D’Andre Swift was visibly frustrated when Duce Staley pulled him from the game one yard shy of the end zone in the second quarter of the Lions’ win over the Packers last week. Swift had just gained a first down on a 12-yard catch and run, but the Lions running back is on a snap count as he nurses ankle and shoulder injuries, so Swift was forced to watch the next snap from the sidelines.
“I think he got pissed off a little bit,” offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said Thursday. “He caught that third down and he was just a little bit short and we took him out. But that’s good, that’s good. That means he’s going the right direction for us.”
Swift is Staley’s charge, Staley Swift’s mentor and motivator. The two have developed a close relationship the past two years as Staley, Detroit's running backs coach, tries to push Swift to greatness. One of Staley’s challenges to Swift this season was to fight through more injuries, to grit his teeth through pain and punishment for the good of the team. So there was Swift last Sunday, trying to re-enter the game.
And there was Staley, holding him back for his own good.
Told that Swift was apparently ‘pissed off,’ Staley said Friday. "If he is, tell him to take that same energy, that same juice and use it on the field.”
That’s the thing — Swift hasn’t always been on the field this season, or at any point in his NFL career. He missed three games to the aforementioned injuries last month and hasn’t been the same since. Dan Campbell admitted last week that the Lions may have overused Swift in his return in their Week 8 loss to the Dolphins and that just because he's back on the field, he’s not all the way “back." He can only handle so much, even if he wants more.
Swift has just seven carries for 16 yards over his past two games. He’s been more involved in the pass game over this stretch, contributing eight catches for 67 yards and a touchdown, but he played just 10 snaps last week after averaging about 35 over his first four games. He got five total touches.
“Just working him back slowly but surely,” said Staley. “I thought that Dan and Ben have done a good job (of that) along with myself. Us three talking about it, making sure the game plan is tight, getting him going a little bit I thought has been perfect.”
Swift will be on the field Sunday against the Bears, but how much remains to be seen.
“It’s a balance right now because, once again, he hasn’t felt 100 percent and that’s been a big part of it," said Johnson. "When he’s feeling good, it’s going to show up on Sunday in a positive way for us. So we’ll see. We’ll see as we get into the game just how much or how little we use him.”
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