Lions are +11.5 for Week 1 vs. Saints


I'll be laying some big time 'pacas on the Leo's...

Will Franklin released.

Detroit Lions sign offensive tackle Ephraim Salaam
Posted by Philip Zaroo | MLive.com May 21, 2009 10:07AM


The Detroit Lions added 12-year veteran offensive tackle Ephraim Salaam (middle).The Detroit Lions have signed offensive tackle Ephraim Salaam, according to Nick Cotsonika, of the Detroit Free Press.

Terms of Salaam's deal were not available.

The Lions will be the fifth team Salaam has played for during his 12-year career. Most recently he played for the Houston Texans.

Since being drafted in the seventh round out of San Diego State by the Atlanta Falcons, the 6-foot-7, 310-pounder has played in 154 games, starting 129 of them.

Earlier this offseason, there was speculation that the Lions were interested in the 32-year-old Salaam.

I see. The more competition on the o-line, the better, I suppose.

I remember us talking about him before. Apparently he wanted to check out his options and couldn't find anything better. Maybe he'll give Backus some real competition for that LT spot.

Maybe, but I think the logic here is depth. If Backus goes down, we slide Salaam in rather than have to shuffle the o-line. That way, we can keep Loper at LG rather than move him to LT and sub a new LG in.

Yeah. I'm just hoping that he'll at least push Backus. The guy hasn't ever had legit competition for the job, at least that I can think of.

Keep hoping man.

Hope is all Lions fans have... :emo:

Fire Millen?

Thu, 21 May 2009 16:51:05 -0700The Associated Press reports the Detroit Lions (http://www.kffl.com/team/16/nfl) have been shuffling their player groups at every position, according to head coach Jim Schwartz (http://www.kffl.com/player/7804/nfl). "I've been saying all along that this is an entirely open competition and that we're going to play the guys that show us the most. You can't do that if you've already sorted the team into groups in May," Schwartz said.

salaam was the guy on that super bowl commercial...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7XjZUtPYbA

Report: Lions agree to one-year deal with OT Jon Jansen, a former Wolverine
by MLive.com staff
Friday May 29, 2009, 6:02 PM

Jon Jansen signed with the Lions today hours after being cut by Washington.The Washington Times is reporting that the Lions have agreed on a one-year deal for the veteran minimum with offensive tackle Jon Jansen, pending a physical.

Jansen was cut by the Washington Redskins earlier today and was snapped up by the Lions hours later. He played the past 9 seasons with Washington.

Jansen was born in Clawson, Michigan and played his college career at U-M.

"I'm besides myself with excitement," Jansen told the Times about returning to his home state with the Lions.

That 0-16 season is paying off. Its nice being the 1st in line for cuts.

Veteran minimum, huh? He can still play a bit, can't he? On name recognition and at the price it would seem like a great signing.

UM reunion in the D.

Lloyd would have made a good coordinator, lol.

Where's Hayden Epstein?

Word is they're waiting to hold the press conference until they can announce the signings of Mark Campbell, Chris Perry, Jon Runyan, and Amani Toomer as well.

George Foster & Jon Bradley are gone.

So who did we end up trading Dre Bly for?

Well, Dre was a FA this year anyway, so it doesn't matter.

So in other words we got 10 false starts and one stolen bag...

Word is they're waiting to hold the press conference until they can announce the signings of Mark Campbell, Chris Perry, Jon Runyan, and Amani Toomer as well.
Word on the street is they're bringing Tim Biakabatuka in to coach ball control.

It's beginning to look a lot like Stafford. "The last mini-camp in June, we're going to have an arms race,'' said Detroit coach Jim Schwartz. Between Daunte Culpepper and No. 1 draft pick Matthew Stafford. From the sounds of Schwartz, Culpepper needs to be really, really good to hold off the hard-charging kid.

Is it the right decision? We'll see. I've thought all along the Lions should let Culpepper take the body blows of the early season schedule (at blitzing New Orleans, followed by Minnesota and Washington at home, Chicago on the road, then Pittsburgh at home). Those are some aggressive defensive coordinators licking their chops waiting to play the rookie. I've thought for that reason plus the hazards of playing a kid, let Stafford sit, well-padded and protected, while learning. Doesn't sound like the way the Lions are thinking. If Stafford's clearly the best man, he'll play the opener.

"We've got two criteria for when Matthew will play,'' said Schwartz. "One is he'll play when he's ready. The second is when he's the best quarterback for us. But so far, whatever the opposite of buyers' remorse is, that's what we have. We knew he had the terrific NFL arm. But we've found out his release is just textbook classic.''

NOOOO!!!!!!

If he's the best QB on the team I say let him play. If it looks like he still has some learning to do I'd start Dante for 3-4 games. As long as Stafford isn't getting killed out there or is lost, it helps to get the playing time.

Not going to win much anyways, might as well speed up the learning curve.

Until he gets his brain knocked around behind a terrible offensive line. Just ask David Carr how well that works. I don't want him starting the first game of the season unless our line demolishes the competition for the entire preseason. If we had one of the better o-lines in the league, I'd have no problem letting him go out there and learn from his mistakes. I just don't want his learning to get screwed up because of THEIR mistakes.

If he's destined to be David Carr, then let's find out now.

If he can't take a hit, let's find out now.

You can't protect him like a delicate flower, it's football.

I'm not saying he can't take a hit. I'm just saying if you have a shitty offensive line and a guy is getting absolutely drilled 15 times a game, that's going to cause some problems. Nothing wrong with letting him sit and learn while things pull together a little bit. If the offensive line is showing like it will hold up a few games into the season, then I'd be comfortable letting him take over.

Until he gets his brain knocked around behind a terrible offensive line. Just ask David Carr how well that works. I don't want him starting the first game of the season unless our line demolishes the competition for the entire preseason. If we had one of the better o-lines in the league, I'd have no problem letting him go out there and learn from his mistakes. I just don't want his learning to get screwed up because of THEIR mistakes.
Would David Carr by a good QB with a decent OL? Or was he just a bust period? Certainly he didn't have the tools to succeed early on and perhaps suffered confidence issues that could not be fixed. But was he a bust regardless of the OL and they just found out sooner?

Last year's Lions OL is better than Carr had. Plus it is improved. There is a lot more depth, Cherilus should improve, Pettigrew will help as well. I don't think this OL compares to what Carr had at all.

His OL had a total of 10 years of experience amongst the starters. One was undrafted. He also had pretty bad skill positions on offense. Jonathan Wells, Bradford, Gaffney, Billy Miller. That's it. Two 500 yard RB's and two 600 yard WR's.

i knew stafford would start. about a month ago i even had a dream / prophecy of a 3 td, 2 int game for him, THIS SEASON.

im excited. peyton says start him. personally, i think every qb is more a less a victim of circumstances, and sitting out a year wont change anything. if peyton says it will speed up the learning curve, go for it. im not going to let joey harrington's, or david carr's failures decide stafford's fate. to me, developing a qb is such an inexact science you might as well keep it simple. best guy plays. its not like guys who sat out a year magically are all great qbs.

also, starting daunte would be the equivilent of forfitting games (comparatively. we're losing either way. but we'd be forefitting excitement). maybe let stafford sit a couple games just to build anticipation.

Several models to choose from... this one has a nice tilt up feature

Week 7 or 8 sounds about right, and hopefully that's what happens.

Several models to choose from... this one has a nice tilt up feature
lol

Don't ask but....:

http://www.talk-sports.net/nfl/girlfriend.aspx/Aveion_Cason


yes she is my girl but she is also private person. I no its his kid and the child looks like them both. maybe the reason that shes didnt tell me or anyone else thats its his baby is because hes married and far as her sleeping with a married man he wasnt married at the time and all she knew us that he had a baby mama that he was not with he told her he didnt have a girlfriend. maybe she just dont want to start any mess between him and the wife. she better then me cause I wouldnt care cause if wasnt cheating then he wouldnt have thus problem. hes always around her and the kid. she knows who the father is all she do is talk about her baby daddy but she never says any names.

All I can think is "How girl get pragnaent?"

Lol:
http://www.lipstickalley.com/f154/

I can't post the contents because it's from an ESPN Insider article, but Lions defensive end Cliff Avril was named as one of the top five NFC franchise building blocks.
Pretty huge praise. I'm not sure I'll go that far, but I can't wait to see Avril unleashed as head coach Jim Schwartz and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham are sure to do.
He led all rookies with four forced fumbles and tied for the rookie lead in sacks with five. All in limited playing time.


For the record, Avril is 6-feet-3, 252 pounds and ran a 4.51 40 at the NFL Combine. Compare that to the stats of 2009 draft phenom Aaron Curry's stats (6-2, 254 pounds, 4.54 40).

Thanks to StorminNorman for sending me (http://blog.mlive.com/highlightreel/about.html) the Seifert article and to Greg for the Avril info!

somebody find that article

I tried to find it and could not. they have the building blocks out there but I could only see CJ listed.

Found it. It's under the "next building blocks"


Cliff Avril (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=11326), LB, Detroit Lions
In the same vein as Haralson, Avril managed to secure playing time and get to the quarterback when no one else on his team could. Given more playing time at the end of the season, Avril had four sacks, four additional quarterback hits and a forced fumble over the final seven games of the year. That might not seem like a lot, but it would be nine sacks and quarterback hits if Avril kept that pace over a full season and that was playing for a team that was getting run on constantly (mainly because they were always behind).
Former Titans defensive guru Jim Schwartz is an expert at crafting his scheme to fit the strengths of his personnel. Expect him to find plenty of excuses to send Avril careening off the edge toward the quarterback in 2009.

BTW, the rest of that list was Jason Campbell, Miles Austin (WR - Dallas), Parys Haralson (LB - SF), Sam Baker (LT - ATL).

bump...cuz its still the Lions offseason

bump...cuz its still the Lions offseason

Are you sure? cue Delfino pic

I guess it depends on when you consider their "on season" to be.

lol..nice...offseason since 1957?

Nobody wants to talk about Dom?

No. He's not "small" like everyone says, but he plays small and that's why I wish we would have waited on this...

Everyone seems to be praising his character for telling everyone how badly he wants to return to the team, considering how bad the team has been.

There's another side to it too, which is: The team is turning around because it was bad. It was bad because fools were underperforming. This team is a shit castle and it's entirely possible that you were a building block. You don't automatically get to be on a team just because they're planning on a turnaround.

Gerald Alexander traded for Dennis Northcutt.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/06/26/report-northcutt-traded-to-lions/

Gerald Alexander traded for Dennis Northcutt.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/06/26/report-northcutt-traded-to-lions/

Northcutt could be ok. For his career he averages just over 10 yards per punt return. I would think that's a role he'll have here. He could also play the slot. Statistically he's been providing about 40 catches for 500 yards per season.

That's the role I though Derrick Williams would have when they drafted him. Not sure who will be the #2 across from CJ. Bryant Johnson? Ronald Curry? Standeford? Williams?

A little confused. Alexander had potential but injury issues and I guess there's depth a safety, so whatever. Could be a nice move.

Interesting choice. I thought we had a plethora of #3s and no true #2 unless Bryant Johnson steps up.

I'm anticipating Pettigrew being targetted more than anybody else on this team other than CJ.

The dude has the size to be lethal, Antonio Gates-esque.

Also, Kevin Smith caught a nice share of passes last year, so the #2 WR thing isn't as important, IMO.

I'm planning on doing a big writeup on the season, probably after camp.

Today is the 75th anniversary of the Detroit Lions, more or less.

75 years ago today, G.A. Richards purchased a pro football team from Youngstown, OH called the Spartans, then moved and renamed 'em.

Today is the 75th anniversary of the Detroit Lions, more or less.

75 years ago today, G.A. Richards purchased a pro football team from Youngstown, OH called the Spartans, then moved and renamed 'em.

Ahh, considering what Fool taught us about "Spartans" last week, that makes a heck of a lot of sense.

The team was renamed to the Lions to complement the Tigers.

It's been a backhanded compliment.

Lions coach shows his young players the city's spirit, character
Terry Foster

Lions coach Jim Schwartz didn't want television cameras around. He simply wanted to do his civic duty and move on. But people talk, and his little secret got out.

Schwartz didn't end minicamp this week with a morning practice session. He continued it by taking rookies Matthew Stafford, Louis Delmas and Brandon Pettigrew inside the Dearborn Truck Assembly Plant, where they sat for two hours and signed autographs, took photos and passed out Lions gear to surprised workers. He wanted this to be part of his players' education on the NFL and the city of Detroit.

Schwartz is a different cat. After a month of planning, he took his high-profile rookies to meet the rank-and-file. His goal was to do more than just spread good will to Ford employees. He wanted his rookies to touch hands with regular people in Detroit. He wanted them to see the hardened Rouge plant that has pumped out thousands of cars and trucks over the years.

"The other day, Dominic Raiola talked about how he fell in love with the city," Schwartz said by phone from Maryland. "He said how much he loves the people and I thought it was important for these guys to experience the same feel and things like that. We did not want cameras there because we thought it would have ruined the whole dynamic of it."

Schwartz, 43, wants his rookies grounded.

Stafford signed the richest rookie contract in NFL history. Delmas and Pettigrew have not signed contracts, but it is safe to say they will make more than any of the 500 people who carted off Lions hats, coffee mugs, photos and autographs.

"We wanted them to know who they were playing for," Schwartz said. "We wanted them to meet the people who were paying their paychecks."

Rob Webber, plant manager for the Dearborn Truck Assembly plant, said workers were surprised by the visit and that it boosted morale.

"I am sure it did," he said. "They were very excited about that. But I think it did as much for the players, too. They seemed excited about meeting everybody also."

Schwartz recognizes professional athletes often get lost in their own world.

Lions linebacker Larry Foote admitted it happened to him after he left the University of Michigan to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although he got involved in the community, he felt a wall had been built between himself and the fans. That wall was made up of jewelry and nice clothes and big cars and trucks.

He has since torn down that wall and is establishing a foundation to help Detroit community projects and perhaps start a charter school in Detroit. Hopefully the current rookies will follow suit.

Schwartz wants to make Detroit his home. He grew up in blue-collar Baltimore, where he was surrounded by some of the toughest people in the world -- cops and football players.

"I respect hard-working people," Schwartz said. "Most of my friends I grew up with did not go to college. They were all blue-collar guys. They were hard working and blue collar. Look, I have lived all over the country. You see people with different mentalities in different cities. It does not take long to realize that if you feel good about hard work, you have a kinship with these people."

Fitting in
Schwartz has gone to charity events set up by the Lions. But during Game 7 of the Red Wings-Ducks series, he wanted to experience Detroit fans. So he sneaked into a sports bar and tried to watch the game incognito. It didn't work. People recognized him, and the next thing Schwartz knew he was being admitted into Detroit culture. They talked Lions and Wings, and Schwartz liked it.

He better understood our pain. And he got a clear vision of how badly people want the Lions to win. This is no longer just a job for him. He met new friends, and he wants to make them happy.

"We plan on being in Detroit for a while," he said. "When my kids grow up, I want them to tell people they are from Detroit."

That is an important statement. People from Detroit want to be loved, and they like to show newcomers what their city is all about. Schwartz has broken down barriers simply because he is a Lions coach.

He broke down more when he saw workers wearing Ford F-150 truck caps. He mentioned that he owns a 1994 F-150 with more than 200,000 miles. A small admission like that got the conversation going and drew a lot of smiles. It surprised Schwartz, and he spoke about an old truck with new friends.

"People were really excited about that," he said.


:tecmo:

Thankfully the union allowed the workers at that plant to sit around and talk to the Lions players while on the clock. Once the players left, the workers took a smoke break and got back to work for 20 minutes or so.

Anybody see the write up (maybe it was Killer?) about how it will be Dewayne White & Cliff Avril battling it out for the right defensive end job because apparently JARED DEVRIES will be the starter on the left side?

I thought that was surprising...

I don't know if I'd pencil him in as the LE starter, let alone give him the spot, but he is very underrated.

I don't know if I'd pencil him in as the LE starter, let alone give him the spot, but he is very underrated.

Maybe it's a hint that Schwartz/Cunningham plans to use Avril in more spots than just DE, kind of like what the Ravens did with Adalius Thomas a few years ago. He can line him up at end, or at OLB. With his agility, Avril's got the versatility to play both.

I don't know if I'd take it that way. It said he was battling White for the spot. Maybe they're just not as high on White as Marinelli was. Devries has always been a solid all-around defensive end. He's not a dominant run-stopping DE or a pass-rushing DE. He just does both consistently well.

I didn't realize he was a 3rd round pick. We've had him as a solid backup forever, it seems.

Lions deal WR Ronald Curry for DT Orien Harris, per Jim Thomas of St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Did we trade for Curry or sign him? Detroit is all about dumping its Currys right now.

I've got no problems with that deal. We get a young 300lb DT with some potential for one of our many slot receivers.


He's been one of those guys that's been durable. He's been steady. He's a try-hard guy that gives a lot of effort on each play. So he's caught the attention of a lot of us, the guys on defense and myself included

Pre-Draft 2006:

Positives:
He is your prototypical defensive tackle that can stop the run and get after the quarterback. Orien has all the potential in the world and for the most part he has lived up to the hype. He is a very unselfish player that does whatever is asked of him. Though his stats don't show it, he is a great pass rusher.

Negatives:
Orien has the size you look for, but doesn't take on blockers very well. He has no trouble at getting in the backfield, but rarely produces any sacks. He needs to polish his defensive moves as well.

Overview:
Orien Harris has all the potential in the world, and I think he will be a great defensive tackle. Has a nose for the ball and is constantly causing havoc in the backfield. He will make an impact on any team right away and is my sleeper pick. Watch out for this kid. He could be one of the best at his position in a couple years.

NFL Comparison: A young Warren Sapp
Obviously didn't live up to his billed potential, but everone seems to think he's a hard worker that is unselfish and does whatever the team needs. Those are the type of players we need.

That gives Derrick Williams a better chance of making the team.

This leaves us with Calvin and Bryant Johnson as the probably starters. Northcutt as the slot guy at this point? We're actually pretty thin at WR now that I'm looking at it...

Williams will make the team, Zek. Along with Northcutt, Johnson, Johnson, those four are for sure. Yes, Northcutt will be in the slot.

pretty thin? lol compared to having to play Standeford, Colbert and Jennings I'd say this looks a lot better. One of Boldin, Harris, and Standeford may make the team now...

Yeah, Williams not making the team could only be considered an absolute disaster.

Well, considering how many guys we've drafted in the 3rd-7th round in the last 10 years that haven't made the team, it wouldn't be surprising. I guess I need to wait and see on Mayhew's drafting. I'm still stuck on the Millen-era draft record, where anyone after the first 2 rounds was a toss up to get cut in the preseason.

Yeah, Williams not making the team could only be considered an absolute disaster.

There were a lot of CB's taken just after that we could have taken a look at. Williams better pan out.

All the rookies are signed but Pettigrew. There have been some cuts over the past week, guys like Eric Hicks, Tra Battle, etc. Training camp starts today at 4 pm with the first practice tomorrow morning I believe.

I expect Pettigrew to be signed before 4 pm today.

All the rookies are signed but Pettigrew. There have been some cuts over the past week, guys like Eric Hicks, Tra Battle, etc. Training camp starts today at 4 pm with the first practice tomorrow morning I believe.

I expect Pettigrew to be signed before 4 pm today.
DrRay Insider?

How's Stafford's shoulder, Doc?

He won't answer, he's back in the shadows.

Things you should know: LDE Jared DeVries is out for the year because he has an achilles. This means DeWayne White is currently our starting LDE with Avril starting the right side.

Calvin Johnson is also wearing a cast on his thumb and is out for now as a precautionary measure. X-Rays were negative and more tests are being done... let's hope there's no ligament damage.

Also, we worked out talented but baggaged DT/DE Shaun Smith, formerly of the Browns. I would expect he or Kevin Carter to be signed soon...

Shaun Smith signed, 1 year 1 mil per mlive. He'll play DT here, and IAF will go back to DE, I presume.

I love the Shaun Smith signing--he was cut in Cleveland due to behavior issues not because he lacks on talent.

I wouldn't be shocked if he beats out Darby to start in Week 1. Or if Jackson is suspended then he'll certainly start.

Things you should know: LDE Jared DeVries is out for the year because he has an achilles. This means DeWayne White is currently our starting LDE with Avril starting the right side.
It's a good thing DeWayne and Cliff don't have tendons or they'd be out, too.

UPDATED DEPTH CHART

QB- Culpepper/Stafford/Stanton
FB- Felton/T. Smith
HB- K. Smith/Morris/A. Brown/
WR- C. Johnson/Northcutt/D. Williams
WR- B. Johnson/Standeford/Fowler
TE- Pettigrew/Heller/Gronkowski/FitzSimmons
LT- Backus/Salaam/Murtha
LG- Loper/Jansen/Ramirez
C- Raiola
RG- Peterman/Ramirez
RT- Cherilus/Jansen

LE- Hunter/Avril
NT- Jackson/Hill/Cohen
DT- Darby/S. Smith/Fluellen
RE- White/Alama-Francis
SLB- Peterson/Bing/Dizon
MLB- Foote/Spencer/Levy
WLB- Sims/Follett
CB- Buchanon/King/R. Robinson
CB- Henry/K. Smith
FS- Delmas/M. Manuel/Schweigert
SS- Pearson/Bullocks

K- Hanson
P- Harris
LS- Muhlbach
KR- D. Williams
PR- Buchanon/D. Williams/Northcutt

IR- DeVries

Comments

The flexibility of Jon Jansen is a huge addition since he can fill in at guard or tackle.

Trading Gerald Alexander suddenly seems like an odd move. Both Marquand Manuel & Stu Schweiegert are marginal NFL players at best and don't boast anywhere neara the upside that Alexander had. If Keith Smith can manage to stay healthy, he'd probably have a leg up on Anthony Henry at the other CB spot. If we could move Henry to safety at some point during the year, it would be a nice move for our secondary, as Henry has ideal safety size and would be able to cover if needed. Also it would keep Manuel & Schweiegert off the field, which is always a plus.

I get the feeling the only time we'll see Derrick Williams this year is on kick/punt returns.

Lets hope Jerome Felton wins the FB job during preseason. It wouldn't be worth keeping 2 FB's on the roster all year again.

I really think the offensive line has a chance to be good (not great) this year. Raiola & Peterman are both quality players at their position, and Cherilus still has a world of potential. Having Salaam to spell Backus is nice too since he was a former starter in Houston.

Couple quick hits....

I think you will see Cohen way before you see Hill, Cohen is a beast this year.

We all know Cherilus can run block with the best in the league, but he suffers against edge rushers. The offensive line relies on those two tackles not getting beat from the outside.

I also hope Jerome Felton wins the job, but if Terrelle Smith is the better player, you have to keep him.

Comments

Lets hope Jerome Felton wins the FB job during preseason. It wouldn't be worth keeping 2 FB's on the roster all year again.


I think you can count on them both being on the roster. Felton sounds like he's being used properly in camp (running instead of always blocking), whereas Smith is going to be the lead blocking specialist.

Also, did you make this depth chart? OK, I see it's not limited to 53-man, which makes a bit more sense.

A couple other comments before I do my Season Preview post (sometime before the reg season begins):

Murtha has not been able to do much in camp due to his incapability to stay healthy, which likely makes it certain he'll be practice squad material.

Jansen, Salaam, and one of Dylan Gandy, Manuel Ramirez, and Dan Gerberry will be this year's o-line backups. For some reason I see the last backup being Gandy, although I could easily see it being Ramirez. Jansen and Salaam can both probably play some guard, so it may come down to who is playing center the best. Gandy has experience at all three interior line positions. A long shot would be that Salaam doesn't make the team and two interior linemen do, but like I said, that's a long shot.

I also hope Follett can make the team. You just shouldn't let that kind of intensity and passion go to waste...

And yes, Cohen's stength has been impressive. He's supposedly been impressing in the bullrush and also put up 50 reps of 225. That's beast mode.

Follett has openly said he'd love a special teams role where he gets to just run down the field and lay out guys from all the teams that passed on him. I'll be very disappointed if he doesn't make the team.

Murtha's definitely a practice squad guy. His entire college career was marred by injuries, and his pro career is following suit. You don't use a roster spot on a guy that will be injured half the time.

We're not keeping 3 TEs, especially not if we keep 2 FBs. FitzSimmons is likely the odd man out, I'd guess. I've always liked him a lot. Loved him his rookie year, then he had the injury and lost his role the next season. I feel like they'd keep Gronkowski over him, though. Gronkowski is their guy. They drafted him. Plus, a #3 TE isn't likely to get much playing time behind Pettigrew and Heller. In that case, the younger guy with more potential is usually the one that sticks so they can develop him. The only thing Fitz has in his favor is his special teams play.

Isn't Delmas playing SS for us? He's got the ability to drop into coverage, but he's also going to be used to step up in the box for an 8-man front. Maybe I'm all mixed up, but I swore he played FS in college and was going to be a SS for us.

I liked Alexander and was disappointed to see him go, but they know more than we do about his injury and the depth they have. If they thought he wasn't going to be fully recovered, or if they thought that he was going to be primarily playing the same role as Delmas and wouldn't see the field much then you can't fault them for moving him. What did we even trade him for?
Minor?

Follett has openly said he'd love a special teams role where he gets to just run down the field and lay out guys from all the teams that passed on him. I'll be very disappointed if he doesn't make the team.

Murtha's definitely a practice squad guy. His entire college career was marred by injuries, and his pro career is following suit. You don't use a roster spot on a guy that will be injured half the time.

We're not keeping 3 TEs, especially not if we keep 2 FBs. FitzSimmons is likely the odd man out, I'd guess. I've always liked him a lot. Loved him his rookie year, then he had the injury and lost his role the next season. I feel like they'd keep Gronkowski over him, though. Gronkowski is their guy. They drafted him. Plus, a #3 TE isn't likely to get much playing time behind Pettigrew and Heller. In that case, the younger guy with more potential is usually the one that sticks so they can develop him. The only thing Fitz has in his favor is his special teams play.

Isn't Delmas playing SS for us? He's got the ability to drop into coverage, but he's also going to be used to step up in the box for an 8-man front. Maybe I'm all mixed up, but I swore he played FS in college and was going to be a SS for us.

I liked Alexander and was disappointed to see him go, but they know more than we do about his injury and the depth they have. If they thought he wasn't going to be fully recovered, or if they thought that he was going to be primarily playing the same role as Delmas and wouldn't see the field much then you can't fault them for moving him. What did we even trade him for?
Minor?
A) I can definitely see us keeping 3 TE's and 2 FB's with the way our personnel works but I'll have to work it out once I get down to business with the 53-man. The 3 TE's we would keep should be Pettigrew, Heller, and Gronk and the FB's Smith and Felton. Fitz can't stay healthy and it would save money to let him go. Once again, we may not be able to keep 5 in the FB/TE group, but I would like to see those 5 guys make the team. We'll see how it works out. I can't set up the season preview now because I'm packing to go back to school but I'll have plenty of time sitting on my ass this week before class starts to get that done.

B) Northcutt.

On cue from my pimping Felton as a runner, not blocker:

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/08/running_back_jerome_felton_is.html

Well that solves 2 dilemmas. He fills the power back void and we can now keep 3 TEs and 1 FB by counting him as a RB.

Today's Lions Transactions

IN: WR Dane Looker, OL Terrence Metcalf

OUT: WR Bobby Sippio, OL Kirk Barton


Metcalf started some for the Bears last year and Looker had some flashes w/ the Rams about 4+ years ago. I bet neither make the final roster.

I remember Looker. He was a decent #3 and a solid #4 for the Rams. That means that in any other offense, he's potentially a quality #5-6.

Pettigrew likely out a couple or few more weeks, Hanson with minor knee surgery today, no specific timetable but Schwartz and co. are confident they'll have him back fairly quickly, per mlive.

More bad news for Lions ... GM Martin Mayhew says Jason Hanson might not be ready for season opener ... http://bit.ly/EkKR9

That's good news for Swayze Waters (sp)

That's good news for Swayze Waters (sp)

I bet his Patrick Swayze-loving family is thrilled!

This is a huge blow to the team. Hanson has been the Lions offensive MVP for the last 10 seasons.

I'll wait for a setback before I call it a huge blow to the team... The worst part is having to have two K's on the roster, meaning someone's going to get cut that probably shouldn't...

Like Sean McHugh was last year...

mofo ended up winning a ring with the Steelers...

Lions signed K Billy Cundiff

Bye Bye Swayze (Waters).

Hopefully that 51-yd FG he made on Saturday will help him get some looks down the road.

I remember we had Matt Prater kick FG's a few preseasons ago, and he finally made it back into the league last year w/ Denver.

Brooks Bollinger signed to replace Stanton.

The Lions are collecting QBs.
They claimed O'Connell of waivers from NE

Wonder if they play Stafford on Thursday

I would guess a steady diet of Bollinger/O'Connell.

Who's going to start? Stafford's not ready!

Ernie Sims is the only player left from Millen's 2002 through 2006 draft classes. Unreal.

^ Things that suck thread?

CASON AND DARBY ARE GONE! HALLELUJAH!

HALLELUJAH!

Hanson must be close to healthy as well, as kicker Billy Cundiff was also released.

According to Scout.com, Gronk was released as well. :(

I don't know why, with Fitz's salary and injury proneness.

According to Scout.com, Gronk was released as well. :(

I don't know why, with Fitz's salary and injury proneness.

Practice squad I hope? I imagine they wanted to keep the veteran with Pettigrew's inexperience. Not saying I agree....

They got a safety from the Bills in a trade

Some dude with a stupid first name

Ko Simpson

I wouldn't mind giving looks to Justin Miller, Bernard Pollard, or Ashley Lelie.

Lions traded O'Connell to the Jets

Another coup-type deal from Mayhew, gotta love that one.

Gronk, Follett, and Murtha are all signed to the practice squad, IIRC. Good shit.

"What do I think our fans can expect on Sunday? A :gutsy: performance." -- Kevin Smith Detroit Lions RB

Got OGT?

I wouldn't mind giving looks to Justin Miller, Bernard Pollard, or Ashley Lelie.
Lelie got cut? I'd have no problem giving him a look as the #3. He could push B-Johnson for the #2 spot. Especially since Northcut didn't play a single preseason game.

Lelie could probably get more PT from teams hurting at WR. Like SF (no crabtree yet).

Hanson, Raiola and Foote named Lions captains for this season.