Detroit Lions OTA’s Day 1 Update

New Faces in Honolulu Blue

The Detroit Lions are also welcoming in a lot of new faces this season. Today was the first time we saw Haloti Ngata, Tyrunn Walker, Manny Ramirez, Josh Wilson, and Lance Moore in Honolulu Blue.

The Lions have brought in a core of veteran players, at positions of need, that will either start immediately or compete for playing time this year. They will provide needed depth to help avoid the injury disaster we faced last season, when the offensive line and secondary were decimated with injuries. They have loaded both positions with rookies and veterans to provide a contingency plan should the eventual starters get hurt.

One of the under appreciated aspects of bringing in these veterans is the vast knowledge these players have. They challenge the younger players to get better and give pointers whenever they can. We have already seen the impact that Rashean Mathis has had on Darius Slay’s development, so bringing in a guy like Lance Moore who knows this offense inside and out makes sense. Lance knows how to run routes for this system and can provide vital knowledge for the younger wide receivers. Matthew Stafford has already applauded Moore for just that, per the teams website:

"“He’s super smooth,” Stafford said. “He knows this system. He’s challenging guys on our team to run routes certain ways and give them new thoughts and things that they had done."

Dec 14, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lance Moore (16) can

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