Lions News

[jaadam4]

He's so humble and well-spoken. "the best ability is availability" is a good quote to hear from a young player.

he’s calling Levi O out already?

[Cody_Russell]

Speaking of LaPorta: I thought he showed Saturday exactly why the Lions took him so high in the second round. He made plays all over the field – deep, intermediate and short. He's great at gaining separation at the top of his route and he's got some sizzle with the ball in his hands after the catch. I thought he was one of the best players on the field Saturday. – Tim Twentyman

Not surprising. Amazing what can happen when an actual QB throws him the ball. I hope and expect it to translate to games.

One frustrating thing about Hockenson was hearing how he dominated in practice and camp. Slight exaggeration of how he actually played in games… though Hockenson was a good TE in Detroit at times.

[Futureshock]

Hendon Hooker: I’m working my tail off taking mental reps

Posted by Josh Alper on May 14, 2023, 8:25 AM EDT

USA Today Sports

Lions head coach Dan Campbell said this week that the team views 2023 as a redshirt year for third-round pick Hendon Hooker because the quarterback is coming off of a torn ACL and Hooker said on Saturday that it’s difficult for him to take things slowly.

Hooker explained that he wants “to do things that I can’t really do right now, in terms of just speeding my feet up and putting a lot of pressure on that left leg and trying to change directions” and that he’s trying to just take things one day at a time while finding other ways to improve until he’s cleared for full physical activity.

“Entering this first year is the same motto, same mentality I’ve had all my life, let’s get better every day,” Hooker said, via Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com. “You’ll never stay the same; you either get better or you get worse, and I don’t wanna have any decline in my game so I’m continuing to work my tail off, day-to-day, mental reps, taking reps behind the quarterbacks that are in and just playing the game in my mind until I can actually get out there, but I’m still preparing and I’m hungry. I’m ready to compete.”

While Hooker is recovering, Jared Goff will be playing quarterback for the Lions and the veteran’s play will have a lot to do with when and if Hooker is actually in position to compete for playing time in Detroit.

[Futureshock]

Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs was 'doing amazing stuff' before ankle injury cut short rookie camp

Dave Birkett Detroit Free Press


Jahmyr Gibbs made a memorable impression on his teammates on the first day of Detroit Lions rookie minicamp before suffering an ankle injury that is expected to keep him out the rest of the weekend.

"He’s special," fellow running back Mohamed Ibrahim said. "His first day out here he was doing amazing stuff. His footwork, his catching ability, the way he reads plays, he’s got great acceleration. The guy’s awesome. I can see why he was the 12th pick."

Gibbs did not practice Saturday because of what Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew described as a minor injury.


"He had a little tweak, but no big issue," Agnew said. "He'll be fine. We're just being safe with it."

MORE ON THE ROOKIE:Jahmyr Gibbs went from living at a shelter to becoming Lions biggest swing yet

The No. 12 pick of last month's draft, Gibbs was one of the best dual-threat running backs in college football last season. He led Alabama with 926 yards rushing on 151 carries, added a team-high 44 receptions for 444 yards and said Saturday he expects to line up as both a wide receiver and running back for the Lions this fall.


Since rookie camp is largely an acclimation period for draft picks and undrafted rookies before full-team workouts resume next week, Gibbs won't miss much by sitting out practices.

He said his goal for the week still is to "learn the playbook," and he spent most of Saturday's practice taking mental reps on the side.
"I think the game is more mental than physical ability anyway, so it’s good for me," Gibbs said.

Agnew, the 10th pick of the 1990 draft, called Gibbs "gifted," but said it's important to temper expectations for the rookie and "let him get acclimated and see where he goes."
“There is a lot of pressure (as a first-round pick) because you want to prove the people right that pick you," Agnew said. "You want to be talented, you want to be there for the team, you want to do the right thing and you want to be a player. But I would just tell him to relax, it’ll come. The game will slow down to you. Your rookie year’s going to be fast, it’s going to be faster than you ever seen, but I think in today’s game there’s a little more – a little bit more of chance to be successful as a rookie than there was back when I played."

Second-round pick Brian Branch and third-rounder Hendon Hooker also did not practice Saturday because of injuries, and third-rounder Brodric Martin left practice briefly but returned after injuring his left arm.

Hooker is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last November and could be in line for a redshirt season this fall.

[Futureshock]

Detroit Lions to host Jacksonville Jaguars for second set of joint practices in preseason

Dave Birkett Detroit Free Press


The Detroit Lions will be hosting two sets of joint practices this summer.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson told Florida reporters over the weekend that his team will practice against the Lions ahead of the teams’ Week 2 preseason game in August.

Lions coach Dan Campbell had previously said the Lions would host the New York Giants for joint practices in Week 1 of the preseason.

Dates for both games have yet to be finalized, but teams taking part in joint workouts typically practice against each other two or three times in the days leading up to the game.

The Lions did not participate in joint practices in Campbell's first season as Lions coach in 2021. Last year, the Lions held two practices with the Indianapolis Colts in the second week of the preseason, then had a day off before their exhibition game in Indianapolis.

Joint practices have become a popular way for teams to get meaningful work for their starters in competitive yet controlled settings during training camp. Starters then typically sit out those preseason games.

By hosting the Giants and Jaguars, the Lions will get an extended look at two of last season’s playoff teams — and two teams they beat in the regular season.

The Jaguars went 9-8 last season and won their final five games after a Dec. 4 loss to the Lions to win the AFC South for the first time since 2017. They beat the Los Angeles Chargers in the first round of the playoffs, before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

The Lions open the regular season against the Chiefs on the NFL’s Thursday night kickoff game.

Jacksonville, led by second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence, finished top 10 in total and passing offense last season, and 12th in scoring defense.

The Giants went 9-7-1 in the regular season last year and won a road playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings before falling to the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Lions beat the Giants in the regular season, 31-18.

The NFL suggested teams wait until Week 2 or 3 of the preseason to hold joint practices for health and safety reasons. Campbell said in March the Lions and Giants had been planning joint practices before the league made its recommendation, and that both teams are doing what they feel is in the best interests of their players.

LIONS ROOKIE MINICAMP OBSERVATIONS:Hendon Hooker has 'it'; Sam LaPorta shines
“I think you just go about it like any other practice, man,” Campbell said. “You be smart with what you’re doing and they’re going to suggest what they’re going to suggest, and we listen to it. But it’s not like we don’t have our players’ best interests at heart and we’re reading our own data and we’re trying to figure out the best way to help our guys in recovery and all that. But at the same time, there’s a balance. You want to get really good work and maybe not have to play some of the starters.”

The Lions close the preseason Friday, Aug. 25, against the Carolina Panthers in an 8 p.m. game that will be televised by CBS.

Briefly

A former Arizona Cardinals official who has accused team owner Michael Bidwell of cheating and discrimination said in a court filing that now-Lions chief operating officer Mike Disner provided burner phones for executives to use to communicate with then-Cardinals general manager Steve Keim during Keim’s suspension.

According to Compare.bet, ex-Cardinals vice president Terry McDonough wrote in an arbitration filing that Disner, then the Cardinals vice president of football administration, “distributed burner phones at the direction of Bidwill and Steve Keim to Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks, McDonough, Keim, and Cardinals Vice President of Football Operations and Facilities Matt Caracciolo” in July of 2018.

Keim was suspended five weeks in 2018 after he was arrested for driving under the influence and not allowed to have contact with others in the organization during the suspension.

Disner declined comment on the report through the Lions.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

[Futureshock]

Detroit Lions announce 10 rookie minicamp tryout players

Jeremy Reisman – Pride of Detroit

When the Detroit Lions get their remaining five 2023 NFL Draft picks under contract, they will have a 88 players toward their 90-man roster. Those two remaining spots could very well come from rookie minicamp, which began on Friday and runs through Sunday.

Rookie minicamp will include all eight Lions draft picks, their 15 undrafted rookie signings, a trio of second-year players, and 10 tryouts. On Saturday, the Lions revealed their roster for rookie minicamp, unveiling the official players who will be trying out to make the team this weekend.

First, here are the three year-two players who will be in attendance:

• TE Derrick Deese
• OT Obinna Eze
• G Darrin Paulo

And here’s are the 10 players trying out for team:

• WR Dylan Drummond – Eastern Michigan
• WR Darrius Shepherd – North Dakota State
• DL Jullian Taylor – Temple
• DL Jacorey Johns – Wake Forest
• DL Wyatt Ray – Boston College
• CB David Vereen – Newberry
• CB Da’Meak Brandon – Limestone
• S Chris Bacon – Bowling Green
• S Xavier Bell – Portland State
• K John Parker Romo – Virginia Tech

[edindetroit]

Detroit Lions to host Jacksonville Jaguars for second set of joint practices in preseason
Dave Birkett Detroit Free Press

I forgot all about that handshake. It used to be back in the 60s and 70s that we used it to be different than how our dads did it. Now it's the sports handshake.

[ghandi]

That sack by James Houston on Trevor Lawrence almost broke him in half....It was sure fun watching him play the last 8 games...Hopefully he keeps it up this season.

[chemiclord]

That sack by James Houston on Trevor Lawrence almost broke him in half....It was sure fun watching him play the last 8 games...Hopefully he keeps it up this season.

The good news with Houston is that one of the things he does well is going to be something that he'll be able to use for a while (at least as long as his body holds up). That sort of dip and bend that he has, where he can get so low to the ground without sacrificing speed is something that the current trend of big, beefy OTs are going to keep struggling with. That center of gravity is so absurdly low that its going to keep beating O-Linemen. He'll assuredly not have last year's success rate, but it's a staple he'll be able to keep drawing from.

But if he really refines more moves, and starts showing reliability in coverage? Look out.

[Nick Pappageorgio]

John Parker Romo has been signed….the money badger has a target on his back now

[jaadam4]

Another guy taking his wife’s last name. Terrible

[Malto Marko]

Another guy taking his wife’s last name. Terrible

Chauvinist.

[wcfwtf]

Pig

[wcfwtf]

Oh oh I hope it’s a word game ha ha

[Futureshock]

The good news with Houston is that one of the things he does well is going to be something that he'll be able to use for a while (at least as long as his body holds up). That sort of dip and bend that he has, where he can get so low to the ground without sacrificing speed is something that the current trend of big, beefy OTs are going to keep struggling with. That center of gravity is so absurdly low that its going to keep beating O-Linemen. He'll assuredly not have last year's success rate, but it's a staple he'll be able to keep drawing from.

But if he really refines more moves, and starts showing reliability in coverage? Look out.

The good news is he wants to be a full-time LB. But, until then I hope he continues to do what he did when got an opportunity.