The Detroit Lions media has landed a new beat writer.
On Tuesday, The Athletic announced the news that their Michigan State beat writer Colton Pouncy was now going to be covering the beat for the Detroit Lions.
In a corresponding move (had to say it), The Athletic announced that their Detroit Lions beat writer Chris Burke is moving to an editor role, where he will help run the NFL Draft section of the site.
Burke confirmed the move, explaining why it was not an easy decision for him.
“It wasn’t an easy decision. Truth is, though, that I felt like I’d poured all I could into the beat life and needed a change. I was flailing on both ends of the work-life balance. A lot of my roots in this business are tied to the NFL Draft, so this was a natural fit.”
It wasn’t an easy decision. Truth is, though, that I felt like I’d poured all I could into the beat life and needed a change. I was flailing on both ends of the work-life balance. A lot of my roots in this business are tied to the NFL Draft, so this was a natural fit.
— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) July 5, 2022
Pouncy wrote an article on Tuesday to introduce himself as The Athletic’s new Detroit Lions beat writer. Here is some of what he had to say:
Now, about those Lions. Those of you who have followed me on the MSU beat know I’m a Midwest guy at heart. What you might not know is that I’ve wanted to cover the NFL for a long time. When I received word that the Lions job might be opening up, the fit felt entirely natural. I’ve gotten to know in recent years the incredibly talented staff here serving Detroit’s pro sports fans — Max Bultman on the Red Wings, Cody Stavenhagen on the Tigers, James Edwards on the Pistons. Not to mention Chris Burke and Nick Baumgardner — two gentlemen who have graciously passed The Athletic’s Lions torch to me.
Detroit is a city on the rise, and its football team could be mirroring it. On paper, the Lions appear to be laying a foundation. The organization has drafted well in recent years, with promising young players at key positions. Led by Dan Campbell, there’s a coaching staff in place that seems entirely unbothered by the losing teams fielded before their arrival. They’re doing this thing their way. The world will get an up-close look at Campbell’s Lions on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this summer, which should be entertaining for both you the reader and myself as a new beat writer.
All that to say: The Lions have a chance to be pretty interesting both this year and beyond. If so, we’ll be here to document it. And if not, well, they’ll always have the draft (and a pair of first-round picks to play with).
Welcome, Colton! You are going to rock!