Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch is back after serving his one-game suspension for sparking a postgame fight following the Week 6 loss in Kansas City.
The NFL suspended Branch for the club's Week 7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a game the safety said he couldn't bring himself to watch. Following a Week 8 bye, Branch returns using the ban as motivation for the rest of the season.
"A lot of motivation," Branch said, via the team’s official website. "It's another chip on my shoulder they just added. I do want to apologize for what I did, that's something I don't condone, and will never happen again, but (the suspension) definitely added another chip to my shoulder."
The bonus for the Lions is that they won sans Branch and three other starters, with the Legion of Whom stepping up in Week 7 against Tampa. The suspension, coupled with the bye, gave Branch, who had been nicked-up in previous games, two weeks to get healthy.
The motivation for a player of Branch's caliber is icing on the cake.
"I think you'll get an even more motivated Brian Branch," Lions safeties coach Jim O'Neil said Tuesday. "So, I'm really excited to see how he takes the field on Sunday. It's great to have him back. He's one of my all-time favorite people and all-time favorite players I ever coached. I love his competitive spirit. I'm excited to get him back out there.
"It's scary. Scary because he's clearly one of the best players at his position in the league."
On Sunday, the Lions take on a reeling 3-4 Vikings squad, losers of three of their past four, at Ford Field.
