Rodney Stuckey credits his improved mindset to a metro Detroit therapist he started seeing a few times per week after last season.

"It's always good to hear something positive or just to hear anything from someone that's not with you in your circle," Stuckey said. "You always have your best friends, your mom, whoever, to turn to, but they are probably going to say what you want to hear.

"You can have someone to be real with you who's not really judging you, it's looking at you different."

Stuckey said his attitude and effort were affected by his upbringing.

"My mom always taught us that if someone talks smack to you or steps up to you, you have to protect yourself," Stuckey said. "That's just how I carried myself, like if someone would raise their voice at me, I would always have to respond because that's the way I know how to do it. That's just the way I was raised.

"It teaches you how to handle things differently. It does not always have to be anger. It can always be something positive. If someone yells at you, just try to handle it in a different way."