Fans may see a different side to defensive end 
A third-year player, Avril played in two different schemes over his first two seasons, with the personnel also changing around him.
This year, the personnel has changed, but it hasn’t been an overhaul. Instead, the Lions added veterans
Throw in second-year defensive tackle
“Having Suh, having Corey, having Kyle, big Sammie – all of those guys – is huge,” said Avril. “It’s big just having big, athletic guys in the middle.”
Having an added push in the middle can only help Avril, whose skill-set is weighted in rushing the quarterback.
Williams is a player who can stop the run, but he is also a good pass rusher. His talent and experience will help other interior linemen like Suh and Hill.
“Just to have their presence felt in the middle – somebody is going to get double teamed, but somebody is going to be free, which is a lot better than in previous years,” said Avril. “It’s good to have those guys and we definitely want to make the best of it.”
Avril not only benefits from the physical abilities of his new fellow linemen, but he is able to learn from a seasoned veteran like Vanden Bosch, who has also played in this defensive system for a significant amount of time.
“I’m learning from Kyle constantly,” said Avril.
“I’m learning to be a professional. I’m learning a lot from Kyle and a lot from Jared (DeVries) – all of the guys in the D-line room. Our coach (Kris Kocurek) is a guy I definitely feel comfortable going to, so I’m just feeling a lot better about my situation and being a football player.”
Vanden Bosch says he has been impressed with Avril from the beginning.
“I become more and more impressed with him every day,” he said. “He’s got a good combination of speed and strength, but he has shown consistency. That’s what you look for throughout training camp: a guy who not only flashes here and there, but a guy that shows up, makes plays every day and, in this defense, is accountable at his position.
“Cliff has shown that. I said earlier this summer that I believe that he’s built for this scheme – that he should flourish in this system – and I think he will.”
The speed of practice increases from the offseason program to training camp, and then takes a leap once the preseason and then regular seasons start.
But that doesn’t mean the defensive line isn’t developing good habits that will carry them into the regular season.
“Our goal is to practice as fast as we can,” he said. “We, as a defensive line, want to get in the backfield and make as many plays as we can. If we’re not doing those things in practice, we’re not going to do that in games.
“We need to get in the backfield as much as possible in practice so that when game time rolls around, we should feel comfortable with what we’re doing and get back there and make plays.”
As for Avril, with the players he now has next to him, he feels that he can just go out to practice every day and focus on being a good pass rusher.
“The guys in the middle are going to get push,” he said. “They’re just real athletic and big – I can definitely tell the difference from last year.
“The quarterback is going to get flushed out and it definitely is going to help out having another D-end that’s going to hit the edge every time in Kyle Vanden Bosch. I think the D-line as one is going to be a lot better.”
