The constant heap of praise on the Detroit Lions had to end at some point, right? If that’s what you’ve been thinking, then I have good news for you. The buck stops here.

All off-season, I’ve witnessed good to great things about how the Lions are operating. And that goes especially for what I’ve seen from organized team activities (OTAs) until this week’s mandatory minicamp. On the first two days, I felt the energy, vibe, and intensity were next level. There was Duce Staley out there talking, “you know what.” Or you walked past a seriously focused Penei Sewell.

And no matter what was going on, Dan Campbell was standing smack dab in the center of it all like a true bad ***.

Despite that, Day 3 of minicamp was different. It was methodical. With a period of inactivity on the horizon, this practice had a “strictly business” vibe. Presumably, the players’ and coaches’ focus was to run through a few things, share some insight, develop techniques, and then get out of there.

Jared Goff warming up on Day 3 of Detroit Lions mandatory minicamp.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just what took place.

However, here are some things that I did witness:

Coordinators Anthony Lynn and Aaron Glenn looked like two uncles at a BBQ sharing a brew. There was constant banter between those two all afternoon.
Jahlani Tavai looks to be in incredible shape. Over the past few weeks, there’s been a lot of talk about his weight loss. His quickness and agility were on display.
I don’t expect anyone to be excited over a backup quarterback, but Tim Boyle, in my opinion, should be QB2 behind Jared Goff. Like Goff, he throws a pretty ball and made several impressive throws throughout the week.

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn joking with his players as they’re completing drills.

Jared Goff looked a tad bit rattled to start yesterday. I wasn’t a fan of a few passes that he threw. However, as the practice went on, his play picked up. One obvious thing is the rapport between him and T.J. Hockenson. During 7-on-7 drills, he made it a point to get the ball to Hockenson.

Detroit Lions’ Trey Flowers received tons of praise from coaches on Day 3 of minicamp.

Another that I noticed during the 7-on-7 drills was how vocal the players were, especially on defense. Jeff Okduah was constantly yelling from the sidelines to the defense, telling them where he felt Goff was going each.

Other than what I’ve mentioned, it was a mild practice. Training camp for the Lions starts in several weeks. And as Dan Campbell alluded to, expect things to ramp up when it kicks off.