The Detroit Lions saw 2023 third-round pick and quarterback Hendon Hooker make his preseason debut last week, and while he had a good showing overall, Hooker also ended up with a concussion.
Hooker took off with the football on multiple occasions, with his 16-yard run that saw him truck a defender being the most impressive. However, the second-year signal-caller also put himself at risk by not sliding, which is never a good idea.
Thankfully, Hooker is doing fine and was able to return to practice Wednesday, and head coach Dan Campbell sounded optimistic about Hooker's chances of playing in Detroit's next preseason game on Saturday.
After getting hurt, Hooker's mom had simple but sound advice for her son.
"My mom is a huge fan of sliding," Hooker said, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard. "So, I always get it from her, but now the coaches are on me, as well."
"We gotta slide," Hooker's mom told him. "That's her thing. She's been saying it for years. I'm learning, I'm learning."
Hooker admitted that being so juiced up about getting back on the field after such a long absence led to his not being mindful of sliding. He also said he wasn't trying to run the defender over, he was just bracing for impact.
"I wasn't even trying to run the guy over, I just braced for impact and he just kind of bounced off me," Hooker said. "Coming back and you're just playing, you're not really thinking about, 'Oh, I need to slide.'"
#Lions QB Hendon Hooker returned to practice after his concussion in the preseason opener. He said his mom, Wendy, is a huge fan of sliding and told him to try and slide more after taking so much contact. Wendy told him, “we gotta slide!” pic.twitter.com/Is6PNgxZyj
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) August 14, 2024
While he definitely still has work to do, Hooker showed promise in his debut with the Lions, and he even had a better showing than his competition for the backup job, Nate Sudfeld.
He'll look to build on that — and slide — when the Lions take the field for their next preseason game on Saturday.