Nick Fairley admitted he let himself go a bit, gained some weight, and that contributed to his benching.
But even after the latest attempt to motivate the 2011 first-rounder, Fairly says he wants to earn back the Lions’ trust and become the kind of player they think he can be.
“Really what I plan on doing is just continue to get better as a player and help this team win and just go out there and play my [tail] off,” Fairley said.
The Lions recently put him behind C.J. Mosley on the depth chart, and Fairley denied he was disappointed, even though he hopes to regain his starting job soon.
“No, no, no. Not at all,” he said. “Hey, I’m a team player. I’m here to help this team win, and I’m trying to be the best teammate I can.”
That almost sounds sincere (unlike when Arian Foster says it when he’s trying to get out of interviews he seems to think are beneath him), but the Lions have a vested interest in getting Fairley back in the boat.
Teammate Ndamukong Suh said: “Nick is more athletically gifted than me, and he has an opportunity to be better than me, and that’s what I want to see out of him.”
While that might be a stretch, it’s safe to say he can be an important part of the Lions’ defense, but only if he’s in shape and wants to be.
