Lions' Jared Goff Was Excited for Defense to 'Annoy' Somebody Else

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff came away encouraged after two days of joint practices with the Miami Dolphins, seeing the sessions as both a much-needed change of pace and a valuable test for the team’s progress in training camp.

“It’s always great to get some new jerseys out there, some new teams, new people to go against,” the Lions signal-caller expressed Thursday. “It always happens at the right time in camp when you’re kind of getting annoyed of your own defense. I told them I was excited for them to annoy somebody else.”

The veteran passer noted the boost in energy and camaraderie that comes from facing another opponent. Competing against the Dolphins allowed the Lions to rally around one another and sharpen their play in a competitive, game-like environment.

Goff’s biggest takeaway was the consistency Detroit showed across both days.

“I think things kind of started to gel a little bit,” he said. “And we have a standard for ourselves regardless of who we’re practicing against. I think we met (it) two days in a row in every phase. And I think that’s a good thing.”

Still, Goff acknowledged there’s plenty to fine-tune. He pointed to a specific sequence – a two-minute drill late in practice – where he questioned whether he should have thrown the ball away instead of flipping it to tight end Shane Zylstra.

“Different things like that where you try to get better,” he said. “But overall, two good days, and I was proud of the way we responded today, certainly after a good day yesterday, being able to do it twice.”

Additionally, the quarterback offered high remarks to the Lions’ defense for its communication, singling out linebacker Jack Campbell’s play at the MIKE position and the stabilizing force of Alex Anzalone’s veteran presence. He also highlighted the defensive line’s disruptiveness, including high-level play from EDGE defenders Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport.

“It does (make my life more difficult), but it’s a good challenge,” Goff said of facing Detroit’s defense in practice. “And I think that’s where I’m at in my career, where our offense is at and (with) our evolution, we like that challenge. Like make it hard and they do. They’ve certainly given us fits, and we try to give them fits when we can.”

For Goff, the joint practices weren’t just about seeing how the Lions measured up to Miami. More importantly, they were about reinforcing Detroit’s own high standard and continuing the team’s push toward making a deep run this postseason.

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