Mathis back with Lions, says Detroit can move on without Suh

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) Rashean Mathis is returning to a Detroit defense missing its biggest star from last season.

He still has high hopes for the Lions in the post-Ndamukong Suh era.

''I'm very confident in the guys who we have,'' Mathis said on a conference call Thursday. ''I'm also confident in our personnel department and getting people here to help us. That's what the NFL is all about. You've always got to lose someone.''

Suh may have left via free agency, but Mathis is back, having signed a two-year contract to stay. Detroit now can expect to return its entire starting secondary from 2014, when the team had one of the top defenses in the NFL.

''Familiarity is key. That's never a minus,'' Mathis said.

Not every position group can plan on that type of continuity. The Lions lost Suh and fellow defensive tackle Nick Fairley to free agency. That raised plenty of questions whether Detroit will be able to repeat the defensive effort that helped the team earn a wild card last season for its second postseason berth in four years.

Detroit responded to Suh's departure by trading for defensive lineman Haloti Ngata.

''Having someone plug in that gap - that's always the key,'' Mathis said. ''In any business field, regardless of whether it's sports or not, if you lose a big, key piece of what made you successful, having someone step up and plug in that gap, that will be the only way that you're able to be as successful as you were before.''

The 34-year-old Mathis has been a steady part of Detroit's secondary since the Lions signed him two years ago. He had 42 tackles and nine assists last season, as well as an interception he returned 41 yards for a touchdown in an October loss to Buffalo.

Mathis spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars before joining the Lions.

---

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL