Competition breeds success: Lions offense and defense pushing each other to be better

When asked about defensive standouts, Ben Johnson said it goes across the board. From the defensive front to the secondary, the Lions defense is pushing the offense to be better, and vice versa.

"Shoot, I think our defensive front’s going to be pretty darn good is what I think," said Johnson. "It’s probably, after two days, we’ve had more run stuff than what we have had in the past few training camps. These guys are fearless, they have a swagger, and some mistakes that they were making early in camp, we got them on a few deep balls before the pads got on, they’ve cleaned that stuff up, so you see improvement every day from the back end."

New offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler learned a thing or two about this Lions defense, even in his short time with Detroit. He too, like Ben Johnson, is impressed with the Lions defensive line, but also adds that they are making them better each practice.

On the other side of the ball, Ifeatu Melifonwu is a component of this revamped secondary. While showing flashes last season, there will be movement and adjustments with the positions on defense, Melifonwu said he has enjoyed playing safety. He also was quick to compliment the offense, but knows that goes both ways.