Ameer Abdullah may be down to his final chance to impress Lions coaches in this week's fourth exhibition game, but the Lions' deposed starter at running back said he's not approaching this week any different than he has the rest of the summer.
"I feel like (the pressure is on) every week for me," Abdullah said. "I got to do something every day. It's all about proving yourself in this league. Every single day you get an opportunity and right now I'm just working every single day, one day at a time."
Abdullah has played 44 snaps this preseason, more than every Lions running back but rookie Kerryon Johnson, and he said he feels "OK" about his overall body of work.
Last week, Abdullah ran for 30 yards on seven carries in an exhibition win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and a week before he fumbled twice _ the Lions recovered both _ in a loss to the New York Giants.
For the exhibition season, Abdullah is averaging 4.1 yards per carry (53 yards on 13 carries), slightly above his career mark of 3.8.
"A lot of things I've got to continue to get more in the groove of, get my eyes quicker seeing things," Abdullah said. "But like I said, I'm taking every day in stride, I'm my own worst critic. Nobody can say anything about me that I haven't said about myself before. So that's how I approach every single day."
Abdullah is expected to earn significant playing time in the Lions' preseason finale Thursday against the Cleveland Browns, as the Lions have decisions to make about their backfield with Saturday's 4 p.m. roster cut from 90 to 53 players looming.
Johnson and LeGarrette Blount are locked into the top two running back spots, and Theo Riddick seems likely to play as a pass-catching option out of the backfield.
Abdullah, a starter for most of last season, ranks as the best insurance policy the Lions have at the position, though it's possible they could trade him or choose to go with a backup like Zach Zenner or Dwayne Washington, who has more value on special teams.
Asked Monday whether he expects to be on the Lions' roster Week 1, and what role he'll have if he does, Abdullah was circumspect.
"Right now, my mindset is on tomorrow, getting things even more broken down and focused and narrowed down on Cleveland," he said. "I'm not really here to say I'm going to be on the roster. Cause right now that's out of my control and that's something that's next week. I can't control the future."
