Competition key: A lot of the offense vs. defense periods the Lions ran at minicamp practices were all about competition. In most cases, the penalty for the losing side in the drill was having to do pushups. That was the case in a goal line group period pitting the running backs and tight ends vs. the safeties and linebackers on Thursday.
Jesse James had a couple touchdowns in the drill, Ty Johnson scored, and Zach Zenner got in, but the winner for the offense was a touchdown catch by Jerome Cunningham on the last rep of the period. It meant the defense did the pushups today. – Tim Twentyman
Sideline discussion: Quarterback Matthew Stafford had an extended conversation with Danny Amendola, one of his new receivers, during a period when the No. 1 offense wasn't on the field. There was give and take, which is expected when teammates new to each other are working to get on the same page. – Mike O'Hara
Thrown into the mix: Veteran wide receiver Jermaine Kearse was signed Thursday morning and by noon he was on the practice field catching passes from Stafford. The Lions weren't at all shy about throwing Kearse into practice. With Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. out with injuries, Kearse got first-team reps in the final minicamp practice of the week. – Tim Twentyman
Taking advantage: Wide receiver Andy Jones made a nice catch on a deep sideline route to finish off a good minicamp. With Jones and Golladay out, it opened up opportunities for other receivers and Jones took advantage of his all week. – Mike O'Hara
Always teaching: Head coach Matt Patricia has said multiple times that coaching is a lot like teaching. That was evident in a 7-on-7 drill Thursday. Patricia was standing in the deep middle of the field behind the defense. Every rep he had teaching points, and not just for the defense. He could be seen complimenting a route and finish to a receiver, or reminding a running back about ball security, or showing a corner the proper technique for knocking a ball out of an outstretched receiver's arms. Patricia never stops teaching throughout the course of practice – Tim Twentyman
