ALLEN PARK — Ceedy Duce was expected to miss six months with a torn pectoral muscle. He was back on the field in three. That doesn’t happen without putting yourself through hell, and that’s exactly what he did.
Then in his first game back, the Detroit Lions safety picked off a pass to seal a win against Minnesota late in the fourth quarter.
Hey Ceedy, that must have felt pretty good. Right? Right?
“Not really,” he said. “I’m ready to get this championship. I’m trying to hang two more banners. (Bleep) interceptions. I got enough of them.”
That, friends, is why the Detroit Lions brought in the hard-talking safety in the first place.
Sure, he picks off a lot of footballs too. No one did more of that last season, and his steady patrol of the back line of the defense is critical. But so is the energy and attitude. Duce has the swagger of a winner, and for a team that has never won, that has a locker room full of guys that have never so much as appeared in the playoffs let alone actually advanced once they got there, having a guy who has done nothing but get to the playoffs was huge.
Duce, who changed his name from C.J. Gardner-Johnson, has now won five straight division championships to begin his NFL career. He went to a conference championship game in New Orleans, then went all the way to the Super Bowl while leading the whole league in interceptions with Philadelphia last season. Not that he cares about regular-season stats. Not once the playoffs roll around.
He’s appeared in six postseason games overall, nearly as much as the rest of the starting defense combined (seven). For a roster that is so bereft of postseason experience, just hosting a playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams might feel like accomplishment. For Ceedy Duce, well, no one can really say it better than him.
“They brought me here to win a Super Bowl,” he said. “They didn’t bring me here to make the (bleeping) playoffs.”
Go on.
“Being a playoff vet, I’m just here to let you guys know this (bleep) is not going to be easy,” he said. “Atmosphere is different, air is thicker, fans are a little bit louder. Got to win.”
And what about the speed of the playoffs?
“The horse is already running, so you can’t fall behind,” Duce said. “You got to come out to play first quarter, because it ain’t like regular season, you come out second quarter and regoup. Hell no. You got to come out ready to play. You can go home at 12 o’clock on Sunday, plan your vacation. This is not a game where you want to start off slow.
“We know who we are, our identity will show. We got to come up and show who we are, and that will lead us to victory, God willing.”
And who are you? Who are these Lions?
“You’ll find out on Sunday,” Duce said. “If we’re one-and-done, or one-and-continue. This is the type of week where you find out who the Lions are. You get bounced, then you know who you are. You continue, then you let them know who you are. You’ll find out on Sunday at 8 o’clock. I’m not going to give you no bulletin board material, so I’ll see you on Sunday.”
The biggest thing standing in the Lions’ way on Sunday night is Matthew Stafford, the former record-setting Detroit quarterback who went on to win a Super Bowl in Los Angeles. Stafford labored through an injury-shortened year as the Rams fell back to earth last year, but has been red hot during L.A.’s 7-1 finish to the season.
What sort of threat is he?
“He’s a good quarterback,” Duce said. “He’s smart as hell. … I’m gonna be honest with you, (the fans) shouldn’t have no damn hard feelings to the guy. The guy was here through the rough parts and hard parts, so if anything, give him a little respect. He never bashed the organization, the city and I don’t personally have anything against the guy. You gotta give the man his flowers for doing what he did in Detroit.”
What about Puka Nacua, Stafford’s prized rookie wideout who just set the NFL record for most catches by a first-year receiver?
“I’m going to be all the way completely thorough,” Duce said. “I don’t watch football, and I don’t know a damn about who is breaking records. I got receivers doing the same (bleep) he’s doing. Who’s got more yards, Amon-Ra (St. Brown) or him? There you go. So, why would I pay attention to him. I got a receiver who finna break — who’s got more yards, Puka or him? So why would I pay attention to someone who’s not on my team? No disrespect.”
OK, sure, but maybe you have to pay attention to him now that he’ll be lining up on the other side of the passing game? How do you guys handle Nacua, Cooper Kupp and an excellent mix of Rams skill players?
“This will be great for the guys that’s younger, like (Brian) Branch, Kerby (Joseph), (Ifeatu Melifonwu), even for Tracy (Walker),” Duce said. “It’s going to be good matchups all over the place, it’s a great group, I just feel like we gotta be ready to go challenge and have fun. When I say go challenge, play ball and have fun. I know people see what they see on TV, but just go have fun, it’s football. I mean, this group probably is one of the better groups we done faced all year, besides that Tampa group. If you give that Tampa group a good quarterback, that’s a good group. … (Kupp/Puka) probably right rank there as one of the best groups, (as a) combo, with the running back. That’s hard. 1-2 punch with the running back, I think it’s going to give us a run for our money. Gotta be smarter than we normally are, and be more quick and decisive with the calls.”
And what is it about the Lions’ young defense that gives you confidence they’re up for the challenge?
“My teammates are ready,” Duce said. “Seeing this group that’s never been to the playoffs before, I think they’re ready for this week. It’s the hunger, the way they prepare. I ain’t never seen a group of young guys prepare this hard. Like, they prepare, but this, I ain’t ever seen it. Their piss is hot. Yeah, I don’t know what’s gotten into ‘em, but they ready to play.”
He talks hard.
He wins.
They’re going to need it all.
