Lions’ Golden Tate: ‘There’s always something you can do to be better’

Golden Tate is on pace for his third 1,000-yard receiving season in the past four years.

That doesn’t mean the Detroit Lions’ wide receiver takes anything for granted.

‘You look at the greats, like Randy Moss and Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders, those guys will never say, ‘I’ve arrived”

He knows what it took to get to this point in his NFL career. And he knows what it will take to not only continue to perform at a high level, but to also get better.

“There’s always room for improvement every single day,” Tate told Alex Marvez on Late Hits. “You look at the greats, like Randy Moss and Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders, those guys will never say, ‘I’ve arrived, I’ve got it figured out.’ There’s always something you can do to be better. I’m extremely blessed to be in a great organization with an incredible offensive coordinator (Jim Bob Cooter) who knows how to get his guys the ball and also a quarterback (Matthew Stafford) who can make any throw on the field. So that’s something I definitely don’t take for granted.”

‘My main goal is to just help this organization win games’

Tate also doesn’t allow himself to get too wrapped up in individual accomplishments. His greater focus is on helping the Lions reach the postseason.

“Statistically, that’s great that my stats have been OK over the last few years,” he said. “But my main goal is to just help this organization win games, win playoff games, and be in the playoffs consistently. So that’s what we’re working towards and that’s where I’m trying to fit in. I think the stats will be something that I’m talking about when I’m talking to my kids and my grand kids.”

‘Every position can go down the list and say what they can do better’

What can the Lions do to reach the playoffs?

“I would say just the details, attention to details,” Tate said. “We have great plays, we have great play call, we have great players. I think where we could always be better is the details. Hand placement, depth of routes, turning in versus turning out once you catch the ball. Every position can go down the list and say what they can do better. And if we just do the small things, be one percent better, I think it’ll make a world of difference for us.”