Prior to the 2019 season, the Detroit Lions signed CB Justin Coleman to a 4-year, $36 million contract with the hopes that he would make a big difference in the secondary.
Though Coleman was not ‘bad’ in 2019, he certainly could have played better, which he agrees with. Coleman said his goal is to “win championships” and that will only happen if the secondary plays better in 2020.
“We don’t blame anyone. We have to work as a unit,” Coleman said Wednesday during a video conference. “If each individual player gets better, you are actually helping the team. If I could have did a lot better and help myself play at a Pro-Bowl level. If I can just stay more consistent, I can help the team do a lot better.”
“I’m real confident in these guys. They’ve shown that they want to not just be a good secondary, but want to win championships.”
“I have hope every game. We got a new opportunity to show who we are. We got a new opportunity to come on stage and shine,” Coleman said. “I’m real confident in these guys. They’ve shown that they want to not just be a good secondary, but want to win championships. When you start thinking on a bigger aspect and having a huge goal — I feel like as long as everybody moving on the same pace, we can get to that goal that we’re looking for.”
Though the Lions traded their best cornerback (Darius Slay) during the offseason, the also used their No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to select former Ohio State CB, Jeff Okudah.
Coleman has the following advice for the rookie:
“Compete to the end. This professional level, guys are extraordinary. So, I’m just going to say you just have to compete to finish because that would take him a long way. Seeing where guys would give up in the middle of the play because they learned a habit or something. And, I feel like that to help them out a lot.”
Nation, do you believe the Detroit Lions secondary will be better in 2020 than it was in 2019?
