to you in all the years you've 80 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:30.600 covered this franchise, well, this one really stands out, and it is 81 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:34.519 not a good one. I don't think that Berry Sanders retirement was that was 82 00:05:34.600 --> 00:05:38.160 one, and I was expecting it. I really was. And I'll tell 83 00:05:38.199 --> 00:05:43.000 you a quick, little quick story that one of the writers for ESPN had 84 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:47.759 just a little item in his column that offseason that Barry wasn't happy and he 85 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:50.839 sort of got a sense of that, you know, And so I called 86 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:55.279 his father, William, who I got to know somewhat not you know, 87 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:58.759 we want close friends, but he was always accommodating to talk. And I 88 00:05:58.759 --> 00:06:02.560 said, mister Williams dot Williams. Anyway, I said, I asked him 89 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:06.639 to say that what I remember on Sports Illustrated And I said, what's the 90 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:11.160 deal? And he said, he's sick of them, He's sick of losing. 91 00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:14.120 Oh boy, this is going to be something. It turned out to 92 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:18.120 be just a blackbuster story from that moment until Barry Sanders, you know, 93 00:06:18.360 --> 00:06:24.120 did not show up for training camp three months later or whatever it was. 94 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:28.920 And then then and then it was just to me that was probably the biggest 95 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:31.519 story that I covered. It was involved with or whatever you want to call 96 00:06:31.560 --> 00:06:35.680 it. Michael, by the way, I'm sorry, just want to think. 97 00:06:35.720 --> 00:06:39.639 So it wasn't my favorite because I wanted to see Barry Sanders play and 98 00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:43.360 not just a great player, but a great person too. But to me, 99 00:06:43.399 --> 00:06:46.519 it was the most obviously had the most impact. Michael here joining us 100 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:50.720 here on Exes and Bros. He retires Monday, and he's a Michigan Sports 101 00:06:50.759 --> 00:06:56.680 Hall of Famer. He's been the reason you read about the Lions for for 102 00:06:56.720 --> 00:07:00.120 so many decades. When you when you look back at all the teams and 103 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:08.279 all the players you've covered, is there what's the biggest misnomer that people failed 104 00:07:08.279 --> 00:07:14.439 to realize about a player or this franchise. That the Fordes don't want to 105 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:16.399 don't care about winning and losing, and they care very much about it. 106 00:07:16.439 --> 00:07:19.399 That's why they made so many changes. And I'm just going, since I 107 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:24.720 came on the beat in nineteen seventy seven, you know, they add up 108 00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:28.399 the number of coaching changes and personnel changes and all that, but we'd be 109 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:30.879 here for a month and a half or something like that. They put all 110 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:33.399 that together. But you know, they care very much and they always have, 111 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:39.759 always will through different generations. You know, mister William clay Ford passed 112 00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:44.680 away, and think it was nineteen, nineteen eighty, nineteen eighty for something 113 00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:48.399 like twenty I'm sorry, twenty fifteen. And then his wife, Martha Firestone 114 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:55.160 Ford took over and absolutely committed to winning. And then now Sheila hamp the 115 00:07:55.279 --> 00:08:01.120 daughter and who really has been on the front line there of changing things for 116 00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:05.199 the Detroit Lions, and she's been successful. She's had the success that the 117 00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:09.879 other ones haven't had for whatever reason. What do you like about this Lion's 118 00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:18.000 team? Younger players with talent and speed? I like speed, and then 119 00:08:18.040 --> 00:08:20.199 they have that. They have a lot of other excuse me, a lot 120 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:24.680 of other things too, but they have some interchangeable perps and and I don't 121 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:28.639 think if you look at that team, look, nobody has it all. 122 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:33.639 And it's just it's it's impossible, what really is because no matter how well 123 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:37.639 things are going, you're going to have they're going to change personnel from one 124 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:41.960 season to the next. I mean, there's a been somebody came up with 125 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:46.320 a figure one time on the average, thirty percent of your rosteril channel from 126 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:48.200 one season to the next. I don't know if that's exactly true, but 127 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:54.519 I'm sure it's not saying off. And so that's the hard part is putting 128 00:08:54.519 --> 00:08:58.919 all these players back together. But the however they've done and through the just 129 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:01.320 great drafting. You know, really, but Bred Holmes, the general manager, 130 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:07.240 and with the head coach Dan Campbell, chime it in. They've really 131 00:09:07.240 --> 00:09:09.720 been able in three years. The first three years. We haven't seen this 132 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:13.440 year's team play yet, but in the first three years, excuse, they've 133 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:18.200 really put together good players, not just first round players, but you know, 134 00:09:18.440 --> 00:09:22.320 all the way through the through the noster and through the draft, they've 135 00:09:22.360 --> 00:09:26.440 been able to put together good players on the field for the and they're going 136 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:28.120 to be good, not just this year and next to it, every they're 137 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:31.840 going to be good for a while. They really are because they don't have 138 00:09:31.879 --> 00:09:35.759 like any aging players that they have to get rid of. They're pretty solid 139 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:39.519 from top to bout him. He's been writing in this area since nineteen sixty 140 00:09:39.559 --> 00:09:43.679 six. He's covered the line since nineteen seventy seven. He's a Hall of 141 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:46.320 Famer. He's Michael Harra. Mike, thanks for your time, Congratulations, 142 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:52.320 appreciate the friendship and all that you've done and keeping things interesting for Lions fans, 143 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:54.639 whether they're winning or losing. You deserve this, my friend, congrats, 144 00:09:56.440 --> 00:09:58.840 Hey ch thanks thanks for calling me. I appreciate it.