The Detroit Lions were searching for answers on defense heading into Week 5 after a horrible start to the year, and finally, they saw some major progress made on the field after a few shakeups.
Last week, Dan Campbell hinted that rookie Keith Abney II could be inserted into the lineup either at cornerback or safety. By the time game time rolled around, Abney was on the field at safety. He showed up in a big way as part of the dominating 45-21 win, registering six total tackles on the day as well as an interception before halftime.
It was a major start to Abney's career, and proved that he could be on the road to getting on the field consistently more often. It's no accident when that type of player steps in and plays well immediately.
The Lions are likely to get Brian Branch back soon, and are holding out hope that Kerby Joseph can also return at safety. Having a player who is comfortable doing many things will benefit Detroit at that point in time. Potentially, it would allow the Lions to finally have a good start toward creating the kind of depth that they need on the back end to compete in the second-half of the season.
It's clear Abney is not the only solution on his own, but he can be a big one for the Lions during a season where solid play on the back end has been hard to come by. The fact he was able to step in and play well is a major feather in his cap moving forward, and bodes well for the future.
Abney's hungry mentality should keep him on the field for Lions' defense
Despite the fact that the Lions had struggled on defense and specifically in the secondary, Detroit didn't turn Abney loose throughout the first few weeks of the season. That was an interesting decision, but it was born out of the fact that the Lions were attempting to get him up to speed.
Even though Abney didn't see the field, he had the right idea on how to stay ready. As he explained after his big first game, his mentality was to always prepare as if he was going to play and stay active, even though he knew he had to wait until his number was called.
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"Got to wait your turn. That's really all it is. Just stay down, wait your turn. Approach every day like you're going to start because you never know when that moment's going to be. And that's really what my approach was every day. Just treating every day like, 'Okay, I'm not starting right now not getting the minutes right now, but I'm just going to keep doing my job, keep coming to work every day with the same mindset, same attitude, and when the time comes, you got to be ready.'"
When he was on the field, it was clear that Abney had used his study time well. He knew where he was supposed to be and didn't look like a rookie in terms of positioning or preparedness. That's good news for the future in terms of keeping him on the field and keeping him in the lineup.
There's a chance that Abney can be a major solution for the Lions this season. His first game proved what he can do in a short amount of time. A bit more seasoning might have him on another level by the end of the season.
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