Celebrating a Detroit Lions win with a Detroit Tigers team on the gridiron

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Yesterday was the first “Victory Monday” of the season for the Detroit Lions, and with Major League Baseball on strike, I thought it’d be a fun idea to give the Detroit Tigers something to do and see how the roster would line up on the gridiron!

Huddle Up

First things first, congrats to the Lions on their first win of the season, defeating the division rival Minnesota Vikings in a thrilling 29-27 contest. It was a true feel-good sports moment. The dedication of the victory by head coach Dan Campbell to the victims of the Oxford shooting was especially touching.

With things looking bleak in the baseball world, I decided to build off of the joy following the Lions’ win and give the Tigers roster something to do. Let’s see how they would line up if the NFL was on strike, and we needed a sort of Keanu Reeves “The Replacements” scenario.

Detroit Tigers Position by Position Breakdown

Quarterback – Casey Mize

It all starts with the signal-caller. The Tigers roster for sure has some hard throwers who could rocket the ball down the field if needed, but I’m going with the pedigree of the former number one overall selection, Casey Mize. Mize has poise and really blossomed this past season into a major league-caliber starting pitcher. It’s only a matter of time before Mize is a perennial All-Star selection, and has Tigers fans calling for an extension. Mize is a great athlete and has the composure and smarts to lead a team to a victory.

I’d have Kyle Funkhauser as the backup, being that he played some QB in high school.

PS – I was going to call Kyle “Funkman” and link to some classic Marty Funkhauser bits, but they were mostly NSFW. RIP Bob Einstein.

Jul 7, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Akil Baddoo (60) runs to second base in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /

Detroit Tigers Running Back – Akil Baddoo

While we know that Baddoo can throw a touchdown pass, I feel like he’d be better off taking the ball from the backfield, finding a lane, and scoring six via his 28.9 feet per second on the ground. At 6’1″ and 210 pounds, a back of his size and speed would be deadly at the NFL level. The only downside would be the Tigers outfielder can’t lose his football helmet as he heads towards the end zone.

Wide Receivers – Derek Hill and Victor Reyes

Hill’s sub 6.4 60-yard dash is one of the best in the big leagues, and as a burner Hill could be that slot receiver teams love, and should probably be suiting up for the Lions right now if we’re being honest. The team could use him. Tigers fans are used to Hill’s dazzling catches in centerfield, so his hands shouldn’t be a problem in pro football either.

Reyes stands 6’5″ and weighs 194 pounds. He’s that outside threat who can run and I can just see him catching end zone fades from Jared Goff all day long. The Tigers outfielder also has a pretty good arm, so he could pull off one of those “wide receiver throws the touchdown pass” plays teams love to do.

Matt Manning was also an option here, as the former basketball standout stands at 6’6″, but Reyes wins out for his speed.

Tight End – Michael Fulmer

The prototypical NFL tight end size is about 6’3″, 240 lbs. Fulmer checks in at about that. The former Arkansas Razorback probably doesn’t have the speed necessary to compete for passes across the middle of the field, but he can block for now while the aforementioned skill players handle the bulk of the receiving duties.

I almost put Alex Faedo here. Faedo’s Florida Gator roots have to mean he knows how to play football just by proxy, but he’s yet to play a down, so to speak, for the Tigers, so he didn’t qualify.

Jun 15, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Detroit Tigers designated hitter Miguel Cabrera (24) celebrates toward the dugout after hitting a double in the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

How the offensive and defensive line would look like for the Detroit Tigers

Offensive Lineman – Joe Jimenez

Only one real option on the team, the Tigers aren’t the burliest group. Yes, they’ve got some guys in the low to mid 200’s when it comes to the “lbs”, but Jimenez is the player on the roster who checks in over the 270 mark. At 6’3″, Jimenez stands at the same height as quarterback Mize, so there shouldn’t be too many vision obstructions to worry about.

Interior Defensive Line – Miguel Cabrera

The future Hall of Famer and current member of the 500 home run club, Miggy can plug the middle of the line and stuff the run with his 6’4″, 240 lb frame. I didn’t put Cabrera as the offensive lineman because of injury history, and lack of explosive speed. Edge rushers would have a field day getting around number 24. Here he can succeed a bit more in my opinion. I could be completely wrong. I should just leave true football analysis to our site mates.

Edge Rusher – Jonathan Schoop

Admittedly there is no clear edge rusher on the Tigers roster. C’mon Al Avila, get it together! That said, Schoop has enough size to at least attempt to get by an offensive tackle. One thing we know for sure about Schoop is his versatility. If we asked him to get on the defensive end, I have no doubts he’d give it a shot.

Aug 12, 2021; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) delivers a first-inning pitch against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

The Detroit Tigers secondary:

Linebackers – Robbie Grossman, Tarik Skubal

Grossman is a veteran leader on the Tigers’ current roster, and that kind of mentality is needed in your linebacking core. He’s slightly under the average NFL linebacker height, but he’s shown patience at the plate in the big leagues and will know how to attack and pick his spots accordingly.

Skubal is deceivingly big, and could definitely be a linebacker on this squad. At 6’3″, 215 pounds, the southpaw can use that height to see over the defense and reach up to disrupt the passing game.

Cornerbacks – Daz Cameron and Willi Castro

Ideally, you’d have Derek Hill pulling a Troy Brown playing both offense and defense for the team. I won’t make him do that, and instead, have Cameron and Castro handle cornerback duties. Cameron is lightning quick and will cover the opposing team’s WR1. So you know, Allen Robinson or Davante Adams. Light work for Daz.

Willi will be the slot corner, and use his pretty good sprint speed to cover the inside of the field.

Safety – Javier Baez

It feels pretty great to be able to say Javier Baez’s name as an option here. The Tigers made that big shortstop splash in free agency, and now Baez can play one of the most important positions on this hypothetical football field. Baez is a baseball nut and loves the game, so I’m sure he’d take that IQ and love for the game (assuming he’d be the same way in football) and be a field general defensively. Baez can do things on the field few others, if anyone, can. He will bring that creativity to the Lions and help defeat the likes of Aaron Rodgers. If anyone can create that kind of magic, “El Mago” can.

There you have it, folks, I’m sure there are better examples of each I could’ve used, but one thing is for sure, we need the lockout to end and get back to reporting baseball news.

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