Notes: Lions offer thoughts on ‘challenging’ virtual offseason

Lions are weighing in on some of the challenges of the virtual offseason program over the past few weeks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Lions virtual offseason program began April 27 and involved players working out on their own — completing online work two hours a day, four times a week.

“It’s challenging, there’s no question,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “Tough to coordinate 100 different schedules and make sure everybody’s on the same page and able to get WiFi service and all that kind of stuff is challenging. I think our team and organization has done a great job with that. We’ve had outstanding participation and guys have really been dialed in.”

Head coach Matt Patricia added players have been creative and come up with new ideas, and on some levels it’s more intimate with family running around in the background during calls.

Stafford said the biggest difference is when they talk about the game in-person, they can then go try some things out on the field.

“We’re all talking about it and we hang up the Zoom call, then I go chase three kids, Danny goes and does yoga in his underwear or whatever, and Kenny’s balls from a Jugs,” he joked. “I don’t know what these guys are doing but we’re not working on the same stuff at the same time so it’s a little bit challenging in that aspect.”

NFL teams were notified they can open team facilities starting May 19, as long as they follow rules outlined by their local officials. But that comes with all sorts of heavy restrictions, click here to read more.

And onto the rest of your notes:

• Marvin Jones Jr. made Around the NFL writer Nick Shook’s top 10 pass-catchers. “Surprise! Many of these names might sound right, but you’re likely raising an eyebrow at Jones landing here.”
• More on where that comment about Danny Amendola doing yoga from Stafford above from John Maakaron of Sports Illustrated’s AllLions.

• Center Frank Ragnow is offering a workout, a cooking class or a fishing session as part of United Way’s virtual hangout fundraiser with NFL players to help families affected by the virus, writes The Detroit Free Press’ Carlos Monarrez.
• A where-are-they-now on Lomas Brown from detroitlions.com columnist Mike O’Hara.
• “He’s a big-play kid.” Some comments from Barry Sanders on rookie D’Andre Swift.
• Something for the kids: