ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Calvin Johnsons retirement leaves a huge void for the Detroit Lions.Detroit will face defenses for the first time in a decade without one of its players drawing double coverage on almost every snap.Johnson walked away from the Lions and the league in March, announcing his retirement at the age of 30. The move rekindled memories of Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders cutting his career short with the same franchise.As great as Johnson was though, the Lions were not very successful even with the spectacular wide receiver in the lineup. They were 7-9 last season, finishing below .500 for the seventh time in his nine-year career.If Detroit cant protect quarterback Matthew Stafford better and fails to run the ball effectively, whether Johnson suited up for another season will likely be a moot point.Stafford has been sacked 89 times the past two years, ranking among NFL leaders. The Lions averaged a league-low 83.4 yards rushing per game last season.That is on us, guard Larry Warford said. We learned a lot from that and weve got to share that knowledge with the new guys.Detroits rookie general manager Bob Quinn, who worked his way up in the New England Patriots front office, tried to address a glaring need by drafting offensive tackle Taylor Decker in the first round, center Graham Glasgow in the third and guard Joe Dahl in the fifth round.All three of them are great players and I could see each of them playing key roles for us this year, Warford said.Here are some other things to watch as the Lions enter training camp:THE REPLACEMENTS: Detroit signed wide receiver Marvin Jones to a five-year, $40 million contract just days after Johnson announced his retirement. Jones will be the teams No. 2 option in the passing game behind Golden Tate. Jones set career highs with 65 receptions and 816 yards receiving last year in his third season with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Lions also hope one of the veterans they signed -- Jeremy Kerley, Andre Roberts and Andre Caldwell -- can become their No. 3 receiver. Detroit will also count on a pair of younger players, Corey Fuller and TJ Jones, becoming relatively prominent players after having limited roles.NEW BOSS IN TOWN: Quinn has subtly reshaped Detroits roster, making a commitment to bolstering both lines and choosing not to make too big of a splash in free agency. Team owner Martha Firestone Ford shook up the franchise last season, firing a pair of longtime executives, team president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew. She gave Quinn his first chance to lead an NFL front office, banking on him bringing some of what he learned from one of the leagues top teams to the Motor City. Quinn was the Patriots director of pro scouting for the previous four seasons after serving as assistant director of pro personnel for two years in his 16-year career with the franchise.COACHING CONTINUITY: Quinn could have fired Jim Caldwell and hired a new coach and staff, but allowed him to return with an 18-14 mark in two seasons with one loss in the playoffs. The Lions also retained offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, who replaced the fired Joe Lombardi midway through last season, and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, a head coaching candidate after last season. That makes things operate a little bit more smoothly, Caldwell said.HOT HAND: Stafford, drafted No. 1 overall by Detroit in 2009, is coming off the best stretch of his career. He threw 19 TDs and just two interceptions over the last eight games, six of which Detroit won after a 1-7 start. If wed have had a couple more games, I think wed have kept it heading even farther in the right direction, Cooter said. But hopefully, were going to pick up right where we left off.LEANING ON LEVY: The Lions are welcoming back linebacker DeAndre Levy, one of their top players when healthy. He played only one game last season, shortly after signing a four-year extension, because of a hip injury that led to season-ending surgery. Levy was a second-team, All-Pro player in 2014 thanks a mix of physical ability and a mental edge. Levy takes off so fast on his reads, Caldwell said. Jim Bob asked the question, `Does he know what plays coming? ... Its really uncanny.---Online:AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLCOLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina coach Will Muschamp is looking at more than just preparing for the Birmingham Bowl during his postseason practices.Muschamp believes what the Gamecocks (6-6) do the next two weeks in prepping to play South Florida (10-2) on Dec. 29 will carry over with his team into spring workouts and next season.You can feel the buzz in the building, Muschamp said Thursday.There was far less buzz at the midseason point of the year when South Carolina was 2-4 and couldnt get anything done on offense or defense. The Gamecocks, though, turned things around going 4-2 the second half of the season, including a 24-21 upset of then-No. 18 Tennessee to qualify for a bowl.The resurgence means two more weeks of improving freshmen starters like quarterback Jake Bentley, tailback Rico Dowdle and receiver Bryan Edwards who otherwise wouldve been left to get better on their own before the next team workouts come spring.Muschamp said hell concentrate on fundamentals the first four practices -- Seniors arent practicing the first two practices, he said -- before turning his attention to South Florida on Monday.Its all about us and how we can get better, Muschamp said. Hand placement, pad level, strike and play.Muschamp also does not think his players will be held back by how the regular-season ended with an embarrassing, 56-7 loss to rival, No. 3 Clemson , where the Gamecocks came apart after a couple of early scores by the Tigers.Ill look at the totality of the season and not one game, Muschamp said. There was a glaring issue that we had a bunch at the end of the day, our ability to run the football consistently against good people and our ability to stop the run on defense. Weve got to get better.South Carolina finished last in the Southeastern Conference rushing at 138 yards per game, even with Dowdle gaining 100 or more yards in three of the last five games.ddddddddddddThe Gamecocks did a bit better at stopping the run, ending ninth in the 14-team SEC in allowing an average of 202 yards on the ground.Muschamp said it was more than any one thing that led to South Carolinas issues, including playing two freshmen quarterbacks this season, and all areas will receive attention during bowl practices.One, the offensive line, will practice with a new, temporary face in charge. Retired longtime assistant John Latina will replace offensive line coach Shawn Elliott, who was hired by Georgia State as its head coach last week. The Gamecocks brought in Latina, who worked with offensive coordinator Kurt Roper at Duke.Muschamp he wont hire a permanent replacement until after the new year.Muschamp is eager to see the extra practice time help young players like Bentley, who saw his first college action after South Carolina struggling first half.Bentley, at 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds, jazzed up South Carolinas offense with his strong and accurate arm. He completed better than 66 percent of his passes for six touchdowns and just one interception his first five starts.However, he and the rest of the Gamecocks crashed with a loud thud at Clemson three weeks back. Bentley threw for only 41 yards against the Tigers and the offense was outgained 622-218 in the blowout.Muschamp is certain Bentleys past that poor performance and ready to help the Gamecocks show out strongly against the Bulls.We didnt do much very well, the coach said. Weve gotten better in some areas, but I think we have a lot of improvement to make on both sides of the bowl.And the Gamecocks have a few more practices to make that happen.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '