Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and special teams coordinator Dave Fipp spoke to the media Thursday as they do every week during the regular season. Here are my 10 biggest takeaways from those media sessions:
1. It was confirmed by Fipp on Thursday that veteran wide receiver Tom Kennedy will return punts Sunday against New Orleans. Kennedy was terrific in that role last year, netting a 16.7-yard average per return filling in for Kalif Raymond late in the year. He averaged 27.9 yards per kickoff return.
2. Veteran defensive lineman Alim McNeill was disruptive all throughout camp. He looked like his old self pre-ACL injury. Sheppard was high on the prospects of McNeill having a big sixth season in Detroit. So high that he said he had to hold back talking too much about McNeill because he's so excited about him and what his play this year might mean for the defense.
3. Petzing makes his regular season debut as Detroit's new play caller Sunday and is most looking forward to seeing if the physicality from his offense is there. He preached all offseason about wanting to bring that physical presence back. We saw a lot of it in training camp. Will it translate to field on Sunday?
4. Fipp feels good about where kicker Jake Bates is at in his development heading into his third season in Detroit, despite an up-and-down performance in training camp and the preseason. He mentioned Bates has only missed three kicks under 50 yards the last two seasons. Fipp believes Bates is still very much an ascending player and feels good about that part of the game heading into Week 1.
5. It was interesting listening to Sheppard talk about Saints quarterback Tyler Shough and the respect he has for the second-year signal caller ahead of Sunday's matchup. Sheppard remembered sitting in meetings ahead of last year's NFL Draft and Lions quarterback coach Mark Brunell raving about Shough. Sheppard said Brunell had him number one among last year's quarterback class and there were some pretty good quarterbacks that came out in that group.
6. Veteran Juice Scruggs will start at center Sunday for the injured Cade Mays (IR, wrist). Scruggs has starting experience, and quarterback Jared Goff said the chemistry between them has taken another step in the last week. Petzing said he challenged Scruggs to have more confidence and conviction in his voice making the calls after he took over the starting role, and has liked how Scruggs has embraced that.
7. More than any year since Fipp was named special teams coordinator in Detroit in 2021, he's having to deal with a lot of turnover from last season on teams. He said Thursday there's probably going to be around 11 guys who end up playing against the Saints that haven't played for him before. For Fipp, Sunday's contest against New Orleans is about setting a baseline to build upon and get better as the season progresses.
"The team that really gets better and better throughout the course of the year, those are the teams that end up being great," he said. "The goal is really to be great down the stretch. Not that we don't want to be great early, obviously. We want to start fast and finish faster."
8. The Lions are still deciding between Christian Mahogany and Ben Bartch at left guard with both players splitting first-team reps during practice this week. Head coach Dan Campbell said earlier in the week that we could see both players in the game Sunday. Petzing didn't seem too worried about the possibility of those two splitting reps against the Saints. He said he's done that previously in Arizona and is actually looking forward to the competition and seeing it in live action on Sunday.
9. What has veteran linebacker Devin White brought to this defense? Sheppard said White raised the level of play with all the other linebackers. He brings championship pedigree and Sheppard said White is 'going to help us this year.'
10. We could see third-year running back Sione Vaki get some carries Sunday as he and Jacob Saylors head into the game as the reserve backs behind starter Jahmyr Gibbs. Vaki has steadily improved as a runner and pass catcher, but Petzing said he's been most impressed with the gains Vaki has made as a pass protector - both from a willingness and technique standpoint.
