Joique Bell On Health, Seahawks Defense And Marshawn Lynch
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
Joique Bell hasn't had the most dazzling start to the 2015 season: 22 yards off 20 carries, and one touchdown in three games.
And to add to that, Bell didn't participate during the open portion of Thursday's practice. Bell sat out all of the preseason as he rehabbed from a knee injury, but according to the Lions' official practice report, he is dealing with an ankle injury now.
"Obviously not the start that I want," Bell said. "I don't really talk about injuries. … The coaches know my situation and that's pretty much all I have to say about that."
As the Lions struggle to rub two sticks together and create a fire of some kind behind their run game, they are also preparing for one of the best defenses in the league over the past few seasons in the Seattle Seahawks. The two teams face off on Monday night in a game where the Lions are attempting to win their first game of the season.
"I played with a couple of guys there," Bell said. "I played with Cliff (Avril); I know what Cliff can do. (Michael) Bennett's a great player as well. They have a good set of linebackers. They have a really strong secondary. They're a solid team, especially on defense, real solid. It's going to be fun to go down there and give them all we have. We're going to go down there and play our football. We're both physical teams. We're going to get after it."
Avril isn't the only Seahawk who used to suit up with Bell: Running back Marshawn Lynch was also Bell's teammate when both were with the Bills.
And although Lynch is considered "50-50" to play on Monday because of a hamstring injury, he and Bell have stayed in touch since they both left Buffalo.
"Definitely a lot of respect for Marshawn," Bell said. "We talk time to time here and there. We still keep in contact. Actually a lot of guys I played with back in Buffalo from him, Fred (Jackson), CJ (Spiller) – I keep in touch with all those guys, my first family of running backs I had when I came to the NFL. So I definitely respect Marshawn as a man and also as a football player."