Back to the Detroit Lions Newsfeed

'Iron sharpens iron': Lions' Ansah, Reiff battle to be better

The closest thing to a fight during Lions training camp practices this month was some brief shoving between left tackle Riley Reiff and defensive end Ezekiel Ansah.

The two recent first-round picks battle each other every day in practice in one of the team's top matchups, pitting the Lions' top pass rusher against their top edge blocker. Despite the occasional chippy reactions, Ansah said his relationship with Reiff is "competitive, nothing combative" -- the same words coach Jim Caldwell has used to describe what the team wants to see in practice.

The 23rd overall pick in 2012, Reiff is one of the quietest players on the team, leading by example and following the one set for him by former Lions left tackle Jeff Backus.