Final notes from the 2007 Lions mini camp:

Final notes from the 2007 Lions mini camp:  Johnny Baldwin has the potential to be a good MLB in this league. He is not yet and I was disappointed in his

Final notes from the 2007 Lions mini camp:

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• Johnny Baldwin has the potential to be a good MLB in this league. He is not yet and I was disappointed in his performance. I also have to acknowledge that he was drafted a week ago and is at a huge disadvantage because he comes from such a small program that he has to learn to play. He has the skills. Those can’t be taught. I just wanted to see more and maybe that is my fault, so don’t necessarily read into it.Â
• Jon Kitna did not look good in yesterday mornings practice. He did however look good in the other four. I still go back to his fumbles last season and I am going to be watching that close. He holds the ball too long trying to make a play. You have to love that but it hurt this team last season. I have defended Jon and always will that people are way to tough on him when it comes to the interceptions. His job is to throw to a spot and many of those were not his fault. I don’t care if you buy that; some people thought the world was flat for centuries. I trust Martz and the receivers and I have a good enough relationship with them that they would tell me if and when it was Jon. I can also tell you that Jon took the heat (he is a big boy and can handle it) and never threw people under the bus.
• Shaun McDonald was really fun to watch today. He was good before today but yesterday he was really ripped about precision. Jon threw two interceptions on routes that he was not at the right spot on. The thing I liked was that today he was crisp and on target.
• Martz is tough. What I really liked is that in all of the practices CJ has made an “I can’t believe that” type of catch. Martz has to have been impressed but he never showed it on the field. Today when CJ made a mistake (and he made a few) Martz went postal on him. It sent a message to everyone that there are no prima donnas on the field (other then Martz) and it was well received.
• At one point, Martz stopped a drill and gave several minutes of instruction to his receivers on pressing the safety. Because my Mother reads this site, let me explain what I am sure most of you know about what pressing the safety is. When a receiver runs straight at a DB he forces him to step up close and commit to tight man coverage or to back pedal and follow by shadowing. Martz likes his wide receivers to “press” or run at the safety to make him have to commit to man coverage. That opens up lanes for the other receivers or even for a faster guy to engage and break away from. (Got it Mom?) Anyways he told Edell Shepherd “Don’t get the extra yard, push that safety and think about TD’s.” Martz wants you to score now. He realizes that this season he actually has a defense and he knows the sooner he gets it to them, the sooner he gets it back. He is as much committed to attacking the opponent as Joe Barry and to me that is brutally wicked…and I love it.
• Hey Paris Lennon haters: the dude is for real. I told you that last season and people actually ripped me. He gets this defense and when I said before the draft that the Lions liked the MLB position people said I was crazy. I may be but lets be honest, with those two and Baldwin this could be a position of strength. They both (Lehman and Paris) have such good instincts.
• Mike Furrey is growing into a real team leader.  He spent time today with the DB’s while waiting for a rep showing them how a WR makes a curl and how to cover it. It wasn’t asked for and neither was it encouraged. It is simply proof that this is a team that isn’t divided and truly cares about the other. I saw this week more of the defense congratulating the offense and offense congratulating the defense then I have ever seen with this group. They are a team and Furrey showed it again later when he spent time working with Stanton. Call me a kool aid salesman all you want, those are little things that you notice when you watch closely and more importantly they are the little things that make a team.
• The Lions were working a WR/DB drill today. Basically the DB lines up in tight man press coverage (that means right on the line of scrimmage directly across from the receiver and trying to stay as close as you can…Mom) and they go at it for a play.  Edell Shepherd continually got separation and that surprised me. He flat out schooled Stanley Wilson on one play that was just one of those plays that made you say WOW.
• Speaking of Stanley Wilson I was disappointed by him. He did O.K. but he is about to be a starter and this staff is sold on him. I wanted to see more. Again, the covers in this defense play up close and offer a vast amount of run support. There were no pads and that could have been a reason. I am not making excuses. He didn’t shine, but I am not one of those guys always seeing a half empty glass. I look for the reason. Hate that approach if you want, but I know football good enough to know that things have a reason and I try to find them. It doesn’t excuse his play it may offer a reason why?
• The reason I do think that Stanley was less then stellar was because his fellow CB Fernando Bryant looked great. He was a presence. At one point in the WR/DB drills, when no one could cover CJ, he jumped in and took a rep with the rook and showed him that he may be good, but so is he. You all know that I have been rough on the fact that Fernando has been a bust but it was not because he couldn’t play. It was because of injury. If he can stay healthy and he told me he will, then I think he can be the special DB that Millen thought he could when he signed as a FA.
• I have been critical about the Lions signing Kalimba Edwards for the money they spent. Now before you rip me I was even more vocal about it in person with Marinelli and Millen. I think he is a great guy but can he do it? Marinelli knows a lot more then me and I would fully admit that he has forgotten more then I know. With that said, brace yourself….he was explosive in this camp. I have to see it in the season before I can buy it, but let me tell you he looked good.
• Jeff Backus struggled. He just didn’t seem to be himself. I know he is on board and I know he is a great guy, but I saw Kalimba just flat out embarrass him…more then once.
• Dewayne White sure can move. He has the ability to get the O lineman to over commit and get their center of gravity and body moving in a direction and then get around them. I saw him twice literally school the tackle he was going against.
• I would have to say that to me the highlight of the camp was that the Lions started fast in the first practice and not only maintained it, but finished even faster. Marinelli even talked about it after practice that it was great for him to see that this team in one year has went from no tempo to maybe a little too fast for not having pads on.
• I am not a fan of kickers but again it looks like the Lions are going to be set with one of the best tandems in the league. That is a good feeing.

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O.K. now let me temper the last few days with some comments. First you have to realize that this camp was without pads and without contact. Although I think that you can see trends, I also think that it is all about W’s. So although I am more excited about the Lions now then any time since Barry, I also know that momentum is finally moving forward and we have to maintain it.

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Secondly I talked to several of the guys at the facility and several on the phone and they all are going to stay and be at the OTA (optional team activities) the next three weeks that lead up to camp. That is huge because they are optional but it simply allows these guys to get in synch and stay in synch.

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Thirdly, I had an interview with Ernie Sims today. Those of you who read the site with any regularity know what I think of him and let me tell you this: it was the most outrageous and funny thing I have ever done. I won’t tell you what happens but check out the video section and watch. I may be a 6’9” 320# man but I HATE SNAKES! Go ahead and laugh at me, I do. I want to give a huge shout out to my boy Ernie, thanks bro!