Observations: 2022 Lions Family Fest
The Detroit Lions brought their roster to Ford Field to practice on Saturday morning in front of their fans.
An excited crowd heard from Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who again sent the crowd into a frenzy, similar to last year, when he thanked the fans for their support ahead of a pivotal season.
An estimated 18,000 tickets were distributed to fans looking to get a glimpse of a football team that is expected to take a step forward in 2022.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Lions event without running back Jamaal Williams breaking out dance moves and playing catch with fans in the stands.
Attendance
Cornerback Jeff Okudah, wide receiver Quintez Cephus and defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike were not spotted at the practice downtown.
Something of note, Okudah did not participate in team drills on Friday, either.
Offensive lineman Ryan McCollum was present, but also did not participate on Saturday.
Defensive back C.J. Moore is being held out of team drills, as he was just recently taken off of the NFI list.
© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
@John Maakaron, AllLions
The practice began with special teams work, as Kalil Pimpleton, Maurice Alexander, Trinity Benson and Godwin Igwewbuike all took their turns returning kickoffs.
Pimpleton has a strong opportunity to earn the role of kick returner, due to his sheer speed. But, Alexander held his own, as well, in his efforts to elude defenders.
Drive recaps
1.) The first-team offense took the field, and Goff was able to connect with Chark for the first time deep. On the day, the newest member of the offense scored two touchdowns. But, the first drive stalled after completed passes to Chark, tight end Brock Wright and running back D'Andre Swift. Kicker Austin Seibert was able to make his opening field goal.
"Oh, it went pretty smooth," Chark said, when asked about his growing connection with quarterback Jared Goff. "We practiced a lot of these things. Talk about a lot of these things. A lot of it showed up today. He took some chances on me, on Saint (Amon-Ra St. Brown) with the deep ball, and it's our job to continue to help him feel comfortable. And, we're starting to get a rhythm."
In fact, it has been three consecutive days where Goff has found Chark for a deep pass for a significant gain.
If the trust and connection can continue all throughout training camp and the preseason, Detroit's offense will have another weapon to count on.
Chark responded, when asked about the growing trust he has with Goff and the coaching staff, "I believe so. I think it's building -- the confidence in Jared. Also, building the confidence in coach (Ben) Johnson and coach (Dan) Campbell to call those plays. It's still early in camp. We're putting it together. We're just competing every day, and whenever the ball is intended for you, try to make a play."
2.) Backup David Blough took over next, and was able to connect with Tom Kennedy before unfortunately tossing an interception to DeShon Elliott. After restarting the drive again, Blough connected with Tom Kennedy on a deep touchdown, with defensive backs A.J. Parker and Saivion Smith trailing.
3.) The next drill was in the red zone, with Blough again under center. The drive started poorly, as Jermar Jefferson was brought down by Charles Harris for a four-yard loss. Blough was sacked on second down for a loss of six more yards. Then, on third-and-20, Bough tossed a screen pass to Craig Reynolds, who was shoved to the turf by Aidan Hutchinson. Riley Patterson capped off the drive with a field goal.
4.) Goff led the next drive, starting at the 25-yard line and immediately attempted a pass to Kalif Raymond. But, Tracy Walker and Amani Oruwariye had good coverage on the overthrow. Chark had his first touchdown of the afternoon, as Goff found him on third-and-3 from the 4-yard line for the touchdown. The defense was called for an offsides prior, which extended the drive for the offense.
5.) Boyle was then tasked with leading the offense, and his first connection was successful to wideout Trinity Benson. After handoffs to Jermar Jefferson and Craig Reynolds, Boyle was able to lead a touchdown drive, capping the drive off with a touchdown pass to Tom Kennedy.
Prior to the next offensive drive, the kickers took the field, and it was Riley Patterson who blinked first, missing his final kick of three. Meanwhile, Seibert made all of his kicks during the kicking competition.
6.) Blough led a touchdown drive that mostly featured handoffs to Jefferson. The drive started close to the red zone, on the 25-yard line. He again led a touchdown drive of 25 yards, finding Pimpleton for a reception and Godwin Igwebuike for a touchdown on second-and-1 from the 2-yard line.
7.) With Campbell watching the next red-zone drill, Eric Banks sacked Goff to start the drive. After a completed pass to Chark and a handoff to Jamaal Williams, Goff found Josh Reynolds for a touchdown.
Leading another red-zone drive, Goff found St. Brown for multiple receptions. Penei Sewell was called for a holding penalty on second-and-7 from the 8-yard line. Backed up to the 18-yard line, Goff targeted St. Brown for the touchdown.
8.) Boyle then led an unsuccessful drive, as he could not connect with Raymond or Kennedy. Seibert made the 62-yard kick, banking it in off the crossbar, while Patterson missed the long kick. Seibert was the slightly more consistent kicker on the day.
9.) The final drive started with a connection to St. Brown and Will Harris taking a face-mask penalty. Goff walked it off, as he connected with Chark for their second touchdown of the afternoon, this time from 33 yards out.
Quick hits
It was the true definition of Family Fest, once the nearly two-hour practice came to an end.
Following the practice, several players took time afterwards to take photographs with family members and friends.
Mini footballs and t-shirts were tossed into the crowd. Also, several autographs were signed by Hutchinson, Campbell and several members of the roster for nearly 45 minutes after the conclusion of practice.
Hutchinson took two occasions to exit the field, as he returned after his first round of signing autographs to sign more for those on the field. Each time he left the field, the crowd gave him a loud ovation.
Unofficially, Goff went 13-of-17 for 171 yards and four touchdowns, with no interceptions. Chark, St. Brown and Reynolds were the targets of his touchdown receptions. The first-team offense did match up a significant amount against the team's second-and-third-team defenses on Saturday.
