Establishing the locker room's Ping-Pong hierarchy through eyes of Detroit Lions who play (and Jared Goff)

Allen Park — You often hear the familiar sound of fierce locker room competition before you round the corner into the inner sanctum of the Detroit Lions practice facility.

In the center of the expansive space is a Ping-Pong table, occupied almost daily by a small contingent of the roster. The most active group is the offensive line, with a couple linebackers and defensive backs added to the mix for good measure. And it should be noted that the consensus is the young cornerbacks are a tier (or three) below the others.

There are rumors quarterback Jared Goff is as deadly with a paddle in his hands as a football, but only a handful have seen his backhand in action. Once the season starts, his laser focus doesn't permit the distraction.

“I just don't have time right now,” Goff said.

Fair enough. There are more pressing matters for a quarterback pursuing his and the franchise’s first Super Bowl. But for the other guys, the table provides a midday reprieve between practice, film study, weight lifting and treatment. For them, it’s a needed decompression, even if the intensity is dialed up to 11 for every serve, volley and smash.

Any reporter who's spent more than two weeks in the room could reasonably rank the regulars. Instead, I decided to poll the participants, to see how they sized up themselves and their competition.

It’s the first, and probably only ranking that will ever be produced on the topic. We polled 10 players, Goff included, asking them to rank their top five in order.