Getty Antwaan Randle El during the Steelers Super Bowl XLV in 2011.
The Detroit Lions shook up their wideout room this offseason, and while some believe that might lead to questions, others contend that the team will be just fine in the end.
It helps when the wide receiver coach is one such person hyping up the team instead of tearing them down, and that’s just what Antwaan Randle El has done thus far as the wideout coach. As a whole, neither he or his players seem too interested in the notion that they will struggle depth wise thanks to all the changes before the 2021 season.
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Speaking to the media on Wednesday, August 11 in an interview posted to DetroitLions.com, Randle El was asked about some of the potential criticism of his group. As he said, nobody’s been listening to any of that thus far as they work to get ready for the year.
“I wouldn’t know about it, they wouldn’t know about it. We don’t care,” Randle El said directly when asked by the media about such criticisms of his group. “We know what we’re about, what we’re trying to do, and that’s really our focus.”
Specifically, Randle El told the media that from what he has seen thus far, the team could prove to surprise some folks thanks to how players are developing.
“I think we’re really good. I think we’ll be really good. I feel like we’ll surprise some people. But it’s just a matter of just keep growing, Randle El told the media. “That steady pace I talked about in terms of consistency, it’s just about getting there and continuing that and that’s what we’ve been doing. I feel like we’re a good group, we’re going to have some depth and some guy who can really play. It’s just a matter of getting in these games and continuing to know the offense in and out so we can continue to improve so we can be ready to go to start the first game.”
With the team and their wideouts appearing to be laser-focused, there’s no reason to think the Lions can’t get there in the end, especially with Randle El calling the shots.
Lions Wideout Group Seeing Tons of Early Questions
This offseason, one of the biggest issues surrounding the team was the fact that Detroit had nearly a full turnover in their wideout room. Gone was established names like Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola and coming into the mix were very unheralded names like Kalif Raymond, Breshad Perriman, Damion Ratley, Amon-Ra St. Brown and others. The only holdover was Quintez Cephus. As a result, there have been questions swirling about whether the team has enough talent. That’s not a concern for Randle El, however, who really likes what this group has done for preparation so far in camp.
“It’s been great, steady improvement which is what you like to see. You don’t want guys to spike and then go down. They’ve been consistent. You have a couple guys who it might take a little longer, but For the most part, guys are smart, they get it, they understand ball.”
Already, it seems as if Raymond has emerged in camp and been a pleasant surprise, so if others can join him, Randle El might be proven right in the end and the questions could prove to be unfounded about the depth at wide receiver on the team.
Antwaan Randle El Brings Perfect Perspective to Lions Wideout Room
When he came to the Lions this offseason, Randle El checked off the former player and NFL experience box that the Lions seemed to have in terms of building their coaching staff under Dan Campbell. Randle El starred and won Super Bowl XL in Pittsburgh. During his time as a player, Randle El put up 4,467 receiving yards and 15 receiving scores. The former college quarterback also threw 6 touchdowns in his career.
Here’s a look at some highlights from his underrated career:
It’s notable that Randle El is the wideout coach for this group, and given his own career trajectory, he could be the perfect guy for the job. Not many folks gave him a chance of sticking in the NFL thanks to his size and his status as a converted quarterback, but he turned those questions into a sparkling career thanks to his own motivation.
Now, Randle El sees those same qualities in the Detroit wideouts he’s mentoring, and is trying to help them do the same things.
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