Opportunity: When someone is playing opposite Hutchinson along Detroit’s defensive line, there’s a great chance they’re going to see a lot of one-on-one blocks with plenty of opportunity to make plays. That should be the case for veteran Marcus Davenport if he can stay healthy. Davenport missed 15 games last year due to injury. Friday he had a couple nice rushes in a team period and got his hands on a Goff pass intended for an open pass catcher in the flat that would have been a good gainer. It’s good to see him back making an early impact.
Trash talkers: Who would have thought the two biggest trash talkers on the field Friday would be defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and running backs coach Tashard Choice. Actually, that’s not that hard to believe if you know both coaches. The two were chirping back-and-forth all practice during offense vs. defense team and 7-on-7 periods. Shep was also getting into it with a group of Lions receivers standing close to him.
Sheppard is going to bring the energy and he’s going to let people know when his defense makes a play. Same goes for Choice on offense. There should be some fun exchanges between them as the competition ramps up this summer. It’s early, but it’s already evident after just one open practice the defense has taken on the personality of their leader because there were definitely the more vocal unit Friday.