Monday, July 21st, was the second day of Detroit Lions training camp at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park. A sun-soaked and pleasant morning session greeted the Lions players, coaches and media.
The pads remained off for the second session, so during the non-team portions of practice, I camped out with my primary focus on the defensive backs. I also stuck with the lower end of the depth chart when the units were split between two fields outside of the team drills.
Here’s what I saw during the practice session.
Player of the day: Marcus Davenport
Considering that I spent much of the day focused on the defensive backs, it would take a commanding performance from someone else to seize the player of the day honors. But that’s just what Davenport did.
The starting EDGE was downright dominant in team drills. His combination of length and strength was too much for anyone trying to slow Davenport down. On one three-play series in team drills, Davenport:
- destroyed a run to his side with a (would-be) tackle right at the line
- got egregiously held by Penei Sewell as he crossed the All-Pro right tackle’s face to the inside
- pushed the pocket and forced QB Jared Goff to flee and throw away a ball on a play where Goff had TE Sam LaPorta open for a potential big gain but no way to get him the ball, thanks to Davenport’s quick pressure and pursuit
Davenport looked impressive in OTAs and he’s building upon that. The durability concerns are always on the tip of the tongue when discussing the oft-injured Davenport, but watching him work is a good reminder that he’s got devastatingly effective potential in Detroit’s defense.
Coverage wins
The pass defense was well ahead of the passing offense when the starters were in the game. Notably, second-year CB Terrion Arnold was very effective on the outside and had several impressive reps against Amon-Ra St. Brown, though one Arnold win might have involved an inadvertent throat punch. Arnold also bagged a sweet PD on a Goff pass to Sam LaPorta where nobody was open. Even without starter D.J. Reed (unknown absence), Goff frequently had to keep scanning the field to try and find an open target. Arnold also scored an impressive rep in run defense against David Montgomery, smartly anticipating the block from the TE and ducking it for a would-be tackle.
Amik Robertson stepped in nicely for Reed, showing his ability to quickly flip open his hips and trail to the inside. Given more reps to work with because of Reed and Ennis Rakestraw being out of action, Rock Ya-Sin and Tyson Russell each had some impressive coverage reps at CB.
The safeties were even more impressive. Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch very much looked like the best safety tandem in football. But it was the guys competing below them who grabbed my attention. Undrafted rookie Ian Kennelly was outstanding for the second practice in a row. Kennelly is a very impressive athlete in positional drills, but he’s shown he can translate the raw athleticism into effective football. His quick reactions and closing burst to the ball are going to make him very difficult to cut, if the Lions have to make that tough choice.
Seventh-round rookie safety Dan Jackson proved he can plant a foot and drive through to the ball, a key coaching emphasis. Loren Strickland, fighitng to keep his reserve role for a second season, proved he can blitz quite well from teh slot, ough one of those got picked up very nicely by UDFA TE Zach Horton (continuing to impress). Erick Hallett and Morice Norris both were effective in team drills, notably when Kyle Allen was in at QB.
Get the ball
New defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend is not a man who needs a microphone. Townsend’s focus is loud and clear: go get the (censored) ball! It reflects the outward personality of new coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, who is known to say the same thing.
As an example, the DBs worked on a drill where they were trying to strip the ball or punch it out. Even on some reps where the ball did some out, Townsend and his underlings were coaching proper punch technique and attack angle. Townsend was very quick to praise veteran Avonte Maddox for self-correcting from one rep to the next to give his amped-up coach exactly what he wanted to see.
Grant Stuard, force of nature
New Lions LB Grant Stuard has been filling in higher on the depth chart than projected, with starter Alex Anzalone idle with a hamstring issue and Malcolm Rodriguez out for a few more months. The former Colts backer is taking full advantage.
Stuard made the most athletic reception of the LBs in their passing game drills, which were running next to the DBs. No. 15 reached over his head with a quick two-handed stab and tapped both toes down like a wideout. He was good at filling holes in the run game during team drills and also blanketed TE Brock Wright on an out route.
Then came special teams. That’s where Stuard buttered his bread in Indianapolis, and he’s well on his way to baking some special teams magic in Detroit, too. He’s relentlessly unblockable in covering punts and kicks, winning every single rep against all comers. Then he flashed return ability. Yeah, the long-haired LB shagged the ball clean out of the air, rapidly got to full speed and darted up the seam like a locomotive. It’s unpadded, so nobody could tackle Stuard, but I would have really enjoyed seeing them try to ride that lightning.
Quick hits
–Wasn’t focused on the offense so much, but Hendon Hooker had perhaps the best team period I’ve seen from the third-year QB. He flashed an accurate arm, but what stood out was his anticipatory throwing and understanding of what the defense was throwing at him. Hooker connected with speedy rookie wideout Dominic Lovett on a picture-perfect underneath route that I’m not sure No. 2 would have hit in the past.
–Tate Ratledge was the first-team center throughout team drills. I didn’t see any errant snaps, and his pad level looked good post-snap, but we’ll know a lot more once the pads come on later this week.
–Sione Vaki left the field with a leg injury. I didn’t see this happen, so I can’t comment on it.
–There was a very odd visual in team drills where No. 52 on offense, guard Netane Muti, was locked up with No. 52 on defense, linebacker Zach Cunningham. Cunningham has had a good start to camp. We’ll know more about Muti when the pads come on.
–Kicker Jake Bates was 7-of-9 in official field goals, with both misses wide left. The second miss–on the shortest attempt– was a straight shank job. I was standing under the goalposts so I couldn’t see the distance well, but Bates drilled the next one with a ball that might have flown out of the practice facility grounds.
#Rise #pass #defense