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ALLEN PARK – You might not know Shaun Dion Hamilton’s name, but the man went step by step with TJ Hockenson in a particularly impressive red zone performance on Saturday.
Hamilton is a linebacker just trying to work his way through the roster bubble. Hockenson is a Pro Bowl tight end. So here is. Running from this guy’s hip pocket to the pylon – and getting your hands on the soccer ball while he was there – is pretty impressive.
And it still didn’t matter.
Hockenson ran a corner route, stayed with the play, and managed to catch the carom ball while tiptoeing his toes for a touchdown that was perhaps the most impressive play in camp at this day.
“It’s fun at training camp,” Hockenson said after practice. “Just things like that, it’s fun. To be able to play games. You get opportunities throughout training camp, and when the ball is in the air, it’s up to you. It’s your state of mind all the time. It’s always fun.
Obviously, Hockenson is having a lot of fun at camp. The offense struggled early on as it installed a new system with a new quarterback and all new receivers. Things haven’t quite come together yet, especially on the pitch and in the red zone. But Hockenson continues to stand out with a great start to the camp.
The former top 10 pick just finished a fabulous second season where he racked up 67 catches for 723 yards, more than any other tight end in the NFC, and had his first Pro Bowl. Not a bad Year 2 at all, especially considering the chaos and dysfunction that unfolded all around him. But he knows there is still a lot of meat on the bone and has made a plan for the offseason to be even better in year three.
He trained in Nashville with other tight end tops like George Kittle. He also attended Tight End University, a gathering of some of the league’s top players in this position. Hockenson won the belt at this peak as the heavyweight champion.
“There is always a way to improve,” he said. “I want to be a lot better than I was last season. I think that’s the goal of every player, though. Watching last season’s movie, it’s kind of one of those things, yes I had a Pro Bowl, but it’s not near where I could be or where I want to be. In terms of blocking, routing, there are some things that I have tried to clean up throughout the offseason that are showing up here. We’re just cleaning up and trying to prepare for a good new year this year.
“As a player, just being able to see how you move on the pitch, how you do different things, it’s fun to see the growth and go back a year and go, ‘Man, what the hell what I was doing?’ or “Man, what was it?” Next year I will probably do the same for this year. It’s exciting. It’s one of those things that you look forward to.
So far, the results are evident. Hockenson was the best offensive player on the pitch during the first four days of camp, blasting his breaks to create a split against offsuit defenders and showing his reliable hands when the ball came in.
The Lions will also need Hockenson to have a strong season, given how much talent they’ve lost in the passing game. Matthew Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams, before Detroit split in free agency with six of seven receivers who caught assists for the club last season. Among the notable receivers called in to replace them were Tyrell Williams, Breshad Perriman, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond, but have struggled to consistently make plays for the offense so far.
So new quarterback Jared Goff has turned to Hockenson frequently, and the big tight end continues to produce.
“I saw that,” said head coach Dan Campbell. “I think that’s one thing JG hasn’t really had, it’s a good, tight reception that he can kind of let go of work and believe that, ‘Okay, if the game is here , I can go see this guy. ‘ I think Los Angeles Rams’ Tyler Higbee is a damn good tight end, trust me, that’s not what I’m saying, but Tyler’s job description is a little different than Hock’s. Hock has to be able to block, but I think Hockenson can be a real lag in the passing game. That’s really where I think he can be good, and you can feel Jared wants to go to him now. He sees it. So I see this report.
Some other observations of day 4 of the camp:
– Fans have been cleared through the gates of Allen Park for the first time since 2019, and, man, could you feel the difference. Campbell kicked off by addressing the crowd, his voice breaking as he spoke about how everyone counted the team. The crowd loved it and continued to show their approval in some of the big games, including Hockenson’s magnificent touchdown that happened right in front of the other fan bank.
The Allen Park crowds aren’t exactly known for providing a lot of energy over the years, but they have shown up today.
“Everyone wants to count us – we’re not good enough, we’re a bunch of losers,” Campbell told the crowd just before practice began. “And that’s OK. We will continue to do our job. Then they will introduce themselves and we will see what happens.
I don’t remember Matt Patricia ever speaking to fans at training camp, for what it’s worth.
– One thing Patricia did was buy some great video cards to provide the team with better insight – and instant reruns – of the action in practice. The new staff put it to good use as well. Defensive back coach Aubrey Pleasant ran to the video board at the back of an end zone – right next to the media pen – to back the gang on a game he wanted to see again. Later defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn followed suit. He also brought in Pleasant and linebacker Jamie Collins so they could examine how Hockenson came off for an easy touchdown pass from Jared Goff.
Team rules forbid me to share what they discussed, but it was fascinating to see and hear! – the new staff who work so intimately with a player. Let me assure you that this never happened within earshot of a journalist during the previous regime.
– Dan Campbell told an interesting story about Tracy Walker before practice. Walker went to see Campbell on Friday as practice prepared to begin and told the coach he was going to withdraw a pass that day and hand him the soccer ball. Alas, Walker did not come up with an interception and was fined $ 50. But Campbell paid the fine for him and told Walker he now owed him two choices.
Fast forward to Saturday, and although Walker still didn’t pass a pass, another defensive back did. Young corner Jerry Jacobs caught a pass from Tim Boyle that was intended for Charlie Taumoepeau in the end zone, and the secondary ran around the field harassing Jacobs for the game. The pick was not exactly impressive – Taumoepeau has interrupted his route with the ball in the air for some reason – and Jacobs had an unchallenged look at football. Still, for a team that intercepted 14 low-end passes in the league over the past two seasons, there was a lot to celebrate.
The defense has really made progress in opening the camp and are ahead of the attack at this point, although most of the drills favor the attack without the pads. Jeff Okudah was particularly impressive, as we covered after Friday practice. He was slipping and sliding all over the place trying to cover Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay around the same time last year. Now he’s locking up everyone almost all the time, including swarming Tyrell Williams for a few more incompleteness on Saturday.
The big question, of course, is how much of this is due to Jeff Okudah playing better, and how much of this is due to declining talent at the receiver level. With the pads underway next week and the competition intensifying, we should have a better idea soon enough. But so far, all is well on the Okudah front.
– Defensive tackle John Penisini provided another big play on defense when he lifted his big glove in the air to deflect a pass. I forgot to rate the quarterback, but it was a nice game to watch from a guy who just spoke during the day that he couldn’t even put his hands up above level. shoulders last year because of the fatty deposits in his shoulders. He’s healthy now, and he’s looking at him.
– In addition to the usual absence of suspects in training, linebacker Jahlani Tavai did next to nothing on Saturday. He dressed up though, for what it’s worth. Another linebacker, Derrick Barnes, left practice and did not return. And defensive back Alex Brown was assessed by the medics after a collision in the end zone and I didn’t see him do anything else the rest of the day. Pretty minor stuff on the injury front, all things considered. What you would expect this time of year.
– Read the starting lineups this time of year at your own risk, but it’s worth noting that Mike Ford and Alim McNeill continue to gain most of the first-team reps in defense. Ford appears to be ahead of veteran Corn Elder for the nickel cornerback position, while McNeill continues to impress staff during his rookie offseason on defensive tackle. The Lions also have a lot of options there, but McNeill seems to have the inside track on the job so far.
“Are you talking about ‘Twinkle Toes?’ Campbell said the other day. “We love what we saw in the spring. John Penisini had things in the spring where he couldn’t be here. … We got to see a lot more of McNeill. We like where he is at this point.
The rest of the starting defense so far: Nick Williams and Michael Brockers up front; Jamie Collins and Alex Anzalone at inside linebacker, with Romeo Okwara and Trey Flowers coming off the rim; Jeff Okudah and Amani Oruwariye at the cornerback position; and Tracy Walker and Will Harris to safety.
The offense, while we’re at it: Taylor Decker, Jonah Jackson, Frank Ragnow, Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Penei Sewell from left to right in front; Jared Goff on watch; From André Swift to the running back; TJ Hockenson on the tight end, with a healthy dose of Darren Fells as the main blocker; and Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman to receiver.
– One of the benefits of having such an established offensive line is that it allows staff more freedom to work with other guys and start developing contingency plans in the event of an injury. On Saturday Matt Nelson got some early cracks spelling out Taylor Decker on the left tackle. Nelson also appeared on the right tackle as well as inside. With utility man Tyrell Crosby also projected to win a bench position, Detroit has some nice, versatile options to build on this season.
– Lions have their first day off Sunday before returning to work on Monday. Tampons are coming next week, so we’re close to the good stuff.
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