New Detroit Lions cornerback Roger McCreary has learned first-hand just how different his new team operates, and provided insight into his new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.
Speaking with Brad Galli of "The Brad Galli Show," McCreary was candid about his thoughts on the "tough love" from the second year defensive coordinator, saying, "He going to argue. He going to cuss you out. He do all that, but he just want to see you be great."
McCreary continued, saying, "That's what I see on the backend, so it's just all about me bring coachable. Just going out there and just play."
Whatever Sheppard has been doing is working. Through two games in the preseason, McCreary has been the third highest-graded CB on Pro Football Focus (90.3), per Pride of Detroit's Al Karsten, splitting time between Nickel and outside.
McCreary's preseason performance has contrasted an otherwise lackluster training camp. That presumably still leaves the Nickel CB starting job wide open, with rookie Keith Abney II also vying for the job. Christian Izien is also in the mix, but an undisclosed injury may keep him out going into Week 1.
If McCreary caps off his fantastic preseason with another great performance against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, the Nickel job may unquestionably be his.
McCreary learns the Lions practice differently
It's becoming a right of passage for veterans joining the Lions: the culture shock of how much more intense Lions' practices are compared to their former teams. McCreary told Galli that he "had to adjust to the coaching style and the practice," adding that the Lions "practice hard."
McCreary's comments are reminiscent of safety Avonte Maddox from last year. On the "St. Brown Podcast," wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown shared a story about a conversation he had with Maddox, who was just coming off of a Super Bowl win with the Philadelphia Eagles, being surprised at how physical the Lions practice and how the Eagles didn't go full tackle like the Lions did.
READ MORE: It took one drive for Amik Robertson to get his revenge on the Lions
The hard practices weren't enough to deter Maddox from returning, and the Lions have made subtle adjustments to how they practice compared to a year ago. For example, the Lions didn't run a joint practice with another team, which has proven to be the correct call amid various fights and injuries across the league.
Whether it's tough practices or tough love from his DC, McCreary has had to adapt to the way the Lions do things in Detroit. The preseason results so far have been incredible, and if he keeps it up into the regular season, McCreary could be a long term answer at one of the CB positions.
Add us as a preferred source on Google