Dan Campbell Reveals Who Stood Out Against Giants

Lions coach acknowledges several players who made plays against Giants.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Campbell expressed that training camp is not just about one day or one game, but it offers a long-term look at how a player could impact the Detroit Lions' roster.

"As always, you gather a lot of information in these preseason games, and this was the first one. There was a lot guys, I mean most of, all of, you want to see how they respond in a game like this," Campbell said, following the Lions' 14-3 loss at MetLife Stadium. "So, I would say we learned a lot on some guys.

"I just told them that this is where you, as long as you want it and you’re willing to work, you don’t go in the tank for mistakes, you improve, you listen to the coaching and work at it and you grow. Certainly wasn’t our best performance, but man there was some guys that showed up and it’s going to be great tape for us to evaluate."

The offensive performance certainly left a lot to be desired. Even though there were mistakes, several undrafted free agents and veterans stood out over the course of 60 minutes.

After reflecting, Detroit's fourth-year head coach shared which players made plays and stood out.

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"Isaiah Williams showed up. I mean he made some plays out there and that was clear. That was clear to see. He did some really good things that showed up. Defensively, we’re going to know a lot more when we watch the tape in there, but I think that I thought (DL Mekhi) Wingo did some things. I thought you could feel him a little bit in there," Campbell explained. "I thought (LB) Malik (Jefferson) made some plays at the linebacker position. (S) C.J. Moore went in there and made some plays."

Part of the excitement level of supporters has been the play of rookie defensive backs Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw. Kicker Jake Bates has quickly become a player that is having his every kick documented and analyzed.

"Look, I thought (CB) Ennis (Rakestraw Jr.) had a good showing too out there at corner early in the game. He got a lot a reps, but I thought they were valuable reps," Campbell stated. "We’ll know more tomorrow, but I felt like those were kind of some guys that stood out just from afar. (Jack) Fox obviously punted the ball like as always. It was good to see Jake (Bates) hit that field goal. Fifty-three yarder with the rain right down the pipe, so that was good. There was some good things in there."