Welcome to Episode 1 of the Detroit Football Network Podcast

Allen Park — It’s been a little more than eight years since I last had a podcast. That drought has come to an end today. I'm back in the game with a new media partner and a couple of all-star co-hosts.

Working in conjunction with 97.1-FM The Ticket, allow me to share the first episode of the Detroit Football Network Podcast, with cohosts Will Burchfield and Mike “Stoney” Stone.

Wednesday evening, we recorded our debut at the Lions practice facility. We discussed our takeaways from last weekend’s OT win over the Rams, offered some thoughts on the upcoming matchup against Tampa Bay, and I had a thoughtful discussion about the Buccaneers with longtime beat writer Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Here’s a small sample of the audio. The first full episode is linked at the bottom of the post.

I’ve always enjoyed podcasting, but have lacked the time. Arguably, I still lack the time, but in case you haven’t picked up the theme of the Detroit Football Network, I get to do whatever the hell I want.

The last time I hosted a podcast was 2016. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was in my final months of employment at MLive. It was the NFL offseason and former colleague Kyle Meinke and I were looking for a new avenue to expand our content offerings and our voices. So we sat down at his kitchen table, threw a voice recorder down and talked about the Detroit Lions off the top of our heads for around an hour.

The conversation came naturally, but production quality was non-existent. Despite the low-effort recordings, within two months we had several thousand listeners. Looking back, it had the potential to grow into something special had the Detroit News not offered me a job that summer.

At the News, I pivoted to video. You know, the postgame ones with John Niyo and Bob Wojnowski, where I’d close things by tossing the game book at the camera, often knocking it off the table? Honestly, it’s amazing that camcorder has survived all those bumps over the years.

I know someone at the office would strip the audio from those videos and turn it into a "podcast, but it was hardly the same. Still, based on the feedback over the years, people enjoyed those videos.

With the new podcast, we’re still working out the kinks with some of the logistics. Our producer, Zach Clark, came up with the necessary solutions to get us off the ground and across the finish line Wednesday, but we still have a lot to sort out.

It’s not included with this inaugural episode, but there should ultimately be video. And comically, Will’s name was left off the pre-recorded introductions. I promise you, he’s as much a part of this as everyone else. I have little doubt these wrinkles will get ironed out quickly.

What I can say with confidence is the chemistry feels good from the jump. And while it was a three-man booth for today’s debut, the vision going forward is a mid-week show with me and Will and a postgame show with me and Stoney, with occasional overlap always on the table.

Currently, the podcast isn’t available on all platforms, but we’ll get there. The feed has been submitted to the big dogs and we’re at the mercy of those third party applications. In the meantime, you can download Episode 1 here.

When I launched the Detroit Football Network in July, the audience made it clear they wanted a podcast to be a part of the content offerings. I spent two months working toward putting together the best quality product I could imagine with Stoney, Will and Zach, putting out our fires. I hope you enjoy, like, subscribe and all the other things people say at the end of podcast.

And, as always, your feedback is encouraged and welcomed.

Direct link to DFNP Episode 1