James Houston Was 'Very Close' to Quitting Detroit Lions

James Houston is ready to keep proving doubters wrong.

Detroit Lions linebacker James Houston was close to quitting the team, prior to his breakout performance against the Buffalo Bills. 

After being cut at the conclusion of training camp, Houston struggled with the team's decision. 

Houston lamented, in a "Go Long" feature story, “Did I deserve to be cut? I didn’t think so. It was a tough situation.”

The rookie was reminded of his collegiate experiences, where he felt underappreciated at times. 

“I’m feeling left out. This is the same thing -- nobody wants me. I’m underappreciated. It’s the same old bullshit," said Houston. "At first, I was really upset. I wanted to leave. I wanted to go somewhere else. Because I just felt like they didn’t know how to use me and they didn’t know what type of player I was.”

For Detroit's coaching staff, there was always a strong belief that Houston could produce at the NFL level, but that he was in need of much more development. 

Spending time on the practice squad was challenging mentally, but also rewarding for Houston. The Jackson State product learned additional pass-rush moves and additional insights from veterans like left tackle Taylor Decker. 

When the time was right, Houston took full advantage in his debut against the Bills, in front of a nationally televised audience.  

Despite recording eight sacks with limited snaps, the team wants Houston to excel at multiple aspects of playing outside linebacker, before the decision is made to increase his total snap count. 

“Just overall scheme, knowing where I fit inside the defense, whether it’s defensive end or outside linebacker, wherever they put me,” Houston said, via MLive. “Just mastering the scheme, and being able to execute at 100%. I’m playing a multitude of positions, so there are a lot of different techniques and a lot of new movements that I’ll be doing. So, it probably just won’t be just rushing the passer this year.” 

With another training camp to develop, the 24-year-old will be given every opportunity to put the thoughts of quitting in the rear-view mirror.