By Michael Stets
ALLEN PARK–HIs teammates call him “old man,” but on the second day of Lions training camp, the performance of tight end Darren Fells certainly said otherwise.
Fells, 31, was signed by the Lions in March to help improve the running game this season. But with starter Eric Ebron out of practice after injuring his hamstring on Sunday, Fells caught pretty much everything thrown his way, including a great grab in traffic where he leaped up over safety Tavon Wilson to reel the football in.
“Talking to Matt [Stafford], he said he didn’t want to overthrow me because he knew I was too slow,” said Fells, drawing laughs from the media. “So he wanted to throw it high. He knew if he threw it high, I’d go up and get the rebound.”
HIs teammates too notice too. Wide receiver Golden Tate walked up to Fells during his media session and poured cold water on his head saying,”I gotta cool you off. You was hot today, boy!”
At six-foot-seven and 318 pounds and never posting more than 21 receptions in one season, Fells isn’t going to make defenses shiver. However, showing he has reliable hands when he gets open lets Stafford know he can count on him when he’s needed.
“Matt definitely has a lot of trust in everybody,” said Fells. “He’s shown that he has faith in me too. Normally you don’t think that you are going to be an option out there until you prove you can be an option. If you get open he’s getting you the ball.”
Aside from all the catches he made on Monday, Fells, who signed with the Lions in March, looked like he had a firm grasp on the offense as well. There is always an adjustment period while learning a new offense in the NFL, especially with a limited amount of practices in the offseason. The four-year veteran said he attributes that to “studying.”
“I spend a lot of time off the field trying to learn the playbook,” he explained. “I hate making mistakes. I’m a perfectionist.”
That certainly bodes well for the Lions’ offense, regardless of whatever role Fells has with the team this upcoming season. And if the first two practices of training camp–where the offense has run two-tight end sets on multiple occasions– is any indication, Fells will be in line for some increased playing time.
There is currently no timetable for when Ebron will return to the field. But Fells is confident he can fill in for Ebron if the team needs him to, or play any role they ask of him.
“I’m trying to be a chameleon on this team. If the team needs me to do that [play for Ebron], I’ll do that. We are confident he’s going to come back and be a dual threat out there.”