October 14, 2009

We played the Steelers tight and I feel like we should have won that game. There are just too many little things we’re not doing as a team. It’s not any individual person. It’s a lot of different things.

There’s no room for error in this league, and if you don’t do the small things, you’re not going to win. That’s exactly where we’re at right now.

We started to put pressure on the quarterback in the second half, but that’s something we have to do from the opening kickoff. We have to make the quarterback uncomfortable and make our presence felt.

I feel like we can beat any team if we play the way we’re capable of playing.

We’re headed to Green Bay this week and I’ve watched some film. I feel like we have an opportunity to go out there and play well. We just have to perform and have fun out there.

We play against Aaron Rodgers twice a year. He’s a good quarterback, he gets the ball out fast and makes great reads. As a D-lineman, my goal is to get to him as often as possible and make him feel uncomfortable.

Right now I’m just grinding. I don’t really have time for anything else. I feel like I’m improving, but technically this will be just my third game of the season and I’m still getting a better feel for the game. The Pittsburgh game was my most productive game of the season so far, it most definitely gives me something to build on.

A steady influence in the locker room has been Larry Foote. We all want to win, but he is very passionate about it. We know what he has accomplished in this league, so we know that everything he has to say is very relevant. When he comes out and has something to say, it’s huge, especially to the younger players. It’s great to know there’s a guy on the team like Larry.

Cliff Avril is a defensive end for the Detroit Lions. His blog for www.playerpress.com
runs at www.avril92.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cliffavril.