Author: Paula Pasche

ALLEN PARK >> Kenny Golladay’s  solid showing in his first preseason game, Sunday’s win at Indianapolis, has bumped him up on the depth chart.

At Wednesday’s practice the rookie wide receiver was lined up with starters Golden Tate and Marvin Jones. At the game, TJ Jones started with the two veterans.

Coach Jim Caldwell, always cautious to praise rookies too much, explained the move.

“He’s one of those guys that we’re just trying to make certain that we give him a bit of experience in a little bit of everything to kind of see where he fits,’’ Caldwell said.

“We have an idea, but you really don’t know until you give him a chance to really delve into one spot or the other. So, we’re trying to cross-train him a little bit, but he has the speed and has the length and those kinds of things you look for, for good matchups on the outside,’’ the coach added.

He’d like all wide receivers to be able to play at every spot. With some of them that is just not possible.

“Often times you may find a guy that only fits a particular role, but the more flexible you are, the better. And particularly in our system, because we line up guys in all different types of spots,’’ Caldwell explained. “Even in their normal position you still have to line up in various positions, so you have to know all of the route combinations and those kinds of things.

“But, we’d love to be able to move guys around, it makes them a little bit tougher to double cover. Makes them a little bit tougher to plan on in terms of where they’re going to be. Gives us a lot more flexibility that way,’’ Caldwell added.

Golladay, the third-round draft pick out of Northern Illinois, has earned “darling of the week” status around the NFL.

Against the Colts, he had three receptions for 53 yards.  Two of them were for touchdowns — both from Jake Rudock.

He’s a lock to make the Lions’ 53-man roster behind Tate and Marvin Jones. Others in the conversation for the competition for the other one or two wide receiver spots are TJ Jones, Jared Abbrederis, Jace Billingsley and Keshawn Martin.

ALLEN PARK >> Ameer Abdullah had a few things to get off his mind about the racial issues surrounding Charlottesville, Va.

The Lions running back knew it was OK to speak out because coach Jim Caldwell has addressed the situation with players.

“What’s most disheartening is people still try to make excuses for certain behaviors. People in position of influence as well, still making excuses for specifically what happened in Virginia,’’ Abdullah said after Wednesday’s practice. “To me that’s the most disheartening thing. We know what the issue is, it’s been laid out before us. We just need more people on board who won’t make excuses, but will make change.’’

He was asked if he was specifically talking about President Donald Trump.

“Him and his followers,’’ Abdullah replied.

He is well aware that not everyone will agree with him. That’s OK.

“Not everyone is going to root for you, that’s something my dad taught me when I was young, everyone’s not going to like you. If somebody’s not going to like my stance on a situation, especially when it comes to racial issues, then I don’t really want that guy root for me anyway.

“That’s something my dad kind of taught me, not everyone’s going to like you but stand for something or you’re going to fall for anything,’’ he added.

Abdullah  feels he has a responsibility to speak out and credits Cleveland’s Lebron James with opening doors for other athletes to voice their opinions on hot-button topics.

“He’s been very vocal about a lot of instances in society, it helps someone like myself come out and feel more comfortable — not necessarily my opinions but what’s right and what’s wrong,’’ Abdullah said.

Caldwell used the example of trips he and his wife have taken with their two oldest grandsons the past two summers. A year ago they took them to Washington, D.C., around the Fourth of July.

“We watched the fireworks, all the monuments. We went to the White House and it was great to just see how the people reacting during that time that the greatness of our country. And our two young guys were just I think extremely excited about it,’’ Caldwell said.

This summer they took them to the Civil Rights trail in Atlanta. He specifically mentioned one exhibit at the Civil Rights Museum.

“It had a lunch counter that was, it emulated the lunch counters of sit-ins and so while they were sitting there, and they had to put the headsets on, and (hear) all of the yelling, the screaming, name calling, etc. Trey put his hands on (the counter) and he took them off after about a couple minutes or so and he looked back at me and he said, ‘Papa Coach,’ he said. ‘That’s scary.’

They brought the kids, who are 7 and 10, because they thought it would be an educational experience. Caldwell, 62, grew up in the 1960s so it was nothing startling for him.

“I said, you know what it’s probably good for him just to get a sense of it. Not realizing that within his lifetime, he’s going to see some of the same things on television again. And that’s disappointing,’’ Caldwell said.

He thinks the Lions players — and all athletes — can make a difference.

“I think the world can take a lot from what we do in sports. It’s a highly diverse community. Guys get along. They’re from all walks of life. But there’s no place in this game for bigotry and hatred,’’ Caldwell said. “And I think that’s same way as society but it’s there. And it’s something that I think we all have to speak out against and not tolerate.”

The coach addressed the subject of protests like sitting during the National Anthem with the same thing he said a year ago when the spotlight was on Colin Kaepernick.

“My thing is, a lot of people talk about protest and those kinds of issues. They can do something about it in our communities. They go out and they work within their foundations, they can have an impact without necessarily what you’d consider to be a protest so you guys can talk about guys sitting down on the sideline and all that. What does that really do?

“And I think our guys are a little bit more concerned about action. But they’re men too. I mean they have their own opinions. I expressed to them, ‘Look at the world. Have your own comments.’ They’re not robots. And they do have feelings. Some of them have grown up in some of those communities where they have all kinds of issues,’’ Caldwell said.

“And I don’t think they should have to be quiet. And I think our guys when you ask them questions about it, Like Ameer (Abdullah) and some of those guys, they’ll speak freely about it and tell you what they think.”

ALLEN PARK >> The Lions made it official on Tuesday that the season is over for Kerry Hyder. The defensive end, who tore his Achilles in Sunday’s preseason opener, was placed on injured reserve.

After Monday’s walk-through, coach Jim Caldwell only would say that an announcement was forthcoming. Hyder, who led the Lions with 8.5 sacks in 2016, is likely out until training camp in 2018.

Also on Tuesday, the Lions placed running back Mike James on injured reserve and waived guard Matt Rotheram.

Hyder posted on his Instagram account: “There is no quit in my body. I truly believe God has a plan for me and I will be back better than ever. I am blessed beyond measure and I know this is not setback. It is an opportunity for me to show my strength that God has put in me. All things are possible through him. Thank you to all the friends and family for support. To Lions nation I promise I will be back better than ever. Thank you all.’’

His teammates will miss him.

“Kerry is a big brother to me, having him in the room he has one of the biggest hearts and he plays and it shows day in and day out in practice. … Now we just think what we can do for him. He worked his butt off to get to where he is now. That this happened to him sucks,’’ said defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson (in photo).

Caldwell said not surprisingly Monday was a tough day for Hyder.

“It’s kind of what you can expect. I’m not got to say that it was obvious but there’s nobody that’s excited about going through what he’s going through, so it’s a tough time,’’ Caldwell said.

— Defensive end/linebacker Brandon Copeland could miss the season with a torn pectoral muscle, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

His loss would mean another huge hit for the defensive line. Hyder is out for the season and defensive tackle Khyri Thornton (six games) and defensive end Armonty Bryant (four games) will serve suspensions to start the season.

Copeland left the game in the fourth quarter and did not return. The Lions have made no statement on Copeland. After a day off on Tuesday they return to practice on Wednesday.

— A’Shawn Robinson was a standout on the defensive line in the preseason win over the Colts.

He finished his rookie season in 2016 showing more s each week.

“You know, which is  kind of hard to believe with a guy that big, that strong that he’s stronger. He’s, I think, running well. He had a pretty solid game the other day and did some of the things he’s accustomed to doing. He put pressure on the quarterback by knocking his guy back into the pocket,’’ Caldwell said. “And certainly when he gets pushed, it just ties in together with him getting his hands up in the throwing lane and tipping a few here and there. But he’s coming along well.”

He’ll likely start alongside veteran defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. And while the line will miss Hyder and Copeland, Robinson on the inside will be a factor.

“That was the first game for all those guys and we’ll see what happens in the second. Like I told the rookies, for the most part, we have a period that we go through all the mistakes. And the reason why we do that is because of the fact that those mistakes have to be corrected because what the other team does now, you’re on film. They look at your strengths. They look at your weaknesses. And those are the things that you attack,’’ Caldwell said. “So, we got to work at correcting ours. So, it’s the same thing with the guys that have been around a little bit. They still will look at you next week, they’ll spend a little bit more time in terms of preparation. So, we’ll see how well they progress.”

— Jeremiah Valoaga seemed to make the most of his chances on Sunday. The defensive end, an undrafted rookie, has had a few moments in training camp too.

“He played well. He’s long (6-foot-5) . He’s got some push. Between he and Alex (Barrett), those number of guys got some pressure on the quarterback,’’ Caldwell said. “And we kind of like what he’s doing right now. But he’s still young.”

Defensive end is a key position with Hyder likely out, and suspensions for ends Armonty Bryant (four games) and Khyri Thornton (six games) to start the season.