Author: Paula Pasche

ALLEN PARK — With Tavon Wilson out with a shoulder injury, safety Miles Killebrew is expected to get his first NFL start when the Lions host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

It’s kind of a big deal.

To add to it, Killebrew was named special teams captain for the game.

“When (Jim Caldwell) said my name I was actually kind of surprised, I’m not going to let it distract me, it’s an exciting honor, can’t wait to get out there,’’ Killebrew said on Friday.

The second-year safety is off to a great start this season. In the opening game he intercepted Arizona’s Carson Palmer and returned the ball 35 yards for a touchdown.

Usually Killebrew is used in certain defensive packages — he’s been compared to a Swiss Army knife. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin loves to have him on the field.

“Miles I think is just scratching the surface of being a really good football player no matter where you put him, so I don’t worry about that,’’ Austin said. “We just know we like to have him on the field and we’ll continue to use him the way we’ve used him.”

Killebrew is ready for whatever role he’ll have on Sunday.

“As far as being versatile that’s something I’ve always want to be. I’ve always wanted to be someone who can attack the game from all angles and be available for how the coaches need me,’’ Killebrew said.

He hasn’t changed up his preparation this week. It consists of the basics — practice and film work.

“My confidence is rooted in my preparation. I’m very prepared, the coaches prepare us very well here and I take a lot of preparation measures on my own,’’ Killebrew said. “As long as I’m  prepared I’m not worried about it.’’

He speaks the company line completely. It’s not fake, it seems very genuine. The whole team realizes the Atlanta Falcons are one of the best teams in the NFC but the only reason it’s a big game is because it’s the next game.

“After a win you are inclined to change up your approach but I’d have to say we’re taking it one game at a time,’’ Killebrew said. “This is another game that we’re going to have to perform at our best ability.”

Other captains for the game are Golden Tate for offense and Tahir Whitehead on defense.

Wilson, linebacker Jarrad Davis and running back Dwayne Washington have been declared out for Sunday.

ALLEN PARK — The Lions will be without three key players when they face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Middle linebacker Jarrad Davis (concussion), safety Tavon Wilson (shoulder) and running back Dwayne Washington (quad) have officially been ruled out. They did not practice today (Friday) and it was the third straight practice each of them has missed.

Defensive end Ziggy Ansah (knee), center Travis Swanson (ankle) and Joe Dahl (lower leg) are questionable.  Swanson hasn’t practiced all week while Ansah and Dahl have been limited.

It’s likely that without Swanson, Graham Glasgow will move to center from left guard. Dahl could start at left guard if he’s healthy.

Without Wilson in the secondary, expect Miles Killebrew to get more snaps.

It’s possible Paul Worrilow will step in at middle linebacker for Davis. Or Whitehead could take the role that he had last year. All linebackers learn all three positions for situations like this. Also likely that rookie Jalen Reeves-Maybin will see more action.

Running back Zach Zenner, who has been inactive for the first two games, will see his first action with Washington out. In the final five regular season games in 2016, he had 51 carries for 225 yards (4.4 yards per carry) and three touchdowns.

ALSO, Jim Caldwell said today that captains on Sunday will be Tahir Whitehead, Golden Tate and Miles Killebrew on special teams.

ALLEN PARK — Defensive end George Johnson has been in the NFL since 2010. But in only one season did he ever notch a sack. That was in 2014, his only season with the Detroit Lions, when he finished the season with six sacks in 16 games.

On Thursday the Lions announced they had signed Johnson who had spent the last two years in Tampa Bay. They waived undrafted rookie defensive end Alex Barrett.

(Photo courtesy of Detroit Lions)

The defensive line had been a concern going into the season but has played well, helping lead the Lions to a 2-0 start.

“We like George and we think he gives us a veteran presence in the room, and he gives us a good motor and obviously, we hope he can get back to the form he was in 2014,’’ defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said.

Coach Jim Caldwell agrees, saying he can’t see into the future.

“We know he can contribute, otherwise we wouldn’t have brought him back and he still has the same kind of fire he had when he was here. He’s still the same guy that works extremely hard, heavy-handed guy that can make some things happen and the rest of it we’ll see,’’ Caldwell said. “We certainly believe that, but to the magnitude that he — I mean he had an outstanding year that year, and those are hard to duplicate, but he will contribute to our team.

“I think (Johnson) and Kris (Kocurek) have a real good synergy, what TA (Teryl Austin) puts him in on defense, all of those things kind of tie in hand-in-hand together, so he had an exceptional year and hopefully he can come in and do a few things for us which I believe he will,’’ Caldwell added.

Johnson is thrilled to return to the team where he had success

“Just the atmosphere, the coaches, the players, it was a team thing. It wasn’t guys who feel like they were on different pages,’’ Johnson said. “When I was here the first time it was (Jim Caldwell’s)  first time coaching. He just brought it out of us. He told us every week to go after it, hold nothing back, he never lied to us about what we were going to do and he always made sure he took care of us. When he took care of us we took care of him and we went out there and gave it our all for him.’’

He had nothing but good to say about Kocurek, the fiery defensive line coach.

“Kris, he just wants your best. If you can’t give him your best then he’s not going to play you,’’ Johnson said. “That’s all he wants. He wants you to go out there and play as hard as you can for how long the game is,  he doesn’t want anything else. He doesn’t want anything spectacular, he just wants your best.’’

Johnson said he worked out for the Lions a few weeks ago, but they wanted him to slim down. So he went back to his home in Tampa and worked off the pounds. He’s down to 260 which is the weight he played at during his previous tenure in Detroit.

“When you carry less (weight) you’re not dragging a sled behind you, so you’re playing a little more quicker, your movements are more precise,’’ Johnson said.

He should fit in quickly because he’s familiar with the defensive scheme, even though there might be some new terminology.

“They just want you to go, they don’t care about anything else , they just want you to go. They don’t want you to think, they don’t want you to read, they just want you to attack,’’ Johnson said. “If you’re attacking you’re not really reacting, you’re just going after it. Kris just wants the best out of you.’’

He’s had an eye on the defensive line during their first two games.

“They played extremely hard, I was watching the Giants game how they really got after it, relentless pressure, relentless attack. They never stopped, they never gave the offense a chance to even recover,’’ Johnson said. “They were after it the whole time. Just watching them the first two weeks (I’m thinking)  if they bring me in where do I fit? That’s a tough group of guys.’’