The Detroit Lions completed the third day of their 2019 training camp, putting pads on for the first time this fall. Pads mean contact and contact means we get to see our first look at the running game. Unfortunately, we get this first look on a day in which starting running back Kerryon Johnson was not participating and the team just released Theo Riddick to make room for Mike Daniels.
Running game
What we saw was a lot of basic zone reads options. This is a terrific run scheme for Johnson’s style and today was a day he would have likely shined. Instead, we saw C.J. Anderson be decisive, Zach Zenner repeatedly hit the backside A-gap for success and Ty Johnson use his speed to get outside.
Most of the running game was happening on the field farthest from the media tower, but it looked like the biggest winner of the day was Zenner. It was a double victory for him today, as his chances to make the 53-man roster increased significantly with Riddick no longer with the team. Ty Johnson’s path also got a lot easier, as he is the player most likely to step into Riddick’s role.
Offensive line return to normal
After shaking up the guard positions on Day 2, the Lions returned to their original starting five offensive lineman today. It will be interesting to see if the rotation at the guards spot continues through camp, but at some point, coaches need to settle on a starting group and work towards building chemistry.
When left guard Kenny Wiggins was asked about the rotating, he responded, “We have a lot of guys who have played a lot of football and all of us have great depth, and that’s a great thing to have.” He went on to say the competition is “up in the air right now”, but called the unit’s chemistry “awesome” and wrapped up his interview by saying, “when you play next to your brothers, it’s fun.”
Wiggins looked solid today but it’s worth noting that when the Lions were running in a goal line set, they ran the ball right behind right guard Graham Glasgow and went 2/2 in doing so.
Defense
There was a lot of technique teaching today. Players often break up into position groups for individual attention, but today they broke down even further separating into very specific small groups, sometimes consisting of as few as four players.
For example, coaches grouped together Tracy Walker, Tavon Wilson, Will Harris and C.J. Moore. What do they have in common? They are the primary players competing for a slot safety role(s). When the Lions deploy three safety sets, it’s likely that two players from this group will be on the field at the same time. In those formations, one of these safeties will have to cover the offensive player lined up in the slot, so today’s teaching focus was on different techniques on how to jam the receiver at the line of scrimmage.
Walker was easily the smoothest at this drill, as he can use his length to make an impact at the line. Wilson looked a bit stiffer in the hips, but he was clearly the most experienced and was giving pointers to the younger players. He specifically spent some extra time with Moore and when Moore executed the drill perfectly at the end, Wilson gave him an excited pad on the head and Moore did a proud fist pump.
When the drills expanded to offensive skill players vs defensive backs, it was very notable that it was Teez Tabor taking the first rep of the drills, facing off against Marvin Jones. Jones got the better of him on a 9-route — no surprise, he also beat Rashaan Melvin in the same fashion — but Tabor bounced back in the second round and easily beat Andy Jones.
Tabor still has flaws in his game, but he continues to show intelligence on the field, often properly breaking on the ball and making plays, but it also says something that coaches are putting him at the front of the pack and squaring off against the Lions top receivers.
A few other notes on defensive players:
- Jahlani Tavai showed violent hands today with the pads on, something I expect to continue.
- Mitchell Loewen is very much a sleeper for this roster. His quickness caught Tyrell Crosby off guard in a one-on-one drill and he threw him around pretty easily.
- Kevin Strong has been repping with the nose tackles because of injuries at the position, but he showed why I think he has 3/5-technique potential with a brilliant swim move that left Micah St. Andrew in the dust. Strong has legit practice squad potential.
- While I was watching the OL vs DL one-on-ones, apparently Jamal Agnew had a terrific interception that I unfortunately missed. Look for it in the team released practice video later on tonight because I was told it was arguably the play of the day.
Da’Shawn Hand continues to surprise
I have studied Hand more than most and despite all my hard work, he continues to surprise me with his range. In an offensive line vs defensive line drill, Hand got three reps, here’s how they went down:
- Hand stood up as JACK linebacker, outside of the left tackle. At the snap, he dipped behind the down defensive lineman and attacked the guard. At, 295-pounds his momentum overwhelmed the guard and Hand relocated him right to where the quarterback would have been standing.
- On the next rep, Hand stood up at JACK again, this time he dropped into the flat and covered the running back. This was way too easy for a player his size.
- The final rep saw him put his hand back in the dirt, lining up at the 3-technique. His quickness at the snap allowed him to get under Oday Aboushi and with one arm extended he overpowered him collapsing the pocket. He kept his off arm free and if it was a live situation, he would have been able to use it to grab the ball carrier.
Special teams
The Lions continue to make special teams a big part of their early practices and the big standouts today were punter Sam Martin and gunner Charles Washington.
Martin is absolutely destroying the ball this year. His hang time was noticeably improved and he looks sharp with his placement. Sorry, Ryan Santoso fans, Martin isn’t showing any cracks in his armor.
One of the last special teams drills of the day was a punting drill where gunners were asked to run down the field and down the ball before it reached the end zone. Washington looked strong on these plays showing why he made the 53-man roster last year.
Post-practice
At the conclusion of padded practices players typically have a cool-down period where they shed their extra equipment and do stretches. The first player to get up and begin post-practice individual drills was Tavai. He made his way over to the bags to work on tackling technique where he was quickly joined by fellow rookie Austin Bryant as the two of tried to maximize their time.
When the jug machine was pulled out, the first one in line was once again Danny Amendola. Right behind him: T.J. Hockenson.
Keeping with the rookie theme, PJ Johnson found the defensive line coach for extra work, while all four undrafted rookie offensive linemen were off in the corner working on hand placement.
Finally, coach Matt Patricia upgraded his transportation today:
