Pride of Detroit
The final day for Detroit Lions training camp has arrived, and it’s a big one. The Houston Texans are in town for a single joint practice. With an NFC contender vs. and AFC contender, it should be a much more competitive practice than what we saw last week with the ailing Miami Dolphins.
On Wednesday, we discussed some of the best matchups between the two teams to watch. Today, let’s talk a little more broadly. With the Lions starters expected to receive the majority of the reps on Thursday, it’s an opportunity for them to kick off the final rust before the regular season, and get their bodies prepared for Green Bay in Week 1.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
My answer: I want to see the chemistry between the starting offensive line handle a pretty decent Texans defensive line. A week into training camp, the Lions seemingly decided on what their starting offensive line was going to be. Since then, it’s been all about developing chemistry. This was, of course, the plan that coach Dan Campbell laid out on the very first day of camp.
“We have two or three more spots there for guys to step up and help us. And once that happens, then mesh,” Campbell said. “The guys that we know we can trust, this is where they’re going to play and then getting whoever those five are together to where they start working together and start trusting each other.”
We’ve certainly seen some progress there, but it’s far from a finished product—and it likely won’t be out of the gate for the regular season. But the Texans provide a nice challenge with their front seven. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter combine to make a great EDGE combo. While Sheldon Rankins and Mario Edwards Jr. are a pair of highly-drafted interior defenders who may challenge Detroit’s run game.
If Jared Goff gets clean pockets and we see continued life from the run game, it’ll give me more confidence that the critical play of the offensive line will be ready for Week 1.
What are you hoping to see from the Lions’ sole practice against the Texans?
