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Niyo: Build me up, Buttercup? Lions' defense singing a different tune

Allen Park — The nicknames aren’t exactly flattering for a football player. Especially if you’re a 330-pound defensive lineman.

But Alim McNeill says he’s used to them by now, midway through his second offseason playing for Dan Campbell and the Lions.

“There’s ‘Mac,’ ‘Twinkletoes’ and ‘Dancing Bear,’” he said, shaking his head Tuesday after Day 1 of the Lions’ three-day mandatory minicamp. “I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be something new next week, too.”

But this latest one he’d caught wind of, well, that was something new, all right. Campbell began answering a question about McNeill in his pre-practice media session Tuesday by smiling and saying, “Buttercup?