ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The officials have been here for a while now and Jim Caldwell likes them here for a reason. They help get his team prepared for the season and familiar with varying rules that might change or might be bugaboos this time of year.
And the past two days, the flags have flown.
Caldwell doesn’t overly mind the penalties in practice at this time of year -- at least not publicly. The players aren’t wearing pads. Some are getting acclimated to things for the first time.
“That’s why we practice, and that’s also why we have NFL officials out here to emphasize some of the rules, and it’s not going to be perfect this time of year,” Caldwell said Wednesday.