Duce Staley Has Blunt Message for D'Andre Swift

Detroit Lions running backs coach Duce Staley addresses D'Andre Swift's frustration regarding his playing time.

Running back D'Andre Swift has not been utilized on the field all that much since his return to action. 

Just prior to tight end Shane Zylstra's second-quarter touchdown, Swift almost secured Detroit's opening score of the game against the Green Bay Packers. 

After securing a reception on third down and taking it all the way to the 1-yard line, the coaching staff took him out on the next play. 

It was observed that the speedy running may not have been pleased to be taken out so close to the end zone. 

“I think he got pissed off a little bit," Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. "He caught that third down, and he was just a little bit short, and we took him out. But, that’s good, that’s good. That means he’s going (in) the right direction for us."

The team has been quite cautious in its approach with the third-year running back, as he has battled various injuries throughout the early parts of his career. 

Detroit running backs coach Duce Staley expressed to reporters his opinion of how a player should properly react to decisions that coaches make at certain points of an NFL game. 

“When you say frustrated, have you talked to him? So, you take that as him being frustrated? Oh, Ben (Johnson) said he was pissed off. You can tell I read your clips," Staley replied, when asked about Swift's frustrations. "Alright, I don’t know, and I will say this, if he is, tell him to take that same energy, that same juice and use it on the field. You tell him that.”