Jim Schwartz gave Lions players a day off Wednesday, allowing the team extra time to recover from their first fully-padded practice -- a workout that Schwartz wasn't entirely pleased with. “I think some of these guys, the equipment guys put some weights in their pads,” Schwartz said Tuesday. Some of them looked like the pads weighed about 40 pounds out there ... There are a lot of things that we need to sharpen up.”
Schwartz' desire for increased sharpness aside, Detroit's performance over the first five days of camp has been solid. The Lions' ability to maintain roster continuity during the 2012 offseason allowed coaches to install more of the playbook during OTAs than they had originally planned. That progress has given the team the ability to spend camp workouts refining, rather than introducing, their offensive and defensive schemes.
The walking wounded: The injury bug bit Detroit's starting unit during the team's early workouts. T Jeff Backus (thumb), CB Jacob Lacey (knee), S Erik Coleman (groin), and RB Mikel Leshoure (hamstring) have all missed practices due to injury, while S Louis Delmas has been limited in drills. The injuries among Detroit's veteran DBs are particularly concerning since the unit as a whole is the most inexperienced on the team. Delmas and Coleman's availability at safety will be a significant storyline during the second week of camp.
FB resurgence: Detroit didn't carry a fullback on the roster in 2011, but James Bryant's performance during the opening week of camp may convince them to reexamine that strategy. Bryant's massive frame (6-3, 257) belies a quickness that allowed him to gain the position needed to open several huge holes during Detroit's full-contact run drills. Bryant's strong blocking can help minimize opposing defenses' punishing first contact for Lions' RBs Kevin Smith and Stefan Logan, whose rushing styles rely more on finesse than physicality.
Titus Young a changed man: After an offseason that saw him miss a week of OTAs after allegedly punching his teammate Delmas, WR Titus Young's performance during the first week of camp has earned respect both on and off the field. His technically solid work in drills hasn't gone unnoticed by coach Jim Schwartz. “[Young's] made a lot of plays out here,” Schwartz said. More important than Young's on-field production, however, is his improved attitude off the field. He looks more focused than he did at any point during his rookie season, and he seems to have finally grasped the team-first attiutde that is a hallmark of Detroit's WR corps. “He's done all the right things since he's been back with our team,” Schwartz said. “I'm really proud of what he's shown since he's been back.”
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