Detroit Lions Rookie Nick Fairley Making Season Debut on MNF
By Josh Sanchez
The Detroit Lions selected Nick Fairley with the thirteenth overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Fairley has yet to make his NFL debut while rehabbing a broken foot suffered in training camp. A source close to the situation told ESPN that Fairley will make his debut on Monday Night Football against the division rival Chicago Bears, despite any official word from the team.
Lions head coach Jim Schwartz did state that if Fairley is to play on Monday night that he does not expect him to make a significant contribution.
“I think when we do get him back, there will be a progression to that,” Schwartz said. “You’re talking about a guy that played in zero preseason games, and you always have a progression with those. We won’t go from zero to 100 without taking some steps along the way.”
Regardless of playing time, having Fairley get valuable reps will be key for the long term. If Fairley can reach his full potential, he will create a devastating duo at defensive tackle alongside Ndamukong Suh for Detroit. This will just be the first step of Fairley’s short career. Let’s see if he can get off to a good start.
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