Tate Ratledge – Lions Lowdown

Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley optimistic about new-look line

ALLEN PARK — Inconsistency was an issue for the Detroit Lions last season and one reason they were watching the playoffs instead of playing in them.

The offensive line has been addressed through the offseason and while it’s early, Hank Fraley, run game coordinator/offensive line coach, has reason to be optimistic about improvements.

“I like where we’re headed, we’ll see where we’re at, we’re still just in underwear there’s a lot of unknowns still, but I love the direction we’re heading in,’’ Fraley said at Tuesday’s veteran minicamp.

Last year the line did not live up to its high standards which are set by coach Dan Campbell.

“If we’re not living up to those standards ourselves then we’re not going to have the year we want to have,’’ Fraley said. “Really the thing I’m harping on these guys, it’s not necessarily always the strongest, the fastest, the most talented but you’ve got to be consistent. If you look back over last year we weren’t as consistent as we need to be in certain things, certain times, we’ve got to get that cleaned up and be more detailed.’’

Fraley, who was an NFL center for 11 seasons, says playing O-line involves a mindset.

“There’s not too many sports where you get to walk out and you get to bully people,’’ Fraley said. “Offensive linemen, the mentality is being a bully between those white lines and we can be as nice as we want once we get off the field.’’

While positions are not set in stone, the projected line could feature Penei Sewell at left tackle, Christian Mahogany at left guard, Cade Mays at center, Tate Ratledge at right guard and rookie Blake Miller at right tackle. Competition in training camp at guard could change the projections.

Sewell is making the transition from right tackle to fill the shoes of Taylor Decker.

“I told him it’s like riding a bike, you can go years without riding a bike mentally then you get on a bike you have to find your balance, your timing a little bit, how you pedal how, you do all that,’’ Fraley said. “It’s been a long time since he’s done it continually He’s transitioned pretty smoothly everybody knows he’s a great athlete — takes great pride in his work.’’

Mays, who has played in 52 NFL games (27 starts) since he was drafted in the sixth round by Carolina in 2022, gives more veteran presence.

Miller, the Lions’ first-round draft pick, has impressed Fraley so far. While he’s making some mistakes ,when he does make one it’s mental and he’s able to adjust and clean it up.

The run game also suffered last season which, of course, affects the whole offense. Fraley said the offense has to earn the right to run the ball to get the coordinator to call the next run and establish it.

The Lions wrap up the two-day veteran minicamp on Wednesday and then will be off until training camp starts in July.

Five things to watch as the Lions face the Browns and their top-rated defense

Coach Dan Campbell thinks the Cleveland Browns’ defense is the best the Lions have faced so far this season.

The Browns (1-2) are coming off a big comeback win against the Packers, while the Lions (2-1) decidedly beat the Ravens on Monday night. The two teams meet at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field.

Both must guard against a letdown after big wins.

“What we talk about is our standards. We have to play to what we – the way we practice, the way we prepare, the way we play, it’s about our standards. Nothing else matters,’’ Campbell said.”And we’re very aware of what’s coming in here. That’s a big win those guys got. They had to fight their way back to get that W and they did everything right at the end of the game to get it done. And they willed that to happen, so they’ve got the fight in them.’’

The Browns overall defense and rushing defense are both rated tops in the NFL.

“This defense, I’ve already mentioned, I think is the best that we will have faced. Green Bay was damn good, but this defense is really good,’’ Campbell said. “So, we’ve got our hands full over there. And offensively, they’re going to ball control, (AB Joe) Flacco’s seen every look you could see, they’re going to lean on (RB Quinshon Judkins) the rookie. And so, we know what’s coming in here.”

Five things to watch:

ONE: Cutting through DE Myles Garrett and the Browns defense has allowed just 290 yards per game. Cleveland is also top ranked in rushing defense giving up just 57.3 yards per game. Impressive numbers but something will have to give since the Lions have the League’s third-best total offense with 394.3 yards per game and tied for second with 34.3 points per game. Detroit’s numbers might be higher if they had issues in the opening loss at Green Bay. “They’re sound, they play hard, they rush hard. Obviously Myles (Garrett) is a big part of that,’’ Goff said about the Browns defense. “They’re good in the backend too, they’re really good in the backend. They’re good at every spot and that’s what these good defenses typically are. And they’re no different.”

TWO: As always, winning in the trenches will be key. Detroit’s offensive line has improved each week with rookie right guard Tate Ratledge coming on strong. “Yeah, it’s been great. And it’s just reps, it really is. For any of these young guys, it’s just more reps he gets, the better he’s going to be. And I think he’s played great,’’ Goff said of Ratledge. Last week the defense sacked Lamar Jackson seven times. Seven. Something for Joe Flacco and the Browns’ offensive line to think about.

THREE: The Lions offensive versatility can’t be underrated. “With the personnel that we have we can pretty much do anything we want. There’s a lot of weapons, you saw the different personnel grouping and all the different formations,’’ offensive coordinator John Morton said. “We’re all trying to create mismatches, that’s the way I was taught.’’

FOUR: Look for Amik Robertson to take more snaps at corner instead of Terrion Arnold. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said he’s not down on Arnold, calling him a very young player (he’s 22) who is going through growing pains. “Amik has always earned his keep with me,’’ defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said. Joe Flacco has thrown just two touchdowns against four interceptions.

FIVE: Good starts are key on both sides of the ball. The Lions scored on their opening drive in Baltimore but the defense gave up a touchdown on the Ravens’ opening drive. That’s not good enough for Sheppard. “I want to start the game with a 3-and-out,’’ he said.

PREDICTION: Lions 27, Browns 17

UP NEXT: Lions at Cincinnati Bengals, 4:25 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 5.

Five thoughts from Lions Dan Campbell on day after loss to Packers

ALLEN PARK — A day after a 27-13 loss at Green Bay, Lions coach Dan Campbell said it’s back to basics for his defending NFC North champs.

“We had a lot of things where fundamentally we were off. We have to get our fundamentals back, we have to go back to work because it really is that simple,’’ Campbell said on Monday. “Nothing is easy about it, but it is that simple to diagnose. The way you do it is to go back to work.’’

His list of deficiencies included not being good enough on third down on either side of the ball; digging themselves a hole early that they weren’t able to get out of; costly miscommunications at the worse times; and a few penalties that bit them;

“It wasn’t clean. We didn’t play well,’’ Campbell said. “We have to score 7 when we get in the Red Zone. We have to be able to run the ball.’’

FIVE THOUGHTS FROM CAMPBELL ON MONDAY:

ONE: Missed assignments (MAs) may have been expected from younger players but the number was over the top. “Youth played a part in it, we had some young guys that struggled yesterday. You don’t think it will be — I certainly didn’t go in thinking it would be the best performance that we would have all year — but it wasn’t good enough,’’ Campbell said. “The good news is there’s nowhere to go but up and up we will go.‘’

TWO: The Lions averaged just 2.1 yards per carry, down significantly from 4.7 ypc last season. Running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery returned, but the offensive line had two new faces in Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany and, of course, a new coordinator in John Morton. Everything starts with the run so no surprise the offense had its struggles and no gadget or fancy plays like last year. “We have to master bread and butter before you get to the other stuff. The other stuff won’t matter if we can’t find a way to run the football more than 2.1 per carry,’’ Campbell said. “That’s where everything starts for us. If we can’t, you’re out of play action, you’re out of everything.’’

THREE: The miscommunication on the revamped offensive line certainly was partially responsible for the run game issues. Ratledge is a rookie, Mahogany had only started 3 games previously and veteran Graham Glasgow had made the move from guard to center. “A couple times it’s like one guy doesn’t hear the kill or the check and everyone else gets it. Really there’s no excuse for that,’’ Campbell said. “It starts there so we have to make sure we’re as loud as possible passing it down and everybody’s got to get it. We have to make sure everybody gets it.’’

FOUR: Rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa was only on the field for three offensive plays but on one of them he hauled in a beauty of a touchdown catch. TeSlaa missed a day of practice last week with an illness which put him behind. “So it was going to be very limited, but certainly we’d like to use him more. Looks like he’s back and feels pretty good,’’ Campbell said. “It was good to see him make a play. He was only in three plays on offense but he did a good job on those three — made that big catch. We’re going to start trying to get him some reps.’’

FIVE: Continuity is big with Campbell and he is confident it will come. “It just takes a minute — real bullets, full speed, real opponents, working together, then you find your groove, you find your rhythm,’’ Campbell said. “All I’m concerned about is that I want to get significantly better than last week. I want to cut our MAs in half, I want to be much more efficient and productive, find a way to get some takeaways and protect the football. Then we’ll go from there and get better the next week.’’

UP NEXT: Chicago Bears at Lions, 1 p.m.. on Sunday at Ford Field.