Thread Tools

Display Modes

**RoyWilliams** · 08-09-2007, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Rookie wide receiver Calvin Johnson better be ready when the Lions open the preseason at 7:30 Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals at Ford Field.

"We're going to see him a lot in this game," offensive coordinator Mike Martz said. "We're going to see him a lot in the preseason. He's gotta learn how to play.

Advertisement
click here
"We're going to wear his little froggy rear end out."

Martz outlined the Lions' preseason plans Tuesday, and they include a lot of playing time for Johnson and plenty of snaps for each of the quarterbacks: Jon Kitna, J.T. O'Sullivan and Dan Orlovsky.

Kitna will start Thursday, but O'Sullivan will get most of the snaps in the first game.

"Each week we're going to try and utilize one or the other," Martz said of how he'll use the backup quarterbacks in the preseason. "If you go in and share time all the time, they can't get the flow of game. We're trying to get each one the majority of a game and let them respond and see how well they do with it.

"Probably J.T. this week. That's kind of what we're thinking about. I talked to coach (Rod) Marinelli earlier this morning. We think that's what we'll do."

Martz said Kitna would play "the lion's share" of the third exhibition game, at Indianapolis on Aug. 25.

"The second one, Danny should get a pretty good dose of it," Martz said. The Lions visit Cleveland in the second exhibition game Aug. 18.

The final preseason game is Aug. 30 at Ford Field against the Buffalo Bills.

Martz said he has been pleased by both Orlovsky and O'Sullivan so far and plans to test both in the next few weeks.

"We put people in position to make plays," Martz said of the preseason. "Not so much about attacking the defense as trying to get guys in a position to see what they do."

Martz said each unit will be tested -- for example, how well the offensive linemen do in run-blocking. How receivers handle certain routes and matchups. How the quarterbacks respond in stressful situations.

"There's certain things we want to make sure we get in this game to find out certain things about different players, particularly some of the backs," Martz said. "You want to make sure you see them as receivers."

Because he's trying to get a feel for what players can do, Martz might call plays in the preseason differently than he'd call them in the regular season.

"You're just trying to look at certain things and situations and really test them and see how well they respond," Martz said.

Johnson is one player who'll be tested throughout the next four weeks, in part to help his conditioning.

"He's going to hit the wall after about two weeks physically," Martz said. "His legs will get real tired, so you have to give him a reprieve.

"Right now he's going to get stressed physically pretty good. Then we'll try to back off and help him with that."