Detroit Lions: Titus Young Having Nice Training Camp, Could Be Poised for Breakout Year

By Alek Frost
Senior Writer

Titus Young is coming off a respectable rookie campaign but has plenty to prove in 2012, with the expectation that he’ll eventually become the starting wideout opposite Calvin Johnson.

Young isn’t wasting anytime attempting to meet those expectations and looked thoroughly impressive in Monday’s practice. Head coach Jim Schwartz attributes Young’s performance to fresh legs, but Schwartz doesn’t deny the receiver looked good catching the ball.

“Well, he was fresh,” Schwartz said. “I think that his practice habits have been good. I think what you’re seeing here is a case of him being gone for 72 hours or 48 hours, whatever it was – he left on Friday and got back today. And you know everybody else has camp legs. It shows you No. 2, how quickly these players can get it back with a couple days off.”

“We’re in training camp. I know we’re playing preseason games and everything else but we’re still grinding through training camp. These guys will get their legs back. When a guy does miss some time and he’s healthy, like Titus, you should see a difference and I think we did today. Caught the ball very well today too.”

The second-year man out of Boise State caught 48 passes for 607 yards and six touchdowns last season. With a year under his belt and an admittedly impressive training camp thus far, Young could be poised to breakout in 2012. However, his coach isn’t making any proclamations one way or the other.

“Well, he’s an important part of our plans,” Schwartz said. “How, you know, breakout and everything else, I mean that’s all relative as we go through the year. I mean the whole object is to score points, operate efficiently on offense, win games and he’s a guy that can help us do that.”

Schwartz may be coy about what he expects from Young this season, but defenses will be loading up against the Lions’ Madden cover athlete, even more so than in years past. With Johnson getting plenty of attention on one side of the field, Young will see more one-on-one coverage on the other, and could become a force in Detroit’s explosive offense.

Detroit’s offensive coordinator Scott Linehan wasn’t as reserved when he told Young what kind of role he would play this year. He expressed to Young how excited he was about the receiver’s ability and as a result, Young is excited about what he can do in 2012.

“He told me that I was basically the X-factor,” Young said. “You have to build that (trust) and throughout the whole year and the offseason I feel like I’ve been building his trust. We’ve been able to communicate better and he’s been able to let me know what he really wants out of me and it’s a joy to come to work every day (when) your coach is excited about what you can do.”

Young is one of many weapons at Matthew Stafford‘s disposal, but he should be a key component of the Lions’ offensive attack. If his progress in camp becomes progress on Sundays, he’ll earn the trust of his quarterback and in turn, a boost in his numbers. 

Follow Alek on Twitter: @Alek_Frost

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