Observations: Jameson Williams Has Chemistry with Nate Sudfeld
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The Detroit Lions' first-team offense is still struggling to put the football in the end zone in team drills.
The secondary has done a solid job of recognizing the offensive plans, and is getting its hands on plenty of footballs.
After quarterback Jared Goff connected on the first play of team drills to Amon-Ra St. Brown, safety Kerby Joseph intercepted the very next pass, which was a target to Kalif Raymond.
The second-year safety was quite vocal on the back-end, regularly remaining in communication with the cornerbacks all throughout team drills.
Joseph again celebrated later in practice when he broke up another pass tossed by Goff in the red zone.
Detroit's first-team offense did not accomplish much of note during Day 2, even having its first drive in the red zone end when the whistle blew on what would have been Goff being sacked.
Jameson Williams, who practiced mostly with the second team on Day 2, found chemistry with backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld.
Sudfeld, who surely noticed that the former No. 12 overall pick was battling undrafted free agent Starling Thomas, targeted Williams often.
Detroit's veteran backup quarterback connected with Williams on his first two passes for significant gains.
Sudfeld did have passes tipped and knocked down on his first drive, but capped off his series with a touchdown to Marvin Jones against Thomas in coverage.
Williams displayed excitement when he was on the receiving end of a touchdown from Sudfeld, winning the battle against Thomas yet again.
After scoring, the 22-year-old wideout spiked the football with authority.
Participation
Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was not spotted at the portion of practice open to the media. It was noted he was under the weather, when reporters asked about his absence.
Also out was wideout Maurice Alexander, who was donning a cast on his right wrist.
Similar to Day 1, those not practicing included Trinity Benson, Malcolm Rodriguez, Connor Galvin, Levi Onwuzurike, Hendon Hooker, James Mitchell, Kayode Awosika, Chase Lucas and David Montgomery.
Those limited included Tracy Walker, Emmanuel Moseley, Frank Ragnow, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Taylor Decker and John Cominsky.
Lions principal owner Sheila Hamp was present at the team's practice facility observing Day 2 of minicamp.
Also in attendance was Eastern Michigan head football coach Chris Creighton, who caught up with wideout Dylan Drummond. Drummond acknowledged his former coach's presence with a quick embrace.
Creighton noted, when asked by a team reporter, that the speedy wideout was "everything" a coach would want in a football player.
Ben Johnson animated
During the struggles of the offense, Detroit's offensive coordinator was notably animated.
Johnson was observed encouraging Adrian Martinez to speed up coming out of the huddle, as the young quarterback lingered for too long while organizing the offense.
When the first team struggled with a quick three-and-out, Johnson was visibly disappointed.
The situation involved the offense trailing, 28-24, and driving in the red zone. Goff targeted Josh Reynolds, but the pass was incomplete. On second down, tight end Brock Wright dropped a pass in the end zone. The drive ended with an incomplete pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown, with Johnson unimpressed with the results.
Defense has contagious energy
Campbell noted before practice that Gardner-Johnson gets his 'engine' going by talking out on the football field.
"Look, he's got a contagious energy. And, there again, as long as it's not affecting your job and you stay focused on the job at hand -- I think one of the reasons C.J.'s that way is because that's how he gets his engine going," Campbell said. "And so in turn, that just spills out into the offense or your teammates and you can't help the level of intensity, just it raises.
"I think that makes everybody around you better and more competitive, because if you're not reaching that level of intensity in practice, you're probably going to get beat," Campbell continued. "That's kind of why I like it. There again, it forces you to keep your composure, too, if you're on the opposite side of that."
Notably, Brian Branch and James Houston were working on the third-team defense near the end of practice.
Linebacker Jack Campbell has been working mostly on the second-team defense during minicamp, but in a leadership role. He, in fact, was tasked with calling the defense and setting the adjustments.
Importance of veteran LB Alex Anzalone
Detroit's third-year head coach noted that having a veteran player like Anzalone at each position adds comfort, since the aforementioned type of player can lead a group of younger players.
Campbell said, "One of the things that Brad (Holmes) and I wanted to do was -- I thought it was always important to have, you really wanted a veteran guy that certainly, man, they understand what it's supposed to look like and can kind of lead the group, right? Kind of a coach that's really a player for you. And, Alex does that in that room."
On the first series, Anzalone was in coverage against Jahmyr Gibbs, and broke up the pass. The veteran showcased closing speed in coverage on the fade pass.
Brian Branch Q&A
Q: How have the first couple days of minicamp been?
Branch: It's been good. Practicing with the guys, getting better every day. Stacking our days.
Q: What are your goals for this week?
Branch: Just to get better. That's all I'm focused on, is getting better every day and just giving my all to each practice.
Q: What's is it like being around all the energy in the secondary?
Branch: They're some great players, and we feed off each other's energy. Once one person gets a play, then we all get a play.
Q: What has been the early message from defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn?
Branch: Just keep working. It's OTAs right now, just keep on focusing on getting better.
Q: What role do you envision for yourself in your rookie season?
Branch: Right now, I'm just focused on anything I can do to get on that field.
