MicroMike makes a video of the Detroit Lions rookie min-camp video of all the pictures from the camp
The first notable change was that the media was allowed on the premises to observe at all. This opportunity was phased out during the Bob Quinn/Matt Patricia era. Coach Dan Campbell not only welcomed the media in, he even laid out the format for the day: Walkthroughs, individual drills, special teams drills, and wrapping up the day with 7 on 7’s.
There was also a heavy contingent of Lions’ staff on hand that went well beyond the 21 coaches. GM Brad Holmes was present, as was team president Rod Wood, special assistant Chris Spielman, assistant GM Ray Agnew, senior personnel executive John Dorsey, and director of player personnel Lance Newmark, to name a few. There were so many staff members present that they clearly outnumbered the 32 players participating.
Filling in the gaps
With new NFL rules in place, teams are limited to the number of players they can have in attendance for mini-camp—for example, they can only have five try-out players—and that means the Lions were going to be short at some positions.
The most obvious was that there was no quarterback present. Campbell mentioned at his morning press conference that with limited spots, he didn’t want to waste a spot on a player who wasn’t going to get a shot at the roster. The team is already very happy with the three they currently have on the roster: Jared Goff, Tim Boyle, and David Blough.
Fortunately, the Lions have some coaches who were former quarterbacks at the college and/or pro-level so they leaned on them in certain situations. Quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell and wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El were called on a few times, but it was offensive quality control coach Tanner Engstrand who was the primary thrower of footballs. A former quarterback at San Diego, Engstrand can still sling it.
The Lions also had just three offensive linemen (no tackles) and the two defensive linemen they drafted—Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill—present, making trench work very light. At times they needed to pull in staff for simulated drills, asking WCF Minority coaching assistant Deon’Tae Pannell to play left tackle and offensive quality control coach Steve Oliver at right tackle.
As linemen aren’t used much on special teams, the linemen spent the majority of their time getting one-on-one coaching from their position coaches. Onwuzurike and McNeill got a lot of attention from defensive line coach Todd Wash. Offensive line coach Hank Fraley put Drake Jackson, Tommy Kraemer, and Evan Heim through position drills, getting them reps at all three interior positions. Kraemer and Heim got looks at center, but Jackson’s experience and quick hands made him a standout during these drills.
Drills were competitive and technical, but also fun
With no pads and a limited roster, the coaching staff was limited in what it could accomplish. Even in this tough situation, the staff found a nice balance between learning what they have in each player while also keeping the rookies safe and motivated.
During drills, coaches were very meticulous and intense, consistently pushing technique and form. They weren’t over-the-top or negative, though, and were often seen praising players for good execution or showing improvement.
Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn walked with a purpose between position groups and seemed to be studying each player and their performance. He took his time watching each player intently, while not stepping on the position coaches’ toes. When Glenn did inject himself, it was to offer praise and encouragement.
Source:
Erik Schlitt, PrideOfDetroit
Home for Detroit Lions news & rumors, free agency, NFL Draft, and Roster discussion, Detroit Lions Talk with MicroMike is a channel dedicated to all things Detroit sports. We’re bringing you factual, in-depth analysis for your Detroit Lions. If you want your Detroit fix, this is the channel for you – click that SUBSCRIBE button, or click here:
You can also support us by joining the channel membership! Get exclusive Detroit Lions videos, mailbags & more when you join:
MicroMike is a Detroit Lions content creator who brings factual & statistical analysis, going against legacy main stream media. I’m looking to bring a non-biased view for OnePride nation. Part of the Infinite Sports Network where we talk about all sports endlessly.
MicroMike is on social media too:
You can follow me on News Break
Want more NFL news & rumors? Check out Chat Sports:
#Lions #DetroitLions #LionsRookieMiniCamp
This article was gathered automatically by our news bot. We help YouTubers by driving traffic to them for free. The featured image in this article is the thumbnail of the embedded video.
