Trey Flowers has reasons to suspect a better start in his second season with the Detroit Lions, and it has everything to do with health.
Flowers struggled early last year, after he missed the start of training camp following offseason shoulder surgery.
He had one sack in the first six weeks of the regular season, then a team-high six in his final nine games.
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“It’s definitely beneficial for me (to be healthy now) cause I’m a fundamental guy, a technique guy,” Flowers said Saturday. “The thing about defensive linemen, our contact is right off the ball. So our fundamentals and our footwork or our hand placement, all of that has to be precise.”
Though Flowers had no problem transitioning to a Lions defense similar to the one he played in the four previous seasons with the New England Patriots, he was rusty early in the year.
When he clicked — all six sacks came in a six-game span starting with a Week 7 win over the New York Giants — Flowers emerged as the Lions’ best defensive player.
“I think me being able to work on that this year and work on that precision, work on that accuracy, will definitely allow me to be farther along and be ready once the season comes around,” he said.
What’s in a Dame?
Lions running back Kerryon Johnson is rooting for the Portland Trail Blazers to upset the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA playoffs.
“Trail Blazers in six,” Johnson said. “Look, look, I get it. It’s LeBron (James), it’s Anthony (Davis). I get it. I get it. I’m not stupid, I understand. I’m not going to say it’s going to be easy, but what I’m saying is, is it’s going to happen. That’s my prediction.”
Johnson said he has been a Blazers fan for a couple years now, ever since he started beating his brother in NBA 2K by using Portland guard and NBA bubble MVP Damian Lillard.
“I’ve just always admired the way he’s carried himself,” Johnson said. “I’ve always admired the way he — that’s a tough conference that he’s in. He’s never switched up, he’s never faded, he’s always embraced that competition. I’ve always admired that about him and here we are, taking on the Lakers.”
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