ALLEN PARK, MICHIGAN - Boss Bailey isn't setting any big-time goals for himself quite yet. <br>
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But that doesn't mean the Detroit Lions' second-round pick isn't hoping for big things during his rookie year. <br>
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``I'm hoping that I'll be starting at the beginning of the season,'' Bailey said after his second day of training camp. ``But if I'm not, I want to be out on the field on every special teams unit so that I can help the team as much as possible.'' <br>
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The linebacker was drafted 34th overall out of Georgia, and new Lions coach Steve Mariucci hopes that he can move right into the starting lineup. <br>
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``We're going to teach him and drill him and prepare him as quickly as we possibly can to see if he could be a starter for us,'' Mariucci said. ``He has a lot to learn. He's not a big, thick, overpowering linebacker, but he has to be able to play opposite the big, strong tight ends in the National Football League.'' <br>
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The biggest knock on Bailey coming out of school was that he was undersized at 6-foot-3 and 233 pounds, but Mariucci thinks his 4.3 speed will make up for that. <br>
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``We had a guy, Julian Peterson, from just down the street here (Michigan State) in San Francisco that was a fast, athletic 235-pound linebacker, and he learned the position,'' Mariucci said. ``You just have to be smart about how you use them, but it is great to have that kind of speed.'' <br>
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Friday was the final day of practice before the veterans arrive, but Bailey thought the two days were important for his progress. <br>
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``Just from yesterday to today is like the difference between night and day,'' he said. ``But it will be a whole different ballgame when the veterans get here tomorrow and when we put on the pads Monday. That is what is going to separate the men from the boys.'' <br>
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Bailey is the brother of Washington Redskins All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey, and said that he got some important advice on his first training camp. <br>
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``Whenever I need to know something, he's been there to tell me,'' Bailey said. ``But at some point, I have to learn all of this on my own.'' <br>
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Mainly, though, Bailey is trying to keep his own expectations in check. <br>
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``I've only really set goals for myself in training camp,'' he said. ``I don't need to put that kind of added pressure on myself.''
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