Scrums, no presser: Goff on offense's evolution, Gibbs hypes Jamo and Campbell flexes acting chops in new ad

Allen Park — The Detroit Lions made a trio of their star players available in the locker room Tuesday afternoon, but quarterback Jared Goff, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and running back Jahmyr Gibbs weren’t exactly in the mood to offer up headline-generating material.

Of course, that’s not their job, and it’s up to me to ask better questions to generate better answers. Send the “L” this way.

Maybe the most interesting part of Goff's session was the topic not pursued — the upcoming matchup against his former team. Despite a new battle on the horizon, the war appears to be over, with both sides emerging as the victor. The Rams got a Super Bowl ring out of the swap that shipped Matthew Stafford west, while Goff got an opportunity to become a better player and man as part of a franchise that embraced and empowered him.

Asked what was new about this year's offense, Goff playfully responded he had no intention of giving away the team’s secrets, but praised coordinator Ben Johnson's ability to continuously push the envelope.

“Ben’s done a great job, every year now, in innovating, being creative, doing things maybe that haven’t necessarily been done before, or we haven’t seen on film, but trying it just for sake of trying it and for the sake of he thinks it’s a good idea,” Goff said. “Sometimes it works at practice. Sometimes it doesn’t, we shelf it and try it again later. But that creativity and that innovation is so important to stay on the cutting edge.”

“…There’re little wrinkles (to the scheme), of course,” Goff said. “There’s new things, there’s things that we were getting better at last year that I think we’ve gotten a lot better at through the offseason and through training camp. There’re things that we’re trying that are brand new. There’re all sorts of different things. So yeah, we’ll unleash some of them.

● Goff got a couple of new weapons last week in Tim Patrick and Allen Robinson. Both wide receivers currently reside on the practice squad, but one or both could see a main-roster elevation in the coming weeks.

The QB was asked how he accelerates the onboarding process with new receivers. He noted the learning curve is typically shorter with veterans.

“Yeah, in between periods, like special teams periods, I can get with them and talk with them,” Goff said. “I think it’s so valuable for me to hear how they like things, how I like things, how certain steps should be and how we do it differently than maybe places they’ve been. I think it’s super valuable. So yeah, I’ll get 10, 15, 20 minutes of reps in between periods with them and they love it.”

Both Patrick and Robinson were in the locker room today. Patrick politely asked to push an interview request to later in the week while he sorts through getting familiar with his new surroundings. Robinson, the Detroit native, was engaged in a conversation with another reporter when I looked to talk with him.

● Hutchinson was asked about his expectations for the Ford Field crowd this weekend. Echoing what others have said this week, he’s anticipating a rowdy environment Sunday night.

That’s largely viewed as a positive, but he acknowledged it can cause some issues defensively. Still, he views a loud crowd as a net gain for the home team.

"It's hard,” Hutchinson said. “You can simulate it in practice a little bit. You can simulate it with the crowd noise. But when the bullets are flying out there, you do lose a little communication. But, in the end, it is worth it. I think we're doing the best job we can to ensure that the comms stay up."

● Despite missing significant stretches of the offseason program with a nagging hamstring injury, Gibbs is feeling much more confident entering his second season.

But it’s not just him. He says he’s seen similar gains from teammates Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams.

“I feel really good about (the offense), especially Jamo,” Gibbs said. “He’s been lights out throughout the whole offseason and coming into practice today, so I’m excited to see him.”

For what it's worth, Gibbs told reporters he feels close to 100%.

● For the brief portion of practice open to the media Tuesday afternoon, only safeties Ifeatu Melifonwu and Loren Strickland were absent. The team isn’t required to release its first injury report until Wednesday.

● Several Lions got new uniform numbers. Be sure to update your programs.

Robinson: 8

Brandon Joseph: 12

Patrick: 17

Strickland: 24

Erick Hallett: 25

Jake Bates: 39

Trevor Nowaske: 53

Pat O' Connor: 95

● Finally, in case you somehow missed it earlier today, Lions coach Dan Campbell stars in a new commercial for Applebee’s. While I’m not in the business of offering free advertising, it’s worth highlighting because I’m impressed with his acting ability.

It might be time for something more significant. Maybe a guest spot on local comedian Tim Robinson’s I Think You Should Leave?