Detroit Lions defensive lineman Michael Brockers has seen a lot of football in the league as a veteran player, so he knows what has to happen if the team wants to dig out of their current hole.
Every single person on the roster has a hand according to Brockers, and if the Lions band together in order to clean things up, they can pull themselves up after a tough 0-6 start to the season, which is good for the worst record in the NFL.
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According to Brockers, all it takes for a turnaround is more accountability across the roster. Speaking to the media on Monday, October 18 in an interview posted to DetroitLions.com, Brockers highlighted the fact that he believes everybody simply needs to step up and be accountable.
“Us being one of the younger teams in the league right now, we just need a lot more accountability,” Brockers said. “That’s from everybody, that’s from the coaches, that’s from the players, that’s from everyone. Just making sure that if your number is called, you have to be there. No excuses on why you weren’t there or anything like that. You have to be there. That’s the most important thing is just accountability from the top down from everybody moving forward and just play it out. All I ask is everybody give me 110% each and every day throughout the week so we can come on Sunday and try to execute our game plan. That’s all we can do.”
As Brockers clarified, he doesn’t believe the team hasn’t had accountability, but rather, the team needs to emphasize it as a key teaching point to help mold a young roster through a tough period.
“I just know we have a young team. We don’t want to get on them, we kind of just want to make sure they’re doing the right thing,” he told the media. “I think that moving forward, we have to talk to them about it and them know like hey, it’s a must-win situation every situation, every game, every play. Just come with that attitude each and every day and I think we’ll improve. We have a young team, we’re all football players, we’re all guys who have played this game for a long time. We understand what we have to do, we just have to put more emphasis on it.”
Accountability is a big thought, but having a Lions veteran looking to establish it is a huge positive at this point in time. It shows the locker room is still engaged even in spite of the losses and trying to find a way out of the disappointment.
Brockers Talks Week 7 Reunion With Rams
This week, the challenge for the Lions will be a little bit different than most. The team will be heading out west to take on the Los Angeles Rams, and it’s a game that has a ton of ties, given it will serve as the reunion for Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, Brad Holmes and even Brockers himself with their old teams.
Even in spite of that, Brockers told the media that he isn’t looking ahead nor looking at the Rams game any differently given what played out this offseason. He’s taking the mindset of handling business on the field and staying focused.
“It’s the next one. I’m very professional with how I go about my business. Yes, I do have a lot of ex-teammates on that team and a lot of good friends, you know. There was no love lost between me and the Rams when I left, so it was just about understanding a pro. I made a pro decision, I came here, we’re in this position and we just got to move forward.”
Managing emotions before such a game is key, and for the Lions, it’s good they’ll have someone like Brockers there to help see them through being they have a young team.
Brockers’ Career Stats and Highlights
The impact Brockers has made after he was a first-round pick of the Rams out of LSU back in 2012 cannot be debated. He has been an anchor in the middle of the team’s line and a player that is capable of packing a punch in the pocket. Brockers has put up 387 total tackles, 28 sacks, 9 passes defended and 2 forced fumbles in his career in Los Angeles. Moreover, he’s been to the Super Bowl and is a veteran leader the team has been able to count on when he has played in the league.
Here’s a look at some highlights:
Thus far this season, the Lions have seen Brockers bring some of his patented pocket pressure as well as his leadership to the team. Thus far, he’s put up 18 tackles and 1 sack for the team. The leadership, though, always seemed like a very important variable for a Lions team trying to change their entire culture.
Hopefully, Brockers’ words on the matter help the team in a big way for Week 7.
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