The Lions held a three-day mandatory minicamp at their Allen Park training facility this week.
For safety Glover Quin, who missed workouts and OTAs to spend more time with his family, it was his first set of practices with the team this offseason.
"I'm just trying to soak up as much of the playbook as I can," Quin said Tuesday. "As I've said, football is football to me. I thank God every day because one of the things I've felt he blessed me with is a great football mind. Just being able to learn and understand defenses has been fairly easy for me. I came in yesterday and got a lot thrown at me, but was able to practice today."
Quin seems confident he can pick up the new scheme and his role(s) within it. As other players have noted, versatility will be key.
"We keep adding plays each and every day," defensive end Ziggy Ansah said after Tuesday's practice. "Obviously, I'm not going to be playing just one position. I'll definitely be floating around."
Learning is the theme this time of year, from new schemes to new positions entirely. After making some spot appearances as a fullback last season, former linebacker Nick Bellore has made the switch to FB on the roster.
"There's a lot of carryover," Bellore said of the two positions. "You're kind of in the same attacking positions. The only difference is you're not moving backwards – or at least I hope not.
"It's mostly just kind of mirroring what linebackers do. It's not the easiest transition. I'm learning, day by day, offensive terminology and all that stuff, so it takes time, but I've got great coaches and they're kind of teaching me and helping me along the way."
Bellore will be paving the way for a variety of running backs, including rookie Kerryon Johnson. Johnson was used to carrying the load in college, but he's more than willing to be part of a committee approach in Detroit.
"It'll be different," he said. "That time, that 30-carry a game, that's obviously not going to happen. It shouldn't happen in college, it's definitely not going to happen in the NFL. It's going to be different.
"Hey, that just means I should have more energy, right? Every carry I get I should be definitely trying to score or get as many yards as I can, and I just have to play that way."
MINICAMP HIGHLIGHTS
Recap all the action from minicamp:
LIONS TO TAKE PART IN JOINT TRAINING CAMP PRACTICES
The Lions announced Friday they'll be taking part in joint training camp practices with the Oakland Raiders and New York Giants this year.
Detroit will practice with the Raiders in Napa, Calif. prior to their Preseason Week 1 matchup, and host the Giants at their training facility in Allen Park the following week.
More info on both practice sessions will be announced at a later date.
OTHER NOTEWORTHY ITEMS:
- Quarterback Matthew Stafford was voted the No. 31 player in the NFL by his peers on the NFL Network's "Top 100 Players of 2018."
- The Lions announced Monday that they have signed free agent tight end Wes Saxton.
- View behind the scenes photos from Lions media day 2018.
