Nnivolcm Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 (edited) Quote “I don’t see bust. I see Super Bowl,” Campbell said. “I don’t know what bust is.” Quote "We're two practices in (to Phase III) and if you said, 'Give me one player who is the most improved from that start to finish over that time?' Jamo is that guy right now. He is a man on a mission and I'm just going to leave it at that." Quote Lions head coach Dan Campbell said before practice there were a number of players who were going to be out, limited or not at practice for personal reasons. Some of the bigger names not taking part Thursday were left tackle Taylor Decker, center Frank Ragnow, tight end Sam LaPorta, cornerback Brian Branch, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, defensive lineman DJ Reader, outside linebacker Marcus Davenport, linebacker Alex Anzalone, safety Kerby Joseph, cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and linebacker James Houston. Branch "had a little clean up", they thought it would heal but it got to the point where they had to address it. They feel he will get enough reps to be ready for the season. Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said before practice Badgley had worked hard to improve his leg strength this offseason and that was on display Thursday. He made one from 53 that would have been good from 63. He easily cleared the 60-yard attempt a little later. Lions will do practices with the Giants before week 1 of the pre season. Edited May 23 by Nnivolcm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 You have like Dan Campbell's feedback on Jamo's off-season. He is usually pretty straight-forward so when he says things "man on a mission" and he has improved "everywhere" there is a lot of good stuff happening with Jamo. Based on what Jamo is saying, it looks like he is really starting to show the maturity we have been waiting for. Dan Campbell gives great answer on where Jameson Williams has improved (usatoday.com) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sllim Pickens Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 I just read that Aaron Glenn mentioned that Jack Campbell is a man on a mission as well and has transformed his body and is leading out on the field. Hope he has a big sophomore season and validates that pick. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 3 hours ago, Sllim Pickens said: I just read that Aaron Glenn mentioned that Jack Campbell is a man on a mission as well and has transformed his body and is leading out on the field. Hope he has a big sophomore season and validates that pick. The things I am hoping for with Jack Campbell in year 2: 1. More patience--Spend a little more time diagnosing the play before flying upfield. He took himself out of plays here and there but hopefully he should be better at reading plays a little better. He needs to slide around and keep himself clean on stretch plays also. 2. Better blitz timing--He was insanely fast in some of his run and pass blitzes but didn't have a lot of creativity. Sometimes he hit the hole a little too early and let the RB taken an open path. He came close on some pass blitzes but his timing off just enough to prevent him from getting home. Film study and experience should help with this. 3. Coverage--This is the real wild card. He was pretty good in zone coverage in college. However, he was inconsistent as a rookie. He used his length to make a couple if nice pass deflections but also got caught out of position. I think if his patience improves it will really show up in coverage. Especially zone coverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted May 26 Share Posted May 26 16 hours ago, Sllim Pickens said: I just read that Aaron Glenn mentioned that Jack Campbell is a man on a mission as well and has transformed his body and is leading out on the field. Hope he has a big sophomore season and validates that pick. It is tough to read too much into OTA but when you read about and see players like Jack Campbell and Brodric Martin putting in the work to genuinely transform their bodies it is definitely encouraging. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 There was a fair amount of concern about the safety position going into the season but based early feedback it looks like Brandon Joseph has taken a significant step forward. It is still early but it is encouraging to see a young player rise from the PS and make a run at a significant roster spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nnivolcm Posted June 5 Author Share Posted June 5 7 minutes ago, Just Want A Title said: There was a fair amount of concern about the safety position going into the season but based early feedback it looks like Brandon Joseph has taken a significant step forward. It is still early but it is encouraging to see a young player rise from the PS and make a run at a significant roster spot. Would love it if more practice squad guys could make the jump and contribute, but I always have to temper expectations when they're not even in pads yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 13 minutes ago, Nnivolcm said: Would love it if more practice squad guys could make the jump and contribute, but I always have to temper expectations when they're not even in pads yet. That is a fair point but the coaching staff has been surprisingly upbeat with him. I don't think this is just MCDC positivity. Somebody has to grab that #3 safety spot. He seems to be doing everything he can step into that role so far. I wonder if it is just Brandon Joseph taking a Year 1-to-Year 2 step or if Deshea Townsend is doing a better job of developing him than Brian Duker. That is something that bears watching with the Ifeatu Melifonwu as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sllim Pickens Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 1 hour ago, Nnivolcm said: Would love it if more practice squad guys could make the jump and contribute, but I always have to temper expectations when they're not even in pads yet. https://atozsports.com/detroit/lions-practice-squad-player-improved-so-much-in-2023-the-coaching-staff-now-wishes-they-would-have-played-him-more/ I just found this about Brandon Joseph and could be why they didn't get more aggressive at S this off season. Sounds like he has made a lot of progress and hopefully will provide some solid depth. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detfan782004 Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 I don't care for what I've read about Branch needing to prove his worth etc for a starting role or key role. he did a lot last year honestly. hoping that is more to motivate younger folks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sllim Pickens Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 53 minutes ago, detfan782004 said: I don't care for what I've read about Branch needing to prove his worth etc for a starting role or key role. he did a lot last year honestly. hoping that is more to motivate younger folks He was solid in the nickel back role but we also brought in 4 new CBs and sounds like he is transitioning more to S where he played in college. So he does sort of have to earn his spot or at a minimum not be beat out by younger guys who have played his position longer and drafted in a similar spot. I think all of our young guys other than Laporta really have to keep proving they should start with the competition for snaps at LB, DB, RB etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nnivolcm Posted June 5 Author Share Posted June 5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 (edited) Right now, we are seeing pretty much what you can expect to see early in the season: Rookies getting acclimated and establishing a point from which they can progress, established players showing growth and other folks getting healthy. It is really good to see Levi Onwuzurike starting to flash a little bit even if it is without pads. Apparently, he added 15Lbs on the off-season. Given his past injury struggles, it is pretty awesome to see him start to put things together a little bit. There is a decent write-up about it below. Detroit Lions DL Levi Onwuzurike hoping 2024 is a redemption year for him One thing I appreciate about how the Lions is how they handle their injuries. It doesn't really matter who it is, they will slow-roll players with significant injuries to make sure they really get right. We may not see much early from Ennis Rakestraw Jr but when he does see the field he won't be slowed by his pre-draft injury. It is the same for other players as well. Edited June 5 by Just Want A Title Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nnivolcm Posted June 6 Author Share Posted June 6 1 hour ago, Just Want A Title said: Right now, we are seeing pretty much what you can expect to see early in the season: Rookies getting acclimated and establishing a point from which they can progress, established players showing growth and other folks getting healthy. It is really good to see Levi Onwuzurike starting to flash a little bit even if it is without pads. Apparently, he added 15Lbs on the off-season. Given his past injury struggles, it is pretty awesome to see him start to put things together a little bit. There is a decent write-up about it below. Detroit Lions DL Levi Onwuzurike hoping 2024 is a redemption year for him One thing I appreciate about how the Lions is how they handle their injuries. It doesn't really matter who it is, they will slow-roll players with significant injuries to make sure they really get right. We may not see much early from Ennis Rakestraw Jr but when he does see the field he won't be slowed by his pre-draft injury. It is the same for other players as well. Will Onwuzurike be this year's 2023 Derrick Barnes? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nnivolcm Posted June 8 Author Share Posted June 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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