The Detroit Lions completed their first week of training camp, and even though it’s early, there are some facets of the team’s preparation and progression that are encouraging.
Of course, there are also some concerns. In fact, there’s one big concern. So let’s start there. (Don’t worry, I promise I’ll get to the positive stuff.)
If you guessed the major concern is Jameson Williams and the time he has missed with a hamstring injury, you win the grand prize: a commemorative set of Rudi Johnson luggage. Please stop by the lobby at Lions headquarters to pick it up. No need to ask anyone. Just take it.
Williams injured his hamstring on Monday and sat out the four of the first six practices of training camp, though he did return on a limited basis for Sunday’s one-hour “jog-through,” as coach Dan Campbell called it.
For any other player, this wouldn’t be too significant. But for Williams, who missed most of his rookie year recovering from an ACL injury and will begin serving his six-game suspension for gambling at the end of August, these days of on-field practice are precious.
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He was the 12th overall pick last year and the Lions are counting on him to deliver on that promise. But that promise can’t be fully realized if he’s missing time refining his route-running, curbing his drops and developing chemistry with Jared Goff. Those are all things that weren’t especially sharp in the spring — understandably because of the time he missed last year.
The time he missed last year wasn’t his fault. And the hamstring injury on Day 2 of camp wasn’t his fault, either. I’m not blaming him for having the misfortune of injury. But it also doesn’t matter. Time missed on the field is invaluable for a young, developing player. And no amount of those famous “mental reps” is going to make up for it.
When you factor in all the games and practice time Williams missed last season and will miss at the start of this season — plus concerns about his maturity and decision-making — I felt he needed to have a great camp, not only to jump-start his career but to silence busybody critics like me.
Campbell was honest in his assessment of Williams’ progression and why he needs to be at practice.
“We need him out there,” he said Sunday. “He needs the reps, he needs the mental reps. But there again, he’s out there in the afternoon walkthroughs going through those things. …
I’m not saying the sky is falling. It’s not too late for Williams to still have a good camp and a strong performance in preseason games. But the NFL moves fast and it’s never as early as you think it is.
“But yeah, he’s a young player, hadn’t played. And so, yeah, we do need him out there. And the clock’s ticking every day,” Campbell said.
OK, as promised, there certainly are good signs for this team. In fact, I think there are more positives from the first week of camp than concerns.
One big positive is that there haven’t been any reported performance setbacks and there hasn’t been any drama, like fights that deter a team’s focus and indicate overall frustration on the team.
“We’ve had two real competitive padded-up practices, and man our guys didn’t bat an eye,” Campbell said. “They’re practicing hard, they’re in it, there’s no moping, there’s no ‘I don’t want to do.’ I mean they’re just going.
“And that’s coming out of the acclimation (period). So I feel like we’re building a base, we’re getting our intensity, our volume up. I feel like we’re getting in shape, we’re competing.”
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What Campbell wants now from his team is to continue all of that with consistency while players wear pads and increase their level of physicality.
The rookies are learning, too. The team’s first-round picks, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and linebacker Jack Campbell, are getting time with the first team and Campbell said they look like they aren’t in over their heads.
Gibbs said after practice that veteran David Montgomery has helped him like a “big brother” and he’s trying to emulate Amon-Ra St. Brown’s consistent work ethic and intensity. He’s also getting used to playing receiver more than he did at Alabama and being in the huddle after working off hand signals and cards in college.
But my favorite example of the progression the team is making came from Jack Campbell, a self-described introvert who’s getting used to the NFL spotlight. He’s doing what all good, young players do: He’s copying the successful habits of veterans. When I asked him for an example, he shared a valuable lesson that’s likely to pay off for the rest of his career.
Campbell said he has learned to curb his eagerness to review film of his performance immediately after practice because he tends to be “emotional about it.”
“Sometimes,” he said, “I kind of get caught up in trying to look at a play like right after practice just to kind of go through it in my head.
“But I kind of learned to like let it sit for like an hour, shower, do some body maintenance and then go, come back and look it because (then) you look at it with like kind of an unbiased perspective.”
One week down and it’s safe to say there have been more encouraging signs than concerns at Lions training camp. Of course, it’s still early. But this is the NFL, a league that operates at a breakneck, unforgiving speed. And that means for any player, and especially one who’s struggling to catch up or catch on, it’s usually later than they think.
Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.