National Football League
Bly returns to Detroit 4 years after unhappy exit
National Football League

Bly returns to Detroit 4 years after unhappy exit

Published Aug. 8, 2010 11:23 p.m. ET

When Dre'Bly left the Detroit Lions, he didn't expect to come back to the team.

He's happy to be wrong.

Bly was traded away after publicly blaming quarterback Joey Harrington for head coach Steve Mariucci's firing in 2006, but signed a free-agent contract with Detroit in July.

''I honestly didn't think I'd ever be back here again after what happened with Joey and the trade,'' he said Sunday. ''But I'm glad it worked out, because I played the best ball of my career in Detroit, and I'm glad to have a chance to possibly finish here.''

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In his first stint with the team, Bly was a two-time Pro Bowl selection, but this time, the expectations are lower. In the first week of training camp, Bly has spent most of his time playing nickel back.

''I've played nickel in San Francisco and Denver, and I even played it here a bit,'' Bly said. ''I don't care what spot I'm at - my preference is just to be on the field.''

At 33, Bly doesn't have the same athletic abilities that he had coming out of North Carolina in 1999, but he thinks that his experience more than makes up for it.

''I haven't lost my ball skills, and I have better instincts from playing in the league for this long,'' he said. ''I was never a blazer to begin with, so that was never the main ingredient to my game. I think I can help this team and make plays.''

Lions coach Jim Schwartz isn't worried about Bly's diminished quickness.

''Playing cornerback in this league isn't about speed - it is about covering people, and there are a lot of ways to skin that cat,'' he said. ''Once you have the kind of experience that Dre' has, you can put yourself in position to cover people without speed.''

Bly left the Lions as the Matt Millen era was plunging toward its lowest point, and is thrilled by the changes put in place by general manager Martin Mayhew.

''The attitude in this place is completely different,'' Bly said. ''Martin has done a great job of changing the entire demeanor of this franchise.''

NOTES: The Lions practiced twice on Sunday, but Schwartz cut the first session to just 67 minutes. ''There are times in camp where you have to step on the gas, and times you have to cut back,'' he said. ''We didn't want to give them a day off, but we limited things and I thought it went well.'' ... The Lions don't play their first preseason game until Saturday, but Schwartz said that Sunday night's Hall of Fame game will give his players a boost. ''It is sort of a shock to see people already playing, but I know when you see that first game on TV, your eyes light up a little. It means you are getting closer.'' ... DT Joe Cohen missed practice with a knee injury sustained in Saturday's public practice at Ford Field, and Schwartz said the team isn't sure of the severity.

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