The Lions are back on the hunt for a Super Bowl, with training camp in full swing and the first preseason game just eight days away.

The big picture: Despite winning a franchise-record 15 games and the NFC North last season, Detroit's championship momentum is facing skepticism from the media and even some fans.

Zoom in: Doubts revolve around big coaching staff changes in the offseason, lingering injuries on defense, and last season's early exit from the playoffs.

What they're saying: Running back David Montgomery says he's moved past the disappointing finish and is starting the season "the hungriest that I have been."

• "Everybody's tired of being close," Montgomery told reporters after the first day of training camp. "You want to finish it, so this is the year for us. The year of the reckoning."

State of play: Training camp began last weekend at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park and runs through Aug. 21.

• A half-dozen practices are open to the public starting Monday, but the team says all tickets have been claimed.
• The first of four preseason games is July 31 in Canton, Ohio, against the Los Angeles Chargers at 8pm on NBC.
• The season opener is Sept. 7 at the Green Bay Packers.

What we're watching: Whether the Lions remain strong in the trenches with major losses to their offensive and defensive lines.

• Coach Dan Campbell is counting on rookie offensive lineman Tate Ratledge to help replace former center Frank Ragnow, who suddenly retired in June after seven seasons in Detroit.
• Up front on defense, superstar Aidan Hutchinson is back after breaking his leg last season. But defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike is out for the season and other reinforcements aren't expected until midseason.

Zoom out: Competition in the NFC North is fierce.

• Both the Packers and Vikings have aspirations about taking Detroit's division crown.
• The upstart Bears, meanwhile, raised their expectations by hiring away Detroit's prodigy of an offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson.

The bottom line: The Lions still have an elite offense, a well-regarded head coach and one of the NFL's most rabid fan bases.

• It's hunting season.

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A new play coming to the Detroit Public Theatre tells the story of how a U.S. drone pilot's job affects his mental health and his family.

The big picture: The story of "Drone" is set alongside a series of testimonies based on real U.S. drone strike survivors, delving into the impacts of drone warfare.

• The production also features live music from the U.S. and Middle East, and involves a temple to an Egyptian goddess, Elvis impersonators and a sex worker.

Between the lines: Presented by the Dearborn-based Arab American National Museum, "Drone" is written by award-winning playwright Andrea Assaf.

• Assaf worked on the project during an artist residency with the museum.

What they're saying: Assaf said in a news release that Dearborn and Metro Detroit were the "perfect place" for "Drone" to be conceived and premiere.

• "We are creating a new performance about global wars that are happening right now, while they are happening, with the communities who are most impacted by them," Assaf said. "We are investigating this technology while it is escalating."

If you go: "Drone" is showing July 31–Aug. 2 at 7pm and Aug. 3 at 2pm.

• Tickets are $25 for the general public and $15 for museum members. Thursday's performance is $10.

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⚖️ An activist has been charged with destruction of property for allegedly using a slingshot on the Guardian Building's entrance. (Free Press)

🎒 Local education leaders wanted to make Michigan a top state for learning by 2025, boosting spending by $2.1 billion over a decade, but students have worse test scores now. (Bridge Michigan)

⛪ The leader of an influential Detroit church, Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, admitted to having an "inappropriate relationship" with a former churchgoer more than 15 years ago. But he has denied other allegations made in a TikTok series by the former churchgoer. (Metro Times)

Detroit's new WNBA team deserves a new name and not a Shock redux, the results of our reader poll show.

Why it matters: The process of naming the city's new WNBA team is just getting started and the ownership group says "multiple options" will be considered.

State of play: 39% of poll voters want to bring back the Shock name.

• 61% want a new name.

💡 The intrigue: Many readers suggested team names of their own.

The Midnight: "An homage to Detroit's code name on the Underground Railroad," wrote Elizabeth T., who also suggested the Detroit Renaissance.

The Supremes, from David Z: "Motown has never let us down. The car industry lets us down all the dang time."

The Diamonds, from James T.: "It's classy and the appeal for apparel, branding, and logos would be infinite."

The Coyotes: "Coyotes are intelligent, adaptable predators that embody the character of resilience," Harold M. wrote.

Other suggestions included the Fuel, the Chrome, the Gears, the Chargers, the Riveters and the Grit.

Today in Cadillac Square downtown, you can grab a free scoop of Moose Tracks ice cream.

Dig in: Moose Tracks, Country Fresh and Meijer have partnered to serve 10,000 free scoops between 11am and 3pm. Denali Brands' Moose Tracks is donating $1 per scoop to Salvation Army Metro Detroit, per a news release.

• It's a vanilla ice cream base, swirled with fudge and peanut butter cups.