By Michael Stets
ALLEN PARK–Detroit Lions running back Ameer Abdullah looked outstanding in the opening game of the 2016 season against the Indianapolis Colts, rushing for 63 yards on 12 carries and scoring on a 11-yard touchdown reception. In Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, he was looking good once again, until a foot injury (lisfranc tear) at the end of a nifty 24-yard gain in the second quarter derailed all of his momentum.
Speaking to the media after the first day of training camp on Sunday, Abdullah explained exactly when the injury, which ended his 2016 season, occurred on the play.
“It was at the very end, I was cutting back in to try get more yardage,” explained Abdullah, who is now entering his third season with the Lions. “It was actually one of my old college teammates, Daimion Stafford. He stepped on my foot. His momentum was going right. My momentum was going left. And turf is a very rigid surface. So when your cleats get stuck in turf, it’s in there. So me going that way (pointing), his foot going that way (pointing in the other direction) my foot kind of subluxed a little bit and that’s when you got the ligament torn.”
As you can imagine, dealing with not being able to play was quite rough on him. But he was able to learn some valuable lessons during that time and became a more mature player because of what he went through, he says.
“Man it was the worst,” said Abdullah. “I mean, I never missed a game in my life, so to have essentially a whole season–I only played two games–gone from me, it was a different experience for me. I appreciate it now on the back end. I’ve grown up a lot emotionally from the injury, sitting out and watching my team and being more of a vocal leader instead of a guy out there making plays. It definitely brings a different perspective for you as a player when you have to sit back and watch, and no matter how bad you want to be out there you physically can’t be. It was different. I’m glad that it happened early in my career because I feel it’s going to make me a better player later.”
As tough as it was to sit on the sidelines with an injury and not be able to help his teammates on the field, Abdullah explained that what he went through physically and emotionally last season, gave him a greater appreciation of life itself.
“Football, for me, was life for a long time,” he said. “Everything that I kid was conducive for football. Not being able to be in a position to have football as my outlet, to be my every day thing, it definitely gave me perspective for what you should appreciate more in life and how you should go about it when you are given that opportunity again. So, everyday I come out and appreciate the opportunity to compete with guys like Theo [Riddick] and all those dudes. It’s wonderful.”
Another positive for Abdullah entering training camp this year, is that he’s not wearing the red no-contact jersey like he was last year after having off-season shoulder surgery. That allows him to be a part of every facet of practice, and to get into a better rhythm, which wasn’t the case at the start of last year’s camp.
“Heading into camp full contact, full everything, full go, gives me an opportunity just to get better in all phases every single day,” said Abdullah, who posted 101 yards on 18 carries in the two games he played in last season. “That’s really just the focal point this training camp is just to get better each day.”
He later added: “Sometimes in the red jersey you are in, you are out, you get the opportunities to do things and then you don’t. And that’s kind of hard as a player when you are as a running back asked to do so much. You are asked to block. You are asked to, obviously, run the ball, catch the ball. I’m allowed to do that now and it’s allowed me to really get acclimated with this line. That is really important.”
The offensive line will be without starter Taylor Decker, who is on the PUP list after injuring his shoulder during OTAs. But the offensive line is sporting two new free agent additions in TJ Lang and Ricky Wagner. Abdullah is a fan of both of those acquisitions, and he’s fully expecting the running game–which was 30th overall in rushing yards per game in 2016–to be much improved this season.
“I mean, we want to be better,” he said. “We need to be better. It’s not just want to, we are going to be better. I feel like definitely making those moves [signing TJ Lang and Ricky Wagner] to get guys who are better and who have been on teams that have had successful running games, it’s important. And those guys are bringing that attitude every single day, understand that his running game has the potential to be really good.”
Due to suffering the injury last year, Abdullah says he’s learned to take a “day-by-day approach” with everything that he does now. And as for having any individual goals for this upcoming season, he’s more focused on his overall play than on statistics and numbers.
“I don’t go into the season and say, ‘I need to do this,’ because when you become more result oriented you forget about the process. Everything is about the process when you come out here. It’s about making the right reads. To make the right reads you have to take the right steps, you have to have the right angle. There is so much that goes into statistical goals, that a lot of people, no offense, the media doesn’t understand that we have to focus on the process not just the outcome. That’s my goal: the process.”