D.J. Reed swallows 'dad guilt' to up his game for Lions

The realization for D.J. Reed came after the Panthers game. Something had to give. He had been exposed again in the Lions' loss at Carolina, torched on a long touchdown in one-on-one coverage against Tet McMillan. Reed is paid $16 million per year to make life difficult for No. 1 wide receivers. Through four games, they were making it look easy against Reed and Detroit's defense.

"The Panthers game, that was just like, 'Bro, you gotta -- whatever happens is what’s going to happen -- but I gotta prepare, I gotta know what’s coming, I gotta take care of my body better.' Not to say that I wasn’t before, but there’s always another level that you can tap into. So I was just like, I gotta do that to the best of my ability and I can live with myself, so that’s what I’ve been doing the last two weeks," Reed said after the Lions' win over the Packers.

Reed, 29, has always been a studious, diligent player. His mind for the game is as sharp as anyone's in Detroit's locker room. He's a consummate pro in the way that he goes about his business. And it was a business decision that he was facing after his poor start to the season. The personal consequences were heavy. It wasn't 'Me Time' that Reed would be giving up to dedicate even more of himself to the game, like it would be for younger players. It was, well, 'We Time' with his family, including three children under the age of four.

"More film study, more preparation, more taking care of my body," he said. "Just increasing what I need to do and balancing -- this is the first time I’ve had three kids and a wife (in a season), so trying to balance that as well as being a great football player and just having that dad guilt. And then I just got to the point where I was like, look, I gotta fully prepare like how I (normally) prepare, and when I do have time with them I can be intentional and I can be there. But I gotta handle my business the way that I need to, and it requires a big sacrifice. I was having that battle in the beginning of the year, as well as my body getting banged up a little bit, trying to play though stuff, which didn’t serve me well, but it is what it is."

The sacrifice is starting to pay off. A couple days after admitting that "my coverage has not been to my standard by any means this year," Reed bounced back with a strong performance in the Lions' win over the Cardinals. Dan Campbell said it was Reed's best game of the season. He topped it his next time out against the Packers. Reed was one of many standouts in the Lions' big win over Green Bay, sticky in coverage against game-breakers Matthew Golden and Christian Watson and dependable as ever in the run game.

You never know when and where a game might turn. The Packers were on the verge of taking a 14-10 lead late in the first half, with a first down at Detroit's 13-yard line. The next few plays were a credit to Reed's resurgence and the larger growth of the Lions' defense.

Playing zone on first down, Reed calmly passed off Golden to rookie safety Keith Abney II as Golden streaked across the middle. Jordan Love had nowhere to go on the play-action bootleg and was forced to throw incomplete to tight end Tucker Kraft, who was well-covered by Trevor Nowaske.

The Lions allowed a chunk run on the next play for one of the only times in the game, setting up 3rd and 4. This time in man, Reed was all over Golden on a slant, sticking with him when the play broke down and Golden tried to shake free. The rest of the coverage was equally tight, including Brian Branch on Kraft, forcing Love into a throwaway that was nearly picked off by Abney in the back of the end zone.

The Packers went for it on fourth. Matt LaFleur dialed up a play where Golden lined up like a running back next to Love, who was in shotgun. Reed pointed at Golden before the snap to let his teammates know, I see him, I got him. And get him he did. When Golden raced into the flat for a quick throw and catch, Reed was right there to tackle him short of the sticks.

And look, sometimes you earn your luck. Had Love waited a split-second longer, he might have seen his running back wide open along the goal line in the other direction, after Derrick Barnes appeared to lose him in coverage. But the play was seemingly designed for Golden, and Reed shut it down.

"In man situations I was following him this game, so when I saw him in the backfield that’s how I was able to react so fast, because the offense was hurrying up," said Reed. "It was a good play by them because usually receivers aren’t in the running back position, but I had my eyes on him the whole time and just got over the traffic and made a good tackle."

Reed has always been a strong tackler; the Lions wouldn't have signed him otherwise. He has long arms, a strong upper body and he grew up wrestling. On his first tackle Sunday, Reed lost his helmet when he met 220-pound Marshawn Lloyd in the hole and took him down by his legs.

His next was an example of aggression and film study rolled into one. Matched up on the outside with Watson, Reed saw receiver Savion Williams motion into the backfield: "He’s their gadget guy, so I was prepared for (the hand-off)." When Williams, 6'4, 222 pounds, came storming around the edge, Reed sprung into action, beat his blocker to the spot and flung himself at Williams' thighs in a manner that almost looked like Branch. He was only disappointed that Williams didn't fall. But Reed knocked him out of bounds before he could turn the corner.

"He's never had any fear about fitting the run," Campbell said Monday. "I mean, he's one of our best tacklers on the perimeter."

But Reed will be judged primarily on how he covers. And that's how he first judges himself. He was sticky in a one-on-one battle with Cardinals top receiver Michael Wilson, holding him to four catches and 30 yards on seven targets. He was even stingier against Golden. Two passes came Golden's way with Reed in coverage. The first ended in a turnover on downs. The second nearly went for a 74-yard touchdown moments after the Lions had taken a 17-14 lead.

And maybe it would have earlier in the year. When Love scrambled to avoid pressure and Golden turned a short in-breaking route straight up the sideline and Reed briefly lost his footing, maybe Reed wouldn't have had quite the burst to recover. Had he recovered, maybe he would've been flagged for pass interference. Or maybe the play just wouldn't have gone his way at the point of the catch. Such is "the business of corner," said Reed, "one of those positions where you can do everything right and still not win the rep."

As Love rolled out and launched downfield, Reed closed the gap on Golden and knocked the pass out of his hands as soon as it arrived.

"It was a great play by Jordan Love buying time, said Reed. "I was playing low hip because I had the safety over the top and once the scramble happened, the safety ran with Watson so I just felt like I was by myself. He had, like, two steps on me, so I knew that I was going to have to wait for him to catch it and just play the pocket (of the catch) and I was able to get it out. It was a good play, basically a don’t-give-up play. Just gotta finish."

The Packers punted after Khalil Dorsey broke up another deep ball to Golden on the next play. On the other side of the field, Reed was covering a go route by Watson. The Lions wound up using five different corners on the outside, including Dorsey and Rock-Ya Sin, as a way of keeping their corners fresh against an offense that demands so much deep coverage. It was something the coaching staff picked up the week prior watching the Cowboys keep the Packers' passing attack in check.

"I think the coaches saw that and they were just like, we gotta be fresh, especially with all the shots that Jordan Love has been taking. That can be a lot of wear and tear on your body, especially if you’re playing a lot of man," said Reed. "So they went at it with that approach and I definitely thought it paid off. I feel better after the game compared to the first few games (when) I’ve been pretty beat up. I actually feel really good and I played better, so I’m all for it. Everybody played well."

Reed still played 61 of Detroit's 67 snaps on defense. While six snaps off might not sound like a lot, it's the most that Reed has received in a game this season.

"I thought he played his best game yesterday, but there was also merit for a number of those guys playing (on the outside), letting them all play, getting them some reps and using them in different situations, different packages," said Campbell. "But that was good to see out of Reed, man. I thought he did some really, really good things for us."

For a few games last season, Reed looked like the $16 million-per-year cornerback the Lions signed. Then he badly injured his hamstring and looked like a liability when he returned. He clearly wasn't right. He's insisted all season that his hamstring is fine after receiving stem-cell stem-cell treatment in Panama this offseason, but he played through a foot injury in Week 2 against the Bills and a rib injury in Week 4 against the Panthers.

What we're seeing now is closer to what we saw early last season. And closer to how Reed felt, particularly in coverage.

"Absolutely," he said. "Just preparing the right way, taking care of my body the right way, and after that, whatever happens, happens."

Reed was one of the last players to leave the locker room Sunday evening. After indulging every question from every reporter, he grabbed his bag and headed for the door, and smiled at the thought of going home to his kids.