Cincinnati — For Luke Altmyer, calming his nerves wasn’t much of an issue once the whistle blew.
It was the lead up to Thursday night’s preseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals that had Altmyer anxious.
“I think the challenge is managing the emotions before the game, like waiting around, even the day before,” said Altmyer, an undrafted quarterback with the Detroit Lions. “Once you get to it, once you’re there, it’s kind of like, ‘OK, it’s time to go. Let’s go play football.’
“But yeah, there’s still some excitement, your hearts beating a little bit faster than a normal day. I think it’s just trusting preparation, trusting your abilities and reminding yourself of those things. You end up calming down very (quickly) and you get in a good state of mind.”
Altmyer completed 13 of his 22 pass attempts for 130 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions in the 16-14 loss to the Bengals, but those raw numbers don’t come with context.
His second giveaway came with 25 seconds left, as the Lions, down by two points, were backed up inside their own 10-yard line. Altmyer tried to force the ball down the field, and he narrowly overshot a leaping Dominic Lovett.
The first interception was the result of a well-placed ball going through the hands of Isaac TeSlaa, off the receiver’s helmet and into the air, eventually corralled by safety Jordan Battle. It also came against Cincinnati’s first-team defense.
“I’ve got to be careful, I don’t want to give him too much sugar and rot his teeth out,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said of Altmyer. “But what you feel in practice, the composure, (it’s) not too big for him, the accuracy, those deep balls — man, he’s got a touch about them to make some of these throws — I thought it showed up.
“The mistakes that he did make, they’re great. Thank goodness. You have to have these to learn from. At any position, but especially his. I thought it was a good debut for him.”
Altmyer and the offense made things interesting late, scoring a touchdown and successfully converting a two-point attempt with 1:35 remaining to cut the deficit from 10 to two. Running back Kye Robichaux got the drive started with 23 yards on three straight rushes. Altmyer closed the possession by completing three passes over a six-play stretch, including a 24-yard touchdown to receiver Tarik Black, who got free while running a shallow, crossing pattern.
Defensive tackle Landon Robinson delivered a hit on Altmyer as the quarterback released the pass to Black.
It wasn’t all perfect or excusable for Altmyer. He lost a fumble while backed up deep into his own territory early in the second quarter, trying to hand the ball to running back Jacob Saylors. The conditions weren’t ideal (rain soaked both the ball and Altmyer’s hands), but as Altmyer put it himself, “It can’t happen. I put my defense in a really bad spot.”
Altmyer sat for the remainder of the second quarter following the fumble. Campbell, however, said the quarterback wasn’t being punished for the miscue. The team simply wanted veteran QB Josh Dobbs to see some action in the second frame, while the first-team offensive line was still on the field.
Dobbs, entering his 10th NFL season, was impressed with Altmyer’s poise.
“I thought he operated well,” Dobbs said. “I know the first pick, it’s tough, right? Tight coverage, he made a good throw. … I think a lot of times you’re in a stadium, sometimes the play clock starts wearing on you, just the logistics of playing quarterback.
“You really can learn a lot about a guy in these situations, and I thought he did a really good job operating, in and out of the huddle, moving the ball, (the) touchdown at the end I know really felt good for him to get his first one, we were all excited for him. … He said it, ‘It’s just football.’ … Make the right read and throw to the open guy, and I thought he did a pretty good job of that all night.”
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Moment ‘not too big’ for Lions’ Luke Altmyer in first preseason start
Reporting by Richard Silva, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Richard Silva, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
