Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Morning Lions Links for Wednesday 8-9-23

Lions Training Camp Articles:

Lions Media:



Observations: Jahmyr Gibbs dazzles against Giants, while a UDFA shows he belongs:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/08/observations-jahmyr-gibbs-dazzles-against-giants-while-a-udfa-shows-he-belongs.html


Lions training camp notebook: 1st day of joint practice with the Giants:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/lists/lions-training-camp-notebook-1st-day-joint-practice-with-giants/


Lions vs. Giants joint practice Day 1 observations: Standouts on offense, defense:  https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2023/8/8/23824667/lions-vs-giants-joint-practice-day-1-observations-standouts-on-offense-defense


Detroit Lions energized in first joint practice with N.Y. Giants:  https://lionslowdown.com/2023/08/08/detroit-lions-energized-in-first-joint-practice-with-n-y-giants/

Giants Media:






Other Lions Articles:

Lions’ Alex Anzalone embraces change of pace during joint practice with Giants:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/08/lions-alex-anzalone-embraces-change-of-pace-during-joint-practice-with-giants.html

‘It’s a tremendous, tremendous honor’: Barry Sanders speaks on Ford Field statue:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/08/its-a-tremendous-tremendous-honor-barry-sanders-speaks-on-ford-field-statue.html

Jalen Reeves-Maybin embodies renewed vigor in his second stint with the Lions:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/08/jalen-reeves-maybin-embodies-renewed-vigor-in-his-second-stint-with-the-lions.html

Levi Onwuzurike continues to stack days, do more for Lions in comeback attempt:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/08/levi-onwuzurike-continues-to-stack-days-do-more-for-lions-in-comeback-attempt.html


Behind the scenes: Detroit Lions TE Sam LaPorta's combine interview:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/2023/08/08/behind-the-scenes-detroit-lions-te-sam-laportas-combine-interview/




Lions Need to See if Bridgewater Still 'Got It':  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/teddy-bridgewater-dan-campbell

Jahmyr Gibbs Toasting LB Bobby Okereke Is Making Headlines:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/jahmyr-gibbs-toasting-bobby-okereke-making-headlines


'Inside Training Camp Live' Buzz: Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) excused from practice; Titans seeing 'vintage' DeAndre Hopkins in practice (Sanders: Lions 'geeked' about rookie RB - Barry Sanders was in attendance for the Lions' joint practice with the New York Giants on Tuesday, and the legendary running back is just as excited as everyone else in Detroit for the 2023 season.  "I think this team is well-balanced," the Hall of Famer told NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano and Brian Baldinger on Inside Training Camp Live. "Obviously, they have to be feeling good about the way they finished last season although you're only going to get so much push from what you did last year. But if you're building on that, you've been working in the offseason, I feel like things are certainly set up for them in the division, and yes, me along with some of the other Lions fans, we are excited about this season. We know that really the sky is the limit."  The Lions finished 9-8 after a 1-6 start in 2022. Although their second-half run didn't equate to a playoff berth, Detroit gained steam by spoiling Green Bay's postseason hopes in Week 18. Sanders believes the retooled RB room that now features David Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs will help balance an offense that finished last season ranked top-five in yards (380.0) and points per game (26.6).  "They want to be balanced and the guys they have in the room, that's what they're there for. They're there to make plays in the passing game, in the running game," Sanders said. "Being in this division, we've seen what David Montgomery can do game in and game out. He's a 1,000-yard rusher every year, pretty much. So, we're looking hopefully for the same production. I believe they couldn't more geeked about Jahmyr Gibbs and being able to get him early in the first round, and what they've seen so far and his attitude and his approach to practice. When you get a young running back in camp and you see him in real live action with other players to see whether that speed transfers, whether he still has that speed, whether he still has that zip that he had in college. I think, so far, we see that he's going to be a guy that makes plays."  The NFL has certainly taken notice of Detroit's revival, scheduling Dan Campbell's squad in five prime-time games in 2023, including the season opener against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 7.  Of course, that only puts more pressure on a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game since the 1991 season (eight-game losing streak), when Sanders was in Year 3 of an extraordinary career. The Lions legend believes 2023 could be the year for the calamitous narrative to change.  "It would mean so much, and I think that has to be in the back of this team's mind, changing that narrative," Sanders said of Detroit's postseason aspirations. "We've all heard it, we've all had to live with it. It's there. That's how it is and that remains the reality at this point, but I know that if there's any team that can change that, then it's this group and coach Campbell and just sort of how he's built the last few years and the product they put on the field. So, yeah, I think if there's any team that's going to do it, this the right time to do it right now."):  https://www.nfl.com/news/inside-training-camp-live-buzz-tuesday-august-8

Ranking NFL QBs drafted No. 1 by rookie campaigns (23. Rams QB Jared Goff (2016) - 2016 rookie season stats: 54.6% comp pct, 1,089 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, seven interceptions, 5.3 yards/pass attempt, 63.6 passer rating in seven games played, all starts.  Notable career accomplishments: Three-time Pro Bowl selection (two with the Rams, one with the Lions), started Super Bowl LIII vs Tom Brady's Patriots in 2018 season (Goff's third year in the NFL).  Jared Goff got caught in the crossfire of a chaotic year during his rookie season in 2016. It was the Rams' first season back in Los Angeles after moving from St. Louis, and what would turn out to be then-head coach Jeff Fisher's last season coaching NFL football. After Case Keenum started the first nine games and the Rams had a losing record (4-5), Fisher made the switch to Goff despite a poor offensive line and lackluster receiving options (wide receivers Kenny Britt, Brian Quick, and Tavon Austin as well as tight end Lance Kendricks).   Goff struggled outside of a 49-21 defeat at the Saints in Week 12 when he completed 20 of his 32 passes for 214 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. He combined to throw two touchdowns and six interceptions across his other six starts. However, his NFL fortune turned around following the hiring of the youngest head coach in league history in Sean McVay the following season, an arrival that led to consecutive Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl appearance across the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Goff has since reinvented himself with the Detroit Lions, earning his most recent Pro Bowl selection for the 2022 season after leading the league in touchdown-to-interception ratio (29-7). 19. Lions QB Matthew Stafford (2009) - 1989 rookie season stats: 53.3% comp pct, 2,267 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, 20 interceptions, 6.0 yards/pass attempt, 61.0 passer rating in 10 games played, all starts.  Notable career accomplishments: Super Bowl LVI champion with Rams, 2015 Pro Bowl selection (following 2014 season), 2011 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.  Matthew Stafford had the pleasure of being the Lions' first overall selection right after the franchise became the first team in NFL history to go 0-16 in 2008. Every week was an uphill climb for him in 2009, but he flashed in a big way in Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns when he threw a game-winning, one-yard touchdown to tight end Brandon Pettigrew with no time remaining to secure a 38-37 victory. He completed 26 of his 43 passes for a season-high 422 passing yards, a season-high five passing touchdowns, and two interceptions. The most impressive element of that performance was he played through a separated left shoulder on the game's final play to toss the winning score. Play like this endeared Stafford to the city of Detroit forever and had them cheering him on when he helped lead the Rams to a Super Bowl victory in the 2021 season.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ranking-nfl-qbs-drafted-no-1-overall-by-their-rookie-campaigns-what-it-means-for-bryce-young/

Which NFL teams will join playoff field in 2023? Ranking options from least to most likely (1. *Detroit Lions (11-6):  There’s a reason Ford Field’s season tickets are sold out for the first time. A team that won eight of its final 10 games in 2022 and missed postseason on a tiebreaker (to the Seattle Seahawks) appears bolstered defensively, where Detroit ranked last in 2022, and has added rookie weapons in RB Jahmyr Gibbs and TE Sam LaPorta on the offensive side. And with the Bears and Packers in some stage of a reboot and the reigning division champion Minnesota Vikings losing key parts due to salary cap-related decisions – not to mention a likely regression after a few fluky wins last year – the Lions appear to be solid favorites to win the NFC North for the first time since it came into existence in 2002.):  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/nate-davis/2023/08/08/nfl-playoff-teams-new-2023-jets-lions-bears-packers/70548055007/

NFL: What each starting NFC QB needs to do to be successful in 2023 (Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: Make more clutch throws - Goff proved in 2022 he can still be a good starting quarterback in the NFL after he had almost as good a year this past season as he did when he went to the Pro Bowl and took the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl in 2018. But Goff has always been pegged as a game manager, and he’ll never shake that moniker if he doesn’t develop into a clutch passer. Goff finished with just 18 big-time throws (perfect ball location and timing on deep passes) this past season, per Pro Football Focus, which tied with Kenny Pickett and Tua Tagovailoa for 16th in the NFL among qualified passers. Maybe Goff just isn’t that type of quarterback, but he’ll need to try if he wants to take the next step for himself and the Lions):  https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-what-each-starting-nfc-qb-needs-to-do-to-be-successful-in-2023-130059585.html

1 reason all 18 non-playoff NFL teams from last year will (or won’t) surprise in 2023 (Detroit Lions - How they can make a playoff push: An offensive line with three first-round picks imposes its will on defensive fronts with controlled chaos, and Penei Sewell leads the charge. Jahmyr Gibbs morphs into Jared Goff’s second safety valve after Amon-Ra St. Brown. C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Cameron Sutton slot in seamlessly, adding playmaking and consistency to a previously woeful secondary. Why they won’t: The Lions are a team of hype. They were red hot to close 2022 and resemble a mostly complete squad as they try to build on their hot streak. But something unforeseen almost always drags a chic team down into the muck. Is it a thin receiving corps with only Amon-Ra St. Brown to lean on? Can that right cornerback spot with Emmanuel Mosley be trusted? Will someone aside from Aidan Hutchinson emerge as a productive pass rusher? Detroit needs at least two yeses from the above list to maintain momentum.):  https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/1-reason-non-playoff-nfl-teams-surprise-hope-2023

1 notable veteran (Melvin Gordon?) who could be cut or traded for all 32 NFL teams this preseason (Detroit Lions: LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin - Salary cap savings: $1,250,000.  Shucking aside Jason Cabinda would create nearly $2 million in savings, but I can’t envision a world in which Dan Campbell *isn’t* interested in a linebacker-turned-fullback. Denzel Mims is another option, though Detroit’s needs at wideout may outstrip its needs at linebacker. That puts Reeves-Maybin, who played only eight percent of the Texans’ defensive snaps before being released this offseason, on the hot seat.):  https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/nfl-preseason-roster-cuts-2023-veterans-training-camp

Detroit Lions 53-Man Roster Projection: Remaining Questions at WR, DT, and CB:  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/detroit-lions-53-man-roster-projection-2023-nfl/

Video:



HOF RB Barry Sanders on what he sees in rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs:  https://www.detroitlions.com/video/hof-rb-barry-sanders-on-what-he-sees-in-rookie-rb-jahmyr-gibbs

Dan Campbell sit down with Andrew Siciliano, Brian Baldinger following Lions joint practice with Giants:  https://www.detroitlions.com/video/dan-campbell-sit-down-with-andrew-siciliano-brian-baldinger-following-lions-join

Jared Goff discusses additions to Lions defense on 'Inside Training Camp Live':  https://www.nfl.com/videos/jared-goff-discusses-additions-to-lions-defense-on-inside-training-camp-live

Siciliano: Lions have 'become a destination' from how Campbell, Holmes built roster:  https://www.nfl.com/videos/siciliano-lions-have-become-a-destination-from-how-campbell-holmes-built-roster
Posted by LionsFan at 4:56 AM

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