Big, terrible. DJ Reader joined with Detroit on Thursday, and the Lions wasted no time releasing introduction materials. In addition to the introductory press conference we mentioned on Pride of Detroit (in which the team provided an optimistic injury update for the torn quadriceps he suffered in December), there is a wealth of information available online to get fans excited about their powerful new disruptor in the middle of the defensive line. Some photos of Reader (and the other new Lions) signing their official contracts in Allen Park and meeting the staff can be found in the team’s official website’s behind-the-scenes gallery.
The former Bengals’ complete 12-minute introduction news conference is now available for viewing on the team’s official YouTube account. Our own Erik Schlitt highlighted many of the finest remarks in his roster effect analysis of the signing, but you can hear Reader say he’s “super happy” to be lining up with another Carolina person like Alim McNeill (and that Carolina has the greatest athletes in the country).
He’s excited to play under Dan Campbell, and meeting the head coach was exhilarating. “It is real. It’s a feeling that comes over you when you realize someone cares about you and is speaking to you honestly. They look you dead in the eye when they talk to you. It almost gives you the chills. It makes you feel like, “Okay, I’ll run through a wall for this guy, and I think that was the coolest part.”
In addition to the formal press conference, team reporter Dannie Rogers conducted a five-minute interview, which was also posted on the official YouTube account. Rogers began by inquiring about Reader’s tweets during Detroit’s recent playoff run. “On Twitter, it appeared that you were the Detroit Lions’ biggest fan during the postseason. “Can you break down the tweets?!?” After the big guy’s favorable evaluation of the Lions’ success, Rogers mentioned how wonderfully everything worked out to bring him to Detroit: “You were almost manifesting this.” Reader’s eyes light up as he agrees:
“It’s crazy right, how that happens?” That’s simply how life is, I suppose. You’re among wonderful people and you see beautiful things, yet occasionally you.
