Day 1 minicamp recap
First impressions after the opening day of the Lions' first mandatory mini-camp:
-- Daunte Culpepper's slim and trim, as advertised. OK, now that's not entirely accurate -- at 260-265 lbs, he's still a pretty thick quarterback. But he's nowhere near the 290-plus mountain ("That ain't no secret," he said of his '08 weight) that showed up out of shape last November. And he admits it feels great, not only to be back to his playing weight, but also to simply be a part of an offseason program for the first time since before his career-threatening knee injury in 2005.
"Just being with the team in March and out here working hard with everybody -- everybody seeing the effort you put forth and you see their effort," Culpepper said. "That's kind of how teams are made. That's what I'm most excited about, to be honest with you."
-- As excited as Culpepper was, backup Drew Stanton was probably equally upset after his first workout. Put simply, it didn't go well, with several missed throws -- at least a few of them WAY off target -- and some frustration showing. This is his big chance to prove himself to a new coaching staff, and it got off to a pretty awkward start, though coach Jim Schwartz insists he's not going to put too much stock in one practice.
"I think we're going to take a real hard look at this tape," he said. "The other stuff has been more controlled, just throwing routes on air. Today all of a sudden it was defense and it hit them a thousand miles an hour. That's something that we'll look real hard at. What I'm going to try to do is try to not to place too much of an emphasis on the very first practice. Let's go these four practices, let's go two OTAs next week and let's get that feel and let's look at that whole body of work rather than reading too much into the first day."
-- A handful of players didn't practice, though Schwartz wasn't offering any injury specifics and the players weren't, either, other than to say it's just for minor, precautionary reasons. Grady Jackson, Daniel Bullocks and Stephen Peterman were the most notable players sidelined, though RB Kevin Smith appeared to be somewhat limited as well. The good news, though, was Gerald Alexander's return to practice, six months after fracturing a vertebra in his neck in a game at Minnesota. He said he got the official word earlier Friday that he was cleared to practice.
"(The training staff) felt strong and confident about it and he was itching to get back on the field," Schwartz said. "And we were glad to have him back out there."
-- The door remains open for Paris Lenon's return, or at least it would seem so, since his locker stall and nameplate (!) are still waiting for him in the newly-reorganized locker room. (Everybody's got a new home, veterans and rookies alike, with a bit more offense-defense co-mingling.) Lenon's still an unsigned UFA, but just like RT George Foster, he might be finding his options are limited and, obviously, the Lions are still looking for help at MLB. Certainly doesn't mean they won't look to add one in the draft as well, but right now all they've got inside is Cody Spencer.
-- I'll write more about Jeff Backus later, but he's practicing at left tackle, as promised, and doesn't seem the least bit concerned about the talk he could be moved to guard if the team picks a tackle early in the draft.
-- The Lions signed safety Antonio Smith, who was on the practice squad briefly last season, and also hosted Western Michigan's E.J. Biggers for a pre-draft visit. Biggers put up a really fast 40 time and a 36" vertical at his pro day, which elevated him into a late-round possibility in the draft.
