Isaiah Buggs could have tested free agency coming off a breakout season with the Lions, but preferred to stay right here in Detroit. When Brad Holmes and the Lions called to tell Buggs they wanted him back, Buggs told them the feeling was mutual by inking a two-year, $6 million deal: "I always wanted to be back, so I’m glad we made that happen."
"It’s just a great place to be, man, surrounded by great players and coaches and everyone in this wonderful building," Buggs said Tuesday on the Stoney & Jansen Show. "It’s a place where I can call home. It’s a family here. Everyone’s just buying in and we’re going to have something special this year. I’m excited to be a part of it."
Buggs was already a part of the Lions' turnaround last season. The 6'3, 335-pound defensive lineman latched on with Detroit ahead of training camp after being waived by the Steelers and wound up playing all 17 games, starting 13. He was sturdy against the run and disruptive against the pass.
And he went out with a bang under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football, logging a career-high seven tackles in the Lions' takedown of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, the final flourish of their 8-2 run down the stretch. Buggs plans to arrive with a bang this year against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the NFL's season-opener.
"I can’t wait, man, just to be able to put the new Detroit Lions on display and what we working so hard for. I think it’s going to be a good outcome for us," he said. "We just gotta go in with our heads high and go to work. Outsmart them, be fundamentally sound on everything we do and play Detroit Lions football."
Playing any kind of football was never a sure bet for Buggs in the pros. The 26-year-old, who had also entertained basketball offers from the likes of LSU and Northwestern, took a different path than most to the NFL. While he was drafted out of Alabama, Buggs spent the first two years of his college career at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College just trying to get noticed. For a while, he didn't think he would.
"When I was a senior in high school, man, I didn’t envision this, I didn’t think this was going happen for me," Buggs said. "I went to junior college and I was like, man, don’t nobody come and get guys from junior college, man. And we played on Thursdays. Nobody’s watching us, no TV's, no cameras, so I was like, man, what am I doing this for?"
When he realized it was for the love of the game, Buggs recommitted himself. He doubled down on his work and "next thing you know I had every offer from every school in the country," he said. "Junior college is a great place to go grind and not have it come to you and set a name for yourself."
Buggs went on to do big things at Alabama, leading the team in sacks as a senior. But he failed to find his footing in three seasons with the Steelers, partly due to a lack of opportunity. He made good on the one he found in Detroit.
Thrust into action by Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn, Buggs played 755 defensive snaps last season -- nearly twice as many as he played over the duration of his time in Pittsburgh. He finished second among Lions defensive linemen in tackles and fifth on the team in QB pressures, albeit on a defense that finished last in the NFL.
Asked what it's like to play for Campbell compared to Steelers head coach (and likely Hall of Famer) Mike Tomlin, Buggs said, "Both have fire, I can tell you that now. What I mean by that is, each day in practice they're getting it. They’re challenging guys, they’re calling you out, they’re expecting you to play at a high level. That’s the comparison between those two.
"And I can say Dan is more in-tune with his players, he’s more in-tune with everybody. No matter if you at the bottom of the depth chart to the top, he’s in-tune with everybody and he treats everybody like they’re somebody. I can say that’s the difference between them, and I love it here, man. Dan is a great coach and I just like to be around him."
Campbell and the Lions need a lot from Buggs and the defensive line this season. It looks mostly the same as last season, when Detroit allowed the third most yards per carry, second most yards per pass and most yards per play in the NFL. One newcomer who might be able to help is third-round pick Brodric Martin, a behemoth like Buggs who's starting to make noise in camp. Buggs is doing all he can to help get the rookie up to speed.
"Everybody here looks up to me in that room and I gotta be that guy to not only bring it every day but teach every day," Buggs said. "That’s a veteran presence that’s needed. Brodic is going to be a hell of a player, man. He’s been coming on great, been getting some first-team reps and we need him. A guy like that, we need him. He’s going to be a hell of player. We just gotta get ready to get him going."
The Lions' success this season might start with stopping the run. The offense should be back among the NFL's best, and the secondary is much improved. If Buggs and the big men up front do their job, Detroit might be destined for 'something special' indeed.
"Every day we talk about it, man, stopping the run. Being violent, being physical, being smart," said Buggs. "AG, Dan and all the coaches address that every single day and I feel like we finally got a group of guys in the room that want to learn, grow and be better, man."
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