The first preseason game is in the books, with the Lions defeating the Super Bowl champion New York Giants 13-10 on August 7. Let’s share some observations from that game and also from the training camp practice that I attended on August 4.

QB: I groaned when I saw Jon Kitna throw an interception to Brian Kelly in practice, but he was very sharp against the Giants, going 6-7, 106 yards and a TD pass. The battle is for the backup job, and neither Dan Orlovsky nor Drew Stanton really stood out at practice. Orlovsky seems to have the edge, and if something happened to Kitna early in the year he would be the guy. But if it gets late in the year and something happens to Kitna or if they fall out of contention, I would think they would go to Stanton. Orlovsky was solid (8-11, 81 yards) against the Giants, and Stanton showed very good mobility, gaining 26 yards on the ground, plus he was 5 of 6 for 27 yards passing.

RB: Kevin Smith is getting some positive vibes coming out of training camp. Early on they said he was running too upright but he is definitely pushing Tatum Bell for the starting job. In practice the Lions aren’t going all out with their running plays because they are using a zone scheme which features cut blocking, so we needed a game to take place so we could finally see how the running game is coming along. The answer is that it isn’t looking good. Bell only managed 8 yards on 7 carries. Smith played with mostly second teamers and had 8 carries for 22 yards. In the practice I attended, Smith didn’t embarrass himself as a receiver. They did some red zone drills and he made a few catches on basic stuff. The backs will likely catch less passes in this system than they did under Mike Martz.

WR/TE: I know this isn’t any special insight here, but seeing him up close it is really striking that Calvin Johnson is huge. When the receivers were together doing their drills he towers over everyone else. Also, Roy Williams apparently likes to goof off during practice, or at least the practice sessions that are open to fans. Among other antics, the receivers did a blocking drill where they had to get low and drive into the sled and lift it a few feet off the ground. Roy lifted it about an inch. I’m not reading much into it, the guy is just a little bit of an oddball, that’s all. Johnson caught 4 for 78 against the overmatched Giants secondary. Get Johnson now because his stock is going up. He will outperform his draft position. Williams had only one catch but it was a 20 yard TD. There wasn’t much else of note here. Shaun McDonald finally came off of the PUP list.

K/Def/ST: Jason Hanson made a 50 yard FG, but also suffered a minor thigh injury. He’s up there in age, still has good enough leg strength, but these minor injuries are a bit of a concern. He should be fine by week 1 but we’ll keep an eye on it. On defense, the Lions are proud of the fact that their defensive linemen are all under 300 pounds. To me, that means yes they will have quickness, but they will be vulnerable to smashmouth running attacks. Linebacker is still a bit of a mess. Jordon Dizon had a short holdout, and Rod Marinelli does not want to start the rookie in the middle. So if Paris Lenon stays in the middle, who starts at the strong side? Takeo Spikes was an option but he signed with San Francisco. The Lions picked Teddy Lehman back up after Tampa Bay cut him, and three days later Lehman was on IR.

Detroit’s next game is Sunday at Cincinnati, followed by a game with preseason rival Cleveland on Saturday August 23.