Spence excited to face Stafford
Defensive tackle eager to go against former teammates
DAVIE — After spending last season in a Detroit Lions uniform and cheering on quarterback Matt Stafford, Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Akeem Spence now has a different thought in mind as prepares to face his former teammate.
“I want to put Matt down,” Spence said with a laugh Wednesday. “That’s my big goal for the week.”
The six-year veteran will have his shot as the Dolphins (4-2) host the Lions (2-3) on Sunday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.
Spence, who spent his first four seasons in the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, signed a three-year contract with Detroit in 2017, but spent just one
North.
After Detroit hired former New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia as its new coach this offseason, Spence was traded to Miami in May for a conditional seventh-round draft pick. year in the NFC
“I’m pretty much just going to talk about the players on our roster right now,” Patricia said in a conference call with reporters. “Again, I know Spence was here before ... and it was a situation where we thought it was best to go in a different direction.”
Despite being dealt nearly halfway across the country, the transition was pretty seamless for Spence.
In addition to earning a starting spot in Miami, he was reunited with his Lions position coach Kris Kocurek, who was hired by the Dolphins this offseason to lead the defensive line.
While he envisioned himself being in Detroit for longer, Spence harbors no resentment toward the Lions.
“Business is business,” Spence said. “I don’t really look at it like that. They were going in a different direction, obviously, and I got an opportunity to come here and play in a same style of defense I was in. So I just look at it as another opportunity to go out and compete against some former friends.”
Last season in Detroit, Spence played in all 16 games — starting 11 — and totaling 39 tackles and three sacks. This year, he’s integrated himself in the Dolphins starting lineup, recording the third-most snaps among all Miami defensive linemen.
After spending a year with the Lions, he’s excited to go head-to-head with his former teammates.
“[I’m looking forward to] getting the chance to go against this offense that I went against all training camp last year and everything,” Spence said. “It’s going to be fun going against guys like T.J. [Lang], of course Matt, [Golden Tate] and the guys.”
“I know the other guys on the other side of the ball, but it doesn’t change this team trying to get a W.”