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10 Detroit Lions Miss Practice Wednesday

Several key offensive weapons sit out the first practice ahead of the Lions' contest against the Patriots.

John Maakaron

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On Wednesday, the Detroit Lions returned to their Allen Park practice facility to begin their preparations for the New England Patriots. 

In his pre-practice media session, Lions head coach Dan Campbell expressed that several offensive weapons would sit out the team's first practice. 

Those not practicing included the following: D'Andre Swift, DJ Chark, Josh Reynolds, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Quintez Cephus, T.J. Hockenson, Evan Brown, Frank Ragnow, Chris Board and John Cominsky. 

Kicker Austin Seibert, Jerry Jacobs and Josh Paschal all returned to practice this week. 

Familiarity with quarterback Bailey Zappe

Rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe, the Patriots' third-string quarterback, will likely be under center in replacement of the injured Brian Hoyer, who left New England's Week 4 game early. 

The Lions' coaching staff had the opportunity to coach Zappe in the Senior Bowl, and is now preparing a defensive gameplan to limit his productivity. 

"Highly intelligent. He picked up the offense very quickly," Campbell explained. "Very composed. Just had a good command of the huddle. Teammates respected him. You can tell they listened to him. And, he kind of plays that way. I thought they did a good job with him -- just trying to get him settled in and being smart and not putting them in a bind. Continue to run the football, do things to get the ball out, and then a little play action. 

"I thought Coach Patricia called a good game getting him in there. I know if he's the guy, he'll be much more settled," Campbell continued. "That's hard for a rookie to just go in there and there you go, you're rolling. So, they'll have a good plan for him. But, he certainly, he's got the FBI (Football intelligence) for sure."

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John Maakaron
JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland  Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!

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