Category: Minicamp

Calvin Johnson willing to mentor ‘extremely talented’ WR Jameson Williams

Hall of Fame WR Calvin Johnson says he’s willing to do whatever is asked to help bring along young Lions WR Jameson Williams

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

Calvin Johnson was easy to spot at Detroit Lions minicamp on Thursday. The Hall of Fame wideout was in town to get things ready for his football camp this weekend, which is being hosted at the Lions training facility.

Johnson has grown his hair a bit and wearing it coiffed up, making him look even taller than in his playing days in Detroit. He was gracious in his time with reporters and in carefully watching the practice. One of the players Johnson was watching, and getting to know, is young wideout Jameson Williams.

It was the first time the two had met. Johnson liked what he saw from Williams, who had a strong but inconsistent overall performance in minicamp.

In a radio interview with 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit, Johnson talked about being a willing mentor for Williams.

“I connected with Jamo yesterday really for the first time, and I look forward to being around and being a shoulder for him to lean on,” Johnson said. “Extremely talented kid. We saw him when he touched the field last year for the first time. So I look forward to just helping him just build a level of consistency and being the pro that he wants to be. Anything I can do to help him, I’ll do that. I’ll be there.”

It can’t hurt for Williams to look to Johnson, who was a speedy marvel in his own right. While we’ve seen progress in Williams’ routes and footwork, the attention to detail and concentration remains very much a work in progress. Johnson can certainly help there.

Then there’s the much-ballyhooed, and dramatically overblown, off-field world of Williams. He’s facing a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s (archaic) gambling laws, and Jamo’s social media presence has rankled some feathers. Johnson stayed controversy-free and low-key as a Lions legend while he was playing. Perhaps Williams can draw upon that too.

Lions minicamp notebook: Day 3 wrap up

Notes and observations from Lions Wire’s Jeff Risdon on the final day of Detroit Lions minicamp

The final day of the Detroit Lions three-day mandatory minicamp took place at the team’s training facility on Thursday. The team packed in some situational football and positional drills in a fast-paced session to wrap up the week.

Here are some quick notes on what we saw and heard on the final day of Lions minicamp.

Lions minicamp notebook: Day 2 sees the defense rise again

Detroit Lions minicamp notebook from the 2nd practice, with notes on the defense making plays, OL woes, coaching points and more

The second session of the Detroit Lions minicamp took a familiar theme from the first day and ran wild with it. For the second practice in a row, the defense emphatically outplayed the offense, from the first team through the bottom of the roster.

It was even more pronounced on Wednesday, largely because the offense simply wasn’t as sharp as it was during Tuesday’s practice. Other than a couple of noteworthy exceptions, the defense dominated their offensive counterparts on the hazy, breezy afternoon in Allen Park.

Here’s the notebook from Wednesday’s session of Lions minicamp. There is one more day left on Thursday.

Dan Campbell is a fan of C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s ‘contagious energy’

Lions head coach Dan Campbell is a fan of new Detroit DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s ‘contagious energy’

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

It’s not hard to spot C.J. Gardner-Johnson at Detroit Lions minicamp. Just listen and you’ll hear the veteran defensive back chirping away. No. 2 is a big-time talker.

It’s not always safe for impressionable ears. Gardner-Johnson came to Detroit with the reputation of being a notorious trash talker, and he’s definitely lived up to expectations on that front.

It’s not an accident that the Lions targeted Gardner-Johnson as a free agent. The team wanted to become more difficult to play against, and Gardner-Johnson’s rep for being a brash, swaggery type of player was appealing. It augments his value as a hybrid slot corner/free safety, where he’s an above-average talent at each spot.

Head coach Dan Campbell sang Gardner-Johnson’s praises before Wednesday’s minicamp session.

“Look, he’s got contagious energy,” Campbell said. “As long as it’s not affecting your job and you stay focused on the job at hand — one of the reasons C.J. is that way is because that’s how he gets his engine going. In turn, that just spills out into the offense or your teammates. You can’t help — the level of intensity, it raises. I think that makes everybody around you better. And more competitive.”

[lawrence-related id=92272]

Campbell added why that’s important to his team.

“If you’re not reaching that level of intensity in practice, you are probably going to get beat.”

We’ve already seen the intensity emanating from the secondary in the first handful of unpadded practice sessions. Between Gardner-Johnson and fellow newcomer Cam Sutton, the Detroit secondary has become a lot more verbose and confident. It’s something quarterback Jared Goff noted after Tuesday’s practice, and it’s something the new-look defense takes pride in.

Or, as Gardner-Johnson quipped to the media during Tuesday’s practice,
“I’m him.”

Detroit Lions Podcast video recap of 1st day of Lions minicamp

The Detroit Lions Podcast went live to talk all about minicamp, expectations for the team and more

The first day of Detroit Lions minicamp is in the books, and we broke down everything you need to know about Tuesday’s action in Allen Park on the Detroit Lions Podcast. The live video stream from Tuesday night’s show i now available to watch on YouTube.

Among the concepts we covered:

  • The vocal nature and upgrades in the secondary
  • Offense v. defense expectations
  • Rookie role to start minicamp
  • Jared Goff getting asked weird questions in his press conference
  • Jameson Williams’ interesting day
  • Kicker watch 2023
  • Potential to have a practice or two in West Michigan

Several questions from the live chat get tossed around as well.

The audio-only version of the show is available via your favorite podcast provider.

Jared Goff agrees with Dan Campbell: He’s a better QB now than he was with the Rams

Lions QB Jared Goff agrees with Dan Campbell: He’s a better QB now than he was with the Rams

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

Lions head coach Dan Campbell offered up an interesting statement during his press conference to open Detroit’s minicamp this week. Speaking about quarterback Jared Goff, Campbell said,

“I mean he is a better quarterback than he was (in Los Angeles), in my opinion. Because he can do more things. He is mentally on it.”

Goff took the Rams to a Super Bowl and experienced several successful seasons in Los Angeles before being unceremoniously traded to Detroit as part of the package for Matthew Stafford. After a rocky first season with the Lions at the beginning of a massive rebuild, Goff perked up in 2022 with an impressive year. He smartly avoided turnovers while effectively distributing the ball to several different weapons in Ben Johnson’s aggressive, complex offense.

After practice on Tuesday, Goff was asked if he agreed with his head coach. I he a better quarterback now than he was in Los Angeles?

“Yeah, I think so. I think as you get older and get more mature in the league that happens, and I’d certainly say so. I think I said that a handful of times last year that I thought I was playing the best football of my career and plan on continuing to do that.”

The statistics largely confirm that Goff was at least as good in Detroit in 2022 as he was in his Pro Bowl seasons with the Rams back in 2017 and 2018. He had the best TD-to-INT ratio of his career (29-7), authored three fourth-quarter comebacks and was the league’s No. 7 passer in QB Rating at 99.3.

But the stats don’t tell the full story. Goff has also emerged as a stronger leader, as well as more involved in calling out the offensive line protections.

“I like knowing what’s going on obviously on everything and being able to take control of that is super important,” Goff said of taking more ownership of the line calls. That’s not something he was tasked with in Los Angeles.

The key for Goff is to keep building upon his strong 2022. If he does, this talented Lions team around him could find similar postseason success to what he tasted in Los Angeles.

[lawrence-related id=92317]

10 players to watch during mandatory minicamp

With minicamp less than a week away, there are quite a few players you should be keeping your eye on.

We are less than a week away from mandatory minicamp!

The two-day event on June 13-14 is a requirement for players across the National Football League and it will be the last time that the Minnesota Vikings take the field before training camp opens up in July.

During these practices, there is a good amount that you can take from them, especially since teams will be looking to install things on both sides of the ball. These 10 players are going to be the ones you want to keep your eye on during minicamp.

Jared Goff, Lions have had no recent talks about a potential contract extension

When asked if he’d talked to the Lions about a contract extension, Goff responded, “No. Nope. Nope. Nothing.”

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

Last month, Lions GM Brad Holmes indicated during a radio spot that the team had begun to have dialogue with Jared Goff and his representation about a possible contract extension. It was notable because Goff had stated just weeks earlier that the team had not approached him about his contract.

It appears the dialogue to which Holmes was referring was nothing more than a cursory discussion. Goff’s contract situation, which locks him into Detroit through the 2024 season, has not changed. And it doesn’t appear like that status will change anytime soon.

After Tuesday’s minicamp session, Goff was asked if he’s had any additional conversations with management, notably Holmes, about any potential contract extension.

“No. Nope. Nope. Nothing,” Goff responded.

When asked a follow-up question about if he was looking for an extension this offseason, Goff diplomatically replied,

“I have no idea on when or how I want to get any of that done. That is not up to me.”

It’s worth noting that many players let their agents do all that sort of negotiating independently; Goff’s response does not necessarily mean the two sides aren’t still talking or working toward a possible contract extension. But it also doesn’t seem like Goff, his representation, or the Lions are all that anxious to get something done right now.

[lawrence-related id=92209]

Lions minicamp notebook: Secondary shines on the first day

Lions minicamp 1st day notebook from Lions Wire’s Jeff Risdon on the secondary, Sam LaPorta, Jamo, OL rotation and more

Detroit Lions minicamp kicked off on a hazy Tuesday afternoon in Allen Park at the team’s training facility. Unlike the OTAs the last two weeks, this week’s minicamp has mandatory attendance for all players.

Not every player participated. Head coach Dan Campbell indicated before practice that many players were medically excused, including running back David Montgomery and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez among many others. The practice session remains unpadded and non-contact beyond flag football standards, but the Lions continue to be cautious with players on the injury front.

[lawrence-related id=92265]

Here’s what I saw and noted from the first minicamp session.

Dan Campbell open to the idea of holding a training camp session in West Michigan

Dan Campbell open to the idea of holding a training camp session in West Michigan after spending the weekend in Grand Rapids

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

Lions head coach Dan Campbell spent the weekend before this week’s minicamp in Grand Rapids. His trip to the west side of Michigan piqued Campbell’s interest in the idea of holding a training camp practice or event in West Michigan.

It’s not something the Lions have done in years. The last time the Lions held a practice session outside of the team’s training facility in Allen Park or Ford Field was in 2015, when they held an evening practice at Novi High School near Detroit. And it’s not something that is imminent; nothing is scheduled beyond 2023 right now.

It’s an idea worth exploring. Campbell noted the “fresh energy” he felt from the fans in Grand Rapids. As Campbell said, finding a suitable venue with practice facilities that are to the NFL standards would come first.

To that end, two D-II college programs in the Grand Rapids area, Davenport and Grand Valley State, have modern facilities and fan-friendly stadiums to outreach to the fans in West Michigan. Social media was abuzz in the Grand Rapids area with Campbell sightings over the weekend.

As someone who routinely commutes from Holland, MI (25 miles southwest of Grand Rapids) to practices and training camp, it would be great to see the Lions show some love to the fervent fan base on the west side of the state.