Ever since Jahvid Best entered the NFL, there have been two dominant storylines in his career.
One of them has been that his mixture of speed and versatility makes him a very difficult player for defenses to contend with, especially on an offense that also has Calvin Johnson, Titus Young, Brandon Pettigrew, Nate Burleson and finally adds power back Mikel Leshoure this season after injury and suspension. All of those options, plus Matthew Stafford throwing the ball, should make life difficult for defenses and Best is looking forward to taking advantage.
“I believe it’s true,” Best said, via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. “I mean, we get in situations where linebackers have me one-on-one, and that’s personally my favorite opportunity. So it just creates something else they’ve got to worry about.”
That leads us to the second dominant storyline, since it is something that the Lions have to worry about. Best missed 10 games last season after a concussion and his inability to avoid head injuries in college or the pros has limited how much value teams have received from having Best on the roster. If year three of his career doesn’t put an end to the doubts about his ability to handle a regular role, the Lions might have to think about other ways to create matchup nightmares in the future.