By: Nick Roddy
Rookie left tackle Taylor Decker was the Detroit Lions’ best offensive lineman in 2016.
He replaced Riley Reiff at left tackle from the start of training camp, started all 17 games, and even played every offensive snap during the season (1,037 total). He allowed just 4.5 sacks, and was rated 2nd among rookie offensive tackles according to Pro Football Focus, trailing only Tennessee Titans right tackle Jack Conklin.
But even after a successful season personally, Decker didn’t taking any time off. He trained with former Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley at his offensive linemen training facility in Arizona. The photo below was posted on Twitter on January 20, less than two weeks after the Lions’ Wild Card loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Back in the lab. Not many people like @TDeck68 – Some people are mentally wired to chase excellence. #HimWithNoName #OLPBuiltToDominate™ pic.twitter.com/PI3Cd4LOj1
— LeCharles Bentley (@OLineWorld65) January 20, 2017
Decker told reporters in Allen Park that he wanted to stay in shape for the entire off-season, saying “towards the end of the season, guys’ diets start to slip a little bit. Mine didn’t get too bad. But just to get back on a strict diet, just to maintain your body weight. Don’t balloon up, don’t get real low. You lose a little bit of weight. I think the emphasis for me, what I really wanted to focus on, was I didn’t want to get out of shape. I didn’t want to take two months off or anything like that. I had some momentum going at the end of the season, so I just wanted to keep improving, keep getting better.”
In Arizona, Decker worked hard on his pass and run sets, and paid close attention to detail. He wants to make sure when game time comes, he isn’t thinking about what he’s doing.
“In my humble opinion, which I’m only in my second year in this league, I don’t feel like people always work enough on skill acquisition,” Decker said. “Everybody lifts weights, everybody runs. But not everybody’s doing drills in the off-season constantly. And at the end of the day, you’re not a weight lifter, you’re not a sprinter, you’re a football player. So I think that was huge for me, to be able to every single day, work on drills and do things that are applicable to me on the field.”
But what could help Decker the most this season, is the additions of T.J. Lang and Rick Wagner. Lang and Wagner will start at right guard and right tackle, so they won’t be lining up next to Decker, but last year’s 1st round pick is still eager to learn from the two veterans.
“It’s really cool to see that this organization is putting an emphasis on offensive line,” Decker said on Tuesday. “They drafted three of us the other year with me, Graham [Glasgow], and Joe [Dahl], and they’re bringing in obviously documented very good players. So that’s cool to see, and I think it’s going to help get a different perspective on things, guys that have played in different systems. Maybe they can help me with a little thing here and there. A bunch of little things here and there make you a lot better player.”
Remember how the little things paid off in 2016? Matthew Stafford led the team to eight comeback wins, and five of their eight losses were by one score.
Decker was asked who gave him the most the most advice going into 2016, and his answer was Chicago Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long. “He told me ‘You’re going to come in and you’re going to be a rookie. And if you’re a highly-drafted person, you’re going to be expected to perform, so just go out there and perform. If you’re selected in a position, and they put you in a position, it’s because you belong there. So you just have to go out and prove it, it’s up to you at that point. Just kind of don’t take any shit from anybody on the field. Obviously you’re a rookie and you have to know your place off the field, but that’s just a rite of passage. But as far as performance, you got to go out there and do it.’”
One could expect Taylor Decker to give the same advice to the incoming rookie class, who arrive in Allen Park for rookie mini camp on Thursday. And chances are Decker will be preaching the little things.