Macik ready to prove he belongs on Lions' active roster

Miles Macik, the three-time All-American, will vie for more playing time in 1997 under new Lions' coach Bobby Ross. While at Penn, Miles Macik routinely faded past opposing cornerbacks for touchdowns. Last year, as a free agent rookie, Macik came on strong in the preseason to make the Detroit Lions, but shortly after the season opener found himself fading a different way -- off of the active roster. Now, going into his second year in the National Football League, Macik is looking for his second chance to play. He has renewed hope that new Lions coach Bobby Ross, who comes east from the San Diego Chargers, will not only turn around the fortunes of Detroit -- the Lions were 5-11 in 1996 -- but also give him the opportunity to prove that he is capable of playing in the NFL. Macik has no doubts. "The biggest thing about being a free agent rookie and.? the hardest thing is feeling that you belong," Macik said. "That's the one thing I took from last year. I know I belong. I know that I can play at this level." Macik is already in a better position than last year to prove just that. In the offseason, the Lions lost their No. 2 receiver, Brett Perriman, to the Kansas City Chiefs. One solution the Lions are considering -- a possible obstacle to playing time for Macik -- is moving Glenn Milburn to wide receiver, but Milburn has been primarily a kick returner and wide receiver in his five years in the league. In addition, he is just 5'8'' tall, much shorter than the average professional receiver. Macik, at 6'4'', is closer in stature and wideout experience to the Lions All-Pro receiver Herman Moore. Macik is the only receiver that knows all three of the Lions' receiver positions after attending all three of the club's mini-camps. Detroit will feature a distinctly different look than the run-and-shoot offense of the Wayne Fontes era. Ross will utilize the running ability of Barry Sanders, and the arm of Scott Mitchell and his receivers in a two-back set. "We've basically redone everything -- I really like the offense a lot," Macik said. "I think the problem we faced last year was predictability. There's a lot of things that look the same in the offense that we're running this year. I don't think teams will be able to guess on us as much as they did this year." Not only does Macik believe in the team's new offense, but he has spent this summer trying to prepare his body for the increased demand of professional football that he discovered after Penn. He has added almost 15 pounds to his 200-pound frame from his Quakers playing days. "It's a more physical game and I've learned to be a little more aggressive, use my hands a little bit more coming off the line of scrimmage and some other small things about route running," Macik said. Equally important to his strength, he has been working on maintaining and developing speed. During a month stay in Philadelphia, Macik trained with Stan Drayton, a former Penn coach and the current running backs coach at Villanova. He also credited the Lions' new receivers coach, Jerry Sullivan, with teaching and refining some aspects of his game. "He is an unbelievable coach, and I can't believe how much he has taught me in a short period of time that we've worked together so far," Macik said. In addition, Macik has also had a chance to work with all three of the Lions ' quarterbacks -- Scott Mitchell, Frank Reich and Matt Blundin -- and feels comfortable with each. Another thing that has helped Macik feel more comfortable at the professional level is the proximity of his supportive parents who moved from New Jersey to Michigan while he was in college. The Maciks never missed one of his Penn games, and have yet to skip a Lions game either. Last preseason, in four games, Macik caught nine passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. Macik began the preseason camp on July 17 at Saginaw Valley State University, north of Detroit. He is looking forward to proving that he can be the type of possession receiver for the NFL's Detroit Lions that made him a three-time All-American at Penn. "Hopefully I'll be able to get in and do well," Macik said. "I feel a lot more comfortable this year. I think there's a real good chance I'm going to see some playing time this year."