NFC Notes: Dan Campbell, Jordan Love, D.J. Reader, Lions, Packers

Lions

Lions OLB James Houston is looking to regain his 2022 form after not being fully-healthy last season.

“I’m so excited man,” Houston said, via the team’s website. “Just watching the team last year, it really lit a fire up under me. The two games I played in last year I didn’t really have my best games. I wish I could have played better. This is my opportunity to have a whole year to do what I need to do, so I’m really excited. It’s going to be a problem (for opposing offensive tackles).”

Lions HC Dan Campbell envisions Houston handling the SAM linebacker position while also shifting down in the front to rush off the edge in sub packages.

“Well I know this, he’s in shape. He knows he’s got to be able to handle the SAM linebacker position for us, and no different than what we just talked about: Consistency,” Campbell said of Houston. “We have to be able to trust that he’s going to do what he needs to do and that whatever defense we call, he’s going to handle it mentally and we can trust that.”

Campbell emphasized the importance of this training camp for Houston’s future.

“This will be a big camp for him,” Campbell said. “He knows that. I know this, he’s in good shape, he looks good, he feels good, so we’re excited to have him back out there.”

Lions

Veteran DT D.J. Reader signed with Detroit in free agency despite tearing his quad with the Bengals at the end of last season. Reader is unsure about returning for the season opener but is happy with his recovery status. 

“I don’t know about that,” Reader said, via Kyle Meinke of MLive. “Just working hard. We’ll see.”

“I feel great. Out there just working, feeling good. Just trying to get some strength back. Feeling good. It’s the process with rehab nowadays. Been through it before. You’ve got your days where you feel great, and some days it’s not as good. But it’s been good. Been on the up and up, and haven’t had any setbacks.”

Packers

Green Bay handed QB Jordan Love a mega-extension for $220 million recently after a tremendous first full season as a starter in the league. Love is used to the pressure but knows handling it will be one of his tougher tasks. 

“Being a first-round pick, there’s pressure,” Love said, via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. “Becoming the starter, there’s pressure, but there’s always pressure. I think that’s, you know, part of the job that we sign up for. You’ve got to find ways to deal with that pressure and handle it as best you can to be the best player you can be every day.”

“But there’s always pressure. There’s no hiding that. … I’ve been in some great pressure situations, so I think there’s always going to be that. But just finding a way to navigate through this and handle it best I can.”