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manchild98
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- Michael Rothstein espn staff writer
ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Some thoughts and observations following the first media access of Detroit Lions' organized team activities Wednesday.
1. Kellen Moore is making moves: The fourth-year quarterback who has yet to take a regular-season NFL snap insisted every quarterback is doing a little bit of everything so far. On Wednesday, it was Moore (pictured) who came in after Matthew Stafford during quarterback rotations, not Dan Orlovsky. This could be significant because at the very least, it shows the Lions are willing to have an open competition for the slot behind Stafford this season. Even fourth quarterback Anthony Boone took snaps, which is more than last year's fourth quarterback, James Franklin. But Moore is going to end up, at worst, in a competition with Orlovsky for No. 2.
2. Some quarterback numbers: I roughly charted quarterback throws during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, and here was what I came up with on a day where the offense had good completion rates. Stafford was 14 of 20 with a couple of drops in there. Moore was 10 of 12. Orlovsky was 8 of 11 and Boone was 2 of 3. Remember, without hitting and in many cases a pass rush these are tough to decipher, but worth noting that all the quarterbacks had at least decent rates. To be fair, I might have missed one or two passes.
3. The biggest surprise of the day was Quandre Diggs: Part of this might be due to the recoveries of Bill Bentley and Nevin Lawson from season-ending injuries in 2014, but the sixth-round pick was consistently with the first unit as the nickelback. He didn't look too out of place there, either, and has an opportunity to put some good work in before the Lions return to full strength in the secondary. One thing to note here -- Bentley was running some scout team stuff while Diggs was with the first team offense during one period, so he is clearly making a quick impression on the coaches, especially since no other draft pick worked much -- if at all -- with the first team Wednesday.
4. There were absences and multiple limited players: In referencing the above note, Ameer Abdullah likely would have received some first team work, but the running back was absent as he headed off to the Rookie Premiere in California this week. Cornerback Alex Carter, the team's third-round pick, was absent as he was finishing classes at Stanford. They were the only two Lions not in attendance. Running back Joique Bell and right tackle LaAdrian Waddle were there but did not practice. Tight end Joseph Fauria, cornerbacks Bill Bentley and Nevin Lawson and linebackers DeAndre Levy and Stephen Tulloch took part in individual drills but did not do any team work. All except Levy were coming off season-ending injuries in 2014.
5. A small skirmish: The first open OTAs saw a quick skirmish between left tackle Riley Reiff and linebacker Travis Lewis. It didn't escalate beyond some posturing before Manny Ramirez jumped in the middle to break it up, but in looking back, I don't remember seeing something even that testy during practices I watched last offseason. Not too much to read into it, but worth noting that maybe this is a more feisty bunch than last season's.
6. Eric Ebron drops again: He is committed to improving in his second season, but Ebron (pictured) once again had some issues with drops. By my count, Ebron dropped two passes -- it could have been more -- throughout the course of practice, including one on a somewhat tough throw by Stafford that hit off both of his hands while his arms were extended. He looked crisper running routes and in good shape, but it's something to keep an eye on.
7. Punt returner could be interesting: It's just one offseason practice and Abdullah was not present, but the Lions had receivers Jeremy Ross, Lance Moore and Golden Tate catching punts during the special teams period. The team also used flags instead of tagging to denote tackling to stop the play. Moore said the last time he played flag football was in high school -- and hasn't returned a punt since 2012. He hasn't done it with any regularity since 2010. Tate was a high-level returner in Seattle and Ross is the incumbent. This will continue to be something to watch once Abdullah returns next week.
ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Some thoughts and observations following the first media access of Detroit Lions' organized team activities Wednesday.
1. Kellen Moore is making moves: The fourth-year quarterback who has yet to take a regular-season NFL snap insisted every quarterback is doing a little bit of everything so far. On Wednesday, it was Moore (pictured) who came in after Matthew Stafford during quarterback rotations, not Dan Orlovsky. This could be significant because at the very least, it shows the Lions are willing to have an open competition for the slot behind Stafford this season. Even fourth quarterback Anthony Boone took snaps, which is more than last year's fourth quarterback, James Franklin. But Moore is going to end up, at worst, in a competition with Orlovsky for No. 2.
2. Some quarterback numbers: I roughly charted quarterback throws during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, and here was what I came up with on a day where the offense had good completion rates. Stafford was 14 of 20 with a couple of drops in there. Moore was 10 of 12. Orlovsky was 8 of 11 and Boone was 2 of 3. Remember, without hitting and in many cases a pass rush these are tough to decipher, but worth noting that all the quarterbacks had at least decent rates. To be fair, I might have missed one or two passes.
3. The biggest surprise of the day was Quandre Diggs: Part of this might be due to the recoveries of Bill Bentley and Nevin Lawson from season-ending injuries in 2014, but the sixth-round pick was consistently with the first unit as the nickelback. He didn't look too out of place there, either, and has an opportunity to put some good work in before the Lions return to full strength in the secondary. One thing to note here -- Bentley was running some scout team stuff while Diggs was with the first team offense during one period, so he is clearly making a quick impression on the coaches, especially since no other draft pick worked much -- if at all -- with the first team Wednesday.
4. There were absences and multiple limited players: In referencing the above note, Ameer Abdullah likely would have received some first team work, but the running back was absent as he headed off to the Rookie Premiere in California this week. Cornerback Alex Carter, the team's third-round pick, was absent as he was finishing classes at Stanford. They were the only two Lions not in attendance. Running back Joique Bell and right tackle LaAdrian Waddle were there but did not practice. Tight end Joseph Fauria, cornerbacks Bill Bentley and Nevin Lawson and linebackers DeAndre Levy and Stephen Tulloch took part in individual drills but did not do any team work. All except Levy were coming off season-ending injuries in 2014.
5. A small skirmish: The first open OTAs saw a quick skirmish between left tackle Riley Reiff and linebacker Travis Lewis. It didn't escalate beyond some posturing before Manny Ramirez jumped in the middle to break it up, but in looking back, I don't remember seeing something even that testy during practices I watched last offseason. Not too much to read into it, but worth noting that maybe this is a more feisty bunch than last season's.
6. Eric Ebron drops again: He is committed to improving in his second season, but Ebron (pictured) once again had some issues with drops. By my count, Ebron dropped two passes -- it could have been more -- throughout the course of practice, including one on a somewhat tough throw by Stafford that hit off both of his hands while his arms were extended. He looked crisper running routes and in good shape, but it's something to keep an eye on.
7. Punt returner could be interesting: It's just one offseason practice and Abdullah was not present, but the Lions had receivers Jeremy Ross, Lance Moore and Golden Tate catching punts during the special teams period. The team also used flags instead of tagging to denote tackling to stop the play. Moore said the last time he played flag football was in high school -- and hasn't returned a punt since 2012. He hasn't done it with any regularity since 2010. Tate was a high-level returner in Seattle and Ross is the incumbent. This will continue to be something to watch once Abdullah returns next week.
