By: Michael Niziolek
When the Detroit Lions drafted DeAndre Levy with the 76th pick back in April it looked like the Wisconsin standout might have had a chance at cracking the starting line-up. The Lions didn’t have a middle linebacker on the roster, but that changed a month later when they signed Larry Foote.
Foote’s presence means that Levy will most likely come off the bench, but he will have the opportunity to learn from a former Super Bowl Champion along with former pro-bowler Julian Peterson.
In-Play! talked to Levy after day six of Lions’ training camp…
IP: What’s the biggest difference between a college training camp and an NFL training camp?
DL: We’re not going in pads as much. You have to get the speed of the game and the reps, but doing it in a controlled manner, in a way that you don’t lose a step without the pads on.
IP: Knowing this is your first NFL camp, what kind of expectations did you set for yourself coming in?
DL: I just kind of focus on getting better than the day before, everything is going so fast you just want to constantly improve, taking step forwards without taking any steps back.
IP: There has been a lot of chatter between the offense and the defense so far. The defense has some guy making a lot of noise - who’s the biggest talker and have you enjoyed that aspect of camp?
DL: I think everybody has been throwing their two cents in every now and then (laughs).
I like that, it gives us a little edge as long as we back it up. I think it’s a good thing for us. I think Gunther, coach Cunningham, tries to instill that in us. I think it’s a good edge for us to have.
IP: Coach Cunningham was talking after practice how the other day he had the defense run through 140 plays in 20 minutes. How difficult is that?
DL: It’s a challenge, but I wouldn’t say it’s something that throws us off. It makes us better. It’s not something that is so hard it hinders you, but it forces you to think on your toes. It’s one thing to run fast, it’s another to read something and react.
IP: How quickly do you get used to that kind of repetition?
DL: It’s kind of like muscle memory. It keeps you sharp. The offense isn’t going to wait on you so he kept throwing plays at us rapid fire and that helps us.
IP: Overall, how would you say that your first week of training camp has been?
DL: It’s going pretty good, just starting to get back in the groove of things of playing football and getting up to speed of the game in the pros. It’s been an adjustment, but pretty smooth.
