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Two-twenty-two Republic Drive, that is. The Detroit Lions headquarters and training camp facility. It was sunny, with temps in the low 60s.
I headed to my usual perch, and found it roped off by security. Two large bleacher sections had been moved from their usual locations and a smaller bleacher section was brought in. There were a host of pee-wee football teams on hand who were given the reserved seating. Nooooo!
I was hacked off (thanks, Marty Morninwheg). This severely limited my access to players and coaches. With all due respect to the pee-wees, I had to get some work done for my peepsters, didn’t I?
Lets do this!
Prior to stretching, the kick return specialists (Contrevious Parks, DeDe Dorsey, Aaron Brown, and Jerome Felton) were fielding kicks out of the “jugs” machine. These were obviously the up back guys (as opposed to outback guys, beat back guys, or wet back guys).
At the same time, the punt return specialists were doing their thing from the other jugs unit. Derrick Williams was practicing his fair catches on the three yard line. He’s got that down cold, folks.
During stretches, the sidelines were littered with the walking wounded. To list them would turn this article into an injury report.
The team broke into individual position drills. The O-Line and D-Line players retired to their neutral corners to beat each other up, and do some agility drills.
Note: No animals were harmed during the filming of this practice.
The running backs were drilling on the gauntlet sled. Each player would catch a zinger from coach Sam Gash, fight off an assistant wearing large padded arm cones, and run through the gauntlet. Nate Burleson caught the first pass and went through the gauntlet yelling his head off.
This old Marine was touched by the gauntlet drill. It was reminiscent of bayonet practice at Paris Island. Ah, the memories.
I digress.
Sam Gash was screaming at the RB’s to get both hands on the ball. Did you hear that, DeDe? Ball security was the goal of the drill.
It was time for special teams du jour. Today, it was field goal blocking, and defense. Aaron Petterey missed one of ten FG’s. On one play, the FG team ran a fake. Punter Nick Harris hit Tony Scheffler with a pass for a TD.
The guys were in shoulder pads and helmets only, so contact was pretty vanilla throughout practice.
The offense went into eleven-on-none, and five-on-none work. The QB’s all looked sharp today. It was good to see Mike Moore running full speed again.
The D-Line and what LB’s that were still ambulatory, worked on pass rushing and blitzing the tight ends, and running backs. I can safely say that Ndamakong Suh versus Jahvid Best is somewhat of a mismatch. Fans and teammates got a hoot out of that one.
I noticed a player wearing number 97. He wasn’t on the roster. I would find out later that he is DE Kory Bosworth. If that name sounds familiar it’s because he’s the nephew of Brian Bosworth.
TE Richard Dickson, and DE Jason Hunter had been released. Hunter, who finished last season as a starter, couldn’t make this year’s team. Linebacker Lee Campbell was re-signed, and looked lost out there.
It was time for the ever popular seven-on-seven drill. Rookie CB Amari Spievey looked more comfortable today, and intercepted a Shaun Hill pass intended for Nate Burleson. Spievey climbed the sky for it.
The vertically challenged CB Jonathan Heffney had a shot at another INT. His leap fell short of the mark, however.
CB Chris Houston has the toughest job on the entire team. Covering Calvin Johnson one-on-one is an incredibly difficult task. Houston’s play has improved as a result of this daily match up.
You fans of TE Dan Gronkowski will not be happy to learn that he dropped two easy throws. I don’t know if Gronk has issues with concentration, or has hands of stone.
Rocky paws is my guess.
The team went into full team drills. Also known as the Jahvid Best Show. Best had many good moments during practice, but the spectacular spin-a-rama move on DE Cliff Avril deep in the backfield was sick, sick, sick. Best easily hit the edge, and went to afterburners.
Mach two running, and fly by wire agility.
Eric Fowler made two breathtaking diving layout catches. It was great to see him contribute.
Matt Stafford fired high to Calvin Johnson in triple coverage. It was unfair. No contest. Our “Big” Johnson makes it all look so simple, it’s silly.
On to special teams, part deux. The Lions focused on kick off defense and offense. In this drill, the kicking team ran the field, while the return team, sans wedge, set blocking obstacles while holding blocking pads in front of them.
Special teams coach Danny Crossman ran the field with the kick team players, and screamed at players throughout. He would coach technique to players on both sides of the ball.
Crossman was like a tornado. A madman. Stan who?
This drill was run about 20 times. The players on the kicking team were totally drained after running what amounted to 20 gassers. Safety Randy Phillips was walked to the locker room, the apparent victim of dehydration.
The final team drill was the two minute offense. Matt Stafford completed four straight passes to cover the 70 yards. Burleson, Scheffler, Best, and Scheffler again for the touchdown.
Now, I promised you that I would give everyone the name of the player who the Lions have had an interest in.
It was Jarrad Page, the Kansas City safety holdout.
There’s nothing new to report on the Page front, but a couple of recent developments will impact the negotiations.
First, the loss of MLB Jordan Dizon has instantly become the most critical issue. The need for another LB trumps the need for a safety.
Second, the return of Louis Delmas and the performances turned in by C.C. Brown and Randy Phillips have diminished Page’s value to the Lions.
We have been speculating that the Lions could go after another disgruntled Chiefs player, LB Derrick Johnson. If the Lions go for both players, they would likely lose DT Sammie Lee Hill, and a TE. A draft pick might also be involved.
At this point, I honestly don’t know what the Lions will do. Whatever it is, I hope they pull the trigger soon.
Stay tuned Lions fans, I’ll be back tomorrow with another Detroit Lions training camp report.
Mike Sudds is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Mike is also an analyst and correspondent for DraftTek.com.
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This article covers the 2010 preseason game of the Green Bay Packers versus the Cleveland Browns.
Offense:
The first team offense was only out for three possessions, where one ended quickly by a Ryan Grant fumble. Grant suffered a minor concussion a few plays later and stumbled off the field. Brandon Jackson replaced him and had a nice screen play, but nothing else stood out. For most of the game, the offensive line had difficulty opening up holes for the running backs.
Aaron Rodgers looked very impressive where he began the game with 10 consecutive completions. He continued to make quick decisions and was able to spot the outside blitzes without taking any hits. Rodgers had two beautiful connections with Greg Jennings, including a 25 yard touchdown.
The other offensive weapons didn’t disappoint. James Jones had a leaping catch near the sideline and Jermichael Finley looked unstoppable.
There doesn’t seem to be any problem with Donald Driver‘s knees. He had a nice 12 yard catch and was able to balance a Gatorade cup on his head on the sideline.
I believe John Kuhn is a lock to make the roster as the starting fullback. He made a phenomenal second and third down effort, breaking two tackles to score a touchdown near the goal line. Later in the game, Quinn Johnson made a nice special teams tackle, leveling the punt returner.
The second team offense entered during midway of the second quarter, led by Matt Flynn. Before this game, I had zero confidence in Green Bay’s backup quarterback, but Flynn has made excellent strides in his third year. Flynn had great protection for most of the game, which he took advantage of with a few nice play action passes.
Flynn was able to convert on third downs and stepped into his throws when defenders were in his face. He had a very nice 22 yard pass while taking a hit, and almost had a touchdown to Jordy Nelson in the end zone which was unfortunately dropped. Flynn had a few plays where he took a shorter pass option or held the ball too long on a couple third downs, but overall played a very solid game.
Quinn Porter is making a strong case to be the third string running back. Nicknamed ‘Pom-Poms’ by his college football team for joining the cheerleading squad prior to playing football, Porter had a few solid runs, one that could have resulted in a long touchdown but was tripped up.
In a crowded tight end backfield, Spencer Havner is fighting for a roster spot. It didn’t help his case by missing a key block on a blitz up the middle during a third and short.
Graham Harrell entered in fourth quarter and is likely headed for the practice squad. Harrell is still a project as he struggled with his accuracy and was unable to keep drives alive.
Defense:
Unlike last preseason, Dom Capers played a very vanilla defense with no blitzing on Cleveland’s first two possessions. This allowed Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace ample time in the pocket as they shred the pass defense for two touchdowns.
Rookie Morgan Burnett made a few nice tackles on running plays, wrapping up the running back for little gain. Nick Collins showed off his athleticism, breaking up a pass with his fingertips.
The defense continued to be exploited by Brown’s screen plays, though Mike Neal was able to read one play and make a tackle from behind.
The defense was unable to contain the scrambles of Colt McCoy. He was able to scramble up the middle for 12 and 13 yards. Hopefully the defense can adjust when they play Michael Vick in Week 1.
The Browns threw at AJ Hawk, who gave up a touchdown, showing poor coverage and getting schooled by a double move. I still see Hawk as the better player over Desmond Bishop.
When Jarrett Bush has a good play, he counters it with a boneheaded one. Earlier in the game, he did a good job at breaking up a third down pass, but later allowing a 23 yard catch on 3rd down with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Brandon Underwood made a great turnaround in the end zone to pick off an under thrown McCoy pass in double coverage. His ball instincts look very much improved as he pushes Pat Lee for the nickel cornerback position.
Undrafted outside linebacker Frank Zombo pushed Cleveland’s RT into McCoy, which led to an interception by Derrick Martin.
Brandon Chillar spent some time at right outside linebacker where he deflected a pass in a third down situation. Chillar should be able to contribute this year behind starters Clay Matthews and Brad Jones.
Undrafted corner Sam Shields showcased his athleticism with a near interception, but needs to work on jamming receivers at the line. Shields is likely to make the roster based on talent alone, but is a project that will need at least another offseason to see the field on defense.
Special Teams:
For all the work on special teams coverage, none of it seems to pay dividends. The coverage looks to be one of the worst in the league again.
Even though Sam Shields has 4.2 speed, he made critical mistakes in the return game. He dropped a kick off return in the end zone and another in traffic which led to a turnover.
Pat Lee didn’t help the return game either with a dropped kickoff return.
Even though Mason Crosby can kick from 50+ yards on field goals, he only had one touchback.
Both punters Chris Bryan and Tim Matshay had decent games. Bryan has the ability to hit higher hangtimes, but is inconsistent. Some of Bryan’s punts were too short or had no hangtime at all. I believe Matshay is likely to edge out Bryan because he hasn’t had a bad punt so far.
Stay tuned for the next article on the 2010 preseason game of the Green Bay Packers versus the Seattle Seahawks.
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The Dallas Cowboys now head to California for the second part of their camp, however the injury bug has followed them.
Lineman Marc Colombo was injured during the second portion of Sunday’s back-to-back practices and took himself out of the practice.
Early indications are that the 31-year-old guard will need a knee scope to clear out some debris, and that will put him on the shelf for two to four weeks, making an already hurt line even worse.
Swingman Alex Barron is still out with an ankle injury although Coach Wade Phillips said that he could play this weekend against the San Diego Chargers. That leaves Robert Brewster, who has impressed coaches with his work so far in camp and rookie Sam Young.
Although there are a lot of injuries, there is some good news.
Martellus Bennett has returned to practice after a minor setback with his ankle. If everything goes well Bennett could finally see some preseason action this weekend.
“The trainers have been doing a great job,” Bennett said. “They’re trying to get me back on the field as soon as possible, so we have been doing everything we can to get back out here.”
If Bennett can’t go, the Cowboys signed tight ends Jason Pociask and DajLeon Farr to take the reps.
Safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah will also be seeing his first action of the season this weekend as he’s expected to returning both punts and kicks. Owusu-Ansah returned kicks, punts at IUP and returned four touchdowns in his career.
“Kick returning and punt returning has always been natural to me,” he said. “Any time the ball is in my hands I think it is a natural ability that I have. I’m just ready to make a play like I always did my four years at IUP. So, hopefully I can translate it to the next level and I guess we have to wait and see.”
However, it’s still unknown if Sean Lee will be playing this weekend, he’s been practicing, but Wade Phillips is still hesitant about letting him play.
In other injury news, on Sunday, lineman Doug Free was poked in the eye, tight end Jason Witten had the wind knocked out of him, receiver Jesse Holley strained his hamstring, and Victor Butler missed the practice with a neck strain.
Free and Witten both returned to practice a few plays later and the rest are expected to be back by the end of the week.
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I love football.
I’ve been obsessed with it since I was a little tike.
The sights, sounds, and smells of the game, the orchestrated violence, the smash-mouth ballet, all of it appeals to me.
Football has been a part of my life since I can remember. I owe that to my brother Dave, who has an even greater love for the intricacies of the game than I do.
My love affair started back in 1971 when I watched my first NFL game on TV. It was the Redskins against the Rams on Monday Night Football. Washington won easily, but I was impressed with LA quarterback Roman Gabriel and right then, for better or worse, the Rams became my team.
Backyard football was a fixture in my neighborhood. We played it constantly, every week. No exceptions. It’s a lot different with the kids today in the age of Facebook, smart phones, and iPads.
We didn’t have those distractions back then.
The first snowfall would always bring my brother and me outside. We would play each other, one on one, every first snow of the season. I can still see it like it was yesterday, running through the snow and having the time of our lives.
It was a great feeling, an innocent time that you pine for but know you can’t ever get back.
Some of my warmest memories are of me alone in the backyard with my imaginary teammates, pretending that I was Walter Payton, slashing and cutting through the line of scrimmage.
Heck, I was so into the game that I would reenact the previous weeks highlight reel, running in slow motion with that great NFL Films music playing in the back of my mind.
I’m not alone with my feelings for the game. It’s like that with a lot of people. It’s a passion that can’t be described adequately.
Baseball may be America’s pastime, but football is America’s obsession.
The game has become a part of our culture, a core fabric of our lives. In our cultural psyche, football is up there with mom, apple pie, and the Fourth of July.
It’s only been in the last few years when I’ve developed an even deeper appreciation for football.
Thanks to my opportunity covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for CBS, Pat Kirwan, and my brother’s coaching job in the Bellefonte (PA) High School system, I’ve learned how complex football can be.
Things I never knew as a fan and 15-plus years as a sportswriter became known.
Like when the tight end goes out wide, if the Sam (strong side linebacker) lines between the tight end the tackle, the defense is in a zone.
Or if the center and guards take three feet splits, but the guards and tackles are two feet apart, nine times out of 10, the play is going to be a run.
I’ve learned what a Fake Pump Draw is, what the responsibilities are in a 4-3 and 3-4 defense, gap integrity, X blocking, and what 21 personnel means.
One of the highlights of my life was Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau explaining his Fire Zone Blitz and me trying to understand it all.
These nuances and intricacies of the game have made it much more fun to watch. I see it now in a totally different light than I had before.
The real game is a chess match, a cerebral game much more complicated than most realize. With this new enlightenment I have come to respect the men who coach football even more.
It isn’t easy. To be successful at it takes hours and hours of dedication, passion, and commitment.
Pro and college ball are great, but nothing beats the Friday night lights of a high school football game.
The fans, the marching bands, and the game itself are magic to my senses.
High school football is pure football. The coaches and players aren’t in it for money, accolades, or fame. The play and coach for the love of the game, and the desire to compete and win. That’s what football is all about.
Do yourself a favor and go to your local games and soak in the moment. You’ll be glad you did.
The dog days are almost behind us and fall, my favorite season, is about to begin. The air gets cooler, the leaves change and paint a majestic picture, and football begins again.
What on earth could be better than that?
Nothing, except maybe rolling back time for another backyard snow game with my brother.
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First let’s start with the bad.
While I think Sam Shields can make the team as a CB, I think he won’t as a KR/PR. He muffed a punt that was saved by a Brandon Underwood interception in the end zone.
I also thought Underwood was all over the place, but because of Woodson and Harris not playing he was starting when he would normally be the third or fourth CB. Not too big of a concern.
This defense also needs Clay Matthews healthy for the start of the season. They generated almost no pass rush with the 1st team defense.
The special teams also seemed bad. They struggled on coverage and turned great punts into bad ones because of how many yards they gave up on returns.
Ryan Grant also struggled, but he only had 2 carries, so it’s hard to tell. He appears to be fine after suffering a blow to the head.
As for the positives, even with a mediocre running game, the 1st team offense looked unstoppable.
Aaron Rodgers went 12-13 for 159 yards and a TD. Most importantly he wasn’t sacked.
JerMichael Finley played well, but with all of the attention on him this offseason it seems that everyone’s forgotten about Greg Jennings.
Bad idea.
He scorched the Browns’ defense on his 2 catches, including one for a TD. At times he was wide open and faced one-on-one coverage.
The Packers should just put James Starks on IR for this season because Quinn Porter and Kreg Lumpkin both look like viable 3rd-stringers.
The bottom line is it’s still only the 1st game of the preseason. The final score isn’t that important and working out the kinks is what the preseason is for. I’m looking forward to Seattle next week.
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