O-line vs. D-line: The first full-padded practice of camp meant we got to watch full contact o-line vs. d-line pass-rushing drills. If I had to pick an overall winner for the day, I'd say the d-line got the better of their counterparts.
Defensive tackles Haloti Ngata and Tyrunn Walker were especially dominant against guards Larry Warford and Laken Tomlinson. It wasn't a good day in those drills for either guard. *– Tim Twentyman
*
Get-off drill: There aren't many players who get off the ball quicker than Devin Taylor and Ziggy Ansah, the bookend starters at defensive end. In a competition drill to see who could get off the ball and hit the sled first, Taylor won by a margin no wider than the width of his facemask. Had the stopwatch been running, all the other linemen would have been competing for the bronze medal. – Mike O'Hara
Narrow focus: The Lions brought in narrow eight-and-a-half-feet goal posts last season at the request of kicker Matt Prater because he liked to practice kicking through a smaller target. That way when he went back to normal goal posts 10 feet wider, they'd seem huge. Seems like terrific logic.
Prater was on point kicking from a variety of different yardages and hash marks during a field goal kicking session Sunday. He split those narrow goal posts just about every time. – Tim Twentyman
Catch of the day: Veteran receiver Andre Caldwell made a beauty in a passing drill early in practice. He stretched to grab the ball with his left hand on a pattern over the middle, then brought the ball down without touching it with his right hand and continued running. – Mike O'Hara
Making plays: Second-year cornerback Quandre Diggs isn't the biggest, fastest or strongest cornerback on the field, but he seems to have a terrific knack for finding the football. He broke up a pass intended for Anquan Boldin in the end zone in Saturday's practice, and made another fine play Sunday getting his hand on a ball intended for TJ Jones across the middle in a team drill. *– Tim Twentyman
*
1-2-3: Matthew Stafford finished off a possession in the team drill with three straight sharp completions. The first two were to Caldwell. The third was a sidearm shot he had to make to avoid the rush that hit tight end Eric Ebron in stride. – Mike O'Hara
Sitting out: No RB Theo Riddick or WR Ryan Spadola at practice today. Head coach Jim Caldwell said Riddick was dealing with an injury but said he'll be "OK."
LB DeAndre Levy and S Don Carey remain on the active/non-football injury list. WR Corey Fuller, TE Brandon Pettigrew and T Corey Robinson are still on the physically unable to perform list. – Tim Twentyman
Riley's world: Riley Reiff isn't sulking or going at half speed because of a switch from left tackle, where he was the full-time starter the last three years, to right tackle. He showed his quickness early in practice when he got in front of a flanker screen to Golden Tate. And head coach Jim Caldwell reported after practice that Reiff broke one or two facemasks -- the exact count wasn't certain – during practice. – Mike O'Hara
Linebackers, old and new: Chris Spielman, an All-Pro linebacker with the Lions in the 1990s, visited camp as part of his preparation for his upcoming roles as a TV color analyst for the Lions' four preseason games and for his new job with the Fox network NFL games. After practice, Spielman had a chat with two starters. They were linebackers, of course – DeAndre Levy and Tahir Whitehead. – Mike O'Hara