Lions Expect Hooker to Be 'Much More Comfortable' at Training Camp

Dan Campbell shares how Hendon Hooker needs to grow prior to training camp.

Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker (2) / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Detroit Lions backup quarterback Hendon Hooker is expected to take everything he learned this spring and build upon his experiences, both on and off the field prior to training camp.

Throughout the spring, Detroit's young signal-caller has been exposed to several new scenarios and potential in-game situations that tested his understanding of the offense and what the defense was trying to accomplish.

After struggling with interceptions, holding on to the football too long and mental errors at times, Hooker is now expected to go back to the drawing board to learn from his mistakes.

Head coach Dan Campbell expressed the coaching staff have provided the young quarterback with a plethora of opportunities to grow, based on the on-field work this spring.

“Just reps. We’ll tell him this before he leaves, ‘Here’s the beauty. Man, you’ve got everything we’ve done through spring,’ which has been a ton," Campbell explained. "He’s gotten, I don’t know, but I would guess he’s gotten more game situations as a backup quarterback than probably most in a spring."

With several weeks before the start of training camp, there is ample time for Hooker to grasp what the offense is trying to accomplish in different scenarios.

"We’ve put him in so many hard situations, which has been unbelievable to have those. But you’ve got everything we’ve done to this point," Campbell said "You ought to have every script with you, and you should be going through every one of them, every day. ‘I should be going through the play, the play-call, I’m in the huddle, here’s my – I’m going to visualize this. Alright here’s the coverage, I see it. Here’s the safety, I’m going to check to this.' So, by the time you get back, you should have a real good grasp at what we’re doing."

Detroit's fourth-year head coach noted that the 26-year-old's comfort level should increase at training camp, since the offensive installs are not going to change significantly.

"The install is not really going to change, not offensively," said Campbell. "We’re pretty much going to go in with what we went in with this spring. So, I expect the player that is much more comfortable coming into camp than when he left spring.”

Additional reading

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3.) 8 Players Who Impressed at Lions Minicamp

4.) Lions' Post-Minicamp 53-Man Roster Prediction