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Detroit's Glover Quin was the league's third-best safety last year, according to ProFootballFocus. And fellow players are starting to notice.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

Glover Quin was one of the Detroit Lions' best players on the field last year, and one of their most vocal leaders away from it.

He was particularly talkative on Wednesdays, when he'd conduct marathon media sessions in front of his locker. He dubbed it "Soundbite Wednesdays," and would riff on whatever topic came to mind

One such session devolved into a discussion about who was the best safety in the game. Quin crowned Seattle's Kam Chancellor No. 1, and those comments eventually got back around to Chancellor himself.

Chancellor, like so many others, really didn't know much about Quin's game at the time. And he, like so many others, had an instant appreciation for Quin's game once he popped in some tape.

"I seen he gave me props for being best in the league," Chancellor told MLive, "and I actually started watched some of his tape. And man, he's good. He's a hell of a player. You can tell he knows the game. He anticipates things, is what happens. Good tackler, has good ball skills. He's a leader out there."

Quin, a six-year veteran, has been a good safety for a long time. But he really didn't earn much buzz as an elite player until 2014, when he led the league with seven interceptions.

That brought him new levels of exposure for the other, more nuanced facets of his game.

"It's just funny how a couple interceptions at key times highlights some of the other plays that you've made," Quin said late in the season. "When I look at the film, I'm saying, 'Man, I've made some of those tackles my whole career, and I ain't never been talked about.' But when you do something statistically that makes people say, 'Hey, this guy's got six interceptions. Aw, he made a great tackle.' I made that tackle last year, and you didn't say anything about it."

People are saying things about him now.

Quin, 29, made his first Pro Bowl in 2014. He was named a second-team All-Pro, along with Chancellor.

Why has he slipped under the radar until now? Even among his fellow safeties?

"I mean, sometimes, people just talk about who they want to talk about (based on reputation)," Chancellor said. "The thing is he can't worry about that. He just needs to keep playing his game, and it'll eventually come. He just has to keep playing his game."

Quin's game includes good angles, sure tackling, elite instincts and few mistakes. Throw it all together, and he's the total package at free safety. He ranked third at the position last season according to ProFootballFocus.

He combined with James Ihedigbo to form one of the best safety combinations in the game, and both players return next season. If Ndamukong Suh can't be retained, it's possible the secondary could become the strength of this defense.

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