Every day during training camp, Lions beat writer Dave Birkett takes you inside practice at Allen Park with notes, quotes and observations of interest.

• As the Lions went through stretching Wednesday morning, the song "Chain Gang" blared over a loudspeaker. It reappeared briefly during drills and for a few seconds again at the end of practice. The music was of coach Rod Marinelli's choosing, and while Marinelli said there was no significance to it, the song could serve as a theme for this years Lions. "It's nothing," Marinelli said. "Just music."

• Wednesday's morning practice, the third straight with full pads, was as physical and spirited as the Lions have had in a while. Ernie Sims upended Mike Furrey on the second play of 11-on-11, Dwight Smith barked at the offense about how he's been "whipping your tight ends all camp," and Jon Kitna and Buster Davis exchanged heated words after Davis popped tight ends Dan Campbell and Buster Davis in a goal-line drill.

• Kitna chalked it up to competitors being competitors, which it was, on the final two-a-day of camp. Roy Williams said he appreciates Kitna "taking care of his players," but hopes he'll exercise discretion in the future. "He probably would have got knocked out so I would rather have him just stay back and be the quarterback," Williams said.

• On to actual football-related notes from today. Rookie defensive end Cliff Avril has great balance and body control. I watched him in position drills today, specifically a fundamental drill where players run a figure-eight around two large plastic hoops and hit a tackling dummy at the end. Avril glided through drill while other linemen struggle to run with that body tilt to the ground.

• Williams did not practice today, but Calvin Johnson (knee bruise) and linebacker Gilbert Gardner (concussion) returned. Williams said he's healthy. "Getting old, that's all," he said.

• Johnson and cornerback Leigh Bodden, the Lions' best cover man, went one-on-one for one deep ball. Bodden played good defense. Johnson had maybe a step on him, but Jon Kitna underthrew the ball for an incompletion. Devale Ellis beat Bodden deep on the next play with a hesitation move. Safety Greg Blue, who's vying for the final spot in the secondary, was a step late on the help. Blue said he's working hard on his ball skills. He has a chance to make the team, especially if there's some lingering concern over Daniel Bullocks' knee. Bullocks, who'll compete for a starting job if healthy, took a few reps with the third-team nickel and base defenses Wednesday, two days after he was removed from the physically unable to perform list.