This time last week, the NFL lockout was lifted and teams were preparing to host OTAs and workouts after the draft was over. For the Detroit Lions, players were told to report to the team's facility on Monday in preparation for OTAs on Wednesday.
All of these plans were derailed when the NFL was granted a temporary stay on the court ruling that lifted the lockout. This forced players to cancel flights back to Michigan and more importantly, forced teams to cancel scheduled workouts. Players are still on their own for workouts as a result of this, but Lions defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch is going to get his teammates together in a couple weeks and hold some practices if the lockout is still in place.
"I don't know how productive it could be for defensive linemen, but it would be huge if we could get some DBs and linebackers there to work against the offense," Vanden Bosch said. "(Matthew) Stafford sent a text message out to guys (Thursday) morning to let guys know he'll be in town for it."
Stafford said this on Twitter yesterday: "We are rounding up the troops as we speak for some practice in a week or so...can't wait for football."
It's good to see that leaders like Vanden Bosch and Stafford are doing their part to get the team together. Not only is it important to bond on the field, but building chemistry off the field is also important. Due to the lockout that hasn't been possible on a team-wide basis this offseason, but the Lions are going to try to make the best out of the situation at hand by getting together later this month.