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TIM AND MIKE: August 23 practice observations

Situation work: Tuesday night's practice in Allen Park was in full pads and high intensity. The team went through a lot of different situational work, including two-minute and four-minute fourth quarter team periods. I thought the defense was flying around and making plays to begin practice. Then the offense caught up and finished strong. – Tim Twentyman

Keeping the drive alive: Quarterback Jared Goff and the first-team offense had a nice drive in a team period highlighted by two fourth-down conversions. Goff hit wide receiver Josh Reynolds for a first down on a 4th and 5 play. The drive ended with Goff hitting wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown on a pretty route to shake lose from cornerback Amani Oruwariye on a fourth and goal. – Tim Twentyman

Voice of experience: Assistant head coach and running backs coach Duce Staley knows from experience the perils of playing running back in the NFL. He also knows how to explain it in simple terms. "There's a legal street fight there," he said. – Mike O'Hara

Exiting early: Left guard Jonah Jackson left practice early after getting sick on the field during a team period. He was replaced by Logan Stenberg. Jackson stayed behind the action for a bit, but then left to go inside with trainers. – Tim Twentyman

Throwback: Tight end T.J. Hockenson went down after a collision with cornerback Jeff Okudah. Hockenson was down for several seconds before getting up. Hockenson shook it off and quickly returned to action.

Darren McCarty, a former member of the Red Wings legendary Grind Line and now a sports talk host, was right in front of the play. Had he ever been hit like that? "Not like that," McCarty said, before describing getting blindsided and having most of his equipment jarred loose – and not remembering how he skated to the bench. – Mike O'Hara

Against one of the best: Rookie linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez has been a great story in camp and has ascended the depth chart to a point where he's competing with Derrick Barnes for the starting WILL linebacker spot. But Rodriguez found himself in space against Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow Wednesday night trying to defend a screen pass in a team drill. Not many linebackers get out of Ragnow's grasp when he gets his hands on them. Rodriguez didn't in this case either, as running back Jamaal Williams zoomed by Ragnow's block for a good gain. – Tim Twentyman

Athlete: Wide receiver Kalif Raymond has a lot of athletic qualities – speed, quickness, agility and good hands. He showed all of them, and maybe one or two more, on a sliding catch with a spin move at the end to reach the front right corner of the end zone. – Mike O'Hara

Nickel job: One position battle that seems to be coming right down to the end is the starting nickel job between AJ Parker and Mike Hughes. Both players alternated with the first-team defense Wednesday night. – Tim Twentyman

Nice block: Goff got out in space to make a block on a D’Andre Swift pitch play. Goff did a nice job of essentially getting in the way of the cornerback. His offensive teammates liked the effort. – Tim Twentyman

View photos from Detroit Lions practice on Monday, August 22, 2022.

Starting strong: The defense did a nice job early forcing the first-team and second-team offenses off the field during a team period where the offense was trying to get out of the shadow of its end zone and drive the field. Defensive lineman Charles Harris ended the period with a win for the defense with a sack on third down. Harris was disruptive all practice. – Tim Twentyman

Roaming the middle: The offense was put in a 1st and 10 situation at the defense's 22-yard line with 24 seconds on the clock down 27-20. After a short pass to Chark and the time winding down, Goff hit Hockenson over the middle for a 16-yard touchdown. Hockenson should have plenty of space to roam in the middle with the weapons the Lions have added on the outside. – Tim Twentyman

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