Teez Tabor has a good day

TO CLOSE

Danny Ervin, a superficial player from the Detroit Lions, talks with Carlos Monarrez, sports editor of Free Press.
Kathleen Galligan, Detroit Free Press

Just when it seemed safe to defeat Teez Tabor after a bad season in 2018, the cornerback is still making waves.

Tabor worked mainly with the Detroit The Lions starting defense this spring while Darius Slay is away from the team in hopes of landing a new contract, and the second round pick of 2017 has shown signs of reviving his career.

On Tuesday, Tabor had an impressive first day of minicamp Lions, intercepting a pass from Matthew Stafford early in the practice session and showing catch-up speed – seriously – to reverse a powerful shot at Andy Jones later.

Lions defensive backs move on to the next exercise at the mini-camp on Tuesday, June 4, 2019 at Allen Park. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)

It should be noted that Lions do not have their two main receivers, Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay, as they rehabilitate themselves after getting hurt. Tabor does not cover the leading NFL receivers.

But by taking the-you-can-be-covered-who-is-in-front-you approach, he has made the most of his opportunities.

Tabor declined the invitation after leaving the field Tuesday, saying the coaches had told him not to talk to reporters, but that Lions coach Matt Patricia had only good news. things to say about the coach aged 23 before training.

"He just did a great job trying to learn the game, understanding that he has a lot to learn," Patricia said. "He is still a young player, and he really attacked that from the point of view of the attack with a fresh look.In the field, I think he's really trying to improve his technique, and he's really trying to play patient.This is a good opportunity for us currently in a kind of contactless mindset where you can really work on your feet and feet and work on the core skills of what we need to do and focus our efforts on the attention to detail. "

Tabor still has work to do to bring back the alignment of 53 players this fall.

"The next step will be postponed when we finally get the pads and the implementation of the physical part of the technique as well," said Patricia.

Slay, Justin Coleman and Rashaan Melvin are the Lions cornerback semi this fall, returning player Jamal Agnew and fifth-round pick Amani Oruwariye are among the backup candidates. Tabor might not offer the same value as the special teams. other backups in the secondary.

But if he plays in the pre-season as he did on Tuesday, Tabor could finally realize some of the potential that Lions have seen coming out of the university.

Other observations of day 1 of the minicamp Lions:

• It's pretty much the same in the presidential service on Tuesday as Slay and defensive tackle Damon Harrison stay clear of Lions in contract disputes and Jones (knee), Golladay, Trey Flowers (shoulder) , Tommylee Lewis, Nick Bawden (knee) and Austin Bryant (pectoral) highlights the rehabilitation group.

• I know the Lions have used a lot of tight sets this year, but given the way they are moving the field, I would not be surprised to see the Lions play with three tight ends. the terrain sometimes this fall. And I'm not just talking about the goal line or the short distance.

Jesse James (6-7, 261), T.J. has a lot of big bodies. Hockenson (6-5, 251), Michael Roberts (6-5, 265) and Logan Thomas (6-6, 250), and all these players have the ability to break off the line of scrimmage and create mismatches based on the staff. Obviously, Jones and Golladay will play an important role in the passing game when they come back, but the size that Lions can give to teams in the red zone should be fun to watch.

• Linebacker Jahlani Tavai had a lot of work on the first team defense Tuesday and the Lions are keeping their word to play against him in the field. Tavai can align on or off the ball as linebacker, center or on the edge. He is still the linebacker of this team, but I imagine that he will play in a package or two early in the year.

• Former professional lacrosse player Tom Kennedy is likely to be part of the initial training of 53 players, but the man is fast. Kennedy's nervousness and burst are particularly noticeable when he puts his feet on the ground. He lost a fumble in an 11-11 practice later in practice, although the game was so complete that it may have been reviewed for a catch in a real match. But two pieces later, he seemed to be doing a nice catch on a low ball in traffic. It will be watching all summer.

• The Lions had a "Young Arms" period at the end of practice to get extra work for some rookies and first and second year players. Mike Ford is a name that I did not mention in the composition of the cornerback earlier, but I would not eliminate it either. Initially, the Lions saw Ford as a potential security and he showed up for safety Tuesday.

• I have already argued that Slay and Harrison did not really need to practice this spring. These are veterans who should not miss the beat when they go out to the field for the training camp. I still believe it, but you could argue that they would also benefit from the conditioning work.

Concrete Example: Lions ran half-guns at the end of the practice on Tuesday, sprinting across the full width of the field. Defensive tackle A & Shawn Robinson was notable in that he was last in the big group of players (offensive and defensive linemen), half-court or just about the rest of the group. It was a long practice, Robinson will not run much in a match and who knows he had to deal with cramps or something else, but at least Tuesday he did not look as good conditioned that some of his teammates.

Lions coach Matt Patricia is working with defensive tackle A & Shawn Robinson during warm-ups before the Chicago Bears game on Sunday November 11, 2018 in Chicago. (Photo: David Banks, AP)

• Last thing: During OTA Week 1, Lions spent a lot of time working on situations in the red zone. In week 3, they focused on the first trials. Patricia told Minicamp this week that the focus will be on work in third place.

More: Detroit Lions Matt Patricia: "Nothing Unknown" on Slay, Snacks missing the minicamp

Contact Dave Birkett at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. More information about the Detroit Lions and sign up for our Lions newsletter.