HOUSTON – Inside the hard-hitting world of Detroit Lions linebacker Grant Stuard, things happen fast.
His helmet on a swivel, Stuard sprints downfield with reckless abandon balanced by discipline and control as he takes aim at his target. On a collision course with the football, Stuard takes off on a dead heat as he runs through and around blockers.
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The goal is relatively simple and elemental for the veteran special-teams ace: Find the football, and jolt the ball carrier to the ground in a violent manner.
Anything less than high intensity is totally unacceptable for the former University of Houston standout.
There’s nuance and detail, though, within the high-velocity aspect of kick coverage.
“Man, it’s a trench war out there, you know what I’m saying,” Stuard told KPRC 2 during his annual youth football camp at Gullo Park and Oak Ridge High School, his alma mater. “You get out there on special teams, man, the flags go out the window, the penalties and all that. It’s just violence and pulling and pushing and all type of stuff, and it’s all about willpower, and it all about effort in that. It’s all effort and mentality. That’s all special teams is, especially now. Especially now, with the sparse reps as well, sometimes with the punts and kickoffs changing, man, now it’s becoming a lot more technical than it used to be, in my opinion.
“It’s not all strictly effort and tenacity and all that. Now, you gotta know what to do with your hands, your feet, your eyes, because everything’s getting condensed. They’re starting to punt the ball less. They’re discouraging special teams to like be the way it used to be with violence and all that type of stuff. So, it’s been interesting throughout the years. Every year, my game has been forced to be more technical, more sound rather than just uncontrolled violence that I prefer."
Stuard just keeps adapting. It was Stuard, a former Mr. Irrelevant as the final pick of the draft with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who delivered a punishing 19-tackle performance against the Miami Dolphins last season.
It was his first career start and he had a career-high for tackles that included 11 solos. With his long hair flying around behind him, Stuard took aggressive, high-speed pursuit angles and arrived in a bad mood with one tackle for a loss.
After the game, Colts coach Shane Steichen couldn’t stop talking about what Stuard accomplished and his ultra-physical playing style.
“He can be an example for the entire NFL,” Steichen said. “The guy is relentless. The way he practices is like nothing I’ve ever seen. Everything is 100 miles per hour, and he finishes on every drill. The guy just works.
“There is no secret to success when you work as hard as a guy like he does. So, you get your opportunity to go in and go make plays. Flying around the field all day. Player of the game for us on defense. It’s very special to see his story and everything that’s happened to him in his life.”
Stuard has overcome extremely difficult circumstances. He helped take care of his four siblings while his mother battled drug addiction who worked in the sex industry and his father spent time in prison.
“My mom is a drug addict,” Stuard said when he was drafted. “My dad was in prison a good portion of our young life. Even when he wasn’t in prison, he was very absent when we were growing up. That results in both parents being absent the majority of the time.
“It was bouncing from home to home. Sometimes, we didn’t know if th4ere was gonna be food on the table. We didn’t know if the lights were gonna be on. My dad is doing much better. His involvement is a lot better. NO matter what adversity comes in your life, there’s always a way out.”
Stuard earned a scholarship to UH and developed into an all-conference linebacker at 5-foot-11, 230 pounds. Stuard is a jolting hitter whose toughness is legendary.
Now, Stuard applies his deep Christian faith and dedication to football as he moves on from the Colts to his new surroundings in Detroit. Signed to a fully guaranteed one-year, $1.7 million contract, Stuard is embracing the feisty atmosphere fostered by new coach Dan Campbell. Campbell, a former NFL tight end and Texas A&M star, has built an enthusiastic, hard-nosed culture.
“Man, it’s the standard, bro,” Stuard said. “The standard is the standard. That’s the first thing I noticed when I got there. Obviously, you hear about it, you play against them, you see the toughness. But, man, the standard from top to bottom, from starter to fifth string, it’s the standard.
“So, that’s been a joy to be around, but it’s also been a challenge. So, just excited about getting back to camp and fixing the things that I can fix. And continue to highlight the things that I highlight on. It’s something you don’t stop thinking about, it is something that you’re excited to be around and hopeful that you can add to what they already got going.”
In four NFL seasons, Stuard has played in 66 games. He started a career-high five games last season for the Colts and recorded a career-high 40 tackles with two for losses. He appeared in a career-high 73 percent of the special teams snaps and 229 defensive snaps.
“All I’m trying to do is just add value and learn, and Campbell is definitely a presence, and it starts with him,” Stuard said. “That’s what I noticed so far when I’ve been there. So, absolutely happy. Felt like I made a great decision and happy to get back around those guys. Really just I’m more excited about the player that I can become, just being around them.“
Spending time with his family, including his wife and son, Stuard is an example of perseverance and devotion to his faith.
He openly shares about his spirituality.
At his camp, joined by his longtime agent, Joshua Grady, Stuard emphasized the importance of academics and hard work.
“I just want to let the kids know while I got their attention that there’s certain things they can control, like effort and attitude and academics,” Stuard said. “I’ve seen a lot of things happen over my years of different athletes and players I’ve been around not be able to achieve their goals because of things like academics. I just wanted to stress that.
“I think that if they hear it from me, it’s a little different from hearing from an educator or something like that, because I’m telling them, if you want to get to where I’m at, that’s important, too. I always just try to highlight that, especially while I’ve got all of their ears, after we had a blast out here, is that academics is part of what allowed me to be out here and have this camp for all of them. Hopefully, I can impart a little knowledge and encourage them to have a relationship with God. You know, it’s important to me.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
