When you play for the Detroit Lions
Kyler Fackrell Jersey , you can be from Canada and still be considered local.
Luke Willson, a tight end who signed with the Lions two months ago after five seasons with Seattle, is from Windsor, Ontario, right across the Detroit River
from the Motor City. He grew up a Lions fan, although that’s not his only
motivation to play well after returning to the area.
”I was a big Barry Sanders guy. When I was a kid, it was kind of like the Herman Moore, Barry Sanders,” Willson said this week. ”I was a youngster, but
I’ve always kind of, you know, liked the Lions growing up. But that being said I
think it’s important for me to establish a divide. Yeah it was my childhood
team, but I’m here to do a job.”
It’s been a fairly quiet offseason for the Lions where free agency is concerned, but Willson was an interesting pickup, especially after Detroit cut
ties with tight end Eric Ebron. A former first-round draft pick
Raiders Game Jerseys , Ebron became a target for Lions fans for dropping passes, but he did provide
production that Detroit needs to replace. He caught 186 passes over the past
four years, including 53 for 574 yards and four touchdowns last season.
In five seasons with Seattle, the 6-foot-5 Willson never had more than 22 catches, but the Seahawks have had other tight ends to throw to like Jimmy
Graham and Zach Miller, so Willson may be capable of more.
”I really try to pride myself on being able to do whatever they ask,” Willson said. ”You know, my first year we had Zach Miller, I was more the down-the-seam
tight end, and Zach got hurt and you know, I had to quickly learn to be more the
hand-down type guy. I think that’s kind of benefited me in my career because I
feel comfortable doing whatever they ask me to do.”
Willson said at this stage of the offseason, it’s too early to tell what exactly his role will be with the Lions.
”I’m here to do whatever the coaches ask me and right now, you know with all the CBA rules, it’s personally just about getting better each day,” he said. ”A
lot of individual stuff for me that I can get better and just showing the
coaches what I can do
Adidas Evgeny Kuznetsov Jersey , and then from there they’ll decide what role I’ll be playing this year.”
Despite the proximity to the U.S., Willson said the quality of high school football where he grew up wasn’t great. He played on a summer team he likened to
AAU basketball. He ended up playing college football at Rice, and he was drafted
by the Seahawks in the fifth round in 2013.
He has carved out a decent NFL career for himself since then, and now he has a chance to come back and play close to home – although it sounds like he’ll be
living on the Detroit side of the river now.
”Got to shield myself from those Canadian taxes, man,” he said. ”Come on, now. Can’t be doing that. Can’t be doing that.”
—
A report on Monday indicated that the Patriots were trying to trade wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell, which seemed like a tall task given the knee issues
that kept him off the field all of last season and all of this offseason.
If the odds were long before, it looks like they are going to be even longer now.
Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal reports that Mitchell had a procedure on his knee on Monday that is expected to keep him off the field for
the start of training camp. Daniels goes further by adding that Mitchell’s
season “looks to be in jeopardy,” which may be premature but it certainly
doesn’t seem his chances of building on a promising rookie season look good.
The full Patriots squad is due at camp on Wednesday. Another wide receiver, Kenny Britt, will be starting on the physically unable to perform list and the
team also added Devin Lucien to the group on Monday.
