The Detroit Lions did some serious damage last season, with Matthew Stafford really coming into his own and leading the offense to new heights. But the defense faltered, especially in the secondary, and that mostly falls to safety Louis Delmas. That isn't to say the Lions failed because of anything Delmas did on the field - quite the opposite. It's what he didn't do.
Delmas went down with a knee injury and suddenly wide receivers were running free and punishing the Lions left and right. He's fully healthy now by all accounts, but that doesn't mean the Lions aren't going to play it safe. According to the Detroit Free Press, Delmas was held out of practice on Monday:
"You'll see him taking some days off here and there, try to use some preventive medicine on him and we'll do that on some other players," Schwartz said. "He's really not actively working anything, but just try to keep it that way with him."
It's good to be smart with anything related to a knee injury. Delmas could feel 100 percent one day and all it takes is one play before things are actually 100 percent for his knee to be completely thrashed. It's important to get him rest here and there to build things up, and a smart move for a team that still has some glaring holes in its secondary.
As noted in the report, Erik Coleman, Mikel Leshoure and Jeff Backus also missed practice. Backus hurt his right thumb on Saturday, while Coleman is going through a groin injury. Leshoure is battling a hamstring injury that isn't believed to be very serious, while Jahvid Best still has not been cleared to practice.