As he lit up the NFL last year, Sam LaPorta insisted he would appreciate his rookie season when it was over. He and his fiance were sitting on a beach in San Diego this offseason when, finally, "we stopped and smelled the roses a little bit," LaPorta said. For a Pro Bowler, a second-team All-Pro and a finalist for Offensive Rookie of the Year, they must have smelled pretty sweet.
“But it’s time to get back to work," LaPorta said Thursday after another day of OTA's in Allen Park.
LaPorta needed the offseason. He played through ankle and knee injuries last season, the latter of which came dangerously close to knocking him out of the playoffs before they began when, in Week 18, his cleat got stuck in the Ford Field turf and his knee bent inward. It looked ugly. Miraculously, LaPorta avoided any structural damage to the knee -- it was deemed a hyperextension and a bone bruise -- and didn't miss a game.
"There was something greater watching out for me that day," LaPorta said.
The injury did not require surgery. After a few months of recovery, LaPorta says he's back to 100 percent: "The knee is great. The ankle is great. Body is great right now. I feel fast, I feel strong running around."
"I’m ready to bounce back and have another great year, hopefully," he said.
It will be hard for LaPorta to top last year. At one of the most challenging positions for a rookie, he finished fourth among tight ends with 86 catches, fifth with 889 yards and first with 10 touchdowns, the latter of which broke the NFL rookie record for a tight end. He was the Lions' second-leading receiver after Amon-Ra St. Brown.
How does he get better in year two?
“Certainly the blocking aspect," LaPorta said. "I’m trying to throw my hands, play a little bit lower in the run game. And then in the receiving game, trying not to give so many tells in my routes, crossing over, late hands catching the ball. Just a few things.”
Before meeting with the media Thursday, LaPorta was putting in some extra reps with Jared Goff to polish a couple routes they didn't execute in practice. Diligence is one of his many strengths. He identified his areas of focus this season after some self-scouting in the offseason.
“Some are really obvious. If I don’t throw my hands and a big D-end is locking me out with longer arms than I have, he can kinda manhandle me and throw me whichever way he wants," LaPorta said. "So, yeah, it was self-scout and knowing that I’ve got to get a little bit better.”
LaPorta already has a leg up on himself compared to last year. He has a keen feel for the Lions' offense, a rapport with Goff and a comfort with coordinator Ben Johnson: "It’s not like last April when I showed up and everything was just a complete whirlwind," he said. LaPorta still managed to hit the ground running, which does make you wonder how much further he can go this year.
“I know what it takes to compete and thrive at this level. I’ve been there, I’ve done that," he said. "And we’ve got guys around the building that I can really lean on that have had success in the past. ‘Amon-Ra St. Brown, how’d you bounce back after a great year after year after year? Jared, (Penei) Sewell, (Taylor) Decker, Frank (Ragnow), go down the list. I have a lot of resources in the organization that I can ask those type of questions to.”
LaPorta isn't one to put pressure on himself. He doesn't pay much mind to his own stats, impressive as they were in his first season. As Dan Campbell said Thursday, as long as LaPorta is helping the team win, "he’s going to be pretty satisfied with that." Especially after the Lions came so close to winning it all last season.
"I know what it feels like to get there and fall a little bit short," LaPorta said.
A couple weeks after the Lions loss' in the NFC title game, LaPorta sat down to watch the Super Bowl. He said it was frustrating to be stuck on his couch, "knowing that we had the chance and the opportunity to seize and we just didn’t grab it when it was in front of us."
“It takes more," he said. "We’re going to have to give a little bit more this year and we’re looking to go all the way."