Author: Paula Pasche

ALLEN PARK >> Glover Quin was at the Lions practice facility Sunday, but his heart was in Houston.

Quin’s wife Gladys and their three sons are riding out Tropical Storm Harvey, the floods and tornadoes at their home in the Houston suburb of Richmond.

They are safe for now.

“Our house, we’re located kind of up a little bit. Our house is out of the floodplain but the streets we travel on are not,’’ ‘Quin said. “She’s probably trapped in the house a few days before I go down, the streets are flooded but at least they’re safe in the house.’’

Gladys went out in the backyard to take pictures of all the water in a field and wooded area behind the house — home to cows, farm animals and plenty of wildlife including deer and coyotes.

“She said she was hearing stuff and didn’t know what it was. Then she paid more attention and said, ‘I’ve never heard animals cry like that.’ It’s tough,’’ Quin said.

He has been on the phone with her day and night to help keep her calm. At this point it’s his only option.

“She’s a little overwhelmed. You’ve got everybody seeing it on TV, they’re blowing up my phone, they’re telling her to leave. You’re trying to stay calm through all that. You’re watching the news and seeing the city flooded and places that you’ve been and areas you know and go, ‘Oh wow that water is really high’ because you can recognize the area and the spot. … It’s sad.’’

It’s difficult for the veteran safety to maintain his focus on football.

“It’s tough, it’s tough because, at least for me, I want to be there, helping keeping calm, all those things. All I can do is sit here and keep her calm and explain things,’’ Quin said.

“I grew up in Mississippi so I’ve dealt with hurricanes and water. I try to keep her calm and keep letting her know the game plan. There’s been some long nights, staying up, making sure that they’re good. She’s done a great job,” he added.

She’s from Albuquerque so the conditions are all new to her.

“I’ve been on the phone several times and all of a sudden the phone hangs up and I get a message, ‘We had to run to the shelter – tornado warning.’ Tornadoes popping up everywhere,’’ Quin said.

Gladys and the boys are more fortunate than many in the Houston area. Their power is on although it has blinked on and off. Quin hesitated when asked if she had enough food and water.

“When you get to this point you just start eating everything you can. Sometimes you survive off tortilla, chips, dry cereal whatever you have,’’ Quin said.

Quin already had booked a flight for Houston on Friday because the team has a few days off after the final preseason game on Thursday. If he can go earlier, he will. He said he’s had conversations with coach Jim Caldwell. As a starter, he’s unlikely to play in Thursday’s game anyways.

He’s just hoping  the airports will be open.

“If I get down there and can land, but the roads (are still flooded) or stuff, I’ll have to get a helicopter to drop me off in the backyard,’’ Quin said.

It’s easy to second-guess why many Texans didn’t evacuate. But for many — like Gladys — the timing didn’t make sense.

“At the time, due to the reporting, when it was the (best) possible time to evacuate it was too late as far as flights and trying to get to the airport and get out,’’ Quin said. “Then when you go to drive? Where do you drive to? Everybody’s driving to Dallas or Austin.  Do you go out on a limb?’’

He’s thankful the cell towers are holding up and that things are not worse for his family.

Still, it’s not an easy time for him.

“I’d go back right now if I could,’’ Quin said.

ALLEN PARK >> Coming off Friday night’s preseason loss to New England, the Lions didn’t practice on Sunday but instead had a walk-through.

They will get back to work at practice on Monday and Tuesday to prepare for Thursday night’s final preseason game at the Buffalo Bills.

Coach Jim Caldwell met with the media prior to the walk-through.

Six updates from Caldwell on Sunday:

— Linebacker Tahir Whitehead and tight end Cole Wick, who both left Friday’s game, will be “OK” according to Caldwell. Of course he offered no specifics.

—  The Lions lost another defensive lineman when Jordan Hill was injured on Friday and placed on injured reserve Sunday. “One of the things that everybody realizes is there are no guarantees in our game, you have to be able to adjust,’’ Caldwell said. “Sometimes those adjustments will stretch you to the limits. We do have guys who are available and will be ready to go. It’s kind of the nature of what we do. No one likes it but nevertheless we have to deal with it.’’

— The team signed defensive tackle Derrick Lott on Sunday. He spent the 2016 preseason with the Eagles and Raiders. Lott, who has not played in an NFL regular season game, was undrafted out of Chattanooga in 2015 and spent time on the practice squads with the Titans and the Tampa Bay Bucs.

— Rookie defensive tackle Jeremiah Ledbetter, a sixth-round pick, may be an option for the defensive line rotation, but he also could be a practice squad candidate. “Still growing, still developing, still making good progress. Getting a little better every day,’’ Caldwell said. “It’s a challenging spot when you have so much going on around you in terms of handling different schemes, and looks and body types you have to deal with. But we like what he’s doing at this point. I think he’ll be up for the challenge. He’s got the right kind of attitude and he’s got physical talent.’’ Ledbetter is 6-foot-3 and listed at 275 pounds, although Caldwell said he’s put on a little weight for them.

— The Lions still have one more preseason game to determine who will be the return guy to start the season. “We’ll get a chance to look at some guys in depth. We have some guys who have done some good things for us,’’ Caldwell said. In the first three preseason games, running back Dwayne Washington, wide receiver Keshawn Martin, cornerback Jamal Agnew, wide receiver TJ Jones and wide receiver Jace Billingsley have gotten good looks.

— Punter Sam Martin hasn’t practiced since the start of training camp due to an ankle injury. Caldwell would not say if Martin has been able to punt. Kasey Redfern has filled in admirably. “Kasey has done a very, very good job overall. He’s done a nice job holding and punting,’’ Caldwell said. If Martin is not ready to go for the opener there’s a chance they could keep two punters on the roster. The coach said nothing is off the table.

(Photo courtesy of Detroit Lions)

Nothing like going against the world champion New England Patriots — even in the preseason — to get an idea where a team stands.

Following the Lions’ 30-28 preseason loss at Ford Field on Friday night, it’s easy to see the defense has plenty of work to do before the regular season starts on Sept. 10.

It’s never a good idea to spot the Patriots a 24-0 lead. Never.

Now keep in mind, it was the preseason and not everyone played, still in the first quarter the defense was embarrassed. There is no other word for it.

Five things we learned from the loss:

1. Linebacker Tahir Whitehead left in the first half with a knee injury. No word after the game on whether it’s serious. If the news is bad, the defense would take a huge hit. The linebacking group depends on Whitehead’s leadership especially with rookie Jarrad Davis starting in the middle.

2. The defense won’t face Tom Brady every week (can you imagine?), but it had to be a disappointment. Missed tackles were an issue. Just overall, the defense looked like it didn’t know what to expect. They did some game-planning for the Patriots although not as much as they would during the regular season. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said earlier in the week it would be a good test but wouldn’t be the end of the world if the Detroit defense couldn’t stop Brady and his buddies. The Patriots must not have heard that Quandre Diggs has looked good in camp because they went after him big-time.

3. Jarrad Davis was picked on by Brady. Of course he was. He may be a first-round pick and have a bright future but he’s going to make rookie mistakes until he gets adjusted to the NFL. Davis is a good leader, works hard and has earned the respect of his teammates but at the end of the day he’s still a rookie. He’s fully expected to be the starter when the season starts, but curiously enough Austin said this week that the only two definitive defensive starters are Glover Quin and Darius Slay.

4. Matthew Stafford was fine with touchdown passes to Marvin Jones and Dwayne Washington. The quarterback, entering his ninth season, was 15 of 22 for 190 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Jake Rudock seems to develop more confidence weekly (10 of 13, 113 yards, one touchdown). Golden Tate’s fumble in the Lions’ first offensive series was not the end of the world, but certainly didn’t help the offense get started.

5. The Lions’ run game was led by Ameer Abdullah (always a good sign) with 13 carries for 60 yards. Zach Zenner was a captain but didn’t carry the ball, so Dwayne Washington got plenty of work. He had seven carries for 15 yards and a rushing touchdown, along with two receptions for 26 yards and a passing touchdown. The coaches love Washington’s physicality but they need him to make better reads than he did last year as a rookie. Zenner should be a lock for the 53-man roster. Theo Riddick saw limited action with one carry for zero yards and no catches.