ALLEN PARK -- When Glover Quin came out in a walking boot during Wednesday's practice, it raised a red flag, but the Detroit Lions safety said he's been wearing the device since originally injuring his ankle in Week 4.

Quin always removed the boot when he knew he'd be around the media to avoid questions about his injury.

But after being unable to finish Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Quin felt he needed to wear it more consistently to accelerate the healing process.

"I normally wear it after every game," Quin said. "I just normally wear it away from you guys. I wear it at home. I wear it on our off days here.

"I remember when I first did it, I was in the cafeteria. I'm sitting in there and I see a couple guys and I'm like, 'Aw heck.' So I found somebody to walk with me out and get in the way so you guys wouldn't see it."

Quin said the ankle injury has limited his ability to operate at the level he's used to playing at, but against the Steelers was the first time it prohibited him from effectively doing his job.

"Obviously, the conditions during Sunday's game weren't great," Quin said. "It didn't feel great and I didn't want to hurt the team in any way, so I came out and let somebody else go in there."

A big part of the reason Detroit signed Quin to a five-year deal this offseason was his durability.

He hasn't missed a game since his rookie season in 2009. He's started 62 straight contests and plans on taking the field this Sunday when the Lions host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"I'm planning on being full-go here in a couple days, couple weeks," he said.

The Lions played seven different players at safety last season, but have started Quin and Louis Delmas all 10 games this season.

Quin has been everything Detroit was looking for at the safety position, according to Jim Schwartz.

"We said this from the very beginning, he was a key addition for us," Schwartz said. "There's a calming veteran presence to him. All those different things. We can use him to matchup. He's good at all three levels -- he can blitz, he can play man, he can play zone. Hopefully he's getting a little bit better each week."

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