Fun-Ecke » years. Still, Amendola remains confident, in part,

Three former Lions are getting a second shot at professional football." Detroit Lions News3 former Detroit Lions participate in XFL Summer ShowcaseNew Nick Bellore Jersey White ,10commentsThree former Lions are getting a second shot at professional football. EDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:3 former Detroit Lions participate in XFL Summer ShowcaseTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Thomas B. Shea/Getty ImagesWith the AAF no longer a thing, several football players outside of the NFL are looking for work. The next big opportunity appears to be the XFL, which is slated to debut in 2020. To get ready for the season, the XFL is hosting eight different Summer Showcases over the next month to evaluate talent. Two showcases—Dallas and Houston—have already taken place, and we’ve already seen a few familiar faces. Three former Detroit Lions were on the invite-only list: cornerbacks Ian Wells and Sterling Moore, and defensive tackle Khyri Thornton. If Wells and Moore don’t sound all that familiar, that’s understandable. Moore spent just 11 days on the Lions’ roster last year, but had seven years of NFL experience before that. Wells was an undrafted rookie signing back in 2016, but a training camp injury landed him on IR. Though he started 2017 on the Lions roster, he didn’t end up making it to training camp that year. Thornton, though, is a guy all fans should recognize. Thornton spent three years on the Lions roster, tallying 28 tackles and 1.0 sacks over 23 game appearances. In his final year in Detroit Damon Harrison Jersey White , he served a six-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.Now all three players will get another shot at professional football.With six more Summer Showcases on the schedule for June, we could see a few more former Lions get another crack at the game they love. We saw Dontez Ford play well for the San Diego Fleet in the AAF, though he wasn’t able to parlay that into a job in the NFL.In addition to the players above, there are also a handful of local college players who attended the XFL tryouts. Here are some names that may sound familiar to you Michigander college football types:WR Keith Mumphrey (Michigan State)TE Josiah Price (Michigan State)LB Malik Fountain (Central Michigan)LB Taiwan Jones (Michigan State)You can see the full rosters of the Houston and Dallas tryouts here and here. The Lions’ veteran receiver is feeling comfortable in Detroit."Danny Amendola has been around in the NFL. Now entering his 11th season in the league, he has seen it all. He was cut on national television his rookie year, as HBO viewers watched a 22-year-old fail to make the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent. He has since seen his hard work pay off in the form of a long, productive NFL career with two Super Bowl rings to show for it. But he’s also lived on the other end of the spectrum. In his four years with the Rams, Amendola’s team went just 17-46-1. So now entering his 11th season in the NFL and his first with the Detroit Lions, how does he feel as the team’s most veteran player on offense? “I’m in the best shape of my life,” Amendola said. “I feel confident in the offense.”Part of that confidence comes from Amendola’s experience in Detroit’s new offense, which is being spearheaded by newly-hired offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. According to Amendola, the system is very similar to the one ran by the St. Louis Rams during his time there, but he knows there will be some differences in personal preferences.“I’ve been in an offensive very similar to this one for a number of years in my past Womens Graham Glasgow Jersey ,” Amendola said. “So I’m familiar with the verbiage, and it’s good getting out here in OTAs, get an early jump on what these coaches like, what the quarterbacks like, and how we’re going to run our routes, how we’re going to play our games. This is an important time for us.”During Amendola’s time with the Rams, he played under three different offensive coordinators—Pat Shurmur (‘09-10), Josh McDaniels (‘11) and Brian Schottenheimer (‘12). And while Amendola thrived during that time—earning two of his career best statistical seasons over that span—the Rams did not. They ranked in the bottom three in offensive efficiency in three of his four years. Still, Amendola remains confident, in part, due to the strength of the wide receiver room. Just a few weeks ago Kenny Golladay noted how Amendola’s work ethic was contagious, and the veteran receivers sees something in Golladay, too.“Amazing player Miles Killebrew Jersey , we’ve been watching film together,” Amendola said. “A lot of our guys in our room have been watching film together, kind of get a head start on what we’re going to need to do. We’ve got a lot of good football players in our room, a lot of roles to fill in our room, and we’re going to do our best, collectively, as a whole, to get the job done.”But is it possible to really get a sense of whether this 2019 Lions team is more Patriots or more 2010 Rams at this point in the offseason? Amendola admits it’s probably too early.“It’s early, man,” Amendola said. “We’re trying to grasp the offense. We’re all learning together, and there’s a long way to go.”