FAQ » You just kind of hold your breath

Entering his fourth year in the NFL Color Rush Will Harris Jersey , Dahl could finally be getting a shot at significant playing time." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhitePride Of Detroita Detroit Lions communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsLibraryLionsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Detroit Lions NewsDetroit Lions NotesDetroit Lions AnalysisDetroit Lions TransactionsDetroit Lions Game RecapsFiled under:Detroit Lions QuotesDetroit Lions AnalysisJoe Dahl is bigger, stronger and finally getting a shotNew,14commentsEntering his fourth year in the NFL, Dahl could finally be getting a shot at significant playing time. EDTShareTweetShareShareJoe Dahl is bigger, stronger and finally getting a shotMark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsWhen the Detroit Lions drafted Joe Dahl in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, they knew he was going to be a long-term project. Used as mostly a left tackle at Washington State, he projected physically to be a guard, but had none of the experience playing in a three-point stance.As general manager Bob Quinn continued to focus his efforts on the offensive line, each year would go by as Dahl seemed to remain low on Detroit’s depth chart. He would get a start here and there as an injury replacement, but he mostly served as a potential body for special teams. It was beginning to look like one of Quinn’s first draft experiments would eventually slide off the roster entirely.However, entering the final year of his rookie contract Dahl has come into organized team activities bigger and stronger. And he’s starting to make an impression.“I think he’s really transformed his body over the last year,” Lions head coach Matt Patricia said on Thursday. “He just looks bigger and stronger. He moves better.”And while Dahl certainly still is fighting an uphill battle to make the final starting lineup Cheap Will Harris Jersey , he made a big stride this week. On both Wednesday and Thursday practices, Dahl was primarily the starting left guard—the one starting position that appears to still be up for grabs on the offensive line. However, the job is far from his at this point. This week in particular, the Lions seemed to shift their offensive line up quite a bit, hoping to find good chemistry and testing each players’ versatility. “It’s a great time of year to do that because so much of what we’re doing right now is communication, execution, assignment,” Patricia said this week. And with Joe Dahl in particular, his versatility has been on display. Throughout his four years—including this one—he has been Detroit’s utility piece, working at all three interior spots on the offensive line and even some spot duty as fullback. While that may be tricky for some, Dahl says good coaching and help from his teammates gives him the opportunity to learn each spot so seamlessly.“It just takes a lot of hard work and Jeff does a great job of just teaching us the offense. That’s a huge part of it is his communication to us. That just makes it so much easier” Dahl said. “And then we’re constantly just talking between ourselves. So we’re helping each other.”It’s still extremely early, especially with no pads on at this point in the offseason. However Will Harris Jersey Womens , it’s clear that in his fourth year in the league, he has value to the team. Whether that means as a starter, a versatile piece off the bench or just a special teams guy, it looks like Dahl is headed to his fourth year on the roster, which is no small accomplishment for a fifth-round draft pick. “He can be versatile in the inside positions,” Patricia said. “Again, if you can be flexible, or you have multiple roles on the team, you increase your value to the team.” GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals had hoped for the first winning streak of the season after a morale-boosting win at Green Bay in the snow last Sunday.But the Cardinals offense regressed in a 17-3 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, which dropped Arizona to 3-10.The Cardinals gave up three sacks and struggled to deal with the Lions’ pass rush, and they ran for just 61 yards as a team Matthew Stafford Jersey , averaging 2.9 yards per rush.In the end, their worn-down defense couldn’t keep the Cardinals close in the final minutes.“We didn’t create any movement up front on the offensive side of the ball to generate some positive plays on first and second down,” Cardinals coach Steve Wilks said.“We have to do a much better job protecting the quarterback, allowing him to go through his progression. And we have to protect the football.”Wilks said he was “extremely surprised” at his team’s performance coming off the win at Lambeau Field.“Great momentum, big win. We had a great week of practice,” Wilks said. “We have to learn how to finish. That’s what we didn’t do.”The Cardinals were able to avoid being blanked for the second time this season thanks to Zane Gonzalez’s field goal in the fourth quarter.The offense sputtered with only five first downs in the first half and no points from its best drive, which ended in a missed 54-yard try from Gonzalez.“Sometimes when you go three-and-out early, it’s hard to get in any kind of rhythm,” quarterback Josh Rosen said.The second half was only slightly better, but saw the Cardinals booed after a three-and-out late in the third quarter.The fans cheered loudest for the continuation of longtime wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald’s streak of games with at least one catch, which is up to 224.Fitzgerald figured to be more of a focal point with Christian Kirk out for the season because of a broken foot.But Fitzgerald — who became the NFL leader for most receptions with one team at 1,286 — had one catch through three quarters.“Obviously we had an awareness on him Darius Slay Jersey ,” Lions coach Matt Patricia said. “We know he is going to get the ball. We know he is going to get open in critical situations. You saw that as the game was going on and they got back to him and he was able to make great plays. You just kind of hold your breath the whole time because he can change the game in a second.”Down 3-0 in the third quarter, the Cardinals had three straight first downs on their second possession of the second half. Then Rosen was intercepted by the Lions’ Darius Slay, who returned the ball 67 yards for a touchdown.“It’ll be a frustrating Monday,” Rosen said, looking ahead to breaking down the offense on film, “but a Monday that needs to happen.”On the drive for the field goal, the Cardinals — looking for some way to get points — tried a direct snap to rookie running back Chase Edmonds on first and goal from the Detroit 8, but it resulted in a holding penalty that backed them up 10 yards.Arizona had to settle for Gonzalez’s 22-yard field goal with 8:14 to play. The Cardinals finished with eight penalties for 83 yards.Still trailing only 10-3, the Cardinals still had a chance. But the Lions handed the ball off to running back Zach Zenner seven times on a drive, the seventh carry was a 1-yard touchdown that sealed Detroit’s win.“We have to be able to muster up more than three points,” Fitzgerald said. “Converting more consistently on third downs and extending drives would be huge.”