Stafford-led workouts could pay dividends for Lions

Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson have gotten together for off-season throwing sessions the last few years, sometimes with one or more of their Detroit Lions teammates.

This year, Stafford and Johnson expanded their workouts to include about a half-dozen other Lions, and one of the participants said he expects the extra practice to pay dividends when training camp opens today.

"It's always good when you're away for a while to get the group back together and just go through some things," receiver Lance Moore said. "Whether the physical or the mental part of it, I'm not really sure which one was more important. Just hearing the plays and being around the quarterback and getting that communication back together is just as important as what we're doing physically on the field. We had a good group there, everybody worked hard and, hopefully, it'll pay dividends for us."

Receivers Corey Fuller, Jeremy Ross and Greg Salas and tight ends Eric Ebron and Joseph Fauria joined Stafford, Johnson and Moore for three days of workouts at Johnson's alma mater, Georgia Tech.

Golden Tate, the Lions' No. 2 receiver, said he couldn't make the three-day retreat because of prior commitments.

Moore said Stafford put up the players in an Atlanta hotel -- players paid their own way to the city -- and the sessions included a weight room workout every morning followed by a series of passing drills.

Lions coach Jim Caldwell said he was pleased to hear about the workouts, which the team couldn't officially sanction, per NFL rules.

"I think it's what it takes in this league for guys to grow closer together within a system, that they take initiative upon themselves to work and work together, and I think you see that amongst good teams," Caldwell said. "You don't often hear about it, but believe me, behind the scenes, they're doing it and they're getting together and they're working and perfecting their craft. Those are good signs."

Moore, who played nine seasons with the New Orleans Saints and one with the Pittsburgh Steelers before coming to the Lions this spring, said he never played for a quarterback who organized similar get-togethers in the past.

"We didn't do anything like that in New Orleans," Moore said. "I've, obviously, been around long enough. I've heard of plenty of groups that did that and doesn't necessarily mean anything. You still have to come into camp and get that work in in the preseason games and continue that throughout the season. But I definitely don't think it can hurt."

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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