NFL Lockout: Detroit Lions Making Most of Uncertainty with Player Workouts

The NFL appears to be winning the battle to shut down its own operations.

With the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals granting a stay-on-appeal to the NFL, and all but laying their cards on the table in terms of how they plan to rule on the appeal itself, it appears the NFL has the upper hand.

Consequently, the 2011 season is once again in question, and the NFL is the battle to not play football.

But none of that is stopping the Detroit Lions from organizing roughly half the team for an unofficial four-day workout.

The benefits of player-organized workouts are questionable, but the Lions are able to get more out of it than most because of coaching continuity.

The players participating in the workouts, particularly the veterans, are familiar with the system, and can do a reasonable job of running those workouts in the absence of coaches.

Among those likely to reap benefits from player-organized workouts is rookie wide receiver Titus Young, who caught passes from his future quarterback for the first time.

Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson also attended the workouts, and surely taught Young a thing or two about the kind of offense the Lions run.

Is it as good as getting actual coaching from actual coaches? Of course it isn't, but it's the next best thing while everybody does a do-si-do around actual progress in labor issues.

Of course, there is one set of players likely to be hurt by these OTAs. The players hanging in free agency limbo like Chris Houston and Drew Stanton have no idea whether they should show up or not, since the outcome of the labor battle will determine whether they are still Detroit Lions or NFL free agents.

Those players have no reason to show up to Detroit for workouts, but should they return to Detroit next season, they'll be a little behind the curve.

A particularly interesting dynamic this year lies in the fact that free agency has yet to occur, and some players on the team are operating right now with the idea that they're starting next season. After free agency, they may not be.

But the competition within many players should drive them during the offseason. It's easier to keep yourself in shape when your career might be riding on it.

While existing Lions have the advantage of coaching continuity, undrafted free agents may have a more difficult time fitting in Detroit than elsewhere this year for the same reason.

The Lions' continuity over the last season helps their players practice schemes they know will be in place. But undrafted free agents this year are going to have a lot less time to check out the playbook before it's crunch time.

On many teams, that's not as big an issue. Many teams are undergoing coaching changes, and veterans and rookies are going to be in the same boat when the season starts.

For the Lions, that familiarity will make a major difference between young players trying to make a name for themselves and veterans who are already familiar with the playbook.

That's just one perspective, though. In large part, the Lions' situation is highly advantageous given the circumstances.

Fans just have to hope that those circumstances don't completely derail the Lions' progress before they get a chance to show it off.