Information Sourced From: Detroit Lions on YouTube
A presser on the holiday has to be one of the less glamorous tasks as an NFL coach, but you wouldn’t have known it by Dan Campbell’s presser today. He was excited, and who can blame him. We are preparing for week one! Given Lions news has been light as we prepare for the season. Let’s dig into what was said, and what wasn’t said in his presser!
Excitement and Acknowledgement
Dan started simply acknowledging how exciting this first week is. He also acknowledged the strengths of the Saints, and showed respect towards head coach Kellen Moore. A lot of people who follow football have suggested the Saints may be better this year, and I am one of them. The Lions certainly aren't getting ahead of themselves, and are taking the Saints seriously.
You Don’t Know Who You Are Until Week 5
Coach Campbell made it a point to acknowledge that you often don’t know who your team is until week five. He pointed to week one of the season in Green Bay last year as a point where they realized they had things they needed to fix. He specifically called out how they feel more prepared and settled in on the offensive line this year, and acknowledged how having Glasgow at Center and Ratledge at guard was felt given Glasgow was a guard normally, and Ratledge was a rookie.
The Petzing and Goff Brain Trust
Coach Campbell pointed out that Petzing and Goff are bringing the best out in each other, and there is good give and take between them. Coach Campbell thinks this is good as it helps both of them grow. This reminds me personally a lot of what we heard about with Ben Johnson and not so much with John Morton. While we won’t know anything until we see the offense perform, this sounds like a positive sign.
Steady Wonnum, O’Neil Defies Odds
Coach stated that DJ Wonnum has been consistent and steady, has “some slipperiness”. Coach called out that he feels that Wonnum will be a great compliment to Aiden Hutchinson. To directly quote Coach “He’s a lunch pail guy [who] will give everything he’s got, and he plays a smart brand of football’. Coach Campbell also talked up Eric O’Neil doing something good every day in camp. He acknowledged that he was initially on the outside looking in and “earned his right” to be on the 53 man roster.
RB2 is by committee
Coach Campbell Saylors and Vaki will be by committee at RB2. He made it a point to both provide value in the run game and on special teams. While we all saw more of Saylors in the preseason, Coach Campbell stated that they saw a lot of good out of Vaki in camp. He specifically mentioned pass catching and blocking. It’s good to know we are not going into week one without three capable running backs.
Thomas Harper Returns to Practice
At the end of his presser, Coach Campbell stated Thomas Harper would be back at practice today, and they expect him back tomorrow as well. He stated they expected he will be ready to play week one.
Final Note
Earlier on a question was asked that alluded to roster moves, tiptoeing around the 2 open roster spots on the Lions roster. Coach Campbell loosely joked that they know what they are going to do, and left it at that. Not a lot to go on there, but Brad and Dan have a plan.
It’s an exciting time of year! Stick with us for more news and analysis at Silver and Blues!