Lions Re por t: Tall Ord er August 8, 2014 by Ma rk Mravic Brandon Pettigrew, Joseph Fauria and Eric Ebron will battle for PT at TE. (Carlos Osorio/AP) ALLEN PARK, MICH. — A wet morning dew still soaked the ground at 8:30 a.m. when new Lions coach Jim Caldwell decided to stage a Friday practice—his rationale for a schedule of varied practice times is to keep players on their toes. As a result, The MMQB saw what amounted to a glorified walkthrough, and there’s nothing you can say about a walkthrough that hasn’t already been said about Major League Soccer. Nevertheless, we push on. One vivid memory from watching practice Seeing Calvin Johnson (6-5), Eric Ebron (6-4), Kris Durham (6-6), Brandon Pettigrew (6-5) and Joseph Fauria (6-7) on the field in combinations of three, towering over defensive backs—and over new Lions wide receiver Golden Tate (5-10). I’d challenge anybody to name a better combination of size and talent in a group of pass-catchers. Said Tate: “I hope Stafford can find me. We’ll see on Saturday.” How this team can go 12–4
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Detroit Lions 2014 NFL Training Camp Report _ the MMQB With Peter King
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8/12/2019 Detroit Lions 2014 NFL Training Camp Report _ the MMQB With Peter King
RT LaAdrian Waddle/Corey Hilliard MLB Stephen Tulloch
TE Brandon Pettigrew/Eric Ebron/Joseph Fauria OLB DeAndre Levy
WR2 Golden Tate CB Rashean Mathis
WR3 Kevin Ogletree/Kris Durham CB Darius Slay
QB Matthew Stafford Nickel Bill Bentley
RB Reggie Bush/Joique Bell FS Glover Quin
FB Montell Owens/Jed Collins SS James Ihedigbo
K Nate Freese P Sam Martin
Reggie Bush is the clear starter but Joique Bell had over 200 touches last season and bears mentioning in any depth chart … Montell
Owens used to be listed as a running back but now appears to be in a competition with the larger, slower Collins at FB … The right
tackle job is LaAdrian Waddle’s to lose after stepping in as a UDFA last season and starting nine games without allowing a sack … On
defense, Palmer looks like a placeholder for second-round pick Kyle Van Noy, who is already taking first-team reps.
Best new player in camp
Golden Tate, football’s most well-rounded receiver under six feet tall. He can block, elude defenders and catch pretty much anything.
He has the potential to take this offense to another level.
Strong opinion that I may regret by November
You will know DeAndre Levy’s name by the time the season is over. In new coordinator Teryl Austin’s defense Levy will play weakside
linebacker as opposed to staying on one side of the field, which means the Lions will be playing to the coverage strengths of the 2009
third-round pick. Levy broke up five passes a year ago, and quarterbacks had a 57.5 passer rating with one touchdown and six
interceptions when throwing at him, according to PFF. Guys like Levy are the solution to the mobile tight end scourge and will be the last
linebackers standing once the entire league eventually converts to nickel and dime.
READ: ANDY BENOIT’S DEEP-DIVE PREVIEW OF THE LIONS.
Something I’ve never seen before
An 8:30 AM practice. Jim Caldwell, if you wanted to take your players out of their comfort zone you should’ve shipped camp away to
some Division III college and stuck them in dorms. Sports reporters hate 7:30 wakeup calls.
What I thought when I walked out of camp
Good luck to the oddsmakers trying to forecast this team. The roster is more talented than a year ago, but that doesn’t mean the
Lions won’t still finish 7-9. All three teams in the division got better (provided Minnesota’s Teddy Bridgewater makes a positive impactas a rookie), and there’s a steep learning curve ahead with a new head coach and two new coordinators. I love the use of two running
backs and the emphasis on the tight end position, but I wonder if this defensive backfield of Quin, underachieving sophomore Darius
Slay, the aforementioned old guys, and the coverage-challenged James Ihedigbo can stand up to Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler in