"Smells like carrots"

New Green Bay Packers All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons says trick plays are for cowards. The Lions say: see you at the line of scrimmage.

In this episode, we dig into the Lions’ evolving identity now that Ben Johnson’s razzle-dazzle is gone and John Morton is calling plays. Are the Lions really the “trick play” team Parsons thinks they are—or are they about to unleash a season of straight-up smashmouth football?

We revisit the unforgettable theater of Ben Johnson’s gadget plays, ask whether they ever truly fit Dan Campbell’s DNA, and wonder aloud if the magic of those Lions can possibly travel with Johnson to Chicago. Spoiler: we don’t think so.

From Hector “Macho” Camacho and Sugar Ray Leonard, to the Hogs of the ’80s then-Redskins and John Riggins passing out in his soup (seriously), this conversation ranges wide…but lands right where it matters: what it means to win by brute will instead of trickery—and why Micah Parsons might be living in the past.

Theme song: Mr. Jukes and Barney Artist, "Blowin Steam (Open Up Your Mind)"