Lions daily update and transcript of Rod Marinelli

DETROIT LIONS UPDATE NEWS The Lions completed their 18th day of training camp today. The team held morning and afternoon workouts on the outdoor fields at their

DETROIT LIONS UPDATE NEWS

• The Lions completed their 18th day of training camp today. The team held morning and afternoon workouts on the outdoor fields at their headquarters and training facility in Allen Park. They worked out in full pads in the morning and in helmets and shorts in the afternoon.
• The effects of Mike Martz's offensive approach are starting to surface thanks to their 27-point, 548-yard performance against the Bengals. In the first week of the preseason, the Lions had the most total offense (548 yards), the highest yards per play (8.2), tied for the most first downs (23), tied for the most pass attempts (47), tied for the most completions (30), tied for the most passing touchdowns (3), and led the league in yards per completion (16.6). 
• WR Devale Ellis, RB Kevin Jones and DT Shaun Rogers remain on the PUP list and did not practice today. 
• The Detroit Lions continue the 2007 preseason this weekend at Cleveland Browns Stadium when they face the Browns at 7 p.m. Saturday, August 18. This week’s game will be the 39th preseason meeting in what has been dubbed the Great Lakes Classic between the two teams. The Lions are looking to build off their preseason opening 27-26 victory against the Bengals. Cleveland hosts Detroit for the second consecutive season after defeating the Chiefs 16-12 at home last week in their first exhibition game. Saturday’s game will be televised live in Metro Detroit on WKBD-TV CW Channel 50 with Frank Beckmann handling play-by-play, former Lions QB Erik Kramer adding color commentary and local sportscaster Steve Courtney reporting from the sidelines.

LIONS HEAD COACH ROD MARINELLI
Opening Statement: "Kalimba (Edwards) will be up this afternoon. That was our plan so he'll be fine. Teddy (Lehman) practiced, he was fine. Five-0 (Ikaika Alama-Francis) we just want to make sure, we kept him out a little bit; he banged his shoulder and we'll check that this afternoon. Troy Walters has a little bit of a hamstring so we are just kind of watching that."

On whether LB Teddy Lehman could see game action against Cleveland: "We are just going to see how he does tomorrow and this afternoon. He went in and hit pretty good again today. Hopefully that thing is holding up and getting healthy and we'd love to do it, but I've got to be smart."

On if DE Kalimba Edwards will play against Cleveland: "He'll be fine. He'll practice this afternoon and then be in pads tomorrow. I think he's fine, so that's my plan right now - to get him some more. The other guys are just coming along."

On the dog days of training camp: "Every snap is a grind. Every snap is a grind. It's a great way to teach the tools you want to teach, just playing one snap at a time. Stuff goes by, you look at how long you've got and it buries you. That's what happens to rookies at times, they get buried saying: 'god we've got another six weeks of this.' It buries you. Just play the snap. I coach that at night, 'just play the snap, win the snap and you're in;' all of the sudden practice is over."

On if he is getting more done in Detroit than in Tampa because of the weather: "There is a major difference; it's like practicing in Lake Tahoe today. This was Lake Tahoe. It was absolutely gorgeous, it's unbelievable. Can you get more done? I think so, there is no doubt. Halfway through practice (in Tampa) we'd have a cool down and put (the players) in an icebox for ten minutes to cool their bodies down completely. Then they would come out of it and that was hard. We would have 40 IVs after practice. This is great weather to practice, great practice football weather, great weather."

On WR Shaun McDonald in this offense: "The matchups I was talking about yesterday - you get inside matchups on people. He is so quick. That's a tough one-on-one tackle in the open field, in some space. He is a very sure handed guy. He's got, not quickness, but speed. Mike (Martz) knows how to use him. That fourth receiver is very important in this offense and he knows how to use the guy. (McDonald) knows the offense and understands the pace and the tempo of the offense and how much it demands from you intellectually. That's a big factor for those guys when they come in."

On if the focus is still on the Lions and not others teams: "It's going to be on us the whole year. It's what we do. It's just a matter of how we do our business. We can't worry about who you are playing. How are we playing our stuff? Are we playing our gaps, are we running our routes, are we re-routing, are we releasing correctly, are we stepping with the right steps? The game of football is about us. It's about what we do."

On if he has looked at Oakland's game tape: "I have not yet, no. It should be coming in today - the Arizona game. We will have a chance to peek in on it every week a little bit."

On if the next 10 days will shape the roster: "There is no doubt. Guys have to stay healthy now and have to fight through it. Guys have got to get in and get their looks. Each week there is a plan just a little bit now. The second game and the third game is kind of a game plan. Now you get a chance to see the whole thing; who can withstand the endurance of this camp."

On how many roster spots he thinks are open: "We know there are certain guys who are going to be here. I still think, and I told you guys this the first day, it's the bottom 10, bottom 12, bottom 13 men on that roster (that) are key. They (need to) understand their roles, have position flexibility, want that role and compete. They will do a lot of different things; be great special teams players with a lot of energy. It's not the most talent, it's going to be the best 53 (players) that help us win."

On how much training camp has changed since the OTAs started: "That's a great question. It really has and you are exactly right. You go in the OTAs and all the mini-camps, we keep selling the value of those things. You get so much taught, then you can feel good about hitting (now) in the morning and taking the (pads) off in the afternoon with (the players) knowing what they are doing. If guys are aren't showing up (to the OTAs) you couldn't do it. You can't do it."

On if training camp is always different for first year coaching staffs: "It could be. I had a real plan in my mind when I started, what the first year and second year was going to look like. I knew exactly what I was getting into and I had a certain mindset of what I was going to do the entire year."

On if last year's training camp was boot camp: "I just felt I needed to shake this thing up, and this is what we've got to be able to do. I wanted to see who could stay with me; see who could do it and stay with it. This year we will go to Oakland and I'll let them use their room keys."