Observations: Amon-Ra St. Brown Dominates, Skirmish Breaks Out

Day 3 Detroit Lions training camp observations.

Amon-Ra St. Brown was simply unstoppable on Day 3 of Detroit Lions training camp. 

It is sometimes easy to overlook a player that is the model of consistency. 

But, on Tuesday morning, the former fourth-round pick put on a dominant display in front of media and the coaching staff. 

"I feel like once you get rolling, once you make a few plays early on, it carries on throughout the whole practice," St. Brown said. "Our biggest challenge is to keep that up throughout the whole camp going into the season."

St. Brown was observed to have six red-zone touchdowns on 10 plays called. 

One of the touchdowns was a highlight-reel route that included a toe-tap in the back of the end zone. 

Goff, who also had a solid performance until his final two passes, has developed the type of relationship with St. Brown that will certainly carry over into the regular season. 

"I know what he likes. He knows the way I like to run my routes," said St. Brown. "I'm starting to see what he sees. He's telling me what he's seeing, what he's expecting. So, we're kind of on the same page, for the most part. So, if we can just keep that up, I feel like the sky's the limit for us."

Despite the success and being one of the emerging wideouts in the NFL, St. Brown will always find ways to motivate himself, including browsing on social media. 

"I have Twitter, I have Instagram. I don't tweet, but I see stuff," said St. Brown. "And you know, you guys like to write stuff. And, I don't forget things that I see. You guys like to say certain things, whether it's negative or positive. And, I like to prove, you know, prove people wrong. Might not be bad, but just things that that I notice."

After dropping the first ball on the JUGS machine after practice, St. Brown still completed his 200 catches, and then proceeded to do 20 push-ups as punishment for his drop. 

James Houston could have expanding role

Despite being utilized a significant amount on the third team, the Lions still could have an expanded role for the second-year linebacker. 

“We’re doing a lot with him at SAM linebacker when we’re in base defense," said Dan Campbell before practice. "And certainly, he’ll play some of that sub-defensive end or get a chance to on third down. 

"We know he’s got some ability, some craft, but we’re looking to really expand his horizons, if you will, if he can play some of this SAM backer," Campbell continued. "Charles (Harris) is really the starter now. He’s (Houston) got to dive into the playbook, he’s got to know the calls, he’s got to understand all the adjustments, the formations, things of that nature. That’s where, once he grows, if he can get to that point, then potentially, he won’t come off the field. The other point of that is, don’t forget about Charles. He’s coming off an injury, we lost him last year. This guy’s a man on a mission. And, he’s another guy, I can’t wait as we go through camp, because you can tell he’s ready. It’s good to have him back, too.”

Observations

1.) C.J. Gardner-Johnson walked off the field with a noticeable limp. While he declined to be interviewed, the veteran safety noted, "I'll be better," as he walked inside the team's practice facility. 

2.) Frank Ragnow gave fans a little more reason to relax after practice, indicating he was feeling good during camp. He explained, “I’m feeling pretty good, man. I know I let this slip this offseason where I said (the injury was) inoperable and it’s kind of, maybe it got blown a little bit out of the water. I’m feeling really good. Right now, I’m in a good space, mentally especially. Like I’m confident, and I’m feeling really good out there.”

3.) Cam Sutton had a footing issue on the third offensive play, as Goff connected with Josh Reynolds for a completion. 

4.) Brodric Martin, getting second- team reps, has the sheer size needed to clog up space. When pads come on, it will be interesting to observe the battles that the rookie has with Detroit's top offensive linemen and reserves. Martin wants to show he can be more than just a run-stopper his rookie season. 

5.) Jared Goff's final two passes were ones he would like to forget. On the final play of practice, Kerby Joseph read the play quickly, and stepped in front of the intended target for an interception. Outside of an errant pass here or there, Goff had a stellar Day 3, and looks quite comfortable running Ben Johnson's offense. 

5.) A skirmish broke out between cornerback Starling Thomas V and offensive lineman Germain Ifedi. After pushing and shoving and falling to the ground, several players came over to break up the skirmish early in practice. 

6.) Two receivers took advantage of Jameson Williams being absent. Maurice Alexander and Trinity Benson were targeted often and secured receptions on Day 3. In red-zone drills, Alexander battled Thomas on multiple occasions, and a touchdown reception was disputed. After practice, Thomas emphatically said he would earn the PBU on the play, despite Alexander claiming he made the reception and held on for long enough. 

7. ) It truly is a game of inches. Tight end Sam LaPorta was able to stay focused, and secured a reception over the outstretched arms of linebacker Alex Anzalone in the middle of the field. 

8.) The final stretch of offensive reps saw the team being put in a situational opportunity, in the second-quarter with two timeouts. On first down, Goff connected with Jahmyr Gibbs. On second down, Goff connected with LaPorta to move the chains. St. Brown was targeted and secured the reception on the next play. The final two plays, on the defense's side of the field, saw Sutton break up a pass to Kalif Raymond, with the sequence and practice ending on a Goff interception on third down.