Detroit Lions mailbag: Have the Lions been getting worked in the joint practices?

While we all wait in deep anticipation for the Detroit Lions’ second preseason game, let’s dig into the Pride of Detroit mailbag to get us ready for Saturday night’s game against the Houston Texans.

Dave Hove

Why does it seem the Lions have worse days in joint practices than the team they are practicing with?

It was the same story last year… give us a reason to be optimistic and not read into it too much.

I don’t think I saw the joint practices in the same way you did.

On Day 1 of joint practices with the New England Patriots, the Lions absolutely got worked. It was almost exactly like what we saw in the preseason game. However, Day 2 of practices was dead even. Early on Tom Brady was struggling in red zone drills, while Matthew Stafford and company were near perfect. Of course, it’s easy to only remember Day 1 considering the exhibition game looked nearly identical, but it’s important to take in all of the information from that week.

I can’t speak, personally, how things went in Houston since I wasn’t there. However, based on all the reports I read, Day 1 seemed to be slightly in the Lions’ favor, while Day 2 was clearly a “win” for the Texans.

So that’s pretty much a split for Detroit so far this year. Obviously, you don’t want to see the Lions get dominated in half of their practices with other teams, but I would still say Detroit looked far better than some are putting out there.

CLF

During these Joint practices....

What’s the blocking scheme like for the offenses? Do the coaches set up restrictions/rules to the practice as in…. no double teaming, no chipping, straight one on one only?

I can only speak to the joint practices I’ve seen (Giants in 2018, Patriots in 2019), but from what I can tell, 11-on-11 drills are pretty much free-for-alls in terms of scheme. Obviously, coaches will have their own preferences, but these drills are out there to simulate game-like situations in every single possible way, without the risk of injury. Obviously, they’ll take it down a notch on things like chipping and cut blocks because those could result in injury, but in terms of strategy and schemes, coaches aren’t holding back too much.

critical perspective

Trade bait

Considering all factors – age, position, health, contract, skill, etc. – which current Lions player would attract the highest return in a trade?

Matthew Stafford. No question. I would imagine next is Darius Slay.

Not only are those two arguably the most talented players on the roster, but they play two of the most important positions in the game. Age and contract are a concern for both, but talent supersedes everything, and teams would be willing to fork over a lot for either.

kevster

Top 10 fried foods better than mozzarella sticks.

Kevster, you’ll be happy to know that I answered this question for you all the way back in 2016:

And since you opened it up to just “fried foods” and not just appetizers, I would throw cheesecake bites, churros, elephant ears and just about every other deep-fried dessert above mozzarella sticks.

GM26

FA signings

Any buyers remorse yet? Anyone you feel confident will earn or outperform their contract?

I said it back in March and I’ll say it again, the Justin Coleman signing was extremely risky. He’s strung together a few good years with the Seahawks, but Coleman hasn’t established himself, long term, as the premier nickel corner that some are assuming.

He hasn’t looked great in training camp, and the Lions have a lot riding on him. In 2021 and 2022, his cap hit will surpass $11 million per year, and there’s no cheap way out of that contract.

Now, it’s way too early to really feel any buyer’s remorse in the preseason, but that’s definitely a risky play that fans should keep an eye on.

Hankfan232425

Off the top of your head...

Do you know how old Vanna White is?

Back in the day—and still a little bit to this day—I was a game show nerd. Game Show Network was my favorite channel growing up. So I’d like to think I have an educated guess here, and I know “Wheel of Fortune” has been around FOREVER. Like back in the day, contestants had to spend their winnings on horrible prizes instead of just keeping the money.

All that being said, I’m going with 63.

*looks it up*

BOOM, 62.

jjones164

If you weren’t raised a Lions fan, who would be your team and why?

Here’s the thing, I’ve literally never adopted a professional sports team. I have, and always will be loyal to the Michigan sports teams. So it’s really hard for me to envision rooting for anyone else.

But to play along, I’m pretty sure it would have to be a franchise that hasn’t seen a ton of success in its history, has a likable head coach and some intriguing players with a good story or two.

I think my answer would be the Arizona Cardinals. I love me some Larry Fitzgerald. I don’t have a strong opinion of Kliff Kingsbury right now, but I’m certainly intrigued by him. And I’m rooting for David Johnson to bounce back after his injury problems (after Week 1, of course).

I know Arizona made the Super Bowl 11 years ago, but they’ve only made two conference championships in their franchise history and have played in just 16 playoff games since 1947. They aren’t exactly a franchise with an illustrious history.