Author: Paula Pasche

ALLEN PARK >> For the first two days of camp, the Lions have started practice with goal-line drills. Typically stretching comes first, but that has taken a back seat to the drills to start the day’s practice.

“Goal line is one of those really tricky things in the NFL to practice right now because it’s such a critical play. Obviously, the ball could be one yard line, or two inch line, but it doesn’t really matter,’’ coach Matt Patricia said on Saturday.

Patricia has made it clear he won’t talk about last season. But if he did he might note how the Lions had so much trouble running the ball for short yardage including on the goal line.

“It doesn’t come up that often in the game anymore. You are lucky if you get 12 reps on the season. I think maybe the high in the last 14 years we might have had 18-19 and even a little further back on that a lot of teams ran bigger goal line type personal, but it’s something that you can’t wait too late to get into,’’ the new coach explained.

It gets the offense and defense in the right mindset, sets a tone for the rest of the two-and-a-half hour practice.

“It’s very important when we’re down there we have to put up points effectively and efficiently and defense have their backs against the wall they have to stop it,’’ wide receiver Kenny Golladay said. “Just that competition right there that’s going to make us pretty good.’’

In Saturday’s goal-line drills running back Dwayne Washington ran in for three touchdowns while linebacker Jarrad Davis made a one-handed interception on a ball intended for Levine Toilolo.

“ I always feel it’s just good to get into the goal line situations offensively and defensively because there is a lot of situational stuff that comes up there and formation identification and different possibilities, and in such a critical situation of the game you have to perform at a high level. We really need to build that sort of awareness and intelligence here through the course of the next four weeks,’’ Patricia said.

The coach said he’ll add more plays as the camp progresses to make the guys feel comfortable.

“What happens as the ball gets closer towards the goal line from a defensive perspective the anxiety goes up, just the nervousness and obviously wanting to compete to not let them score,’’ Patricia said. “From an offensive standpoint your adrenaline goes up and you’re trying to look for matches, and mismatches, and try to find some advantages in the defense. But everything happens so fast down there, because of the shorter space, that in that situation, you know, you have to execute at a high level. So, it just, you want to start at day one and it’s a good opportunity to do it without pads.’’

Sunday will provide more insight into the goal-line plays because it’s the first day the Lions will be in pads.

ALLEN PARK >> Veteran Lions safety Glover Quin is working with his fourth head coach and fifth different defensive coordinator as he enters his tenth NFL season.

“It’s part of the game. You go out put in the work, buy in. It is what it is. I’ve told you guys this since I’ve been here I’m just a player, all I do is play I let the coaches coach, I let the managers manages, I let the presidents be presidents, I let the trainers train,’’ Quin said on Friday.

Quin, who missed most of the Lions’ offseason work for personal reasons, was back for the first day of Lions’ training camp on Friday under new head coach Matt Patricia.

“He’s a great football player and has an unbelievable skill set and a is very smart football player. So, it’s exciting to have him here with the team. I think he’s a guy very similar in that room — talking position-specific like Tavon Wilson or guys from that accord and the back end — (Quandre) Diggs, guys that have to do a lot of communication out on the field. It’s going to be great to have that out there so we’re excited to get going from that aspect,’’ Patricia said on Friday.

Five thoughts from Quin on the first day of camp:

1. The defense is adjusting to new coaches as well as a new system. “The biggest challenge is just coming together, communicating. I think the thing about defense is you’ve got to know what you’re doing so well that you don’t have to think about it and you can focus on what the offense is doing. I think some of the times people get caught up worrying about their job and you miss little small clues that the offense gives you as to what they’re doing,’’ Quin said. “We have to put the work in to know what we’re doing at such a high level to where we make a call and we don’t even have to think about it we already know exactly what we’ve got and we can spend all our time focusing on what the offense is trying to do, how they’re trying to attack us, who are they putting in, who they’re putting in different formations, different personnel to try to sneak a guy in and get him out in a route or something like that.’’

2. Patricia was most recently the defensive coordinator for the Patriots which obviously means that the defensive part of the game is his strength. “He’s very smart, very detailed about it. Very intense with it, hopefully we go out and show that on Sundays how his influence is on us defensively and his system, the things he teaches to us hopefully everybody will get to see that at a high level on Sundays,’’ Quin said.

3. “It’s kind of like the first day of school. You’ve been out for the summer. On the first day of school everybody is super excited to be back, super excited to see everybody, super excited to get back to work. That’s always the fun part, the exciting part,’’ Quin said. “But it’s about every day — are you going to have that same excitement come Week 5, come day 5, Day 6. When you get in the dog days of camp will you have that same excitement to come out here every day and get better?’’ That’s the big question.

4. The Lions’ practice facility has undergone a few changes for training camp with more tents and seating for fans, along with food trucks and activities. Just a few changes for camp that has evolved as being more and more fan friendly over recent years. “Honestly, I feel like training camp has been like this my whole career. When I first got drafted I was in Houston, we’d go to practice and there were a ton of people and a ton of tents. A good tough practice in the morning just like this. It was kind of the same. I came here the last few years it’s the same thing — tents and sponsors. For me training camp has been the same throughout my whole career. Fun as it could be and just work.’’

5. Quin doesn’t necessarily feel that Patricia’s eyes are on him because of the coach’s defensive background. “I always feel like eyes are on me, that’s the way I am. I feel like somebody’s always watching me,’’ Quin said.

ALLEN PARK >> It’s not sexy — and it’s hardly new — but apparently Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia’s basic message to the team is to improve each day.

Also, don’t look back on last season.

(Are you still reading?)

The Lions opened training camp on Friday. It’s always a day that is starred on NFL calendars. It’s like Christmas in July. Add a new head coach to the equation and the interest grows. It’s all good for a team coming off a 9-7 season.

But know this, Patricia is looking to coach these guys up much more than he’s looking to fill reporters’ notebooks with juicy tidbits. Apparently the team is taking that same approach.

Check out these two quotes from post-practice on Friday:

Safety Glover Quin: “We’ve got to stack good days on top of good days and try to get better all across the board. We’re very detailed in what we’re doing. Understanding the system, understand the concepts of everything. Just try to get better, stay healthy, try to take care of your body and keep your head down and just grind it out, grind through training camp, get to the season and grind through the season. Look up at the end and you’re in the playoffs, hopefully making a run for it.’’

Left tackle Taylor Decker: “Looking forward to stacking one day on top of one another and it’s pretty simple, I know it sounds cliche but try to get better every day and improve constantly.’’

Right out of the handbook. It’s similar to the approach taken by coach Jim Caldwell who tried to work his magic on this bunch for five seasons.

“We talk to the team every day. I try to coach them up every single day on specific details or putting emphasis on what we’re trying to accomplish that day. I think it’s always good to sit in front of a group, football team, whatever it may be and say, ‘Hey, here are our goals for today.’ And try to keep it on the short term. And they change day by day,’’ Patricia said on Friday.

“There are obviously long-picture goals and things like that — you know, for us with training camp, our biggest focus is to try to have the best practice we can have right now and we’re not really going to look past that,” Patricia added.

The coach hasn’t mentioned the playoffs or getting to the Super Bowl, a regular event when he was with the New England Patriots. It’s all about the day-to-day grind.

“Big picture goals for us—and it’s going to be another generic kind of overview—is going to be to improve as we go through. And how do we grade and evaluate that improvement. So, certainly right now where we are we should be better in a week and hopefully a month, and then as we look at September through October, our whole goal—big picture goal—will be to improve as the course of the season goes,’’ Patricia said Friday morning just before he took the field for camp.

It’s early but it appears the players have bought in. Will it continue?

“We’re just out here working, that’s what (Patricia) talks about a lot. Just make sure we put in the work,’’ Quin said. “At the end of the day you’ve got to put in the work whether you’re thinking short-term or thinking long-term you have to put in the work. This is Day One practice of hopefully 100-something.’’

The grind continues on Saturday.