Wednesday was the Detroit Lions’ official finish to coaching camp apply, and it was supposed to finish with a bang. Coach Dan Campbell needed to shut out the week with a full-on scrimmage, however, sadly, with the quantity of accidents the workforce is coping with, they opted to dial down the depth of Wednesday’s apply.
“We’re going to need to again down,” Campbell advised 97.1 The Ticket earlier than apply. “We’re going to begin with 9-on-7. I’m going to take the pads off and it’s going to be a little bit extra ones vs. ones, with twos blended in. We’ll load them away. We needed to alter a little bit bit, which is okay.”
However as Campbell identified, there have been nonetheless a ton of workforce drills to interrupt down, so let’s try this on Day 14 of our Detroit Lions coaching camp recaps.
And to compensate for the most recent harm information and participation stories, take a look at this put up.
Some security changes
With Brian Department out, the Lions performed round with their security pairings. When engaged on 9-on-7s (run help), it was C.J. Moore and Ifeatu Melifonwu with the primary workforce. However after they broke for workforce drills, it was Kerby Joseph and Brandon Joseph who noticed probably the most time with those—with Melifonwu getting a while there as properly.
Brandon Joseph has been having a terrific stretch of camp, so it’s not stunning to see him get the momentary promotion in Department’s absence.
“The factor that B-Jo brings to this workforce is he’s a really, very heady participant,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn mentioned on Wednesday. “He understands this sport inside and outside, he’s nearly like an additional coach on the market, so when he’s on the market with the younger gamers, he’s capable of direct these guys on what we’re doing and the way we’re doing it.”
Jack Campbell’s protection expertise on show
Campbell was my early standout in apply, significantly in the course of the 9-on-7 drills. His violence and aggression make him a perfect off-ball run defender.
However what’s going to make Campbell particular in Yr 2 is his progress in protection, as defined by Glenn earlier than apply.
“His potential to drop in protection has improved tremendously, and that was one factor we’re going to ask of him,” Glenn mentioned. “His potential to match guys has improved tremendously, and that’s going to assist us be a greater protection.”
Seemingly on cue, Campbell picked off Jared Goff in a workforce drill throughout apply the place he sat in a zone, learn Goff’s eyes, and made the play.
There are nonetheless some inconsistencies right here and there—a blown protection late in apply appeared to be in his neck of the woods—however it’s simple to see the sport slowing down for the second-year participant.
Jameson Williams hype
The Lions are going to rely a ton on Williams this 12 months, and whereas there are nonetheless some inconsistencies, Wednesday was a robust apply for the third-year receiver. He had the catch of the day, totally extending to haul in a two-point conversion on a fade play—and someway acquired each ft inbounds. Shortly after that, he made a key play throughout a situational drill, pulling in a 21-yard crossing route that set the offense up within the crimson zone.
What’s most spectacular about Williams’ camp is he’s profitable in several methods. It’s not simply vertical routes and it’s not simply pace. The releases are higher and the routes are crisper.
However on the identical time, it’s not occurring each down. For instance, on a deep shot, Kindle Vildor’s bodily jam on the line proved to be an excessive amount of for Williams, messing up the timing of the play and resulting in an overthrow.
Whereas I’m on the subject, Vildor has put collectively two spectacular practices working with the first-team protection. Along with the above play, he additionally had a train tape rep lined up reverse Amon-Ra St. Brown for a crimson zone play. Jared Goff threw a pleasant fade to St. Brown, however Vildor was throughout it, elevated, and swatted the ball away for the incompletion. Vildor could also be down on the depth chart, however he’s nonetheless proving he can look the half with starters.
Scrimmage…ish
Whereas the Lions ditched scrimmage plans, they did one thing just like a scrimmage. Mainly, this was the way it labored:
Rating: 21-21, 4:57 left, every workforce with 2 timeouts
The primary-team offense would go up in opposition to the first-team offense, and the second-teams would decide up wherever that drive ended.
First drive (first workforce)
A deal with for loss by Kerby Joseph on the very first play set the first-team offense again, and so they wouldn’t recuperate. On third-and-medium, Goff was ready for St. Brown to come back open on a crosser route, however the Lions quarterback didn’t see Campbell studying his eyes for the aforementioned decide.
Second drive (second workforce)
Hendon Hooker and the second-team offense took the ball over on the protection’s 22-yard line, and it solely took them a single play to seek out the top zone. Kaden Davis broke large open, with newly-signed cornerback Essang Bassey the closest defender a number of yards away. Hooker hit him in stride for a straightforward rating and a 28-21 second-team offense lead with 3:17 remaining.
It was a troublesome search for Bassey, but it surely’s price noting he had a superb move breakup on an correct move to Tom Kennedy.
Third drive (first-team)
Unsurprisingly, Goff focused St. Brown early and sometimes on this drive. The All-Professional receiver picked up 8 yards by discovering the comfortable spot within the zone, added 15 yards on a put up route (that would’ve been blown up by Brandon Joseph if it was a padded apply), and closed out the drive with a landing catch on a move that was lasered simply past Jack Campbell’s outstretched attain. Williams added the two-point conversion (as talked about earlier) to make it 29-28 first-team offense with solely 50 seconds left.
Fourth drive (second-team)
Regardless of beginning on the 30-yard line and solely needing a subject purpose, Hooker couldn’t get something going. Again-to-back checkdowns solely picked up 8 yards to begin the drive (and bled the remaining timeouts). On third down, Donovan Peoples-Jones dropped a move that it appeared he was anticipating to get deflected by Steven Gilmore. Then on fourth down, Hooker held onto the ball too lengthy and was sacked. Win for the first-team offense.
Closing situational drill
The primary-teamers have been put into this example to shut camp:
Offense, down 9 factors, with 2:42 left, 1 timeout, beginning on their very own 30-yard line.
What adopted was a 14-play landing drive. Listed below are among the highlights:
Goff hit Kalif Raymond with a turkey gap move for 21 yards.
The 21-yard crosser move to Williams that was thrown simply out of the attain of Brandon Joseph.
A fourth-down interference name that was not made by the officers, however Dan Campbell himself—maybe simply to maintain the drill alive.
A crimson zone sack by Aidan Hutchinson. Whereas whistles blew the play useless, Goff continued the play and was picked off by Amik Robertson, who continues to have a superb camp.
A fade landing to St. Brown with Kerby Joseph in comparatively good protection.
After pulling the rating to simply two factors, the Lions opted to simply give the ball again to the offense, with no onside kick tried. From there, the offense began on their very own 45-yard line with 45 seconds left and no timeouts.
It solely took two performs to get into scoring place. With Loren Strickland filling in at nickel, St. Brown beat him on a wheel-ish route for 21 yards, after which a linebacker protection bust left Craig Reynolds wide-open for a 25-yard achieve. Detroit would deliberately bleed the remainder of the clock, and Jake Bates booted a 32-yard subject purpose to win it.
Odds and ends
So-so day for Bates. He made subject targets of 32 and 35 yards and made an additional level. However he additionally missed an additional level and doinked a 53-yard subject purpose off the left upright.
With the CB accidents, Strickland was the second-team nickel behind Amik Robertson. Whereas Steven Gilmore and Essang Bassey have been the second-team outdoors cornerbacks, Vildor and Khalil Dorsey stay the present “starters.”
Parker Hesse continues to be the one tight finish I see rep at fullback.
The WR3 battle could also be over. As was trending in earlier practices, the Lions nearly completely had Kalif Raymond with St. Brown and Williams after they went three large (with St. Brown on the surface). The one exception I noticed was within the crimson zone, the place Peoples-Jones changed Raymond for one more big-bodied choice. I didn’t have any notes about Daurice Fountain at this time.
