Lions, Colts to hold joint practice sessions

The Detroit Lions will hold joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts leading up to the preseason opener for both teams at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The two teams will spend two days practicing against each other on Aug 10-11 at the Colts' Indianapolis headquarters. The Lions and Colts then kick off the preseason on Sunday, Aug. 13 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

It is the second straight year the Lions will have joint practices after traveling to Latrobe, Pa., for two days of work with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016.

Lions coach Jim Caldwell called the joint sessions with the Steelers valuable evaluation for the team.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano succeeded Caldwell in Indianapolis as head coach in 2012.

The Colts held joint practices with the Chicago Bears in 2015, leading into a preseason home game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

"It's a great way to create competition," new Colts general manager Chris Ballard said of the practices with the Lions. "Camp gets hard and it can start to get a little old, practicing against each other. I think it's a great opportunity to get with another team, create competition."