ALLEN PARK, Mich. Dwight Howard Jersey . - Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley is fired up to prove what hes worth. Fairley told reporters Tuesday the team informed him this off-season that it was not picking up the 2015 option in his contract. "It motivates me," he said. Fairley recalled working out in Houston when Lions general manager Martin Mayhew called him about the decision on the $5.5 million option for the fifth year of his contract. "It kind of surprised me," Fairley recalled. Fairley said after calling his agent and having dinner with him, his mind was changed because he can get a new contract. "We kind of came to agreement that it was good for both sides," he said. Detroit drafted Fairley out of Auburn with the No. 13 overall pick in 2011 and he has struggled to sustain success in part because of his fluctuating weight. Fairley acknowledged playing too heavy last season while weighing as much as 320 pounds. "I didnt feel comfortable with myself, my body, and how I was getting tired," he recalled. "I just felt like if I got down to a lighter weight, I would be leaner, meaner and ready to go." Fairley said he has lost about 30 pounds, getting down to about 290 pounds. He started eating more baked chicken and grilled fish, cutting out his habit of eating fast food three days a week. "He looks good," defensive co-ordinator Teryl Austin said. "Hes lost a lot of weight. I think the key will be when he leaves here and then when he comes back in camp if hes still in that great shape with his weight down. Its going to be great for us." Fairley was limited during Wednesdays practice because he is still recovering from surgery to treat sleep apnea, but expects to be "full go," at next weeks mandatory minicamp. He had career highs with six sacks and two fumble recoveries in 2013 while playing next to Ndamukong Suh, who is also entering the last year of his contract. "Were just hoping that we get a big year out of (Fairley)," Austin said. "I think he wants to have a big year as well." Fairley was up for talking about a lot of topics and shied away from only one question, choosing his words carefully when a reporter asked him asked him about becoming a free agent after next season. "Well just have to wait and see," he said. NOTES: NASCAR driver Joey Logano attended practice to promote next weeks race at Michigan International Speedway. After the practice, he caught passes from and threw to the football to quarterback Matthew Stafford. Logano said drivers are like quarterbacks and a crew chief is like a coach, joking there would be only one place for his 6-foot-3, 175-pound body in football. "Id be on the bench," Logano said. ... The Lions will have a three-day mandatory minicamp next week before taking more than a month off before training camp begins. ___ Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ___ Follow Larry Lage on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/larrylage Nicolas Batum Jersey . On the day the club activated Casey Janssen from the 15-day disabled list, his return from a strained oblique that cost him the first six weeks of the regular season, it announced Sergio Santos would be placed on the disabled list on Monday with discomfort in his right forearm. Dell Curry Jersey .com) - Sixth-seeded Feliciano Lopez was a first-round winner on Monday at the Delray Beach Open tennis event. http://www.basketballhornetsauthority.com/alonzo-mourning-hornets-jersey-c-10/ . Though the 26-year-old said he was able to participate, coach Dwane Casey kept Johnson out as a precaution.SYDNEY, Australia -- The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Josh Beckett and outfielder Matt Kemp on the 15-day disabled list Friday in paring their active roster to 25 players for the season opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Australia. Chad Billingsley, still recovering from right elbow surgery, also was put on the DL. Beckett has a bruised thumb and Kemp is rehabbing from ankle surgery. The moves are retroactive to March 19, so all three players are ineligible to return until April 3. That means theyll miss at least a three-game series in San Diego from March 30 to April 2. Left fielder Carl Crawford also was inactive. He is on paternity leave. Arizona optioned pitchers Charles Brewer and Zeke Spruill to the minors. The Dodgers and Diamondbbacks open the Major League Baseball season Saturday (4 a. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Jersey. m. EDT) at Sydney Cricket Ground. In addition, the Dodgers optioned backup catcher Tim Federowicz and reassigned outfielder Joc Pederson, pitcher Zach Lee and infielder Miguel Rojas to the minors. The moves left the Dodgers payroll -- including cash transactions in trades -- at a record $239.8 million for 34 players. But that probably wont be their opening day payroll, which will be calculated as of the March 30 game against San Diego, when all teams have to be down to 25 active players. The Diamondbacks were at $112.7 million for 30 players. Both teams came to Australia with 30 players for the two-game series, which ends Sunday. Beckett, Kemp and Billingsley did not make the trip. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '