Grant Stuard: Lions Are 'Not The Organization' for Players to Relax

The Detroit Lions got deeper at the linebacker position with the addition of four-year veteran Grant Stuard.

The linebacker has spent the last three NFL seasons suiting up for the Indianapolis Colts, predominately on special teams. However, he was productive last season for the Colts' defense and this performance offers some optimism for what the Lions may be getting.

Stuard explained that he had other opportunities to join teams across the NFL landscape, but ultimately landed on Detroit due to his desire to be around like-minded players and compete for snaps.

Heading into his fifth NFL season, Stuard made a bold claim that veterans looking to ease through the end of their career may not like coming to Detroit due to the intensity of the team's practices and games.

“I definitely got the sense if you’re maybe a Year 10 guy, looking to go somewhere and relax, this is probably not the organization," Stuard said. "When guys are complaining in the locker room after a game, they’re probably not the type of guys that want to pull up to this joint. But if you want to go somewhere and work, and I can only talk so much about it because I haven’t been in it. But that’s definitely what I’ve gotten from the players that I know that have played here. Just excited to add some value.”

Stuard was highly complimentary of the Lions' coaching staff, including special teams coordinator Dave Fipp and head coach Dan Campbell. He stated that he has family members who have become fans of Campbell after watching the team on 'Hard Knocks.'

As Stuard gears up for his first season with the team, he's eager for the opportunity to work toward meeting the team's standards for culture.

He had other opportunities where more playing time may have been guaranteed, but he was eager to join a team like the Lions who was both a contender and had high standards for the type of player they bring in.

"It's grit. You see it on the side of the building, you see it on people's hats. You can definitely tell mid-game going against them, that that's what they're about, from wide receivers to their offensive linemen to the way they play defense and special teams," Stuard explained. "If there's a whole building of people like that, I'd love to be there. It was an easy choice, for sure. It's not like other situations where it was an easier path to the field, or an easier path to being a number one guy on a unit. He's like, 'They've got some players over there.' I'm like, 'Well that's good.' I want to be around guys that are attacking the day the way I attack the day."