To paraphrase Dean Wormer from the movie "Animal House": Fat and weak is no way to go through the NFL.
That was Amari Spievey's plight a year ago. The Lions drafted him in the third round as a cornerback out of Iowa, but Spievey showed up in less than prime condition.
"He was the only corner with a pot belly," coach Jim Schwartz said. "He was weak. He just didn't know what he was getting into."
In the third exhibition game against Cleveland, Spievey made the transition to safety and showed off his prowess as a strong tackler. By the fifth game against St. Louis, he had taken over for C.C. Brown.
This year, the lockout denied Spievey a full season of growth at his new position, and that had Schwartz concerned.
"We were going to count on him -- without seeing him for six months -- what he was going to look like," Schwartz said. "Well, you know what? He's looked great. He's in much, much better shape. He's in very, very good shape. I would say excellent shape."
Spievey has been the starting safety opposite Louis Delmas. With Delmas sidelined the past two days with a finger injury, Spievey has played opposite his direct competition, Erik Coleman -- and he has been impressive.
"His knowledge of the scheme is very good," Schwartz said of Spievey. "I don't know that he's made any mental errors. His technique is much better. So even without having all that hands-on time with him, we found a way to correct a lot of the things that went on last year, and we're very excited with where he is right now."
DELMAS OUT: Delmas missed his second straight practice after having a screw removed from a finger on his right hand, although he is expected to miss only a few days.
"He just can't get it sweaty for a couple days because of the possibility of infection," Schwartz said. "It was old; it had been there for a while. He just needed to get it out."
Receiver Titus Young (leg), right tackle Gosder Cherilus (knee), running back Maurice Morris (hand), cornerback Nate Vasher (muscle tightness), defensive tackle Andre Fluellen (hand) and tight end Richard Dickson (knee) also missed practice.
Young hasn't practiced in a week, and Fluellen and Vasher were injured in practice Thursday.
In good news on the injury front, cornerback Alphonso Smith was out of a walking boot he was wearing for a broken foot.
BEST BETTER: Running back Jahvid Best saw the difference in game film from his rookie season. While battling turf toe, he struggled to make cuts. He would take three or four steps when he should have been taking one or two.
"I definitely wasn't satisfied," he said. "But I definitely think going into this year I'll play fast and stay healthy, so it'll be a good year for us."
Best is expected to make more of an impact this year, especially as part of a 1-2 punch with power back Mikel Leshoure. Best said it's too early to forecast everyone's role in the offense, but he has been impressed with Leshoure's ability to pick up the playbook quickly.
"He's not going to be out there thinking ... he can just play," Best said. "I think he's going to open everybody's eyes."
TEMPERS FLARE: The Lions almost had their first honest-to-goodness camp fight. Linebacker DeAndre Levy blitzed too early and bowled over center Dominic Raiola. The offense exacted revenge on the next play with a deep pass from Matthew Stafford to Calvin Johnson. On the play after that, Raiola had to be restrained as he barked at the defense in Levy's general direction.
