Detroit Lions team president Tom Lewand has urged the NFL not to grow so much that it loses touch with fans of the sport.

Lewand said that the increased coverage of Thursday night football can only be a good thing for the NFL, but said that it must maintain its close interaction with supporters.

"It is [good to be involved with the NFL], but we have to be careful, too," he told the club's official website. "It's still about the game of football, and there's an old saying that pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. I think we have to be mindful of the fact that, particularly in a place like our city, where the fans mean so much to us, we have to show them that respect back.

"I'm a big fan of this expanded Thursday night football package that's coming this fall, but there's also a limit to how much we can be out there, and we want to make sure that it's a game that people can enjoy, and they can enjoy it in a way they want to enjoy it. We have to be smart about the way we let people interact with our game."

The Lions finished third in the NFC North last season with a 7-9 record.