Allen Park — Coach Dan Campbell, receivers coach Scottie Montgomery, pass game specialist David Shaw and safety Brian Branch met with the media on Wednesday. Here are some highlights from those conversations.
Long-awaited returns (and a few absences)
Center Cade Mays and safety Brian Branch officially returned to practice on Wednesday, starting their 21-day acclimation clocks. They are both eligible to be added to the active roster and play in a game as soon as this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, but that’s unlikely.
With Branch, specifically, Campbell said the team has been intentionally deliberate with his 10-month rehab from a torn Achilles.
“We’ve been as smart as we can be with that, making sure that he is physically ready,” Campbell said. “I don’t want to say conservative, but yet let’s make sure and make sure and make sure. That’s step one.
“…If we don’t get that right, the rest of it doesn’t matter,” Campbell said. “I feel really good about both of those guys. (Director of player health and performance Brett Fischer) Fisch and his staff have done a great job.”
It hasn’t been easy staying patient, but Branch appreciates the team’s approach.
“I just want to thank them for not putting me in that position (of coming back too soon),” Branch said. “That means they’re looking out for me, not just for now but in the long-term. But I told Dan, ‘I’m starving.’ Since I got injured, just been day by day, been working, been grinding, showing up at 7 a.m., Fisch, (head of strength and conditioning Josh) Schuler, everybody had their part in it with me and I want to thank all them for that.”
It might seem obvious, given Detroit’s struggles in the secondary, but Campbell was asked where Branch helps the most once he’s medically cleared.
“It's kind of twofold,” Campbell said. “Look, we know there's going to be a little bit of kicking the rust of, just to get back to the player that he was. It'll take a minute. However, he's an instinctive, aware player and he's a violent player. And so, he's got a knack for (finding) the football and his production, even if it's not what it was in the immediate, as he grows back to that, will have an impact, I believe.
“Then, with that, it helps the guys around him,” Campbell said. “It makes the guys next to him better because this guy will be where he's supposed to be. He'll be able to make some plays and alleviate a little stress and whether it's the other safety, the corner, Jack (Campbell), some of those things.”
Branch noted that he had to overcome mental hurdles coming off toe surgery two years ago and feels more comfortable returning from the Achilles because of that experience. The main issue he’s concerned about now that he’s been cleared to practice is getting his conditioning to the required levels.
“Really just catching my wind, that’s the only hurdle,” Branch said. “Catching my wind and getting contact with each other, just getting more contact with each other, some more one on ones.”
Contrasting those two returns, the Lions were missing three players during the portion of practice open to the media. Guard Ben Bartch (foot), cornerback Rock Ya-Sin (hamstring) and Tyleik Williams (foot) were absent Wednesday.
Bartch has missed the past two games, while Ya-Sin exited early in the second half of Sunday’s matchup in Carolina. Williams finished out Sunday’s game, but was in a boot after the contest. Campbell noted the defensive tackle is day-to-day on Monday.
Personnel changes
After another poor defensive performance, Campbell promised some schematic and personnel changes.
I checked in on those comments, asking if a trio of young defensive backs — Keith Abney, Nick Whiteside and Bishop Fitzgerald — were close to carving out roles.
Campbell didn’t acknowledge Whiteside, the practice squad cornerback, or Fitzgerald, who was recently poached off the Steelers practice squad. However, the coach did say Abney, the fifth-round draft pick, was in line for more work against Arizona this week.
Abney hasn’t seen defensive snaps since the opener and was a healthy scratch for the team’s Week 2 matchup against Buffalo. He’s primarily repped at slot cornerback, but saw work on the outside during camp and safety more recently, when the depth chart was depleted by injury.
Campbell also noted that veteran safety Jalen Mills is in line for more work after four defensive snaps against Carolina.
No staff changes, yet
Campbell said there’s been no immediate thought given to adding a senior-level defensive assistant to backstop coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. That’s probably not surprising at this stage of the year.
That said, Campbell left the door open to changes at the bye.
“Look, we got another game here, and then I'm going to have a bye to be able to sit down for a minute and not drink out of a fire hydrant. That'll help just a tick.”
Good is not good enough
Regarding the deep ball Jameson Williams’ misjudged on the second drive of Sunday’s game, position coach Scottie Montgomery acknowledged, yes, the receiver lost it in the lights, but that’s not an excuse.
“Yeah, that's a tracking issue,” Montgomery said. “You can lose it in the lights, (but) when it comes out of the lights, you've got to find it and catch it. Catch the dark spot. We have to make that play. It gives us the ability to go to the next level, and consistency, in every play, is what we really have to work on.”
Montgomery said he also expects Williams to make the grab on the other target he let hit the ground against the Panthers, a high ball from quarterback Jared Goff as he eluded pressure.
The coach’s point of emphasis is above-average isn’t good enough for Williams or the Lions offense. They’re chasing greatness and those are the plays you have to make to be great.
“He understands that point, but that is exactly what I'm talking about, you can't be boom or bust in this league,” Montgomery said. “That is above average or average. …I have to find more ways to get him to the point where he gets to that point, and that is a normal play."
“…We have to get him completely refocused on making wide-open catches, contested catches,” Montgomery said. “He's doing great in the run game. He's doing some things that we really like to see, but we're talking about greatness. We're not just chasing, hey, man, he’s a good player in this league. …I want him to be (among) the best, and I think that he has the opportunity to do that if we can clean up some of the things that you're talking about.”
Hidden value of starting fast
We all understand Detroit’s offense has struggled to start fast through the first four games, but there’s an added, hidden consequence to that beyond a lack of points.
Pass game specialist David Shaw explained:
“It allows you to see more (defensive) plays,” Shaw said. “If you only have four or five plays your first drive, you don't see enough from the defense to get an idea of what they're doing. You have a longer drive, preferably leading to points, a longer drive early in the game or longer drives early in the game, you get to see a variety of the things that the defense is doing, which also helps our play-calling.
“For us, that in-game momentum we're trying to create — the positivity, the energy, which usually leads to points — that's what we're looking at,” Shaw said. “That's why we're trying to push ourselves to start a lot faster.”
I swear to god the phrase "Pass Game Specialist David Shaw" will never not be funny to me.