T.J. Hockenson on Jared Goff: 'He's Hungry'
After playing the first two seasons of his career with Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson has a new sheriff in town at the quarterback position.
Stafford was traded in the offseason to the Los Angeles Rams for a plethora of draft compensation and Jared Goff, who will take the reins of the Lions' offense under center.
Goff was cast away from the Rams three seasons after leading the franchise to a Super Bowl and two months after coming off the bench to will his team to a playoff victory over divisional rival Seattle, while playing with a broken thumb.
Now, Detroit offers Goff a chance at redemption.
“He’s hungry,” Hockenson said.
Having never worked together until recently, Hockenson and Goff are using the current organized team activities to build a rapport. So far, Hockenson’s impressions of Goff are strong.
“He’s a guy who really cares about his players, wants to connect with them,” Hockenson said. “I think that’s really cool. Just to be able to have that connection outside of football. Just to be able to hang out with him, be friends. That’s a cool situation that we have and that he’s got in that locker room.”
Hockenson is coming off a big season, scoring six touchdowns and earning a Pro Bowl nod. Building a rapport with Goff during the offseason will be important for his development heading into his third season.
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Offseason development
Having had such a strong season last year, Hockenson was eager to get to work in the offseason. Working with new Lions tight ends coach Ben Johnson, he’s found several areas to improve.
“(Johnson) just shows me little tid bits,” Hockenson said. “You know, like, ‘Hey, this release looks good, you can do this,’ or ‘Hey, this route looks good, you can do this.' Just different things he thinks I can implement in my game.”
Speaking with the media last week, Johnson said he and his staff had found “three to five” areas where they believe Hockenson could improve.
“I’m thankful for that,” Hockenson said. “For someone that’s always pushing me.”
One of the ways Hockenson has learned is by watching tape of Lions legend Calvin Johnson.
“(Calvin Johnson) had one of the best catch points you’ll ever see,” Hockenson said. “Just going up for a ball and coming down with it. And seeing how he used his body, seeing how he used it against defenders. Just how he used his hands. That dude was one of a kind.”
Strong attendance at OTAs
Despite many teams having spotty attendance at OTAs, the Lions have had almost perfect attendance. Around 80 players are practicing, according to a roster release.
To Hockenson and head coach Dan Campbell, this is a sign of the strong union that this team has.
“We had talked about all this, and so, the best I can tell you is (the players) want to be here,” Campbell said. “And, we’re having four weeks of this. We’re basically having three weeks, two weeks of OTAs, the next week will be the vet minicamp and that last week, the focus will be on the young guys ... The players didn’t ask for any of that.”
“I think it’s cool,” Hockenson said. “It’s the offseason, so we’re all trying to get better. As long as you’re able to help the team when we come to the fall, that’s our goal for every position, every player. I think it’s a cool thing to have everybody here.”
More than that, there is a general feeling of excitement throughout the locker room. Most of that has to do with the realization that everyone is playing the same game they’ve played since they were very young.
“Guys are excited to go out to practice,” Hockenson said. “Guys are excited to be here. We’re just having fun. I think the biggest misconception, the biggest thing that the league offers is that we get to play a kid's game for a living. I think that’s kind of something very unique.”
‘Tight End U’
Having played college ball at Iowa alongside fellow NFL tight ends Noah Fant and George Kittle, Hockenson knows the importance of the position he plays.
As a result, he’s partnering with Kittle to start "Tight End U", a camp designed to allow tight ends across the league to get together, develop skills and have a good time while doing so.
“The defensive line has a defensive line camp,” Hockenson said. “The DBs have a DB camp, linebackers have a linebacker camp. So, it’s like, why not get the tight ends together, learn from each other. You know, hang out with each other, get close. It’s a very unique position, and it’s a close-knit position that we want it to be.”
Hockenson didn’t name an exact day that the camp will take place, but believes it is scheduled for late June.
