Golden Tate admits he was motivated after benching by Lions
Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate saw his season get off to an exceptionally slow start, and it turns out that it led to something of a spark.
Tate was essentially benched during the Lions’ Week 4 tilt against the Chicago Bears. Since then, he’s racked up 297 yards receiving on 17 catches and looked like a completely different player. He credits the benching with allowing him to take a mental break and get himself together.
“(The Chicago game) kind of lit a fire under my tail a little bit,” Tate said, via Kyle Meinke of MLive. “I had to dig deep a little bit. I had to soul search and think about some things. But it just came down to one thing for me — be confident in who I am as a player, work my tail off and control what I can control. And that’s when the ball is thrown my way, make something happen.”
While Jim Caldwell refused to call it a benching, it’s clear that there was some sort of turning point with the Chicago game. It is no coincidence that the team hasn’t lost since.
