ALLEN PARK -- A day of training camp under Matt Patricia's watch starts promptly at 9 a.m. It allows for no stretching, no lolly-gagging across the dew-strewn grass fields. Not when mock touchdowns are on the line.
Lions practices start with goal-line drills these days. The heavy packages, with extra linemen and those things called fullbacks and cornerbacks whose arms dangle at the knees. They pack in before they spread out and throw, throwing players on an island before they've had time to warm the blood up.
For fans and players alike, this is the show before the show, a little lightning before the storm.