Pressers and scrums: Jamo 'worth hanging with,' Campbell's Packers prediction and Martin returns to practice

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Allen Park — Dan Campbell’s Wednesday session predictably started with a string of Jameson Williams questions after the talented wide receiver was in the news a day earlier. WXYZ-TV reported the Detroit Police Department is conducting an internal investigation into Williams being released after being found to have a properly registered, but concealed weapon without a license.

Campbell confirmed he's known about the situation for weeks and the facts reported in the story were congruent with everything the player shared with the team the day after the early-October incident.

“They all lined up,” Campbell said.

Campbell understandably noted he’d rather not be dealing with these questions, but also noted the issue isn’t overly concerning.

“I really do feel like for us and the players, it’s a little bit of a non-issue,” Campbell said. He’s not here, I mean he’s in the building and he’s doing what he can, but we also know that we didn’t have him last week. We’re prepared to not have him this week and that’s just kind of how we roll. …We’re about the guys who are going to play, getting them ready to go, and we don’t bat an eye. How are those guys going to help us win the next game? And so, I do feel like that’s where we’re at as a team. So, no, I’d rather not answer (these questions), but at the same token, I don’t feel like this is a big distraction.”

Campbell said he will continue to emphasize to Williams that he’s held to a different standard as a professional athlete and that he’s accountable for his actions and decisions.

The coach remains confident these issues, which include the receiver’s current two-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy, are only temporary setbacks.

“Look, for me, I judge people over what’s in their heart, and I know what this kid’s made of and he’s worth hanging with,” Campbell said. “So, he’s going to learn from this, he’s going to grow, (and) he’ll be better for all of this.”

From the locker room, quarterback Jared Goff said there’s nothing that needs to be said by him to Williams or Williams to the team.

“He’s fine,” Goff said. “We’re good. …When he’s back from his suspension, he’ll be ready to go.”

Injury report

Detroit had a lengthy list of guys not participating in practice on Wednesday, but half of the 10 players sitting out were veteran rest.

Among those dealing with something more were Goff (ankle), left tackle Taylor Decker (chest), linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (ankle), running back Sione Vaki (knee) and defensive end Josh Paschal (illness).

Paschal had something come up during a post-cancer screening last week, which sidelined him against Tennessee. The initial impression the player gave was the issue would only keep him out the one game, but his status for Green Bay this week is up in the air. Campbell labeled it "TBD."

As for Goff, he said he expects to return to practice on Thursday.

“Just rolled it,” Goff said. “I mean, you guys saw, just rolled it, get an extra day and it should be fine.”

Back at it

After a lengthy rehab for a hyperextended knee he suffered during the preseason, defensive tackle Brodic Martin returned to practice on Wednesday, opening his three-week acclimation window.

At the end of that period, the Lions will need to decide whether to add Martin to the active roster or place the second-year lineman on season-ending injured reserve. Assuming he’s eventually cleared, he would be expected to compete with Pat O’Connor for backup nose tackle reps behind starter DJ Reader.

After his acclimation window concluded earlier this week, rookie guard Christian Mahogany was added to the team's 53-man roster on Tuesday.

Streak stays alive

The Lions made it five consecutive games with someone earning NFC Player of the Week honors. This time it was Kalif Raymond, who averaged 38.0 yards on five punt returns, including a 90-yard touchdown, to secure the award as a special teams standout.

He joins the team's running list of punter Jack Fox, Goff, kicker Jake Bates and safety Brian Branch going back to Week 3.

QB conundrum

It’s unclear which quarterback the Lions will see when they face the Packers on Sunday, but with starter Jordan Love missing practice with a groin injury, there’s a realistic chance Malik Willis will earn his third start since being acquired in a late-August trade.

The young QB had been thriving since joining the Packers, posting a 130.3 passer rating and rushing for 137 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries/scrambles.

The Lions got an up-close look at Willis ahead of the 2022 draft, coaching him at the Senior Bowl. It’s his mobility that’s wowed Campbell this season.

“He’s a dangerous scrambler,” Campbell said. “That is where it begins for him. His ability to generate explosives, getting out of the pocket and taking off, that’s where he’s extremely dangerous.”

Whether it’s Willis or Love who gets the start, Campbell doesn’t expect the Lions to have to prepare differently defensively.

“(The Packers play) a little different (depending on the QB), but they’re going to lean on what they do well,” Campbell said. “They’re not going to go away from that. That’s kind of your bread and butter, that’s your identity ...there will be some wrinkles to it, but I think we have a pretty good idea of what we’re going to get no matter who’s in there.

“They’re both very good athletes, they both can run, they both can create issues in the pocket,” Campbell continued. “Certainly, Love as a passer, he does a great job of eyes downfield, giving his receivers a chance to make a play on the ball. He’s just really grown and elevated since last year. I know there’s been a few picks in there, but there’s these other parts of his game playing the quarterback position that have really elevated.”

Leaving yards on the field

As noted in yesterday’s film review of the offense, it seemed like Jahmyr Gibbs was close to having two or three more explosive runs to complement his 70-yard touchdown romp in last week’s win over Tennessee.

I asked position coach Scottie Montgomery if he agreed with that assessment.

“I think both of them might,” Montgomery said, referring to his backfield tandem. “You look at a couple of David (Montgomery)’s runs, it was just, ‘Ugh.’ We’re just so close to popping another big one.’ But I do think that, collectively, with our line now playing together consistently, us being together as coaches for a while, schematically, being able to coach details at each position, we’re close.

“Our guys are doing a good job there, but we are close,” Scottie Montgomery said. “You can see it. We haven’t played to the top of our ability, offensively. At least that’s the way we feel right now. We’re as hungry as we can possibly be because we know that wasn’t our best.”

For the season, the Lions are averaging an impressive 5.1 yards per carry, their best efficiency since Barry Sanders was leading the charge. That ranks fourth in the NFL.

Where the Lions lag is with explosive gains. They've had six of 20 or more yards on the season, headlined by Gibbs’ long touchdowns the past two weeks. But six teams have at least 10 of those runs, led by Baltimore’s 14.

Second-rounder making strides

Second-round draft pick Ennis Rakestraw started the season as the top backup cornerback on the outside, but when he checked in during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s blowout against the Titans, he lined up in the slot.

I asked position coach Deshea Townsend if that decision reflected changing perceptions of Rakestraw’s best fit in the scheme, at least for this season. He said no, it’s more about the first-year player flexing his ability to handle either responsibility.

“That's the one thing that allows you to be a good player is position flexibility,” Townsend said. “For him to be able to show he can play corner and nickel is really big for him. To be a rookie and be able to handle that duty — because the nickel is a tough duty in the NFL and he shows the capability to do both, so that's a plus for him.”

Run defense a concern

For all the consternation about pass-rush pressure from the edges, Detroit’s typically stellar run defense is also feeling the loss of Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport, as well as the temporary absence of Paschal.

In the past couple of games, the Lions have allowed their two highest rushing yard totals. The Vikings and Titans combined for 297 yards on the ground and 5.6 yards per carry.

“We know that we’re going to put in a good day's work there in the middle with our guys and we have to be able to attack the perimeter, set edges, and let our (line)backers flow and make plays,” Campbell said. “Right now, we just keep hitting it up and we’ll be padding up tomorrow.

"We’ll be bringing it and that’s the best way," Campbell said. "You want to get better at it? You want to work on it? You have to work on it full speed, just like a game situation, and get some live reps at it. So we’re going to keep doing that because we know teams are going to keep attacking us that way.”

Campbell’s crystal ball

Talking about the Packers’ opportunistic defense, which leads the NFL in turnovers, Campbell tapped into his psychic ability to predict the future.

“This thing’s going to come down to one critical error,” he said. “It’s going to go down to the fourth quarter, the very end, whoever makes one error is going to lose this game.”

Got it, Dan, I’ve got a stressful game story on deck. Don’t worry, I’ll be ready. I was raised in the fiery caldron of Matthew Stafford comebacks.

Everyone is a QB

Tight end Sam LaPorta joked about getting in the mix of throwing a pass this season, but backed down a bit when asked about the quality of his spiral.

“You ever heard the phrase ‘if you don’t use it, you lose it?” LaPorta said. “I haven’t used it in quite some time. I played a little bit in high school. I think it would be all right.”

Hey, worked for David Montgomery.