The Sports Xchange

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Detroit Lions owner and chairwoman Martha Firestone Ford spoke publicly for the first time since taking over after her husband, William Clay Ford Sr., died last March, and she said she’s enjoyed being in charge so far.

“Wonderful,” she said of what the past year has been like. “I’ve loved it. I’ve made every away game along with the ones here, and I really enjoy it.”

Like her husband, Ford has been an active owner the past year, regularly attending practices and going to every game, though the 89-year-old admitted that might be harder with some west coast games in 2015.

“One of the things you’ll find out very, very quickly is that she knows football,” head coach Jim Caldwell said. “She reads it, she studies, she knows what’s going on, she knows the team and so most often it’s questions about maybe a player that we’ve discussed. She does a great job, and she’s on top of everything.”

Lions players also said they have interacted with Ford quite a bit the past year. Wide receiver Golden Tate said she even sent him a letter last year to congratulate him on making the Pro Bowl and thanked him for his contributions in his first season in Detroit.

“I know every time I see her I go give her a big hug — one of my favorite ladies,” Tate said. “She’s part of the reason I’m here, so I’m definitely appreciative of her.”

Ford also briefly discussed her phone call in March with Ndamukong Suh, the prized free agent who signed with the Miami Dolphins. She called him shortly after the Lions chose not to use the franchise tag at $26.9 million.

“I was disappointed because he was such a nice person and such a good player,” she said. “And I did talk to him and … I told him that I was his fan and I would like to have him back, and about two weeks later, he left.”

–Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata returned for minicamp after missing the last two weeks of OTAs and jumped right back in with the first-team defense. The Lions weren’t concerned with Ngata’s absence because of his familiarity with defensive coordinator Teryl Austin’s scheme.

“Nothing caught us by surprise. We knew exactly where he was. We knew exactly what was happening with him,” head coach Jim Caldwell said. “Some guys that you’ve had a history with, you know them a little bit better than others. One of the things — he’ll work, he’ll get himself to where he’s supposed to be physically.”

–Tackle Cornelius Lucas will be out for the entirety of minicamp with an undisclosed injury, but said he won’t need surgery. Lucas is the likely starting right tackle with LaAdrian Waddle still recovering from offseason knee surgery.

“Any reps you miss is a problem, so I’m not really feeling too hot about it,” Lucas said. “But at the same time, it’s all about certain situations and the time of the year it is.”

–Defensive end Corey Wootton was absent after his wife had a baby Monday. Defensive end Jason Jones was absent for undisclosed reasons, but head coach Jim Caldwell said he was excused.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “He’s a guy that certainly has played in a couple preseason games, has size and ability, and so we’re anxious to get a real good feel for him. But he has a good pedigree, and we’ll see how it works.” — Head coach Jim Caldwell on quarterback Garrett Gilbert, whom the Lions claimed off waivers last Friday.