After Ndamukong Suh’s Thanksgiving stomp was followed by a flag-filled loss in New Orleans, the Lions garnered a reputation around the league as a team whose dirty plays and stupid mistakes were taking a serious toll.
But Lions defensive end Cliff Avril told Albert Breer of NFL Network that the reality is different: The Lions play with the kind of tough, physical style that everyone should appreciate.
“I think we play the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” Avril said. “We’re not trying to hurt anybody. But we are trying to make a lot of big plays.”
Avril said the Lions are watching out for each other to make sure that if players get mad on the field, they handle it the right way.
“I know there are times out there when I might have spazzed out, and teammates had to stop me,” he said. “Guys know the small things to get underneath your skin as a player. But I’m learning that the best way to get someone back is to make a play. For me, getting a sack, that’s a better way to get them back.”
With the Lions currently clinging to the sixth seed in the NFC playoff race, they’d be wise to follow the “get a sack to get them back” approach, rather than the “stomp on him to get him back” approach.
