Allen Park — With training camp opening Wednesday for the Detroit Lions, we're taking a look at the position-by-position competitions worth monitoring.
I think it's understated how much of Aidan's improvement is due to matching up with Penei all camp, who is the consensus best RT in the league. Iron sharpens Iron. And matching up against Decker occasionally lets him work on technique based tackles as well. He can't help but get better against that competition.
I think Branch moving to Safety helps the depth there and keeps the best players on the field. Having Amik at Nickle gives them an attitude they lost with CJ without the over-the-top wildcard factor to his personality. A doberman instead of an unchained pitbull.
There are snaps available for sure, but there will be very good players in the Lions secondary that won’t get major run unless an injury occurs (they do). I’m interested in who wins each of the starting spots in the backend.
I know the secondary was a mess last year so it’s not like he was set up for success, but I wasn’t impressed with Kerby. Lots of missed tackles with poor technique and he lacks physicality out of the back end. I wonder if Branch and Iffy are the starters in base sets and Kerby is S3.
I think (hope) as Kerby ages and matures that he’ll get smarter and smarter about the chances he takes. That mid- to late-20s age timeframe seems to be the sweet spot for DBs in terms of athleticism and mental acuity. Let’s hope he gets there
I think Kerby is primed to have a better season with more talent around him. I believe he will be able to capitalize on his calculated chances he takes.
Kerby definitely has some adlibbing to his game that makes the playmaker he is, but also prone to a big mistake because his positioning is negatively affected by cheating. I still think the Lions believe in his long-term potential, but you have to continue to coach smart chance-taking.
Can't wait to see how Levi looks with the pads on. Really would help the DL depth if he can play at a high level.
On the edge Houston is a wild card. Kind of forgotten about due to the injury and less than stellar camp last year. Hopefully he rebounds and can help put pressure on the QB.
Let me add to that, Levi is an absolute joy to be around. He puts off a really positive energy and it makes you want him to succeed, at an individual level.
I'm really interested to see how the backup IDLs perform in camp. Reader is so good, but he seems destined to miss time unfortunately. Who steps up?
I think it's understated how much of Aidan's improvement is due to matching up with Penei all camp, who is the consensus best RT in the league. Iron sharpens Iron. And matching up against Decker occasionally lets him work on technique based tackles as well. He can't help but get better against that competition.
I think Branch moving to Safety helps the depth there and keeps the best players on the field. Having Amik at Nickle gives them an attitude they lost with CJ without the over-the-top wildcard factor to his personality. A doberman instead of an unchained pitbull.
Solid content. Well done.
There are snaps available for sure, but there will be very good players in the Lions secondary that won’t get major run unless an injury occurs (they do). I’m interested in who wins each of the starting spots in the backend.
I’m one day in to being a paid subscriber, and I could not be happier. This is amazing content!
Training camp hasn't even begun, Andrew. Save some excitement.
I know the secondary was a mess last year so it’s not like he was set up for success, but I wasn’t impressed with Kerby. Lots of missed tackles with poor technique and he lacks physicality out of the back end. I wonder if Branch and Iffy are the starters in base sets and Kerby is S3.
I think (hope) as Kerby ages and matures that he’ll get smarter and smarter about the chances he takes. That mid- to late-20s age timeframe seems to be the sweet spot for DBs in terms of athleticism and mental acuity. Let’s hope he gets there
I think Kerby is primed to have a better season with more talent around him. I believe he will be able to capitalize on his calculated chances he takes.
Kerby definitely has some adlibbing to his game that makes the playmaker he is, but also prone to a big mistake because his positioning is negatively affected by cheating. I still think the Lions believe in his long-term potential, but you have to continue to coach smart chance-taking.
Mekhi Wingo is gonna be the David Purifory to Aiden’s Bubba. Maybe not right away, but the compliment to Hutchinson is already in the fold.
Throwback reference. Love it.
Can't wait to see how Levi looks with the pads on. Really would help the DL depth if he can play at a high level.
On the edge Houston is a wild card. Kind of forgotten about due to the injury and less than stellar camp last year. Hopefully he rebounds and can help put pressure on the QB.
Let me add to that, Levi is an absolute joy to be around. He puts off a really positive energy and it makes you want him to succeed, at an individual level.