In the 2017 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions had a few glaring holes to fill on their roster. One of the most apparent ones was a tone-setting linebacker who could help fill the void that pro-bowler Deandre Levy left. With that in mind, the Lions drafted the physical and aggressive linebacker out of Florida, Jarrad Davis. Davis, who has played well as a rookie has shown some promise on the field, specifically his physicality for a rookie. Davis has totaled 79 tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
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Jarrad Davis’s physicality speaks for itself, but in case you did not notice he spelled it out very clearly with his latest quotes.
“To be honest with you, man, it’s a dangerous game and I don’t want to make it safe,” Davis told the Free Press in the locker room postgame. “I don’t want to make it safe. I know it may be against what the league is doing, but at the same time, I know one speed. And I’m not going to slow down for nobody. And if that guy don’t want to play no more, he don’t want to play no more. And that’s no matter who it is. And that’s the goal. You want to strike fear in people.”
Every conversation surrounding football over the last year or so has included the topic of player safety, from Pop Warner to the NFL. There has not been a single broadcasted NFL game that has not discussed player safety in the booth, but don’t tell Jarrad Davis. Davis plays the game with the mindset of an old-school, tone-setting linebacker.
Jarrad Davis seems to be one of those guys you love to have on your team but you would hate to play against. He plays the game at one speed and that’s all he knows. With that said, you would think one that plays the game with no regard for safety would be likely to pile up penalty after penalty. Yet, that is not the case with Davis who has only had 5 flags thrown on him all season.
Davis’s goal is to strike fear in his opponents and as a rookie that is no small task, but let him grow and mature and he could become the leader and tone setter for a Lions defense that has lacked that for years.
From Detroit Free Press:
“I don’t know if I’m putting it in them like that, but I’m trying to give it to them like that,” he said. “And I know that’s part of my game. That’s one thing I’m going to be able to hang my hat on when I’m done, I’m going to keep on working on it every offseason and make sure I come back and let guys know, put guys on notice.”
A sure tackling, aggressive, and fearless player is exactly what you want out of your middle linebacker and hopefully, Davis will be able to provide that for years to come. No one’s asking him to be Vontaze Burfict, but someone who loves to hit and plays with passion is fun to watch and easy to cheer for.
Davis is not the only rookie who’s passion for the game led him to controversial statements. The 6th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Safety Jamal Adams, had similar feelings for the game. When asked about CTE the young safety said, “if I had a perfect place to die, I would die on the field”.
Yes, his comments are controversial and the rookie may not have used the best word chose, but is this a player you can get behind, Nation?
