Running backs pop as first-team pass rush heats up – Daily Tribune

ALLEN PARK — Here are some observations from Day 10 of Detroit Lions training camp on Monday.

The Lions began practice at 6 p.m. Monday instead of the usual 8:30 a.m., and the energy reflected that. The anticipation was palpable.

Per usual, the Lions started with one-on-ones, where the rivalry between wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and defensive back Brian Branch added another chapter. Branch defended well on an incompletion to St. Brown in the end zone, but St. Brown got him back with a back-shoulder toe-tapper near the sideline that left Branch asking for offensive pass interference. In the rubber match, St. Brown ran the same intermediate fade with a back-shoulder throw and caught it, but Branch moved him out of bounds before he could get two feet down.

Nick Whiteside, a recent addition at cornerback, had another impressive showing against receiver Tim Patrick. He broke up a throw in their first rep and then prevented another completion to Patrick on his next. That’s two days in a row Whiteside has popped in one-on-one reps, and the day prior, he flashed in team periods, too.

Veteran defensive back Avonte Maddox also had a good day. He locked up rookie receiver Isaac TeSlaa on an incompletion in one-on-ones and then had a third-down pass breakup on a throw to St. Brown in team periods.

• The energy bled into team periods, where the fans were dying to explode at the sight of a deep-ball completion against the second-team defense. Jared Goff’s first heave to wide receiver Jameson Williams died just short of the target, allowing cornerback Tyson Russell to recover and make the play. But Goff made good on his next attempt to wide receiver Kalif Raymond, connecting on a ball that travelled 57 air yards and was caught.

• The defensive line showed up in many phases on Monday night, but it was also one of the better days that running back Jahmyr Gibbs has had rushing the football. He put a nasty spin move on a linebacker and broke free up the sideline in an 11-on-11 drill that started near the offense’s goal line. In a similar drill, he cut outside and exploded 22 yards for a big gain.

Running back Sione Vaki was eye-catching, both as a rusher and as a kick returner. He broke a return for a big gain and had several nice gains on the ground. Running back Jacob Saylors also had some nice moments. In one sequence, he bowled over Morice Norris on an intermediate gain, then ripped off an explosive run, then scored a touchdown through contact, all in a five-play span.

• Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and edge defenders Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport were a force to be reckoned with. It felt like there were several snaps where all three players ended up in the backfield before it was blown dead for a sack, with Williams being the finisher on at least one of them. Williams was also solid in run defense, flashing for a number of stops on the day.

During the backed-up-near-the-goal-line portion of practice, Hutchinson crushed the pocket working against All-Pro tackle Penei Sewell while Davenport delivered a sack from the other side.

The caveat here is that offensive tackle Jamarco Jones left with an ankle injury early in practice, so Giovanni Manu was handling a lot of first-team tackle reps — and he is no match for either Hutchinson or Davenport. But Manu did show a little competitive streak, ticking off Hutchinson by tugging at his jersey after a rep was over.

• The Lions’ offense showed some creativity with quarterback Hendon Hooker under center. His first five reps of the day were all read options. The first time he kept it, he got loose for a big gain; the second time, he was stopped quickly by linebacker Alex Anzalone. He handed it off the other three times, but this is the first time I can remember the Lions doing something like this with Hooker at quarterback, and I’m definitely curious to see where it goes from here.

• Hooker and wide receiver Tom Kennedy teamed up for a touchdown off a very nice play design. Hooker faked a play-action run to his right, getting the whole defense moving to that side, while Kennedy snuck out for a short throw to Hooker’s left. TeSlaa provided the lead block that allowed Kennedy to get into the end zone for a score, much to the delight of fans in attendance.

• All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph still has a nose for the football. In what was Goff’s second interception all camp, he crashed down on a throw to tight end Sam LaPorta and popped the ball up in the air as Anzalone dove to catch it before it hit the ground.

Cornerback Amik Robertson added another interception on the final play of practice. The offense was engaged in a situational drill, trailing 24-20 with 0:50 left and taking over near midfield. Facing a fourth-and-4 with no timeouts and barely any time remaining, Goff and Williams couldn’t get on the same page on a throw to the end zone, and Robertson did his best Willie Mays impression to haul in the pick.

• The Lions did multiple short-yardage situations, with the first- and second-team offenses each running three plays from near the goal line.

Hutchinson stopped running back David Montgomery on the first play, Goff threw incomplete to tight end Brock Wright on the second (linebacker Zach Cunningham broke up the throw) and Hutchinson stopped Gibbs in the backfield on the final rep.

The second team offense went two-for-three: Defensive tackle Roy Lopez stuffed running back Craig Reynolds on the first attempt; Reynolds got in with a second effort on his second rush; LaPorta held on to a major hit from linebacker Grant Stuard to score on the third.

• In another short-yardage drill, where the offense lined up for third-and-1, the first and second teams both went one-for-three. Montgomery was stopped by Tyleik Williams on the first, then stuffed by defensive tackle DJ Reader on the second. Gibbs finally moved the chains by hitting a hole to the left side.

Reynolds was stuffed on his first two attempts — UDFA defensive tackle Keith Cooper smacked him on the second — before Vaki got free up the middle for a 3-yard gain.

• Kicker Jake Bates had another perfect day. He went three-for-three, with makes from 33, 39 and 44 yards. He’s really starting to lock in as camp progresses.