Detroit Lions TRADITION Of ELITE Kickers CONTINUES On With Jake Bates!

for the Detroit Lions they have had a long-standing tradition of excellent kickers but ever since Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell have taken over there's been a revolving door at the position however though it seems that Jake Bates might just be the long-term answer after all and we're going to talk about it so stay tuned what are we what makes us what we are and what we're going to be it's grit it's what we started with last year guys doesn't matter if you have one ass cheek and three toes I will beat your ass can definitely compete with with the big dogs 10 F Ando touchdown Detroit Lions you guys you guys are unbelievable man I'm telling you we are driven by Detroit hello Detroit allons fans and welcome on back to yet another episode of MCM Motor City Mania I'm your host David T Pike and as always we're diving on in I know my friends that I said I wasn't feeling too well but again obviously with the fact that there's all this news I have to stay up with it so again regardless of how I personally feel I've got to keep churning out this content because again there's a lot of stuff to talk about and I took my time off yesterday to kind of get better so we're just going to keep going at this as best we can but here's what I got to say folks when it comes to being a Detroit Lions fan I would say probably over the last you know three four decades at least since the 1980s if there's been one position that Lions fans can without a doubt state that we have always had a topnotch you know player at has been it's been the kicking position think about it folks from 1980 to 1991 we had Eddie Murray then from 1991 to freaking 200 and whatever the hell it was we had Jason Hansen for like 20s something years and then after that we had Matt Prader for 6 years on top of that so for like damn near 30 something plus years 40 plus years we have had excellent excellent kicking but the problem is that ever since Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes have been in charge I don't know what it's been but for the last couple of years that has been a position that has just seemed to elude them to find a long-term solution and it's been proven in the fact that over the last 3 years we've had how many freaking kickers kick for us like you know six and now here we are and dude you go back to the beginning of this off season when Jake Bates was just killing it in the UFL everybody myself included Derek from Lion Syndicate and a couple of others we were Advocates we were staunch supporters of Detroit Brad Holmes go out and get Jake Bates get him do not let him slip through your fingers do not not let him leave Ford Field do not let him go somewhere else and the the the reason why was because this was a guy that in the UFL was about as automatic as you could possibly have from kicking long-term long range field goals cuz from 50 plus almost from 60 plus hell almost from 70 plus yards out this guy could make field goals and he made it look almost effortless in most cases and so when the news was announced that we were signing him to a two-year deal I was ecstatic and so was virtually almost every fan in the fan base but the problem was is that for all like I said the Fanfare all of the excitement and everything else that you know Bates had coming in the problem was is that once training camp started and we started having news that he was being inconsistent in practice he was having a lot of misses and it sounded like he was shaky I don't have to remind everybody but there were some Lions fans and their Lions Riders and analysts that were starting to question if Bates actually was going to be a VI solution and there were some that were saying hey either cut our losses bring in somebody else like a veteran or we just need to bring in somebody else to compete with baits and there was a lot of questions for like I don't know like the first week or so of training camp because we kept hearing all these reports that Bates was being inconsistent but I've said this before and I'll say this again I am of the mindset that yes you practice the way you want to play but I've also said this as well I would much rather have a guy that kind of struggles in practice but when the lights come on and they're ready to play they are literally right on the money I would much rather have a guy that doesn't do the greatest in practice but on game day he's always there because I don't give a damn if you're a practice Warrior it's what you do when the lights are on when the lights are shining the brightest when the pressure is on that's what I care you do and let's call for what it is I'm going to show these highlights but ever since the freaking Lions have been out on the field playing preseason games when the lights came on and when he had to make those kicks bats has been automatic Jake automatic bats has been literally perfect he's been five for five with hits from 55 53 43 32 and 23 so what is that right there why did I bring up those numbers here's why because think about it he's hit it from the 20 yard range the 30 yard range the 40 yard range and the 50- yard range it shows this Jake Bates can kick from every freaking single level he's not just good at the short range he's not just good at the intermediate range he's not just good at the long range he's good at every single level now we haven't seen him make one from 60 yet but we know he can do it we saw him do it in the UFL that's what made him such a phenomenon that's what made that's what made him such a sensation but I'm going to say this right now Jake Bates I believe as the title the thumbnail and everything else I'm saying I believe that Jake Bates is going to be the next Lion's great kicker I literally 100% believe it because first and foremost for a guy who's coming from the UFL who didn't play high school or col he he didn't play high school football and realistically he had a very long transition from going from college to the pros and everything else for him to be able to pick up and you know adjust to the transition respond to the transition as quickly as he has from the UFL to the NFL is absolutely stupendous cuz think about this folks for other guys that we've had whether it's been Prader whether it's been you know freaking um Hansen or Murray they usually cut their teeth either when they were in college or maybe they were in the CFL first or they cut their teeth on another team before they came to our team whatever the case was but they had a much more professional starting if you will than what Bates had now that's not to say the UFL is not a professional League it definitely is but let's call it for what it what it is also as well um the UFL is not the CFL and there's a reason why a lot of C UFL players are considered kind of like the second rate players to the NFL and that the UFL while it's starting to you know kind of get it going it's kind of had its on and off kind of period whereas the cfl's been around forever so that's why I'm saying the fact that Bates has been able to make this transition has been something that's really awesome but at the same time not only is it stupendously wonderful that you know Bates has made this transition and has done so well doing it it also has an awesome awesome amount of side benefits for the Detroit Lions and their Super Bowl aspirations because I'm telling you this right now the kicking position is one of those positions that gets overlooked a hell of a lot but to have a good great competent kicker like Bates it provides so much stuff to actually getting you to where you want to go and that's what we're going to talk about in this episode cuz think about this folks having a kicker like Bates what are some things that it helps the lions with right off the bat number one having a kicker like Jake Bates it adds another weapon to an already slew of weapons that this team has to score points think about this folks if you have a drive that stalls at the like 30 or 40 yard line rather than having to risk a turnover on Downs like we've seen in the past we can instead say hey you know what just send out baits he'll nail it from you know 40 50 60 yards out and we can still get three points think about it the ability to have a kicker that can do that I would much rather take the three points rather than risking a turnover on downs and getting absolutely nothing because three points is still three points and let's call for what it is go back to the game yesterday against the Kansas City Chiefs without Jake bates's four field goals that accounted for half of our teams points in that one game we do not win that game and then think about this as well Jake Bates has scored 15 points of the Detroit Lions you know freaking 27 points this off this preseason he scored more than half of the Lions point this pre-season alone having a consistent kicker it easily makes winning games much more manageable and think about this as another added benefit it takes stress off of the offense and the defense because it takes stress off the offense because think about it if the offense stalls okay yeah it's not an optimal situation but you can still send out the kicker there and it's still at least get three points rather than you know going out empty-handed not getting anything so it's still a small win and for the defense it takes a little bit of stress off it because think about it hey if you're already down and your offense doesn't get any points that's a problem but if you at least get three points back to where hey you know what if the other offense got three points okay it's now an even match or they scored a touchdown and you got three points okay it's only a small difference we can work with that again having a competent kicker like Jake Bates it offers a lot of great things but that's only the first thing think about this as well number two having a kicker like Jake Bates it also adds a weapon who can win games in the clutch case in point again go back to the game yesterday against the Chiefs freaking Jake bates's 43 yard field goal was what won the game I don't care what you want to say I don't care if you want to say oh he should be able to do that you think it's easy to go kick field goals by all means you go outside you go find a freaking field goal uh post that's at a high school or someplace you line up a 43 yard field goal I'd like to see how many of y'all going to make it especially when the game is online and you read the one that everybody's looking to to make the game happen it's not as easy as y'all like to think trust me I've done it it's not a very easy thing to do because now everybody's eyes are on you and all the pressure is on you well think about it the ability to have a kicker who is automatic who's coldblooded like Jake Bates who does not get rattled in those situations it's a rare quality to have in the NFL and for the Lions to have it it once again once again pardon me gives them a distinct advantage that a lot of other teams don't have think about it for a team like the Lions to have the offense that they have the quarterback that they have the receivers that they have the running backs that they have the offensive line that they have the tight end that they have you have all that offensive Weaponry now you add a kicker who can go out there when the pressure is on and make these big Pi like baites can it gives the Lions yet another ability to whenn if a game gets tight a game gets close and if the offense for whatever reason either stalls but gets close enough to bait you know range it greatly enhances the ability to close out and win those close games again correct me if I'm wrong but I know I'm not to have a kicker like Bates it literally can be the margin between winning and losing and if you don't believe me ask the freaking Buffalo Bill b s what they would have given to have a competent kicker to kick a field goal in that first Super Bowl against the New York Giants Mr why right by literally that much imagine having Jim Kelly having one Super Bowl ring versus zero Super Bowl rings yeah that's how big of a difference that can make so again that's another big distinct advantage of having a kicker like Jake baits can have then there's two more but think about this as well like I said to a certain degree about how having a kicker like Bates can take the pressure off of his own team's offense and defense it has the opposite effect for the opposing teams offense and defense it puts more stress it puts more pressure on said teams offense and defense think about this folks it puts more stress on an opposing team's offense because rather than having to just solely worry about a freaking opposing team's offense to you know being the one that always scores the points now you have a kicker a like Jake Bates okay now it's no longer just well we have to worry about touchdowns no there is a whole different other Avenue that the Lions now can win by so okay that means that the opposing team's offense they have to be even more efficient they have to be even more explosive to try and win games because if they don't that's more of a chance that they're going to lose and then for opposing teams defenses think about this you're you have to ear at the end of a game it's a close game now a defense not only has to worry about trying to stop our offense which let me tell you something that is a literal handful to try and do but now think about this now they have to try to not only stop the offense from scoring a touchdown themselves but they have to find a way also to make sure that our offense does not get anywhere close to bates's range to have an opportunity to win a close game where it's like hey we're only down by maybe two or we just need three to tie it think about that that now puts more of a mental pressure and stressor on a defense because now it's like well man now we're not just trying to stop them from getting into the end zone if they score a field goal now it's a completely different ball game again the ability to win those mental games those mental matchups I'm telling you right now it also has a huge benefit for the NFL and also for the Detroit Lions here but perhaps one of the biggest advantages that having a kicker like Jake Bates has for the Lions and I know this is going to catch me some Flack some people are going to agree with me instantaneously and others are going to say how dare D I even say this but understand something it's the damn truth whether you agree with it or not it's the truth having a kicker like Jake Bates it also keeps Dan Campbell slightly more in check on his aggressive calls think about it don't get me wrong I love the fact that Dan Campbell is aggressive I love the fact that he is fearless and he is willing to let the Lions offense stay out there on fourth down to try and convert it rather than just always giving up and saying hey let's just send out the punt unit I love that about Dan Campbell I always have and I love that aggressiveness but there has been times again times where that aggressiveness has teetered on the brink of just stupidity it's been to the point where it's like okay here let's just stop and use our brain here we don't always have to go for it on fourth down we can kick field goals that is a viable option but to Campbell's credit to Campbell's defense he's not had a long range you know viable kicker that he can trust like Jake Bates right now don't get me wrong Michael Badgley he was a decent option but let me ask you this question who would you rather have would you rather have Michael Badgley or would you rather have Jake Bates that's what I thought I'd rather have Jake Bates so now that you have Jake Bates while I expect that Campbell to a certain degree is still going to be moderately aggressive having Bates is going to keep Campbell in check to be more than likely to be willing to take the points in most situations rather than always trying to force the issue on fourth down because again like I said in the very beginning I would much rather take three points more often than risking everything and getting nothing and again you don't believe me imagine how the Lions chances of going to the Super Bowl would have changed if we had kicked two field goals rather than going for it on fourth down and not converting it in the NFC Conference Championship Game oh that's right had we a kicked those two field goals and converted even even just one of them we'd have gone to overtime but if we had converted both of them we'd have won and gone to the Super Bowl so just think about that had we had Jake Bates last year the Lions could have gone to their first Super Bowl more likely than not but having a kicker like Jake Bates right now on a talented roster more so than what it was last year imagine the sheer amount of good that that does for the Lions it means that those close tight games those games against an opponent that you have to be at your best for everything and it still might be a close game now you have another weapon like baates that makes it more of an advantage for you to win and I was a lions fan I will take every Advantage I can get my hands on to win a Super Bowl and bait is one of those advantages just calling it for what it is but anyway folks like I said I truly believe that Jake Bates we've got our long-term kicker if I could I would do what the freaking Chiefs did with Patrick Mahomes and say Hey how do we sign you to a 10-year contract so that way you don't go anywhere because that's how confident I am in Jake Bates I like the fact that he has the power I like the fact that he has the consistency I like the fact that he has the accuracy and understand this folks this is his first year in the NFL as a starting kicker think about this the more time that he gets the more reps he gets the more experience he gets the better and better and better he's going to be and right now he's already pretty damn good imagine how good he's going to be with another two three four years under his belt as a starting kicker yeah yeah yall starting to see the picture I'm seeing but anyway I'm going to end this episode and I just want to say thank you all for watching yet another episode of MCM Motor City Mania if you like what you saw by all means highly encourage you all to watch the next episode also want to encourage you please to make sure you do one of these two things like comment and subscribe please if you subscribed in the past and again highly encourage you all to subscribe but if you subscribed in the past and forgot to do so at the time or you just subscribed and you not had a chance to do so again please make sure you hit that Bell notification icon so way you guys never miss any more content also want to encourage youall to share this content with your Lions friends and family members share here on YouTube share it on Twitter share it on Facebook share anywhere and everywhere you can with everybody and anybody can more we share it the greater the channel grows the greater the channel spreads and the greater we're able to bring in more people to watch the content and with that being said to everybody hope you all are having a great day hope you all got something your life that makes you happy makes you smile hope you all enjoyed the content God bless until the next time we meet I'll see you all in the next episode [Music] oh