Caldwell Says Lions Aren't Waiting On Levy: "We're Not Praying For A Miracle."
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
Jim Caldwell is a well-known man of faith. Each morning, he wakes up and prays.
But the Lions coach won't be calling on God for the return of DeAndre Levy.
"We're not praying for a miracle in that regard. If it happens, the good Lord has him ready to go, he'll be ready to go," Caldwell said on Wednesday prior to the Lions' Thanksgiving clash with the Vikings.
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2016/11/21/this-is-the-lions-biggest-thanksgiving-game-ever-and-heres-why/
Levy, Detroit's top linebacker, hasn't played since injuring his quad in Week 1. He returned to practice last week, but there's no timetable on when he might take the field in a game. The Lions have remained mum on his status for Thursday's contest.
"I think that there's time and a rhythm to everything. And I think whenever he's ready, he'll be ready," Caldwell said.
Either way, the coach made it clear the first-place Lions aren't waiting around on one guy.
"I think when you start putting the focus on one individual coming back or not coming back, then you say to the rest of your team that, 'We don't think you can do it without this guy or without that guy,'" Caldwell said. "And in our business, we have to win - regardless of what the situations are.
"So we focus in on the guys that are there, that are with us. The guys that are going to play for us, the guys that are going to be the difference in the game. If we happen to get some help coming back, the cavalry does indeed return, we're not waiting for the cavalry. We're trying to get a win. So that's kind of how we look at it."
Levy would give the Lions a serious boost on defense. He was the team's leading tackler in his last full season (2014) and possesses A+ instincts as a linebacker. It's a position at which the Lions have looked vulnerable all season long.
"He's a great player," Caldwell said. "Any guy that we've missed over the last couple weeks - we didn't have (Darius) Slay a couple weeks ago. There are a number of guys that have been missing. But our focus is on trying to get the guys that we have that are capable and ready to go, ready to play the game."
