Prior to the 2019 season, the Detroit Lions went out and signed former Green Bay Packers DT Mike Daniels with the hope that he would be a force on the interior of the defensive line.
Unfortunately, by the time the season was over, Daniels was more of an afterthought than anything as he played in just nine total games (2 starts). Even when he did play, he really was not given the opportunity to do what he was paid to do.
Daniels recently joined SiriusXM NFL Radio and he spoke about his 2019 season with the Lions.
“Hey, I couldn’t control my playing time. That’s the best way I can put it. When I was out there, I did what I could do, I was productive.”
Daniels referenced a stat from Pro Football Focus that said he won most of his pass rushes.
From 97.1 The Ticket:
“That’s just a testament to the player I am. Regardless of my situation, I’m going to come out and give everything I have, play as hard as I can, and that showed (last) year. Obviously I didn’t get hardly any opportunities to show what I could do, but at the same time, what chances I did get, I made the most of it. …
“It’s good to show that, hey, I’m still out here, I’m still balling, still kicking butt. And like I said, I didn’t control my playing time.”
Though Daniels does not feel like he was given a fair shot to prove himself, he did think the Lions had a great locker room.
“The locker room was awesome, definitely enjoyed my teammates there. That was one of the hardest group of guys I’ve ever played with. It’s unfortunate things went the way they went outside of a lot of guys’ control.”
“When you really see just how hard those guys were working, it was very encouraging,” Daniels said. “That locker room was definitely amazing and one of the better ones (I’ve been) a part of. That was a really good defensive family over there, man. I truly enjoyed my time with those guys.”
Well, it sure does not sound like Daniels will be coming back to the Lions in 2020!
