Thursday's OTA recap: QB sweepstakes, a crowded line, more competition, and Michael Vick
The attention, obviously, turned to the quarterbacks Thursday as the Lions finished up another three-day stretch of OTA workouts on the practice field. Roughly speaking, Daunte Culpepper got half the reps, with Drew Stanton and Matthew Stafford -- in that rotation order -- splitting the other half pretty evenly.
Culpepper looked sharp again, and Stanton looked better than he did earlier this spring (more on that in a minute), while Stafford, though he had more incompletions on a windy day, again flashed a rifle arm and might've had the day's prettiest throw on a deep corner to D.J. Boldin in 1-on-1 drills.
"I'm trying to learn as much as I possibly can and trying to make some plays," said Stafford, who returned Monday from a two-week absence, per NFL rules. "I feel really comfortable with the offense as far as what we put in. I know it's not the whole thing and I gotta just keep getting more familiar with it. But as far as the basics go, I feel pretty good."
Said head coach Jim Schwartz: "We had to sort of hold him back a little bit, because he wanted too much. It's one thing retaining it from the classroom and another thing doing it on the field. I think you saw a couple of passes he would rather have had back, but then you saw a couple that made the defense pay. It's going to be the accumulation of reps and making those throws a million different times and learning the throws that he can make and the ones that he shouldn't." Aside from the good-natured ribbing he received as the high-priced rookie, Stafford also said he felt welcomed by his veteran teammates, including Culpepper.
"He's been great," Stafford said. "I'm learning from him. He's a great player and he's been doing this a long time. I just like to watch him. He's got a great, strong arm and knows where to put the ball."
And the rookie isn't going to worry about where he sits in the rotation right now.
"I'm just out here trying to gain reps -- as many as I can get," he said. "I'm trying to learn the offense. All that stuff will come with time, and, you know, I'm trying to learn from Daunte and Drew -- both those guys have been here for a lot longer than I have. And I'm just trying to pick up from them as much as I can."
Still, his arrival clearly has helped sharpen the competitive edge in workouts. Culpepper has been animated all spring but appeared to have even more of a bounce in his step Thursday, and Schwartz was quick to note Stanton's progress as well.
"He didn't start off very strong (this offseason), but the thing I've been pleased with him is when he's had a bad day, he's come back the next time with a better day," Schwartz said. "And even though he's had a couple bumps in the road, his general graph has been trending up."
That's to be expected, though, he added. The pressure's on more than just Stafford right now.
"It's one thing when we're working with two quarterbacks and guys that have been here together for the better part of a year," Schwartz said. "All of a sudden you add somebody into that equation -- whether it's at quarterback, running back, wide receiver -- and it's going to change the dynamic. Everybody knows in the locker room where the guy (Stafford) was picked, and everybody knows in the city of Detroit and across the country. That's going to change things. That's different than an undrafted rookie free agent entering the sweepstakes."
A few other items from today ...
-- Schwartz on free-agent CB Rod Hood, who visited Monday but seems more likely to end up elsewhere (St. Louis? Cleveland?): "We had him in for a visit last week, had good conversations with him. I think he was still in the exploratory range, looking around, checking his options out. We're going to look at everybody. I mean, we're at that point -- and I keep saying the same things -- there's no spot that we feel great about, that we go in right now saying we're 100-percent set. So anybody that comes available, we're gonna do our due diligence."
-- Thursday's signing of free agent Ephraim Salaam, who has played both LT and RT in his 11-year NFL career, adds another veteran to a crowded mix of offensive linemen (14 on the roster currently) heading into the summer. Salaam (6-7, 310) was a starter for most of his career until he was pushed aside by rookie first-rounder Duane Brown last season in Houston. But with Daniel Loper penciled in as the starting LG right now, Salaam, who took part only in individual drills Thursday, could be the team's swing tackle backing up Jeff Backus and Gosder Cherilus, if not something more.
"It goes in with everything we talked about, creating competition on the team," Schwartz said. "There's no spot set in stone. We want to create competition as much as we can, bring as many people into the equation as we can, make people earn their jobs. We don't want to give anything away for free."
-- Defensive end Dewayne White was excused for "personal business" from Thursday's workout, Schwartz said. Also sitting out were safeties Stuart Schweigert and Daniel Bullocks, defensive end Jason Hunter and defensive tackle Grady Jackson, who has yet to take part in OTA workouts. Jackson is back with the team, however, after missing time recently following the shooting involving his younger brother, Javorris Jackson, who allegedly killed his girlfriend, Courtney Solomon, and then shot himself May 3 at hotel in Dearborn.
Grady Jackson didn't speak with the media today, but Schwartz said, "His spirits are good. It's a tough situation. Nobody wants to go through something like that. He's had a lot of support in the locker room. We've given him his time to be able to take care of things that are more important than football right now."
-- Schwartz was asked again today if the Lions might have any interest in Michael Vick, once he's released by Atlanta and if he's cleared to play by the NFL.
"Nah, I think we're pretty happy with where our quarterbacks are right now," Schwartz said.
