For Tucker Kraft of the Packers, the Lions were “a thorn in his side.” And Kerby Joseph was a threat to some of Kraft’s close colleagues.

Given some of the hits the Lions safety has inflicted on players like the Rams’ Tyler Higbee and the Vikings’ TJ Hockenson, Kraft said this week he hopes to “get his hands on” Joseph in Thursday night’s game in Detroit.

“I don’t know too much about Kerby. I know he’s a dangerous player,” Kraft said, via Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “He can turn games around. He’s a good DB. I may not agree with some of the places he likes to socialize. He took some of my brothers out of the game and I’m thinking about that too. So if I get a chance to get my hands on it, you know, playing football.

Both Higbee and Hockenson suffered torn ACLs on low but legal hits from Joseph last season. Hockenson later said himself that he harbored no animosity toward Joseph, his former teammate in Detroit, and instead blamed NFL rules for encouraging tacklers to aim deep.

But it sounds like Kraft wants to take matters into his own hands.

Kraft, a former third-round pick, is having a strong second-year season with the Packers. He has 49 catches for 480 yards and six touchdowns – third among NFL tight ends – in 12 games, already surpassing his final numbers from last year.

But he is 1-3 in his career against the Lions.

“Detroit has been a thorn in my side personally since I became a Packer,” Kraft said. “So any chance I get to play against them and beat them, I’m not going to take it lightly. I’m eager to play against them every time.”

Kraft said the Packers’ goal Thursday night was to show their physicality on offense early in the game and take the lead to calm the crowd.

“Ford Field is getting loud, the big rectangle in this place,” he said. “It’s a place where the atmosphere thrives and the defense plays well behind it. That’s why we want to establish our offensive as quickly as possible so that we don’t have to resort to silent tactics. Hopefully some of their fans will go away early like they did last Thanksgiving. We are ready.