Allen Park — Here are some notes and observations from Tuesday’s Detroit Lions’ training camp practice.
▶ You know the week late in the college football season, when SEC teams line up an out-of-conference cupcake they ultimately obliterate, 62-3? Yeah, it’s only mild hyperbole to suggest that’s how badly the Lions offense dominated the defense during Tuesday’s practice.
And the only reason to suggest the defense avoided a shutout is safety Kerby Joseph intercepted the final pass of the morning; a Band-Aid that hardly masked the two-hour bloodbath that preceded it.
Incorporating situational work for the first time this training camp, there was an heavy emphasis on red-zone work. The sides initially battled seven-on-seven before incorporating the offensive and defensive lines for full-team competition. During seven-on-seven, the first-team offense found the end zone zone three-of-four snaps, and between that and the 11-on-11 work, quarterback Jared Goff completed every one of his throws.
Goff’s chemistry with Amon St. Brown, which has been strong for the better part of two years, was seemingly at an all-time high during the morning. The two connected twice early in practice, setting a tone, with St. Brown later hauling in two touchdowns in the seven-on-seven segment.
Then, in full-team work, the receiver opened with an over-the-shoulder grab over cornerback Jerry Jacobs just shy of the goal line before catching two more scores in the tight red area.
▶ The second-team offense also showed up to the party. And while it’s presumptive to suggest quarterback Nate Sudfeld was fueled by speculation the Lions might add Teddy Bridgewater to fill the backup role, Sudfeld certainly played like he was making a statement.
Spreading the ball around with outstanding accuracy, Sudfeld had a particularly strong connection with Maurice Alexander, who hauled in three touchdowns, including a slick corner route that beat the coverage of cornerback Starling Thomas V. Alexander even tapped into his inner-St. Brown, launching a celebratory punt after his second touchdown grab.
▶ Detroit’s linebacker competition continues to be one of the most compelling battles of camp. Jack Campbell, Malcolm Rodriguez and Derrick Barnes are all seeing work with the first-team defense and making splash plays that are bolstering their cases.
Rodriguez and Campbell are regularly showcasing their plus instincts when coming forward, while Barnes showed up more in coverage than you might expect. But things ended up on a sour note for him when he gave up in pursuit on a late reception by tight end Sam LaPorta and was yanked from the lineup for the uncharacteristic lapse in effort.
▶ Graham Glasgow was back in the saddle as the right guard with the first-team offense, with Halapoulivaati Vaitai taking the reps with the second unit. There was an awkward moment in the middle of practice where Vaitai doubled over in discomfort, stayed in for another rep before ending his day on the sideline. He was replaced by rookie Colby Sorsdal.
Vaitai missed all of last season with a back injury, so there’s going to be a heightened level of concern when he’s dealing with something, but he did say he was “good” as he walked off the field.
▶ If Thomas, an undrafted rookie, was trying to gain some respect by going after the biggest guy in the yard, he accomplished that goal when he got in a minor scuffle with 338-pound offensive tackle Germain Ifedi. The two wrestled to the ground after the whistle before the scrap was broken up by coaches and teammates.
The bad blood didn’t spill over to any subsequent plays and no one on the coaching staff seemed upset with the extracurriculars as defensive backs coach Brian Duker gave Thomas a reassuring pat on the helmet as the rookie returned to the huddle.
▶ In another David vs. Goliath run-in, receiver Kalif Raymond got blown up in a collision after unblocked fullback Jason Cabinda failed to pull up during a special teams drill. Rayond, who is giving up 55 pounds in the tale of that tape, was slow to get up, but was able to stay in practice.
▶ C.J. Gardner-Johnson was on the practice field a day after suffering a scary leg injury, doing some light work with the trainer. He wore a compression sleeve on his right leg, but wasn’t in a knee brace. After practice, he walked off the field with a noticeable limp, but implied he’ll be fine as he shuffled past reporters seeking comment.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers