Eric Ebron is looking to change perceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles on Turkey Day.
The Detroit Lions tight end saw his critics swarm after he dropped a would-be touchdown pass during Sunday's 18-13 win over the Oakland Raiders.
"They're still waiting for me to mess up and, when I do, they take full advantage of it," Ebron said, per the Detroit Free Press. "So I just got to continue to make a statement, not only to myself but to the people that don't believe in me and the people that see me more as a failure than a success.
"Just going through a minor phase," Ebron said. "Ain't going to last long. (Shoot), it's going to end this week."
On the plus side, Ebron has already topped his rookie totals from last autumn with 320 yards off 27 grabs. That handiwork, though, ranks him only 24th in receptions among tight ends. To make matters worse, Ebron is tied for the most drops at his position with six bobbled lobs.
After struggling last season with Detroit's playbook, Ebron acknowledged that he's been set back again by scheme tweaks made by new coordinator Jim Bob Cooter.
"He wants things different ways," Ebron said. "So you just have to adjust to him and as soon as I got comfortable where I was at, we had a change. So now I just got to adjust to it, and just pick up where I left off. I'll be all right. I'm not stunting it. It's a big deal to everybody else, but it's not a big deal to me or the organization because I know what I can do."
The organization, though, would like to see more from a player they chose with the No. 10 overall pick in 2014. The Lions have all sorts of problems -- not just Ebron -- but his up-and-down play has held this offense back. A big game against the Eagles would do wonders for a player still waiting to break out.
