Author: Paula Pasche

Ameer Abdullah spoke out this week about racism and Charlottesville, Va. When asked if he and his teammates discuss the issues in the locker room, he was quick to say they are focused on the N.Y. Jets, the opponent in the Lions’ second preseason game at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at the newly renovated Ford Field.

The Lions won their preseason opener handily 24-10 over the Colts at Indianapolis on Sunday. Adjustments will be made for the Jets. Some changes are forced due to injuries, some will happen because of performance in the opener.

Here are five things to watch:

1. Johnson Bademosi stands out for his special team play. It’s all good and was the reason he was signed in 2016. In training camp Bademosi has also been strong defensively. “He is playing much better (on defense) than he’s played at any other point in time through practice,’’ coach Jim Caldwell said. “He’s always been outstanding in terms of special teams, he’s rare in that regard, particularly covering punts. Between him and Don Carey, one of the things we used to say a long time ago, if you find a guy who can beat double press and force a fair catch, that it’s more than likely he’s going to be on somebody’s team. Both those guys have that kind of ability. So, that’s been part of his (skillset), but he’s becoming better in terms of his coverage skills, and I think that’s because of familiarity with the system, he’s gotten a little bit better feel and he’s got length and he’s got speed. Those are the things that you really like about him, and he’s rugged. He’ll get his hands on you and he’s pretty physical, so he’s making good strides I think.”

2. Safety Miles Killebrew, who also excels at special teams, got a good long look at Indianapolis on defense. Look for more of the same this week. Killebrew, in his second year, is one tough dude and has a better grasp of the defense.

3. Without Kerry Hyder and Brandon Copeland, the other defensive ends will get more reps. Jeremiah Valoaga had a good game against the Colts. Can he keep it up? Don’t forget to keep an eye on veteran Cornelius Washington (he practiced this week so may play Saturday) and also undrafted rookie Alex Barrett who has had a good training camp. Barrett was on the Lions’ radar on draft weekend but they passed as did the other 31 NFL teams. “Obviously, our scouts had seen him earlier and he had just a number of the traits that we were looking for. He’s very, very active. He’s got power, got speed, he’s got a variety of moves and he’s one of those guys that you knew was going to help you,’’ Caldwell said. “So, we tried to do as good a job as we possibly could making certain he knew we were interested, and were fortunate to get him.”

4. Greg Robinson proved that GM Bob Quinn knew what he was doing when he signed the veteran just after discovering Taylor Decker will miss the early part of the season after shoulder surgery. Robinson, who was the second overall pick by the Rams in the 2014 draft, has a little something to prove. He’s never lived up to his billing but sometimes a change of scenery can extend a career. Will be interesting to see if he can build on what he did against the Colts. He said the coaches graded him hard but he was not complaining he knows he has work to do. (If it seems like there are plenty of Robinsons on the Lions’ roster, you are correct. Along with Greg, there’s defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson and tackle Corey Robinson. Together they weigh 966 pounds — that is indeed a lot of Robinson.)

5. Ameer Abdullah was so happy to get back on the field after missing the last 14 games of 2016. He wants more playing time this week. He needs to get hit a bit to get back in the flow. It’s a fine line though. A healthy Abdullah for 16 weeks could make a huge difference in the offense.

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.”