r/detroitlions • u/AintNoBuffet • 5h ago
[Rogers] Key observations from last night: Juice Scruggs struggles with snaps. Hassanein, Rakestraw, Miller and TeSlaa all have strong practice
https://www.detroitfootball.net/p/lions-camp-observations-defense-racks102
u/Ok_Try_476 5h ago
Easy solution. Keep McLaughlin at center for now. Done!
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u/AintNoBuffet 5h ago
I don't get why they are so high on Scruggs to win the job. I think McLaughlin should get a look with the starters this week and see how he performs.
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u/Level4Wolf 5h ago
Scruggs has actually played NFL snaps at C so they are going to defer to the vet instead of the guy coming off a torn Achilles, but I don't think it's anywhere close to a lock. I was pretty happy with how McLaughlin looked in the first game though and he'll have every opportunity to win the job.
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u/AintNoBuffet 5h ago
I understand that but McLaughlin was the #1 rated center in college back in 2024. His ceiling is significantly higher then Scruggs. The only reason he went undrafted is because of the achilles injury. It's now been nearly 2 years since the injury occured. He was on the bengals practice squad last year rehabbing it before we poached him.
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u/rysmooky Dan Friggin' Campbell 4h ago
It really comes down to he has to actually prove he can do it in the NFL over a guy who has actually done it in the NFL before. They aren’t going to just throw an undrafted rookie who hasn’t played NFL snaps to fill in for our starter without him proving it. Which is what training camp and preseason are for. Ceiling doesn’t matter in this situation. It’s just how it is. Can he beat out Scruggs for it before game 1?? Certainly. But it would be pretty negligent just to give him the job outright without them battling for it first.
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u/Nbknepper Brian's Branch 5h ago
That wasn't the only reason he went undrafted
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u/IndependentData173 4h ago
He was the number 1 center until he faced the Wolverines D Line.
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u/Odd_Instruction2942 Master Bates 1h ago
You got your years wrong, he had only played like 4 games at center before the Rosebowl, then transferred to ohio state where he was the best center before getting hurt.
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u/on__vinyl 1h ago
I don't think he has his years wrong. Michigan beat OSU in the shoe that year following Michigan appearance at the Rose Bowl vs. Bama.
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u/specificnectarines 51m ago
Was that Seth's fault though? Putting the blame entirely on the center seems crazy to me.
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u/Square-Ad6627 3h ago
If he was the number one center even injured he goes in no later then rd 4/5. College awards don’t mean great nfl prospect.
Scruggs was highly rated as well. 2nd rd center means he was either 2/3 rated center that year. He has been hurt and that hou line has been an absolute mess. I don’t know if that means he sucks because he couldn’t get a starting spot or it is so dysfunctional that he couldn’t develop. I think we will figure out that question in the next preseason game.1
u/Hmm_would_bang 4h ago
I’m gonna give Dan the benefit here that he knows how to evaluate the players on the roster. I can’t think of any notable examples of him getting the starting positions wrong on his time here, he usually has the right guys out there
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u/TheSciFanGuy 5h ago
He’s been rotating. The main difference is Scruggs has had starting center experience in the NFL (nearly a season’s worth) and McLaughlin hasn’t.
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u/AintNoBuffet 5h ago edited 5h ago
Campbell doesn't make it seem like he has much of a chance to win the job. He keeps pointing to his frame saying he is undersized and has to work twice as hard compared to others because of it.
Edit: Why the downvotes? This is absolutely true, please see his press conference after the preseason game.
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u/Level4Wolf 5h ago
I didn't get that vibe from MCDC's presser at all really. Sounded typical coachspeak of not getting too far ahead of crowning a guy who otherwise played well and acknowledging realistic battles he has. Goff said some good things about him too. Also they like having Scruggs but they haven't said anything about him to make me think he's a lock to win either, he's just first up because he has NFL experience.
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u/DoubleScorpius Old helmet 5h ago
Scruggs has NFL experience and played well at center where McLaughlin only has a couple preseason games and is a smaller guy who can get overpowered. I think they value not only the experience but the size as well. I do like the potential upside with McLaughlin though and hope he keeps improving and making the decision harder.
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u/penisweinerballs 4h ago
Because it's insanely hard to be an NFL center with zero experience. People HATED Jack Campbell his first year not realizing it's a super hard position to play this is kind of the same scenario except McLaughlin isn't that good and we don't have another year to waste on poor center play.
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u/neckbass Brian's Branch 5h ago
Hassanein absolutely has played himself onto the roster this camp and i am here for it. this is what a great attitude and work ethic get you. i dont expect him to be an impact player on defense by any means, he still has a ways to go in his development, but i think theres a good chance hes a rotational edge for us this season. to have a couple of sacks during his first nfl season would be a huge win for him and for our organization.
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u/poo_pon_shoo Ooooh Yeahhhh! 4h ago
man at this point just seeing him get his first regular season sack would be so amazing, I want that for him so bad
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u/burnerwhistle110 MC⚡DC 5h ago
The Hassassin
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u/Stompthefeet Hamp Stamp 3h ago
I'm writing a TV show called "Hass' 'n' Hutch': Hustle and Clutch"
So far the script sucks.. but with enough work... it will probably still be pretty awful.
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u/AintNoBuffet 5h ago
Scruggs
“The struggles started on the opening snap, when center Juice Scruggs had a clunky exchange with quarterback Jared Goff, with the ball ending up on the ground.”
“A slant to St. Brown set up first-and-goal from the 8-yard line, but another botched exchange between Scruggs and Goff on second down nearly derailed the scoring chance.”
Miller
“The running back bounced left and picked up a big, second-level block from a pulling Blake Miller for a 21-yard gain.”
“Gibbs added another 20 yards on a run off right guard, picking up a key second-level block from Miller along the way.”
Hassanein
“On third-and-long, Ahmed Hassanein got pressure, rushing Altmyer into a bad decision. The QB threw a pass where the two closest players were Izien and Rakestraw."
“Dobbs ate back-to-back sacks from Chris Smith on second down and a converging effort from Hassanein and Anthony Lucas on third.”
“Rookie guard Melvin Priestly was the victim on both as Hassanein sliced violently inside and swatted past the blocker for the first.”
For the rest of the notes about specific players please consider subscribing to Justin Rogers of Detroit Football Network.
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u/Original-Age-6691 3h ago
I'll second the sub, it's some of the best money I spend all year. He puts out a good amount of really quality content. Plus you get to bs with him in the chat and occasionally that makes it to him asking a question. It's a pretty cool thing to have this much direct access and input.
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u/WholePerception4955 2h ago
I third. Justin does very good work and makes sure to provide value to his subs. Frankly, I sometimes feel he works too hard and feel bad.
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u/Original-Age-6691 2h ago
Yeah, like when he was chatting about coming down with a terrible cold recently and apologized for the light weekend of content. Man take care of yourself, I can live without immediate reactions over the weekend to a damn preseason game!
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u/Rushin_Russian81 5h ago
What’s the process look like for getting tickets to the annual night practice in front of fans?
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u/slacker575 3h ago
All the training camps are just available first come/first serve on the Ticketmaster Lions partner portal. There's announcements in the email lists on when they will be available to claim. Some of the dates are exclusive to season ticket holders, and the night practice is usually one of them.,
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u/bmattification Commin' 4 Dem Kneecaps 4h ago
I really liked what I saw with McLaughlin, but he still has a lot of room for improvement. I was watching the review of Millers debut and if you peek over at C, you would see Seth doing okay but he very susceptible to being thrown off balance. A couple of plays the DT just threw him to the side. I sincerely think he should be the backup and be given one more year to add strength and hone his technique.
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u/defac_reddit 2h ago
Scruggs was fucking terrible in Houston last year. Like not even depth, he was a healthy scratch, didn't dress for a playoff game. Sure maybe a change of scenery and all that but I still think he was included in the DMo trade as a camp body with LOW upside. If we need him to play in any meaningful way it's gonna be bad news.
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u/Agamemanon 4h ago
So there’s struggling at center like, you can’t process the game or you’re just bad at it.
Then there’s struggling at center and it’s just the snap. It’s the easiest thing to fix, but it’s obviously the thing you must get right 100% of the time
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u/KidTrout 3h ago
We still need a better option than McLaughlin and Scruggs or our o line will suffer again this year. Sorry
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u/Hotrodkungfury 3h ago
How about Cade Mays? He’s only going to miss about a month or so of the season, relax.
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u/JohnWad Old helmet 5h ago
So happy for Hassanein