The Detroit Lions are coming down from their lopsided loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in the annual NFL Hall of Fame game on Thursday, July 31. Even though it was a bad game for the Lions, it’s worth noting that, of course, this is just the preseason, and the real test will be when Detroit has their starters on the field. While the game may be indicative of the Lions’ second string players, none of their starters were in the game, so it’s not a fair look at what kind of team the Lions will be this season.
But, what made last week’s game more interesting is that it was up against the Chargers, who are coached by Jim Harbaugh, who coached at the University of Michigan for many years. Harbaugh even coached Aidan Hutchinson when the defensive end was playing for the Wolverines.
After the win over the Lions, Harbaugh spoke about the game and named three wishes that he had going into the Detroit Lions matchup. He was able to snag all of those goals, too.
Jim Harbaugh Talks the Detroit Lions
Following the win over Detroit, Harbaugh opened up his postgame conference with some words about his three goals for that game. They were simple but important goals.
GettyHead coach Jim Harbaugh and Trey Lance #5 of the Los Angeles Chargers celebrate a 15-yard touchdown pass.
“Number one objective really (was that I) wanted to come out of it healthy and thought we did that,” he said about the game. “Two, I wanted to play good. Thought we did that, and the third objective was to win. You know we did that.”
He added that he has “been feeling like we’ve got a lot of ascending players that have been ascending in practice, and I just couldn’t wait to see them play a real game. I could go through a bunch of names.”
So, Harbaugh was happy with his team’s performance, as he should be, and accomplished his goals. As the Chargers’ website notes, “It’s just one preseason game, but the Chargers couldn’t have asked for a better all-around performance than what transpired in Canton.”
Jim Harbaugh Had a Solid Backup Quarterback
One of the takeaways from the Lions and Chargers game is that the Lions’ backup quarterbacks need some work. Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen both played in the game, but they didn’t have solid performances. But, it’s early, and they’re both talented players, so they could certainly improve.
Meanwhile, the Chargers’ backup quarterback, Trey Lance, got the start Thursday and did well. He completed 13 of 20 passes for 120 yards and two scores.
“I was excited to be able to play and I was excited we got this fourth preseason game. If they told me I could play four full games then I’d be fired up about it,” Lance in the postgame conference.
“I feel good. I’m excited to watch the tape and learn a lot from it,” he added later. “Always some good and some bad, but just great to be out there. I feel good about it overall. No turnovers so obviously that’s a win.”
Let’s hope the backup signal-callers on the Detroit Lions’ squad feel better about their performances by the end of the preseason.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Jim Harbaugh Had 3 Wishes Going Into Lions Matchup appeared first on Heavy Sports.