Detroit Lions Training Camp: Opinion on the Latest News and Buzz

A Detroit Lions training camp always generates lots of news, and with almost two weeks in the books, we can evaluate what we have learned during camp at this point. There have been reports about their offense, glowing reviews about certain skill players and lots of news about how the rookies have fared so far.

There are always reports about how excellent players look in camp, and it is difficult to know whether the reports are true. Training camp is open to the public at times, and it is best to see it with your own eyes. I have been to camp several times and have walked away thinking extremely positive thoughts about the Lions.

It is necessary to place some trust in those that have witnessed camp every day. We will rely on these reports as we try to break down what is happening in camp. The Lions play a preseason game against the Browns on Friday night, and they need to be ready to go. There will be plenty of conversation about the Lions stemming from their first preseason game.

We can determine which players have a chance to impress during this game by reviewing what has happened in camp so far. This is what is happening in Lions training camp through almost two weeks.

The Offense Rules

The Detroit Lions offense came into training camp, and they performed remarkably well immediately. The offense is the key to the Lions season, and they have to play extremely well for the Lions to get back to the playoffs.

Quarterback Matt Stafford has many weapons at his disposal, and he does a fantastic job of spreading the ball around. The arsenal got better with the addition of Ryan Broyles though the NFL draft. The talent the Lions have on offense has them poised to be elite for quite some time.

Sean Yuille of prideofdetroit.com put a list of tweets together from those who cover the team. It makes it sound as if the offense put on a clinic, led by Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson. I witnessed some incredible throws that Stafford made during the days that I was there. It looks like his arm strength is even better now than it was in 2011.

Anwar Richardson of mlive.com reported that Stafford has matured and has taken ownership of the team. Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan praised his command of the offense.

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"Matthew's been great," Linehan said. "He's been having a great camp and great offseason. You know, it's just different. It's hard to say a 24-year old kid is as mature as he is, but he's in his fourth year. He's taken such a command of everything we do offensively and naturally.”

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Head coach Jim Schwartz talked about Stafford’s growth as a player, even as a 24-year-old.

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"I was saying that when it was hard to believe he's 21," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "You know, he might even shave twice a week now. When he got that big signing bonus, he didn't spend much on razors. He didn't have to. I thought he was mature for 21. He's played three years in the NFL. He's thrown for 5,000 and led a team to the playoffs for the first time in a decade. He's also gone through some rough seasons.”

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The offense is always ahead of the defense during the first few days of training camp, but what the Lions are doing is different. They seem to have picked up right where they left off in 2011, and that should make Lions fans happy.

Titus Young Is Ready to Emerge

Titus Young has been making a lot of plays during the first few weeks of training camp, and he is emerging as a serious threat that defenses will have to account for in 2012. The Lions need another player opposite receiver Calvin Johnson to make plays for them on offense.

Young scored touchdowns in six of the last nine games he played in 2011. Judging from his performance in camp, he is set to take a giant step forward in 2012. Young has a chance to be a star in this offense, as he will see a lot of single coverage because teams like to roll coverage to Johnson’s side of the field.

Richardson of mlive.com reported that Schwartz was proud of Young’s response in camp after the offseason fight he had with a teammate.

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"He's made a lot of plays out here. He's done all the right things since he's been back with our team. I'm really proud of what he's shown since he's been back. He's done an excellent job, and he's had some very good days."

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Richardson also reported that Young has been unstoppable early in camp. This is fantastic news for the Detroit Lions.

Cliff Avril Is Back

The Lions and defensive end Cliff Avril were unable to come to a long-term agreement, and Avril held out of the first part of training camp. This was expected, and it was something for which the Lions were planning. Avril is playing under the franchise tag and will make $10.6 million in 2012.

Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reported that Avril ended his holdout and reported to camp on Sunday, August 5. He signed his one-year deal and passed his physical.

McCosky reported that Lions general manager Martin Mayhew was excited at the prospects of Avril’s play in 2012.

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"If there is anything positive or encouraging to me, it's that he is very optimistic about how he's going to perform this season," Mayhew said. "We made a very solid offer to him, one that we thought was a really good offer. He was willing to bet on himself and bet that he will out-perform what was on the table. I like that."

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Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported on head coach Jim Schwartz’s comments on Avril’s arrival at camp.

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“We have a lot of trust in Cliff. He's been through a lot of football with us. We understand business is business and we knew he'd be back and we expect him to have a great year."

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It is great to get a player as skilled as Avril into camp, as the Lions are going to need everything that Avril brings to the defense. He is skilled at pressuring the quarterback, and that is a critical skill in today’s NFL. It is exciting that Avril is back with the Lions, ready to get his season started.

The Injuries Are Mounting

The Detroit Lions are dealing with some injury woes to several of their very critical players. As time goes on, these injuries become more and more problematic. They need to start the regular season with a fully healthy roster, and they can’t afford the injuries to linger any longer.

Running back Mikel Leshoure started camp, but he has been limited with a hamstring problem. Leshoure needs to get healthy and get some repetitions in at the running back position. It is critical that the Lions get a healthy Leshoure back into the fold for the regular season.

Running back Jahvid Best has not been cleared for contact, and he started training camp on the PUP list. Best is a key component for the Lions offense, and they need his explosiveness out of the backfield. It is a significant blow for Best to miss camp.

The Lions don’t know when Best will be available. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported that Lions head coach Jim Schwartz said the following about Best’s availability.

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"The only thing I'd say is we're measuring Jahvid in weeks, not days," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said Thursday. "He's not a day to day. A lot of these guys are day to day. We're measuring his progress in weeks."

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According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, knee soreness has sidelined several players for periods of camp. The list includes linebacker Stephen Tulloch, defensive lineman Corey Williams, Ryan Broyles and Titus Young. Safety Louis Delmas has missed the past few days of work with a knee issue, but Schwartz does not consider any of these serious issues.

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“We got a lot of camp knees,” Schwartz said. “No real injuries, just guys that get sore from a lot of reps and just different things. Corey Williams was one today. There’s a lot of things we want to push through. We want to push through when you’re hot and you’re going, you’re sort of out of wind, you need to be able to go. But we don’t need to push through knee soreness. We don’t want to push through hamstring sore or something like that and those guys fell into that category. As soon as they’re not sore, we’ll get them back out there, but we’ll just see when that is.”

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The Lions have grand plans for the 2012 season, and if they want to fulfill those plans they need all of their players ready for the first week of the regular season.

The Defensive Line Is Ready to Roll

The Detroit Lions defensive line has a chance to be one of the league's more dominant units, and it all starts with training camp. The Lions defensive line will come together more and more as camp moves forward.

The line boasts starting players like Ndamukong Suh and Corey Williams at tackle, and Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril at defensive end. There is also a talented group of backups, at both tackle and end. Defensive tackles Nick Fairley and Sammie Hill are capable. Defensive ends Willie Young and Lawrence Jackson are also extremely talented players.

The Lions have a lethal combination of starters and backups along the defensive line. This should keep everyone fresh and productive. This unit is going to give offenses all they can handle.

Anwar Richardson of mlive.com reported that the Lions defensive line had an excellent day on August 7, as they were able to get into the offensive backfield all day.

Richardson reported:

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Overall, Detroit's defensive line was very impressive during practice. The front four could get into the backfield and disrupt Stafford's passes throughout practice.

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He also reported that Willie Young made a big play:

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Defensive end Willie Young rushed quarterback Matthew Stafford during 11-on-11 drills, forcing the quarterback to make a quick decision. Stafford attempted to get the ball past Young, but the defensive lineman caught it and ran for a touchdown. Young then played it up to the fans in attendance after his score.

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The Lions will need the defensive line to continue to be dominant into the regular season. The hopes and aspirations of the entire team rest on the backs of the defensive line.

Rookies Are Impressing

The Lions rookie class of 2012 has impressed both the coaching staff and the writers that cover the team. By all accounts, the youngsters are enjoying an unusually solid training camp. It is fantastic news for the Lions that young players are standing out in training camp.

Anwar Richardson of mlive.com reported that cornerback Bill Bentley is having an excellent camp.

Richardson reported:

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Cornerback Bill Bentley is hitting another level. Bentley broke up several passes on Saturday, including one while defending Nate Burleson, and showed great recovery ability. He even received first-team reps at right cornerback - outside of the nickel package - with Jacob Lacey filling in for Houston on the left side.

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Justin Rogers of mlive.com reported that defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham was blown away by linebacker Travis Lewis.

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"Travis Lewis, I can't get over him," Cunningham said. "He's probably, along with (Stephen Tulloch), the top two middle linebackers I've ever had at calling defenses. That's a mouthful, and if people don't believe it, come out here. He handles things like I've never seen a kid handle."

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Head coach Jim Schwartz also had praise for Lewis.

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"I don't want to jinx him, but he's really been outstanding," Schwartz said about Lewis. "It's one thing just knowing what to do, it's another thing to be able to do it when the offense is coming out quick, motioning, changing tight end and all those different things. He's never once had any kind of problems. He's adjusted very, very quickly to a complex scheme. That says a lot about him and it says a lot about his coaches and experience at Oklahoma."

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Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported that offensive tackle Riley Reiff has impressed offensive line coach George Yarno.

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"Really pleased with his progress," offensive line coach George Yarno said Friday. "Tremendous work ethic, very coachable, very tough, hard-nosed. You can see him get better every day."

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Tim Twentyman of detroitlions.com reported that linebacker Tahir Whitehead has impressed linebacker Stephen Tulloch.

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“He's explosive and smart,” linebacker Stephen Tulloch said of Whitehead. “He's understanding and takes coaching very well and he doesn't make the same mistakes. Whenever you see a rookie that corrects his mistakes week in and week out, day in and day out, it's a definite positive – a guy you can trust on the field. I'm looking forward to seeing him grow as we go through training camp.”

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The 2012 rookie class has had an exceptionally strong opening to training camp, and the news about the younger players should excite Lions fans. They are going to get the chance to play a lot during the early preseason games, and they will be intriguing to watch.