Speaker 1: Football season is here. No one talks more to the
Speaker 1: people with the experience and the insight than we do
Speaker 1: here on Exus and Bros. We welcome in one of
Speaker 1: the best Lions to ever wear the uniform, Herman Moore.
Speaker 1: Four time Pro Bowler, three time All Pro. He's brought
Speaker 1: to you by Soaring Ego Casino on Resort and he's
Speaker 1: a friend of mine, and I'm very fortunate to be
Speaker 1: able to say that, Herman. Great to have you, buddy,
Speaker 1: Glad that you've been able to join us. Hope you
Speaker 1: and your family are well. I wanted to ask you
Speaker 1: about culture change because I think you can speak from
Speaker 1: great experience. The Lions have changed the culture. They have
Speaker 1: turned from perhaps one of the worst organizations in sports,
Speaker 1: not just the NFL, to perhaps the best. How do
Speaker 1: you think they've done that, Herm?
Speaker 2: But He've done it because they've paid attention to the detail.
Speaker 2: They've paid attention to some of the things that it's
Speaker 2: beyond just going out and finding the best creator or
Speaker 2: getting that coveted draft pick that you can then develop
Speaker 2: into an All Pro and potential franchise. Faith they've been
Speaker 2: able to really take players and then develop that talent
Speaker 2: from the base from the beginning, from the actual fabric,
Speaker 2: and then they develop a culture and in that culture
Speaker 2: gets adopted early on. It's built not just by the
Speaker 2: coaches and what the coaches say, but the players are
Speaker 2: having a voice in that. Anyone who knows if you
Speaker 2: build things and you collaborate, that's how you actually build success.
Speaker 2: That's in business, that's in relationships, that's in family. And
Speaker 2: because they built the culture so that it's not just
Speaker 2: building it for the lions, build it for the people
Speaker 2: as well, and that's the individuals that are there, and
Speaker 2: that's how the bond has taken place. If you look
Speaker 2: at it, it's a very tight knit unit. They bring
Speaker 2: in players that others have overlooked and then they developed
Speaker 2: them into starters or they expose that talent that they've
Speaker 2: seen that others have somewhat either ignored or don't have
Speaker 2: the time or feel they have the time of the
Speaker 2: team to be able to wait for. So that's what
Speaker 2: I've seen, and it's very family oriented. Let's be a
Speaker 2: break to see that. And I think we've had it
Speaker 2: in the past, but I think it's been really built
Speaker 2: upon having more talent and then bringing in names of
Speaker 2: people who can present potentially influence the fan base to
Speaker 2: think that their name alone is going to get it done.
Speaker 2: So this has been good to see.
Speaker 1: What's impressed you most about Brad Holmes and his approach?
Speaker 2: I think it's really just the professional side of it.
Speaker 2: When you look at Brad Holmes, he's he's a very likable, friendly,
Speaker 2: approachable person, but he's methodical. He's coming from a place
Speaker 2: where when you understand how to define success, how to
Speaker 2: look and see what a winning culture looks like, you
Speaker 2: don't make any compromises. And with Brad Holmes, that's that's
Speaker 2: what you get. I really like the way he approaches
Speaker 2: it as a personal side, but also you know there
Speaker 2: is a business to it, and people have sometimes thought that.
Speaker 2: You know, it's got to be business or it's got
Speaker 2: to be personal, and neither one can work alone. You've blended.
Speaker 2: He's blended them and he's put a winning recipe together.
Speaker 1: Harman Moors joining us here on Exus and Bros. He's
Speaker 1: brought to you by Soaring Eagle, Casito and Resort. Dan
Speaker 1: Campbell is seemingly, I know, nonsense type of head coach.
Speaker 1: Why would you have liked to have played for him?
Speaker 2: You know? That's a question because he does seem like
Speaker 2: a nonsense but this is a big guy. He's he
Speaker 2: looks like a brick house of a coach, but he's friendly,
Speaker 2: he's serious about what he does. He knows when you know,
Speaker 2: some coaches don't have that turn on turn off, but
Speaker 2: Dan Campbell has that. He lets you know, he lets
Speaker 2: the players know. And why we've love playing with him
Speaker 2: is because under his leadership is he goes out and says,
Speaker 2: let's take care of business. And then we're done taking
Speaker 2: care of business, then we'll chill, we'll be family, we'll
Speaker 2: be we'll have fun, we'll laugh, we'll joke. But when
Speaker 2: we're playing, it's all business. It's all business. There's no
Speaker 2: room for anything else, not even you know, to do
Speaker 2: anything other than breathe in and out success.
Speaker 1: I noticed on your Twitter account, your ex account, you're
Speaker 1: at camp the other day and you said, you know,
Speaker 1: you're basically in your element. This is where you feel
Speaker 1: the most at home. What have you recognized about Lions
Speaker 1: camp that is most important for them reaching that next level?
Speaker 2: You know, as far as the environment or as far
Speaker 2: as like the players and what they're doing both, you know,
Speaker 2: the environment is there the energy of the fans. I
Speaker 2: think seeing the excitement that you as a player would
Speaker 2: bring the fans and that they're they're they're proud to
Speaker 2: be Detroit Lion fans and they've always been there. You know,
Speaker 2: your Diehart Lion fans, they never abandon the pride, they
Speaker 2: never leave. These are fans that have come out and
Speaker 2: they are now bringing in the kids. They're bringing in
Speaker 2: those younger ones and say, this is what Detroit Lion football.
Speaker 2: We've always wanted it to be. We've seen flashes of it,
Speaker 2: but I think they're going to grow up with this
Speaker 2: energy and that fan base is being solidified for decades
Speaker 2: and for generations. The other thing you see from the players,
Speaker 2: it brings a sense of what success is bred, and
Speaker 2: that is an environment that has energy, a fan base
Speaker 2: that comes out because they're anticipating this season just like
Speaker 2: the players. So you're going through it together and that's
Speaker 2: what you see. And you see the commitment of the
Speaker 2: sponsors and the support from the business community. You see
Speaker 2: the support of the Lions saying Okay, let's go out
Speaker 2: and let's put together a class act and an environment
Speaker 2: that we know shines and shows our appreciation for the
Speaker 2: fans as well in the NFL. So you see it
Speaker 2: all kind of culminating that you see it all coming
Speaker 2: together to where it's a end to end, top to bottom,
Speaker 2: solid franchise and organization that has closed a lot of
Speaker 2: the gaps. I think that we're missing over the numerous years.
Speaker 1: Yeah, her I think it's kind of unfair. Every time
Speaker 1: people want to talk to you, they immediately want to
Speaker 1: talk about wide receivers because you were one of the
Speaker 1: old time greats. Now personally, I like talking to you
Speaker 1: about secondary like the cornerbacks, because I think your read
Speaker 1: on that is special, It's elite, and I'll get to
Speaker 1: that in a moment. But I do want to ask
Speaker 1: you about Jamison Williams and how you've noticed a difference
Speaker 1: in him and what he needs to do. Earlier in
Speaker 1: the show, I was talking about downfield threats and red
Speaker 1: zone threats. I don't know if I've ever seen a
Speaker 1: greater red zone threat than you, But that's not how
Speaker 1: you should only be labeled. You were an exceptional downfield receiver.
Speaker 1: How does Jamison Williams become closer to a young Herman
Speaker 1: Moore in his prime?
Speaker 2: Well, he's going to have to, you know, It is
Speaker 2: a very good question, man, because what he reminds me
Speaker 2: of is what we had with Jermaine Crowell and some
Speaker 2: of the other guys. He's short receivers, he's got some range,
Speaker 2: he's got a little height on him, uh, a lot
Speaker 2: taller than I thought when you see him in person,
Speaker 2: and right now everyone's you know, the speed, the speed,
Speaker 2: the speed, and when you have speed, that's one thing,
Speaker 2: but then it's easy to block out those things. So
Speaker 2: you have to develop a set of tools, and you
Speaker 2: have to develop a set of talent and skills that
Speaker 2: allow you to be more than just a deep threat. UH.
Speaker 2: For him, the development and becoming that that true big
Speaker 2: play wide receiver is going to be uh. Playing the
Speaker 2: entire field. It's going to be challenging people for the past,
Speaker 2: attacking the ball at its point where it's outside its
Speaker 2: frame and high point, low point, and being able to
Speaker 2: show that you're a dynamic Because the coverage is going
Speaker 2: to get tighter, the teams are going to be a
Speaker 2: little bit more strategic in terms of how they negate
Speaker 2: that speed with deep coverage and support over the top.
Speaker 2: So he's going to have to be able to innovate
Speaker 2: and those are things I honestly able to see, you know,
Speaker 2: making plays when plays aren't there, breaking up the double coverage,
Speaker 2: and making people understand that you still can't defend me
Speaker 2: with two people, even in traffic. So that's when you
Speaker 2: see the evolution of him take the next step. But
Speaker 2: right now you're looking for the consistency, and that's what
Speaker 2: I've seen develop over time. They built his confidence, and
Speaker 2: I think that was by design and getting him more passes,
Speaker 2: getting him back in his element, getting back to what
Speaker 2: he felt he was as a dominant player in college,
Speaker 2: and now putting that in the on this part of
Speaker 2: the side of the NFL, it allows him to really
Speaker 2: go out and now start to develop those other tools.
Speaker 1: We're talking with Lions Great Herman more brought to you
Speaker 1: by throwing ego and resort. The thing that I always
Speaker 1: enjoyed talking to you about is not necessarily wide receivers,
Speaker 1: but it's about the secondary and how you used to
Speaker 1: set them up and how you used to read them.
Speaker 1: The Lion's secondary, you could argue, was the worst that
Speaker 1: part of their team a year ago. What's been your
Speaker 1: observation of Terry On, Arnold aus Rakestraw, others who have
Speaker 1: hopefully progressed in that area that might give Lions fans
Speaker 1: hope that they're going to be better this coming season.
Speaker 2: In that regard, I think you hit the Mellon ahead.
Speaker 2: It's it's the first two. You know, we talk about
Speaker 2: the development of the young players. We dealt with that.
Speaker 2: You know, I'll start with this, you know, with with
Speaker 2: Saint Brown. Okay, here's a player or everyone's wondering. You know,
Speaker 2: the Lions don't have any receivers right They're they're kind
Speaker 2: of putting it together. It's everyone's in panic because you
Speaker 2: don't you can't name a name. The secondary was similar
Speaker 2: to like what I like in the Lions receiving unit
Speaker 2: two years ago doing Saint Brown's with the year, you
Speaker 2: really didn't have You had names and had some potential.
Speaker 2: You had some people, but you just really didn't know.
Speaker 2: The secondary had players. They some work, some didn't. Then
Speaker 2: you lost some, whether it be injury, whether it be
Speaker 2: free agency, and now it becomes a weak point after
Speaker 2: you've drafted so many high draft picks in the secondary
Speaker 2: that didn't pan out, and now you've seem like you're
Speaker 2: just trying to not grasp but straws, but find people
Speaker 2: so they made a commitment to go after players this
Speaker 2: year in the secondary. And when you pick up two
Speaker 2: big corners and you look at the competition there with
Speaker 2: Rick Straw and Enis, you really have the opportunity to
Speaker 2: develop a core of cornerbacks that together can elevate everyone
Speaker 2: else around them. That's what I see. They have range,
Speaker 2: they're long, they're tall, they're aggressive, they have speed, and
Speaker 2: they don't have the fear of any names in the
Speaker 2: NFL because they're trying to make their own. And that's
Speaker 2: what I see right now. You know, they're trying to
Speaker 2: create their own identity. I look at how they how
Speaker 2: they practice, and their willingness to compete, even if they're
Speaker 2: making mistakes. They're competing and they're not getting down, and
Speaker 2: the coaches are letting them play and they're letting them
Speaker 2: get beat sometimes, and that's what you have to let you.
Speaker 2: They're not they're not protecting them. And that's the best
Speaker 2: part that I see about right now.
Speaker 1: That's great insight. Would you have liked to have hard
Speaker 1: knocks in your camp back when you played.
Speaker 2: I think it would have been fun. I think about
Speaker 2: it like that. You know, right now, it's very controlled.
Speaker 2: Security is very tight. But we had golf cars driver
Speaker 2: on us on campus up at Sagonaw Valley, and you
Speaker 2: got guys taking and taking a little government out of
Speaker 2: it and making them faster than they should be, and
Speaker 2: we're just probably could get tickets on the road as
Speaker 2: fast as we're driving it. And just the environment and
Speaker 2: just it was different. Right now, everything's very structured and
Speaker 2: I think there's a in which the movements are tracked
Speaker 2: a little bit easier and a little bit more methodical.
Speaker 2: So it would have been I think it would have
Speaker 2: been a little bit more exciting. You had had a
Speaker 2: lot happening behind the scenes. It wouldn't have been just
Speaker 2: so football heavy. It would have been really about the camaraderie,
Speaker 2: the bonding and the off field presence. I think would
Speaker 2: have people would have taken a liking to. From the insights, Herman.
Speaker 1: Moore was a leader for the Lions. Again, he's joining
Speaker 1: us here on Exis and Bros. Brought to you by
Speaker 1: Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort and Herman of course and
Speaker 1: one of the greatest Lions to ever play. Four time
Speaker 1: Pro bowler, three time All Pro How did you How
Speaker 1: did you lead when you were a player and how
Speaker 1: is it different today for quote unquote leaders in an
Speaker 1: NFL locker room. Do you think.
Speaker 2: It's just a weird component Because I look at how
Speaker 2: I land and how it is being led and who
Speaker 2: we being leaders back then now being in business and
Speaker 2: being an actual leader of people and understanding how to
Speaker 2: get people to follow and or to get the best
Speaker 2: out of them, there's a lot I woul have done differently. Actually,
Speaker 2: a lot of people will say, well, this is what
Speaker 2: I did, and I thought I did agree. Now, I
Speaker 2: think there's a lot of things that we missed during
Speaker 2: that time, and one was really paying attention to the
Speaker 2: bonding side of it and making sure that there's a
Speaker 2: bond that takes place, because I think it mitigates conflict.
Speaker 2: It mitigates the players, you know, not having the ability
Speaker 2: to communicate in bond. And I think we had our
Speaker 2: little groups, which you're always going to have, but there's
Speaker 2: a completeness that needs to happen in terms of everyone
Speaker 2: being on the same page and everyone having the same
Speaker 2: goals and visions as it relates to the team, even
Speaker 2: though you may have your individual components, you push and
Speaker 2: you try and find out what does everyone need to
Speaker 2: define success? What do you need to feel good about
Speaker 2: being a Detroit Lion going out giving your best, What
Speaker 2: type of acknowledgement do you need, What type of commitment
Speaker 2: do you need from us? And then what commitment will
Speaker 2: you present back and get people to be accountable for
Speaker 2: that and then have them have an accountability. Truly, not
Speaker 2: just in the sense of when someone's watching, but there's
Speaker 2: something they're greeting themselves on at the end of the year,
Speaker 2: and when we saw it, we anointed people leaders because
Speaker 2: of their name. We anointed them leaders because it was
Speaker 2: the fan favorite, or it was someone that people wanted
Speaker 2: to see. But truly, leadership can come from the most
Speaker 2: unknown people and the motivations come from so many different places.
Speaker 2: So when I look at leadership, it comes in many places,
Speaker 2: but you have to understand the people and you have
Speaker 2: to do an audit to determine what's going to get
Speaker 2: people to move.
Speaker 1: It is amazing how this franchise has become. I would
Speaker 1: consider it one of the blueprint franchises in the NFL,
Speaker 1: if not all sports, and I think a lot of
Speaker 1: it you give right to Brad Holmes Dan Campbell, of course,
Speaker 1: but ownership has done a much better job now than
Speaker 1: when you played of getting out of the way, hiring
Speaker 1: the right people and letting them do their jobs. Have
Speaker 1: you noticed that?
Speaker 2: I have noticed that, And where I used to think
Speaker 2: really the decisions were being made in certain areas, that
Speaker 2: was again I think as they in this day and age,
Speaker 2: I think there's no way to hide like it was
Speaker 2: back then. You couldn't tell who had to answer questions.
Speaker 2: It could be reflected, it could be pushed off to
Speaker 2: someone else, and then you couldn't track back and thinks
Speaker 2: at what as much as you can today. So accountability
Speaker 2: is a little bit better today, and I think that's
Speaker 2: allowed the ownership to determine which role, in what place
Speaker 2: they want to play in it, because they're going to
Speaker 2: have to answer if they're saying they're accountable and if
Speaker 2: they're not going to pass it. When we look at
Speaker 2: the blueprint for the Lions right now, you know, I
Speaker 2: can't say what's really been the winning recipe as it
Speaker 2: relates to the organization as a whole from the ownership
Speaker 2: it because I'm not a part of those meetings. But
Speaker 2: I do think that they have released the hold that
Speaker 2: we've seen that's been there in so many years, and
Speaker 2: that others has come in. They've asked for so much
Speaker 2: control that if you give them too much then they
Speaker 2: can just basically wreck your franchise.
Speaker 1: Exactly. Boy, that's well said. Yes or no answer real
Speaker 1: quick and then I'll let you go. Is it super
Speaker 1: Bowl or bust for this team?
Speaker 2: I think it's super Bowl or bus. I don't think
Speaker 2: a super Bowl or bus.
Speaker 1: No, Okay, hey, listen. I appreciate the friendship, but appreciate
Speaker 1: the insight. What great insight, best part of the show.
Speaker 1: Thanks a lot, Have a great week, buddy. I hope
Speaker 1: we talk sooner, and I hope to see a camp sometime.
Speaker 2: Absolutely look forward to talking to you during the season
Speaker 2: as well. Thank you.