Last season, the Lions didn’t show enough restraint when scuffles broke out on the field during games. So coach Jim Schwartz saw something positive in a brief skirmish at practice on Thursday.
Lions center Dominic Raiola took a swing at rookie linebacker Tahir Whitehead during practice, but Whitehead didn’t swing back at Raiola, and that’s what Schwartz was glad to see.
“There’s a lot of things that happen in training-camp practices,” Schwartz told the Detroit Free Press. “I think that player showed some restraint. I think that that’s a good step, particularly a rookie like Tahir — to be able to show restraint and keep focus even when guys were competing. The biggest thing is not letting those things get ahold of you, and I thought that Tahir did a very good job in that situation.”
Raiola, a team captain, said last year that the Lions were undisciplined. It’s not a great sign that a rookie like Whitehead is the one who has to walk away from a team captain taking a swing at him, but Schwartz will take any sign of maturity the Lions can get.
