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Ah, hump day. Today’s Detroit Lions practice was hot, and humid. The players were not in full pads for this, the only practice of the day.
Dave Birkett, the Lions new beat reporter for the Detroit Free Press stopped by my perch to say howdy. If you get the chance, you can catch his great stuff at freep.com. It appears that Dave is also a fan of Bleacher Report.
Prior to today’s warmups, Jahvid Best, Derrick Williams, Tim Toone, and Dennis Northcutt were receiving machine-generated punts. I was a bit surprised not to see Nate Burleson in this group. Jahvid Best? Hmm.
Head coach Jim Schwartz alluded earlier that Burleson might get a look as a punt returner. I think that having Best try his skills as a punt return specialist would be the next best thing.
Stephan Peterman was at practice, but didn’t participate in drills while the swelling in his knee subsides. It was widely reported that he was kicked in the knee during an earlier practice. The MRI was negative and he will return to practice on a day to day basis. That news was like Christmas in August.
The individual position drills ensued. These drills were short (10 to 15 minutes each), and were run at an extremely high tempo. The focus today was on intermediate pass routes for the QBs, receivers, RBs, and tight ends.
Next came short yardage red zone work. The QBs were sharp and the receivers performed well. On one play, Jahvid Best threw a halfback pass to TE Tony Scheffler. Touchdown! Woooo Hoooo!
The horn blew, and the players hustled into agility drills. There were several stations set up around the field. I was closest to the running backs who started their drill with their back turned to the coach. The coach yelled “Hut!” The player had to turn 180 degrees and catch a ball whistled at them from 15 yards away. The player had to do another 180 with the ball, and run through the gauntlet sled.
It was Kevin Smith’s turn. He dropped the hard pass and was compelled to do 20 pushups nearby. Despite the drop, it was good to see Smith getting more work, and taking some good-natured heat from his teammates.
The seven on zero drills focused on pre-snap movement, play action fakes, short pass plays to the tight ends and fullbacks (exclusively), end zone corner routes, and some red zone post routes.
Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan made a point to Tim Toone, and the others to protect the ball with your body in the red zone.
Next up was a five on seven drill. I can’t overstate the sharpness of Mathew Stafford and Shaun Hill. They were perfect. Nate Burleson put on a clinic for the fans. On one play, he split the coverage of CB Paul Pratt and safety Marvin White to snare a pass that Stafford threaded through the eye of a needle.
The eye candy didn’t end there. The seven on seven drill started with the offense facing a 2nd and six situation. Kevin Smith and Derrick Williams made nice catches. Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson chipped in with a pair of grabs each. Jahvid Best made a nice deep catch.
Practice moved on to team drills. It was the defensive team’s time to shine.
On two consecutive plays, Sammie Lee Hill dominated. First, he batted down a Stafford pass at the line of scrimmage. On the next play, Hill beat Manny Ramirez and had daylight all the way to Stafford. I thought that Stafford was going to throw the ball into the bleachers, but he spiked it out of bounds.
Later, Stafford was flushed out of the pocket by a Zack Follett blitz. Gotcha!
Not to be outdone, KVB and Cliff Avril speed rushed Stafford for a certain sack.
Cornerback Chris Houston looked very good during the entire practice. He’s had to cover Calvin Johnson mano y mano. He got burned once, on a play that god couldn’t make against this ridiculous beast.
C.C. Brown looks to have the starting safety job locked up, but he’s getting pushed hard by Randy Phillips.
The linebackers were steady, if not spectacular on pass plays. Against the run, the LBs were actually a strength.
As practice wound down, Calvin Johnson did an on air interview with Karsch and Anderson of radio station 97.1 The Ticket. Johnson commented on the difference between practicing against last year’s defense versus this year’s defense. According to Johnson, the defense this year is vastly improved on the practice field.
Johnson also gushed about the QBs. He said that there’s a sense of real confidence and control that he’s never seen in Detroit.
Johnson praised the work of Nate Burleson and Tony Scheffler. Having these additional weapons, Johnson said, are making his job much easier.
When asked about Jahvid Best, Johnson admitted that he didn’t wish to race him any time soon.
Johnson was asked what his biggest surprise was on this team. I’ll save that for another article come Friday.
Miscellaneous impressions:
Jahvid Best makes plays all over the field. The halfback pass play today was an example of his versatility.
Derrick Williams will have a breakout season. Not only does he return kicks and punts, he’s been a very reliable receiver.
Mike Moore, Jared DeVries, Stephan Peterman, and Amari Spievey continue to be sidelined due to injury.
Jordan Dizon had his right groin wrapped near the end of practice. Uh oh.
Nate Burleson continues to amaze the fans and his teammates with the kind of play that we haven’t seen in Detroit since the Moore, and Perriman days.
Shaun Hill has been extremely effective at QB. This is a huge leap over last season’s experiment with Daunte Cullpepper. Those who say that Hill has no arm are not watching what I’m watching.
Well, Lions fans, that’s all I have for today. I’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Mike Sudds is an analyst and correspondent for DraftTek.com.
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Monday morning’s Lions practice was very well attended by the faithful. I was at my early perch next to the VIP section, watching the players come out for warm-ups. I had a chance to congratulate Dave Birkett, the new Lions beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. It was his first day on the job. Good luck, Dave!
The Lions’ practice facility has two football fields that are laid out side by side. There’s a 10-yard buffer zone between the fields. This morning, the Lions worked out on the West field, which is farthest from the bleachers.
In order to get the best possible view, I hustled over to the other side of the facility. The problem here is that there is no seating, no concessions, and no Porta Johns. The other thing is that only 40 percent of the sideline is accessible to fans. You are closer to the players, and it has a more intimate feel to it.
Onto practice!
After warming up, the players went into position drills. I was close to the DBs and was glad to see Louis Delmas back on the field. The guys were in full pads. Delmas was a bit rusty. During his first rep, he had to backpedal 10 yards, turn, and catch a ball whistled at him from 15 yards.
Forgetting to get his hands up was a mistake. The ball clanked off his face mask. The coach’s face was the next thing in Delmas’ grill. I don’t think that will happen again anytime soon.
The linebackers were hitting the “Chuck” sled. The guys have to execute this skill using an extremely low center of gravity. A tough drill, indeed.
I noticed that DeAndre Levy was not in pads (again). His back injury is becoming annoying. He really needs the work.
The QBs and receivers were working short routes. Mike Moore is still among the wounded (shoulder).
The horn blew, and players hustled into the seven on seven drills. Contact was limited, but everyone seemed sharp on both sides of the ball. C.C. Brown was getting the first team reps next to Delmas and looked solid.
After 20 minutes, the practice moved on to special teams work.
The special teams flavor of the day was punt returns and coverage. Nick Harris was booming punts to Derrick Williams, Jonathan Hefney, and Tim Toone.
Ndamakong Suh took some reps on the punt rush. My unfortunate location made any analysis of the line play impossible. Shucks!
The practice segued into the team drills. This was a full contact treat! It’s a good thing that the QBs were exempt from contact. On one play, Suh blew past Gosder Cherilus and Manny Ramirez (Peterman did not participate in today’s practice) on a beeline to Mathew Stafford.
A few plays later, Kyle Vanden Bosch roared in from the blind side, flushing Stafford out of the pocket, and forcing him to throw the ball away. This was the kind of play I’ve been expecting from KVB, and he didn’t disappoint.
I was grateful to see Sammie Lee Hill practice today. He limped a bit, but moved well in drills.
On a funny note, Stafford hit Jahvid Best in the chest with a pass that was thrown so hard that the rookie was knocked off of his feet. Rookies can be so entertaining. Fans joined Best’s teammates in laughter.
The next practice segment was the most exciting by far. It was a third and one situation with full contact. Those players not participating were hooting and hollering. Coaches and fans got swept up in the frenzy. Nate Burleson was leading the “Go Blue” cheers for the offense.
The players hammered away at each other. They seemed relieved to get some real contact work.
Jerome Felton was separated from his headgear after a vicious hit by Delmas.
Jahvid Best and DeDe Dorsey smashed into the pile repeatedly. Brandon Pettigrew made a tough catch over the middle and paid the price when Julian Peterson laid him out.
The remainder of this practice session was sans helmets. The starters on offense and defense did walk-throughs on several plays. After the previous high intensity drill, the players were obviously gassed.
Some miscellaneous impressions.
Nate Burleson stole the show today. He made every catch, ran incredible routes, and created space.
Drew Stanton had a much better day than he did yesterday. The only exception was one pass that was air-mailed, but other than that, he was solid.
I suspect that Jahvid Best was instructed not to go airborne in the third and one team drill.
Safety Randy Phillips continues to impress. He came from nowhere to knock down a pass intended for Calvin Johnson.
Ndamakong Suh looked much more comfortable today. He’s going to be a blast to watch.
OK, Lions fans. That’s all I have for today. Let me know who you want me to pay attention to tomorrow.
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Last Monday, the Super Bowl contending Minnesota Vikings, lacking depth at wide receiver, quietly improved the team even more by claiming an obscure free agent, to many in the media and most fans, off waivers.
Marko Mitchell excelled at flanker at the University of Nevada-Reno. He caught 51 balls for 1,129 yards (21.3 average) and eight TDs in 2007, and 61 balls for 1,141 yards (18.7 average) and 10 TDs in 2008.
At the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine, he was measured at nearly six foot four inches tall and 218 pounds with long arms of 34 ½ inches and big hands of 10 ¼ inches.
He ran a 10-yard dash in 1.5 seconds, 20 in 2.53, and 40 in 4.46 (his 40s have ranged from 4.36 to 4.54).
He had a more modest vertical jump of 32 ½-inches and only nine reps at 225 pounds.
The scouting report lists his assets: a natural athlete, very tall, very fast sustained speed especially for his size, can catch the ball in traffic, will out leap defenders, a formidable target that can be open even when he’s covered, a knack for getting open, and can get behind and outrun defenders.
He also has good moves, elusiveness, can track the ball over his shoulder, nice hands on tough catches, and an ability to get yards after the catch.
His main flaw is that he needs to get stronger. He didn’t break many tackles or overpower smaller defenders often.
He also lacks concentration at times and drops too many catchable passes. His route running and blocking needs work, but you can teach these traits.
He has marginal football intelligence and needs a lot of repetitions to pick up the finer points. He will need significant coaching to learn offenses including the West Coast.
The scouting reports conclude Mitchell is a big time prospect as a possession and red zone receiver. He possesses the physical ability to excel in the NFL. He even shows flashes of some big-play potential and swagger.
If he continues to mature, Mitchell is expected to reach the upper echelon of the 2009 class of wide receivers.
In 2009, Mitchell was drafted in the seventh-round by the Washington Redskins. After an impressive showing in training camp, he made the Redskins’ opening-day roster.
He won over many Redskins fans. Veteran running back Clinton Portis said: “I think Marko’s just coming on strong. He’s that addition that we need, along with (Malcolm Kelly) and (Devin Thomas). We were looking for a surprise, and I think he’s it.”
During the season, he ended up dressing for 10 games. But much criticized Redskins head coach Jim Zorn gave him the opportunity to catch only four passes for 32 yards.
When Mike Shanahan replaced him, he wanted to increase the number of wide receivers from five to six for his West Coast Offense, but he has favored mostly veterans in an apparent effort to win now.
Their only proven wide receiver is veteran pro bowler Santana Moss but they are also trying to trade for the Chargers Vincent Jackson. Future projects, Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly, both second round draft choices in 2008, also appear to have roster spots locked up.
Veterans Joey Galloway, Bobby Wade, Roydell Williams, and Mike Furrey are competing for the remaining two or three spots.
Rookie Terrence Austin, a seventh-round selection, has a chance to make the team as a kick returner. It became difficult to justify keeping Mitchell for the fifth or sixth wide receiver spot because he isn’t a strong special team contributor.
On May 3, 2010, Mitchell was waived by the Redskins. The Vikings put in a waiver claim on Mitchell, but he was awarded to the Detroit Lions.
Mitchell was very impressive during the Lions’ organized team activities. He made several big catches, including a leaping touchdown catch over rookie corner Amari Spievey.
But the Lions, who will likely go with only five wide receivers, had only one roster spot left after reserving spots for veterans Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson, and Bryant Johnson and also their third round draft choice Derrick Williams.
Undrafted Mike Moore appears to have been favored for the last spot mainly because he played college football with quarterback Mathew Stafford at Georgia.
On June 25, 2010, Mitchell was again waived. Rumor has it Mitchell wanted to get released so he could develop quicker under Vikings quarterback Brett Favre.
On June 28, 2010, the Vikings once again put in their claim. The Vikings were very lucky to get him since it is a rare for a team that finished as well as the Vikings did last year to be awarded a player from the waiver wires.
The addition of Mitchell gives the Vikings nine wide receivers heading into training camp.
All three of the Vikings starting wide receivers were former high draft choices: Bernard Berrian, a third round draft choice by the Chicago Bears in 2003, Sidney Rice, a second rounder in 2007, and Percy Harvin, a first rounder in 2009.
But Mitchell finally gives the Vikings some depth at wide receiver. Jaymar Johnson was a sixth rounder, but Greg Lewis, Marquis Hamilton, Logan Payne, Taye Biddle and Ray Small were all undrafted. (Darius Reynaud, who is being moved to running back, was also undrafted.)
This year, the Vikings drafted Joe Webb in the sixth round as a wide receiver, but he is considered a longer term project, due to his use as mainly a quarterback in college. The Vikings may even move him to quarterback.
Ht Wt 40 Drafted
Flanker
Sidney Rice 6-4 202 4.51 2007 Round 2
Marko Mitchell 6-4 218 4.46 2009 Round 7
Split end
Bernard Berrian 6-1 185 4.40 2004 Round 3
Jaymar Johnson 6-0 176 4.40 2008 Round 6
Slot receiver
Percy Harvin 5-11 202 4.34 2009 Round 1
Greg Lewis 6-0 180 4.41 2003 Undrafted
Slash
Joe Webb 6-4 220 4.43 2010 Round 6
Mitchell looks to play flanker behind Sidney Rice. Like most teams, the flanker receiver is the team’s top receiver and considered the classic wide receiver spot where a player has enough strength to work short and intermediate routes if needed, but enough speed to stress a defense deep as well.
The split end usually lines up on the weak side (with no tight end). Bernard Berrian and Jaymar Johnson are the more classic speed receivers working down the field in the longer routes.
Mitchell could also relieve Percy Harvin in the slot. Slot receivers have to be tough, physical, and fearless receivers because they consistently run routes in the high-traffic areas in the middle of the field.
When they catch the ball the contact is coming fast from bigger players like linebackers and defensive linemen at times against zone blitz defenses that drop the big guys into the passing lanes from time to time.
The slot receiver also has to have more quickness than raw straight-ahead speed. He has to make quick, sharp cuts to get himself open. The slot receiver also has to think fast, because the routes are shorter, the defenders are closer, and the ball comes quickly.
Last year, the Vikings carried six wide receivers, but used mainly only the three starters: split end Bernard Berrian, flanker Sidney Rice, and slot receiver Percy Harvin.
|
Statistics for Vikings Wide Receivers in 2009 |
|||||
|
Player |
Rec |
Yds |
Yds/Rec |
TD |
|
|
Sidney Rice (flanker) |
83 |
1312 |
15.8 |
8 |
|
|
Percy Harvin (slot) |
60 |
790 |
13.2 |
6 |
|
|
Bernard Berrian (split end) |
55 |
618 |
11.2 |
4 |
|
|
8 |
96 |
12.0 |
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
9 |
9.0 |
0 |
|
|
Greg Lewis backed up both flanker and the slot and Jaymar Johnson was a back up split end, while Darius Reynaud mostly played special teams.
Greg Lewis is not really big or explosive enough for the slot. He also gets jammed by some defensive backs off the line and has a tough time winning physical battles.
Jaymar Johnson is also not a very physical receiver and must improve his route-running skills.
Marko Mitchell is a very talented wide out that could spell the height and athleticism of Sidney Rice from time to time.
He may also have an opportunity to replace Percy Harvin in the slot on third downs when he is moved to running back (Please read my article “Why Percy Harvin Should Be the Minnesota Vikings Third-Down Back”).
Moving Percy Harvin to running back on third downs would give the Vikings a much more dominant rushing attack ( Please read my article “Minnesota Vikings Get Dominant Rushing Attack With Specialization”).
Moreover, Mitchell has an excellent opportunity to become the Vikings’ fourth wide receiver.
Mitchell may finally give the Vikings enough high caliber wide receivers for four-wide receiver sets becoming common in the NFL.
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The last few years have shown that the Colts are willing to draft the best player available (whether they need him or not). Last year the Colts drafted RB Donald Brown in the first round- then rode RB Joseph Addai all the way to the Super Bowl. This year they picked DE Jerry Hughes (regarded as the best pure pass rusher in the draft) with the 31st overall pick- even though they already have the best DE tandem in the league and nearly every mock draft on the web had them picking an offensive lineman (OT Rodger Saffold, OT Charles Brown, and OG/C Maurkice Pouncey).
Experts are already touting that 2011 will be the next big quarterback class, which could work out really well for the Colts. In the old days top signal callers were almost always drafted fairly high, but over the last few years talented quarterbacks have slid in the draft. In 2005 Aaron Rodgers was expected to be a top ten pick, but he slid all the way to 24 to the Green Bay Packers (even though Brett Favre was still at the top of his game). This year Jimmy Clausen (arguably the most pro ready quarterback to come out in years) lasted all the way to the middle of the second round (the Panthers tried to trade up to get him, but he landed in their lap at pick 48).
One of the reasons that the 2011 quarterbacks could slip is because some of the “bad” teams (who’ll be picking at the top of the first round) already have quarterbacks. Last year the Lions drafted QB Mathew Stafford #1 overall. This year the Rams snatched up QB Sam Bradford. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Josh Freeman in 2009 and the Denver Broncos are collecting quarterbacks.
Then there are the good teams. Not only do most of them already have quarterbacks, but these teams are looking for guys that can help them win right now. Teams like the Texans, Dolphins, Eagles, Chargers, Titans, Jets, and Falcons already have their quarterback for the future. Other teams like the Cardinals, 49ers, and Chiefs have so much invested in their quarterbacks that they’re better off using their top picks on support players that give them a chance to win right now. Even the Seahawks could pass on a quarterback if J P Lossman can translate his UFL success into the NFL.
At any rate. here are the four guys that are expected to be the top quarterbacks in the 2011 draft. It’s a fair assumption that at least one of these guys will slip to the bottom of the first round.
Meet Tight End Richard Dickson, the undrafted rookie free agent, who signed with the Lions.
Dickson was the all time leading TE at LSU where he posted 90 receptions for 952 yards and nine TD’s.
When Dickson and agent Albert Elias were considering offers from several NFL teams, the Lions offered an innovative package that was so attractive, Dickson jumped on board.
At 6’3” and 240 lbs, Dickson was thought by pro scouts to be too small to play TE in the NFL.
The Lions, however, had other plans for him.
The Lions proposed moving Dickson into a Full Back roll as well as a TE roll. Perfect.
Richard Dickson is a workaholic and has a skill set that the Lions covet—Good backfield blocker with good hands.
Mathew Stafford watched him play in the SEC and liked the fit. The depth that Dickson adds at two positions plus his obvious value on Special Teams is just the right combination that makes him a value addition.
Injuries are such a big part of the game. With Richard Dickson on the roster there is no need for Brandon Pettigrew to be rushed into the lineup.
One of the most interesting aspects of the addition of Dickson, was that his agent actually made a post over at SI.com.
His was the first post extolling the virtues of his client that I have ever seen under a team tag. You can check it out here:
I congratulate the Lions for thinking outside the box. Hopefully, Richard Dickson will be another piece to the puzzle.
http://www.prideofdetroit.com/2010/5/14/1472189/richard-dickson-the-detroit-lions
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