ALLEN PARK, MICH. – A second-straight Pro Bowl selection did not make last season a successful one for Detroit Lions guard T.J. Lang.
The Michigan native returned home to join the Lions with a three-year deal after eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
Along with the signing of free-agent tackle Rick Wagner, the signings were expected to help unleash a new offensive assault on the ground for the Lions, but it didn’t work out that way. The Lions were last among the league’s 32 teams with an average of 76.3 yards rushing per game, which was nearly 10 yards behind the team with the next-worst total.
“We’re going to try not to talk about last year a whole lot,” the 30-year-old Lang said Thursday. “We know it wasn’t a great year for us, but it’s a new day, a new year and we’re ready to turn the clock forward.”
Much has changed for the Lions since last season with the installation of former New England defensive co-ordinator Matt Patricia as head coach bringing new life to the team’s practice facility.
“He’s another guy who comes from a very successful team,” said Lang, who won a Super Bow in Green Bay in 2010. “He’s won quite a few championships and knows the way it’s supposed to go and that’s how winning football looks.
“I think the biggest things you hear from guys throughout the last couple of weeks is he’s always excited every time you talk to him. He’s very passionate about this game. It’s going to be fun to work with (him). Anytime you get a chance to work with a guy with such a great resume that he has, you obviously got to be excited about that.”
And, while he went to the Pro Bowl last season, Lang is also feeling physically better this season after playing hurt for parts of last season and missing three games with back and foot problems.
“Just compared to where I’ve been the last couple of years,” the six-foot-four, 318-pound Lang said. “Last year it was hip surgery and the year before that was shoulder surgery. Just thinking back to last year at this time, I was just getting off crutches, so way ahead of where I was last year
“Not making any predictions here, but this is the first time I’ve done an off-season workout in three years, so I’m definitely excited about that.”
Lang wasn’t the only offensive lineman dealing with health issues last season. Tackle Taylor Decker missed half the season after shoulder surgery while Wagner was sidelined three games with ankle and back issues, centre Travis Swanson, who signed as a free agent with the New York Jets, was shutdown with a concussion and Graham Glasgow bounced from guard to centre.
“I think we had (an NFL leading) 10 different offensive line starting combinations, which is a lot,” Lions general manager Bob Quinn said. “So, I think it’s a credit to our offensive line, the players, that they went out there and battled as well as they did.”
In free agency, Quinn has added former Jets centre Wesley Johnson and picked up Kenny Wiggins, who started 16 games at guard for the Los Angles Chargers, last season to provide depth.
“Offensive linemen are judged by how they play as a unit and really not as individuals,” Lang said. “We’re working on building that chemistry right now, we’ve got some new faces in the room, but everybody’s just excited to get back to work. There’s a lot of talent and a lot of experience.”
And the club also added a new backfield weapon to help the run game in 250-pound running back LeGarrette Blount.
“Looking at his resume and his reputation as being a bruiser around the league for a long time,” Lang said. “Anytime you can add a guy like that to a roster, it’s going to help. But you also understand, as offensive linemen, we’ve got to do our part to make sure he can showcase what he’s got. It’s a team effort and excited to have him on board.”
Blount, along with the new coaching staff and renewed health on the offensive line has Lang looking for bigger things this season.
“Everybody’s focused, there’s new optimism and new excitement around the locker room,” Lang said. “We don’t care about last year anymore.
“Everybody’s well documented the things we went through, especially as an offensive line, injury wise and not just the performance. We’re not going to (linger) on that, we’re obviously going to try and learn from our mistakes. We’ve got some new guys in that room and it’s a totally different team this year. So, we’re going to have to figure out what we do well and move forward from there.”
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