ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The structure of the Detroit Lions' locker room has changed little in the 20 years the team's practice facility has been around. Sure, many of the nameplates above the stalls change annually — or in some cases, weekly — and the carpet, paint and decorations are occasionally modernized, but the location of which position groups are where remains uninterrupted.
Within that setup, certain lockers are reserved for specific players. The veterans who have been with the team the longest often get the benefit of a corner locker. Respect is unofficially measured in space, and not having another locker mate on one side establishes your standing in the pecking order.
In the farthest corner from the entrance, the defensive line lockers collide with the quarterbacks'; a unique contrast, in its own right. The corner locker against the back wall has typically belonged to the leader of the defensive front, a mantle previously held by stalwarts such as Kyle Vanden Bosch and Ndamukong Suh.
