The start of organized team activities is not only exciting for fans, but for the players and coaches themselves. On Tuesday, the Detroit Lions took the field for the first time as a team in 2017 and the excitement was palpable.
For many Lions players, this was the first time they had seen the field in several months, after dealing with serious injuries. Chief among those players was Ameer Abdullah, who couldn’t contain his enthusiasm for finally getting back to football:
So blessed to be back on the field with my guys today, all the glory to God.
— Ameer Abdullah (@Ameerguapo) May 23, 2017
Another player going through a similar experience is Quandre Diggs, who missed Detroit’s final five games of 2016 with a torn pectoral muscle. Diggs expressed his graciousness for his good health on Twitter:
Today I was like a little kid on Christmas Day! Having the game taken away from me made me better!
— Quandre Diggs (@qdiggs6) May 23, 2017
Eric Ebron, who dealt with his own set of injuries in 2016, is back, healthier than ever and still has his notorious confidence intact:
I'm healthy bro. It's a scary thing https://t.co/A5xih1FToB
— Eric Ebron (@Ebron85) May 24, 2017
Darius Slay is already building some camaraderie with rookie Jarrad Davis, who grew up a few towns over from Slay in Georgia:
Other players were simply happy to be out there on the football field, having a good time:
Playing for the love of it! OTA #1✅ pic.twitter.com/LOzdzYq6kd
— Jace Billingsley (@jacegable) May 23, 2017
Adairius Barnes, however, is too focused to be having any fun: