Which Detroit Lions Are Having the Worst Training Camps?

The Detroit Lions may have lost their first preseason game, but in the big scheme of things, it's pretty meaningless. Wins and losses during the preseason are not indicative of success in the regular season.

There have been far more disappointing developments for the Lions during training camp.

Don't get me wrong, they have a lot going for them. Many players have impressed with their performances on the practice field. Titus Young, Willie Young, Dwight Bentley and Riley Reiff are young players who have exceeded expectations already this summer.

Training camp is traditionally a time for positivity and optimism, but that doesn't mean everyone has to put on rose-colored glasses. It's OK to acknowledge areas of concern. It doesn't mean anyone is pushing the panic button. 

Player development is the most important thing. Most of them are competing for something—either a starting job or a spot on the final 53-man roster.

Not all players have done what they needed to do though.

It's still early, but there are a number of players who have a long way to go.

Here are some Lions who need to step it up.

Chris Greenwood

Chris Greenwood hasn't played a down of football for the Lions this offseason. He's been sidelined with an abdominal injury, and he was placed on the PUP list. 

For that reason, no one can really say he needs to step it up. However, his absence is no less concerning.

Greenwood was, perhaps, the most intriguing draft pick the Lions have ever made. Once fans found out who he was, and the potential he had, the anticipation to see him play went through the roof.

Having to wait has been exceedingly frustrating for the Lions, their fans and Greenwood himself.

There's still no indication when he'll return, and the more time he misses, the less likely it is he'll have any impact this year. The Lions could certainly use his size and speed in their secondary, but he's missing essential on-the-job training right now.

Greenwood faces the same adjustments that Dwight Bentley and Jonte Green do. Rookie cornerbacks have an extremely steep learning curve. Greenwood's might actually be steeper. Coming from Division III Albion College, he will need more time than others to adjust to NFL-level talent and speed.

That's why missing training camp is devastating for him. 

The Lions will undoubtedly be patient with him though. Even if he doesn't make significant contributions this year, they'll stash him away and wait until next year.

Jonte Green

Jonte Green hasn't been terrible in camp. In fact, last weekend, he had the best day of his short career in Detroit, according to John Kreger of CBS Sports. There's no question that his speed and quickness will be an asset in the secondary and on special teams.

Green has been the forgotten man among the three rookie cornerbacks the Lions drafted this year though. Dwight Bentley has stolen the show with his play on the field, and Chris Greenwood's injury has been a topic of much discussion.

Meanwhile, Green has been toiling away under the radar and—more often than not—reminding people that he is a rookie. It's obvious that he's struggled adjusting to the speed of the game, and as a result, he's been burned repeatedly on the practice field.

In fact, he was burned Friday night while failing to turn his head to track the ball. He also gave up the edge on a kickoff return. I'm sure he heard about it on the sidelines. 

Green's performance might be disappointing so far, but he's going through the same growing pains most rookies do. Unfortunately for him, he's sharing the field with Bentley who appears to be light years ahead of him.

Give him time and he'll catch up (hopefully).

Amari Spievey

This was supposed to be the year that Amari Spievey made the jump from solid-but-inconsistent starter to Pro Bowl safety. It's early, but it clearly hasn't happened yet.

According to Saturday's edition of the NFC North Blog on ESPN, Kevin Siefert reports:

"

....safety Amari Spievey's camp performance has been uneven enough to allow veteran John Wendling to supplant him as a starter.

"

It's difficult to determine how accurate this report is since Wendling is usually considered a free safety, and Spievey is a strong safety. With that said, I'll take Siefert at his word. Is it really that hard to imagine that Spievey is getting outplayed?

To make matters worse, he missed Friday's preseason game with headaches (he returned to practice on Sunday).

The bottom line is that Spievey has been underwhelming, and he hasn't taken the step forward that everyone was hoping for. There's a lot of time for him to improve, and if Siefert is right, he'll need to if he hopes to play regularly on Sundays.

Kellen Moore

Kellen Moore came to the Lions with more hype than most third-string quarterbacks. Given his collegiate record at Boise State, that's understandable. Nobody won more games in their career than Moore.

That was then, and this is now. In the NFL, Moore is nothing more than a rookie trying to make the final roster.

He also faces constant comparisons to Detroit's starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. I lost count of how many times color man Rob Rubick commented about Moore's lack of arm strength—compared to Stafford—during Friday's preseason game.

It's really not fair, but it is accurate. Moore isn't even close to Stafford.

Despite the positive comments from Scott Linehan (via Anwar S. Richardson of Mlive) about Moore's improved play in practice, his performance on Friday left much to be desired. He was off on many of his passes and looked rattled when under pressure.

His quarterback rating (9.8) was pitiful.

His play, thus far, not only cements his third-string status; it brings up serious doubt that he'll be a Lion when it's all said and done.

Detroit's Running Backs

It goes without saying that the Lions' rushers—specifically Jahvid Best and Mikel Leshoure—have had the worst offseason doesn't it? The reason for this is all too familiar: injuries.

Best has yet to don pads due to lingering concussion issues, and Leshoure hasn't practiced because of a hamstring injury.

Obviously, it's not their fault they can't play. Injuries happen. That doesn't make it any less disappointing.

For Best, it's been a long and frustrating road. It doesn't matter how hard he works, he has no control over how fast he's cleared. It's in the doctors' hands now, and if he's not right, then maybe, he should never be cleared. It's for his own good.

If you asked him, I'm sure he'd tell you, off the record, it can't get much worse than this.

For Leshoure, it's a waiting game too—although one with a definitive light at the end of the tunnel.

After sitting out his entire rookie season to injury, he needed to put his best foot forward during training camp. That has not happened. Not only did he get injured, but he got himself in legal trouble (twice) that resulted in a two-game suspension to start the regular season.

The good news is Leshoure will try and return to practice this week, according to the National Football Post. If he can maintain his health from here on out, it should quell the doom-and-gloom that is slowly building about the Lions' running game.