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Lions guard T.J. Lang is still recovering from hip surgery, but his addition is already paying dividends.

(AP File Photo)

ALLEN PARK -- Forget sacks, T.J. Lang didn't allow Aaron Rodgers to get so much as hit last season. Not even once.

The Lions? Well, they let Matthew Stafford get hit. A lot. He's posted the worst sack total of his career each of the last two years.

Lang's homecoming, then, has been met with understandable excitement.

"It was a little overwhelming at first," Lang said with a smile. "I think I had to remind people that I was a guard."

And Lang, a Royal Oak native who starred at Brother Rice and turned himself into an NFL prospect at Eastern Michigan, was just as excited to begin his homecoming last week with the start of offseason conditioning.

"Last week felt like the first day of school," he said. "Part of me felt like a young guy, felt like a rookie, coming into the building for the first time and trying to figure out where the cafeteria is and where the meeting rooms are, and just kind of finding my way around the building. I think there's been a lot of good positive energy so far throughout the first week and a half."

While everyone's excited to see what Lang can do for the Lions offense, they're going to have to wait for him to really get started. He underwent surgery in January to correct a degenerative hip issue that has plagued him for years. That will hold him out of OTAs, but he does expect to be ready for training camp in July.

"Right now I'm kind of transitioning into a little bit more strength stuff," he said. "Previous couple weeks has been a lot of range of motion, and try to get the soreness out. Starting to lift a little bit more, so I think I'm definitely on schedule, if not a little bit ahead."

While Lang hasn't been able to do much physically, he's already begun proving his worth to the Lions by advising coaches on how Green Bay has been able to beat up on them.

"I was talking to a defensive line coach actually just yesterday. He was asking me, 'I kind of felt like you guys knew what we were doing.' I just gave him some tips," Lang said. I mean, we kind of studied film. It was a great conversation because he's like, 'We need to do a great job of switching it up.' I bring a little bit of knowledge to obviously some keys and tips of what I've seen throughout the years, but also just what offensive linemen are looking at when they watch you guys on film and how we try to attack you guys and what we really feel about you guys.

"So it's been some good conversations so far. And hopefully once we get into OTAs and get on the practice field and start running around, I'll just be watching and not participating much. But yeah, like I said, I'm kind of excited to share that information with those guys, and also on the flip side, learn something from them, too. How they used to attack same and what they think about going against offensive linemen. Yeah, it's going to be pretty positive and it's only going to make us better."

Lions GM Bob Quinn embarked on free agency determined to improve the offensive line, considering how much that unit struggled last year and how little this draft has to offer. And he succeeded by landing Rick Wagner, the top right tackle on the market, and then Lang.

Lang was among the best guards in the game last year, despite dealing with a broken foot and the hip problem, and made the first Pro Bowl of his eight-year career. His coaches wanted him back badly, too, but GM Ted Thompson stuck to his typical stingy approach in free agency and reportedly made an "embarrassing" offer.

Seattle offered more, and then Quinn came back over the top with a three-year deal worth $9.5 million annually. That's the that's the third-biggest contract for a right guard in the league.

"It's been awesome," Lang said. "Obviously, I chose to make Detroit my home. I've always been very supportive of the city, the suburbs, all the other local sports teams. Throughout the years, I've always felt welcomed back here even though I was playing in Green Bay. To me, it was awesome to see that kind of reception when I did sign here, but at the same time, I am an offensive lineman. It's good to be home, and I'm just ready to get to work."