Roster additions: By most accounts, the Lions got solid players in free agency and potential impact players in the draft—starting with cornerback Jeff Okudah, drafted in the first round and third overall out of Ohio State.
"We've added a lot of talented players," Wood said. "We've added a lot of young players. We're a young team. That's better, generally speaking. And we've added a lot of depth.
"You always have to prepare for injuries. Now, you have to prepare for a player or two, or more, testing positive for the virus."
Drafting running back D’Andre Swift of Georgia in the second round gives the Lions a legitimate expectation of finally having a competent running back to support quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Swift will compete for playing time with Kerryon Johnson, who's shown flashes in his first two seasons with the Lions but had both seasons shortened by knee injuries.
"We're excited to have him on our team," Wood said of Swift. "We talked about him quite a bit leading up to the draft. Bob had a plan that worked out, thankfully. He was there at the top of the second round. We were kind of holding our breath."
Season schedule, fans: It's a fluid situation for all North American sports leagues and even individual sports such as tennis and golf.
As Wood said, the NFL is benefitting from watching what is happening with the other major leagues – basketball, baseball and hockey – plus the fact that the NFL was not in season when the league began closing down operations in early March.
"We will get the benefit of watching how other sports restart," Wood said. "We will watch all those other sports and learn from them. I don't want to say we were lucky, but we are certainly better off than the other sports.
"I have two goals: Everybody is healthy and safe, and we play football this fall. The most important thing is we have Allen Park prepared for everybody's health, and we get the players back in the building.
"The plan is to play everything as scheduled. Who knows in August and September if that will be the right thing to do? We just have to prepare for it."
Everything will be done within the guidelines of the Center For Disease Control and what each individual state allows.
Asked if he thinks games will be played at Ford Field with fans, in some number, Wood replied: "I do believe that right now. Right now, I think the indications are we will start the season on time. We will play with fans in the stands."
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June 26, 2020 at 08:31PM
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Rod Wood talks ownership change, season schedule & more - detroitlions.com
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