Lions minicamp: Day 3

Final thoughts and musings from Day 3 of Lions minicamp:

n Keith Smith had the interception of the day, outwrestling Calvin Johnson for a slightly underthrown ball deep down the right sideline during Thursday's first 11-on-11 drill. Smith won't start over Brian Kelly, but for my money he's still the best cover man on the team. Maybe some of Kelly's tackling ability will wear off.

n Rookie running back Kevin Smith — no relation to Keith — made a good first (or is second?) impression. As advertised, Smith makes his cuts at full speed. "He's very decisive," Lions coach Rod Marinelli said. "He doesn't dance a lot." If he stays healthy — with that upright running style, he'll take a lot of shots — I think he'll get 1,000 yards and the bulk of the carries this year.

n He wasn't lights out, but Drew Stanton had his best practice of minicamp. Like I said, I'm reserving judgment on the Lions' backup quarterback situation until midway through training camp. Stanton needs repetitions to get comfortable with his new throwing motion and with an NFL offense. Mike Martz changed everything Stanton did last year, and throwing on the sideline is nothing like taking live practice reps. Don't write him off yet.

n Lions executive vice president Tom Lewand said the NFL owners' decision to opt out of their labor agreement with the players' union will not affect how the team negotiates with its rookies. "It's an environment that we've operated under before," Lewand said. One salary-cap item of note, the current agreement allows signing bonuses to be prorated over a maximum of five years (last year the maximum was six). That means if first-round pick Gosder Cherilus signs a six-year deal with $10 million up front, $2 million of the guaranteed money will count against the cap this year. Last year, that number would have been $1.67 million.

Lions minicamp: Day 2

More random thoughts and musings from Day 2 of Lions minicamp:

n First-round pick Gosder Cherilus held his own in one-on-one drills against defensive end Jared DeVries Wednesday. Cherilus also took a few No. 1 reps at right tackle. It's highly likely he'll win the starting job come August, but George Foster is first on the depth chart for now. The bigger question is what becomes of Foster. Considering Cherilus' youth, I think the Lions keep Foster as a fourth tackle (Jonathan Scott is the swing guy capable of playing both positions), but it's possible Manny Ramirez, Corey Hulsey and Frank Davis win backup spots instead.

n One other name to watch on the offensive line, Carroll Madison, a 6-foot-2, 308-pound undrafted rookie from Syracuse who drew unsolicited praise from offensive coordinator Jim Colletto on Wednesday.

n Defensive tackle Chuck Darby sat out part of Wednesday's second practice for undisclosed reasons. He joined Ernie Sims and Cory Redding, both recovering from minor offseason shoulder surgeries, safety Daniel Bullocks, receiver Shaun McDonald and tight end Dan Campbell on the sidelines. Campbell did run a few routes in one team period, but just to go through the motions. No passes (or contact) came his way.

Lions minicamp: Day 1

A few random thoughts and musings from Day 1 of Lions minicamp Tuesday:

• Bear in mind this is without pads, but the Lions look much faster and much more capable of playmaking on defense than they did a year ago. In two practices today, the defense forced a number of turnovers. The secondary is much improved and the speed at linebacker has been upgraded. If the Lions can generate a pass rush, they will rank in the top half of the league defensively.

• Now that Mike Martz is gone, Dan Orlovsky looks like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders (or maybe it's just that he's taking reps). Either way, he was crisp in team drills and appears to be clearly ahead of Drew Stanton for the No. 2 job. This is Stanton's first real NFL action and he has to get used to throwing into a smaller window. Still, I'll reserve judgment on both players until I have a larger sample to judge.

• Tatum Bell said he's lost 12 pounds since the start of the offseason conditioning program two months ago. I still expect him to open the year as starting running back in a bit of a time share of rookie third-round pick Kevin Smith. Clearly, Smith will play a ton as well and will start at some point.

• If not this year, Calvin Johnson will be a Pro Bowl receiver in 2009.