Alex Anzalone Understands 'Super Important' Nature of Joint Practices
The Lions are currently gearing up in Allen Park for their preseason opener, taking place on Friday against the N.Y. Giants.
And, on Tuesday, Dan Campbell's squad prepared for the contest by taking the practice field with the Giants. It marked day one of joint practices with the NFC East franchise, which went 9-7-1 and qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team a season ago.
It was a much welcomed change of pace for veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone and his Lions teammates, which had only faced off with each other in camp prior to Tuesday.
"It’s fun. The fans keeping it a little energized and hearing them cheer ‘cause you finally have an opponent,” Anzalone told reporters after Tuesday's practice. “It’s not just cheering when we’re (Lions) going offense vs. defense and there’s a touchdown. It’s like, ‘Oh, you’ll cheer when we have a sack.’ So, it makes it a lot more fun for a defensive player at least.”
Anzalone and his defensive counterparts had their hands full going up against Giants Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley on Tuesday. Barkley's star shined brightly, as he evaded Detroit defenders in both the run game and the passing game. Notably, he recorded a long run in 11-on-11 drills, and took a screen pass from New York quarterback Daniel Jones and proceeded to dart down the field for a big play.
Despite the noted struggles against the Giants' lead back, Detroit's defense, as a whole, had a solid day Tuesday. And, even more important than that, day one of joint practices was a valuable learning tool for the Lions. It offered Anzalone and his teammates a solid indication of where they stand right now and what they need to improve upon heading into the 2023 season.
"I feel like, to me, everything’s a learning lesson. Everything’s something that you can build off of," Anzalone expressed. "But, obviously, when you come out, you evaluate the film and see how we do. And, there’s obviously mental stuff, because it’s a different offensive look, a different personnel that you have to get used to that we don’t do a lot of scouting for.”
Campbell, in his third year as Lions head man, has emphasized throughout the summer that the joint practices – with both the Giants and the Jacksonville Jaguars – will be a critical component of training camp for Detroit. It will aid Campbell and his staff in evaluating the roster and determining which players belong on the Lions' season-opening squad.
Anzalone echoed the sentiment on Tuesday.
"They're super important," the seventh-year pro said of the joint practices. "Dan does a good job emphasizing the importance of it, just, you know, top to bottom. They put a pretty big emphasis on these practices, as far as evaluation and earning jobs. And, whether you're playing significant snaps in the preseason game or not, this is just like a game, except we're not going to the ground. So, it's definitely really good work."
