Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp spoke to the media Tuesday ahead of Detroit's final preseason game Saturday against Houston.
Here are five takeaways from that media session:
1. Options at gunner
The Lions were No. 1 in the NFL last season in gross punting average (51.0) and net punting average (46.2). A lot of that is thanks to Jack Fox and his big right leg, but having really good gunners on the outside who can get down the field and make plays is also a big factor in those numbers.
Cornerback Khalil Dorsey is one of the best in the NFL and it was good to see him return to practice Monday for the first time since breaking his leg late last season.
We've also seen rookie wide receivers Isaac TeSlaa, Dominic Lovett, and Jackson Meeks show some good things on special teams as well.
"So, we've got some wide receivers contributing on special teams, which is beneficial because the last time in four years we haven't gotten a lot out of that group other than Kalif (Raymond) as a punt returner," Fipp said. "For those guys to be able to help out in a core role, potentially it can help take some off of some other players."
2. Stuard returning kicks
It was actually film from Grant Stuard's college days at Houston playing some fullback that put Fipp onto giving it a try with the linebacker returning kicks.
"You want a guy who's going to be able to last and be durable," Fipp said. "At the time (Sione) Vaki was down early on in training camp, we've had Craig Reynolds back there. Anytime you bring a player in, you kind of watch everything they've done in the history that we have on film. There was some film from him at Houston where he was running the ball, and I was like, 'Wait a minute, like this looks pretty good right here.'
So Fipp and the Lions invested some time with him, teaching him ball security and seeing where it goes. Fipp is excited about the potential.
Stuard is one of the best special teams players in the league and said after Tuesday's practice that for him as a cover man, it's easier to tackle the players who go more east and west than north and south up the field. Stuard is definitely a north/south runner with some speed, power, and ability. He fumbled his opening kickoff return in the preseason but has been solid ever since.
3. No backups needed
This is one of those rare training camps where the Lions didn't bring in any competition at long snapper, place kicker, or punter.
Punter Fox, kicker Jake Bates, and long snapper Hogan Hatten are considered among the top in the league at their respective positions. Fipp said normally competition can be a great motivator for players to grow. In the case of Fox, Bates, and Hatten, Fipp said their internal motivation to be great is some of the strongest he's been around.
"When you have the right players, their passion is to be the very, very best player they can be and really their passion is to be probably the best player in the league at their position," he said.
"When you've got guys that are motivated like that, it makes my job a whole lot easier, and you really don't worry about competition."
4. Roster cuts
Special teams coordinators handle a large number of players on the roster on both sides of the football. A lot of the reserve players play a ton of special teams and they are coming and going throughout the season.
Fipp said early in his coaching career he was more passionate about fighting for players on the cut line that he thought could help on teams and was frustrated by some of the decisions, but his attitude has changed as he's gotten older.
"The job of making those cut-downs and managing the roster and the money, and all these things that a coach really doesn't think about, there's a lot to it," he said. "And I think that the best thing that I can do in my position is just tell, or explain to them the repercussions of, 'Oh, if we choose this guy and not that guy, it's going to push more weight onto this player, and this player we're asking an awful lot of already. It's going to add more to his plate. Do we feel comfortable about doing that? If we do, that's great.'"
5. Specialist training
Fipp loved the fact that multiple times this offseason Bates, Fox, and Hatten got together to work out and even took part in former place kicker Nick Novak's specialists camp.
"I know those guys get together a lot," he said. "I know they do different venues. There's different players like that who played in this league in the past. I have a lot of respect for Nick Novak, what he's done.
"I love seeing those guys get together and work. I think the more they can do it, the better. I mean, it shows a commitment to their craft, the game, to the team, the organization, to themselves, trying to be the best that they can be. Like I said, we've got the right guys, and they're all about it."
