***2011 Detroit Lions Thread*** (1 Viewer)

[dtownlions]

Fellow Lions fans, it's been a long time since we've had this much excitement brewing around our team. Let's hope our team stays healthy and accomplishes some great things this year. I don't know about you, but I feel like we have a completely different team from just 3 years ago under Millen. Man, were those not the worst 7 years ever for us fans?!?!

Please share how long you've been a Lions fan, where you're from, where you live now, etc. It's always fun to hear about the common and uncommon stories that a large fan base has to share. This will help us get to know one another a bit over the next month while we wait (impatiently) for the season to begin.

ROAR LIONS DOWN THE FIELD!!!

 

[Ilov80s]

Fairley twisted his knee in practice today. He left for medical treatment. He later returned, but did not participate.

Likely nothing, but I would be heart broken is Fairley or Suh were to get seriously injured. They were by far my favorite 2 college players in recent memory and I still can't believe they both ended up in Detroit.

ETA: the initial report here was wrong, it was his foot that was hurt and not the knee. X-rays negative, all is well says Fairley. However, with the already limited practices, any time lost could be really detrimental to the development and number of reps Fairley sees early in the year. He very well may be the 4th DT in the rotation and find himself as a 3rd down pass rush specialist.

 

[Grahamburn]

Throw it to Calvin!

I'm a Buc fan, but the Lions are by far my second favorite team. I'll be at Raymond James week one. Pretty excited about it.

The future is looking bright in Detroit.

 

[jon_mx]

My first year, Landry was QB, I believe he was fighting Munson for the job. Lem Barney was still playing. Mid 70's. Best years were the run ans shoot years. Somehow the Lions got in their head just making the playoffs was not good enough.

Too early to be thinking SB, but this team is the best team in a long time and are good enough to be favored for a wild card spot.

 

[dtownlions]

Throw it to Calvin!I'm a Buc fan, but the Lions are by far my second favorite team. I'll be at Raymond James week one. Pretty excited about it.The future is looking bright in Detroit.

Man, that should be a great game week 1, have fun! I've always pulled for the Bucs because they've faced some really hard times like the Lions. I like what they have going on right now, too.

 

[dtownlions]

My first year, Landry was QB, I believe he was fighting Munson for the job. Lem Barney was still playing. Mid 70's. Best years were the run ans shoot years. Somehow the Lions got in their head just making the playoffs was not good enough.Too early to be thinking SB, but this team is the best team in a long time and are good enough to be favored for a wild card spot.

Yes! These are the kind of cool stories I was hoping to get to read about on here! I agree that this is probably the best team we've had in a long time.

 

[azgroover]

My first year, Landry was QB, I believe he was fighting Munson for the job. Lem Barney was still playing. Mid 70's. Best years were the run ans shoot years. Somehow the Lions got in their head just making the playoffs was not good enough.Too early to be thinking SB, but this team is the best team in a long time and are good enough to be favored for a wild card spot.

Yes! These are the kind of cool stories I was hoping to get to read about on here! I agree that this is probably the best team we've had in a long time.

Grew up in the Barry era. I was at the Mike Utley game vs LA, the win over the Cowboys and almost cried when the Skins killed em in the NFCCG the next week. They get me excited every offseason, but this one feels different.I told my MI buddies when they drafted Suh last year that they just took a Hall of Famer. So far, so good. He and Fairley should be great for a long time.

 

[Sinrman]

Throw it to Calvin!I'm a Buc fan, but the Lions are by far my second favorite team. I'll be at Raymond James week one. Pretty excited about it.The future is looking bright in Detroit.

My wife is a Bucs fan. I am a Lions fan. We are very competitive... this could get ugly.

 

[jon_mx]

Suh and Fairley will be very interesting. If Fairley pans out anywhere near the level of Suh, it will be fun to watch the kind of defense you can build around such a duo. The pieces are definitely coming together. The LB core just needs that guy who can blitz and the secondary needs that dominate safety. I think we have three corners who are pretty good in Houston, Leggart, and Wright.

 

[azgroover]

Suh and Fairley will be very interesting. If Fairley pans out anywhere near the level of Suh, it will be fun to watch the kind of defense you can build around such a duo. The pieces are definitely coming together. The LB core just needs that guy who can blitz and the secondary needs that dominate safety. I think we have three corners who are pretty good in Houston, Leggart, and Wright.

If Fairley is just better than competent and with Suh getting double-teamed, the defense could very well make it's way in the upper echelon of the entire league. It's amazing how well LBs and DBs perform when the d-linemen dominate.

 

[dtownlions]

Throw it to Calvin!I'm a Buc fan, but the Lions are by far my second favorite team. I'll be at Raymond James week one. Pretty excited about it.The future is looking bright in Detroit.

My wife is a Bucs fan. I am a Lions fan. We are very competitive... this could get ugly.

Ugh, check this out. Wife...Steelers fan. She grew up in the Pittsburgh area. We live in the Charlotte, NC area and see Steelers stickers all over cars everywhere and can go to one of like 5 Steelers bars if we wanted to watch the game. Lions backer bars: zero! Since I have now visited Pittsburgh I can say that I like how the feel of the city and it's fans is very much blue collar like in the D. I guess I just get tired of seeing the millions of bandwagon fans everywhere! Maybe just a tad bit of jealousy That's ok, though, cause I think we're gonna be having a lot of bandwagon jumpers for our Lions pretty soon, too!Last year was our first with Directv and NFL Sunday ticket. When the Lions and Steelers played at the same time, one of us was upstairs, and one down, alternating who got to see their game on the larger t.v. in the living room. In the offseason we upgraded our t.v. in the bedroom, though, so those weeks won't be too bad now. The sacrifices we make, right? I'm just glad my wife is a die hard football fan. It's awesome!

 

[JuSt CuZ]

This is the first season in a while that a Lions fan can even hope for a chance at the playoffs. It should be fun if Stafford stays healthy.

I would of hoped for better corners in the FA market or draft, but I'm still excited.

 

[beerbarron]

The Kittys have some great stuff on paper.. Nice uprades.. A thumper in the middle of the D.. CB's still a bit untested.. A healthy Delmas should help that though.. guy was a beast his rookie year...

Whats the over under for wins this year?? seems like 8.5 would be interesting...

 

[dtownlions]

The Kittys have some great stuff on paper.. Nice uprades.. A thumper in the middle of the D.. CB's still a bit untested.. A healthy Delmas should help that though.. guy was a beast his rookie year... Whats the over under for wins this year?? seems like 8.5 would be interesting...

I think 8.5 sounds about right. I'm hopeful for 9 wins and a wild card birth. I can't even begin to imagine how crazy Lions fans would get if they made the playoffs. I would be out of my mind excited. It's just been too darn long.

 

[Ilov80s]

Suh and Fairley will be very interesting. If Fairley pans out anywhere near the level of Suh, it will be fun to watch the kind of defense you can build around such a duo. The pieces are definitely coming together. The LB core just needs that guy who can blitz and the secondary needs that dominate safety. I think we have three corners who are pretty good in Houston, Leggart, and Wright.

If Fairley is just better than competent and with Suh getting double-teamed, the defense could very well make it's way in the upper echelon of the entire league. It's amazing how well LBs and DBs perform when the d-linemen dominate.

Corey Williams and Sammie Lee Hill were much more than competent last season. To be worth that pick at that spot, Fairley needs to develop into a stud. The shortened camps, hurt foot, and learning curve Suh went through make me think Fairley doesn't get anywhere near the playing time most are expecting. I'd say we see him in 20-30% of defensive snaps. Longterm, I think Fairley is a real force- especially rushing the passer and could have a Warren Sapp like career.

 

[azgroover]

Suh and Fairley will be very interesting. If Fairley pans out anywhere near the level of Suh, it will be fun to watch the kind of defense you can build around such a duo. The pieces are definitely coming together. The LB core just needs that guy who can blitz and the secondary needs that dominate safety. I think we have three corners who are pretty good in Houston, Leggart, and Wright.

If Fairley is just better than competent and with Suh getting double-teamed, the defense could very well make it's way in the upper echelon of the entire league. It's amazing how well LBs and DBs perform when the d-linemen dominate.

Corey Williams and Sammie Lee Hill were much more than competent last season. To be worth that pick at that spot, Fairley needs to develop into a stud. The shortened camps, hurt foot, and learning curve Suh went through make me think Fairley doesn't get anywhere near the playing time most are expecting. I'd say we see him in 20-30% of defensive snaps. Longterm, I think Fairley is a real force- especially rushing the passer and could have a Warren Sapp like career.

Sure, but I'm accounting for Suh being even better than last year. By no means do I think he's hit his potential. As Suh goes, so does the rest of the D.

 

[beerbarron]

The Kittys have some great stuff on paper.. Nice uprades.. A thumper in the middle of the D.. CB's still a bit untested.. A healthy Delmas should help that though.. guy was a beast his rookie year... Whats the over under for wins this year?? seems like 8.5 would be interesting...

I think 8.5 sounds about right. I'm hopeful for 9 wins and a wild card birth. I can't even begin to imagine how crazy Lions fans would get if they made the playoffs. I would be out of my mind excited. It's just been too darn long.

If that D is 80% as good as advertised.. and MStafford stays healthy... The over seems possible... One concern is last year TB has 10 wins and missed a wild card spot.. so some chips may have to fall their way even with 9+ wins..

 

[aardball44]

 

[Holland Freeze]

Been a Lion fan all my life so even though I obviously can't remember them the team back then consisted of the likes of Earl Morrall and Milt Plum at QB. Yale Lary reaching the end of his great career. Night Train and **** LeBeau were on the D (even though neither of them were pro bowlers that year).

Liked going to the games in the old stadium prior to Pontiac or the current one.

Not a Millen defender by any means but I do enjoy how many fans have such short memories. Some of those "Millen" drafts were pretty highly touted at the time. The subsequent injuries, underachieving players... are now all blamed on him.

I thought Marinelli was going to turn the club around when he came in. Not sure he wouldn't have eventually but definitely liked the upgrade to Schwartz. The coaches before those two had me jonesing for for the return of Wayne Fontes - he always seemed to be able to make the end of the season relevant and worth watching.

 

[Northbound Train]

Grew up in the Barry era. I was at the Mike Utley game vs LA, the win over the Cowboys and almost cried when the Skins killed em in the NFCCG the next week. They get me excited every offseason, but this one feels different.

Likewise....grew up in the Barry era, was at that Utley game where it went from one of the most raucous crowds I've ever heard to hearing a pin drop moments later...also was at that Cowboys-Lions playoff game....who knew some 20 yrs later that would be the last time we won a playoff game. Live in Denver area now and head up a Lions Fan club out here...started with two of us and now about 50 strong...have the Octover 30th game circled and ready to see Detroit take on Denver in the MIle High City!!!

 

[azgroover]

Grew up in the Barry era. I was at the Mike Utley game vs LA, the win over the Cowboys and almost cried when the Skins killed em in the NFCCG the next week. They get me excited every offseason, but this one feels different.

Likewise....grew up in the Barry era, was at that Utley game where it went from one of the most raucous crowds I've ever heard to hearing a pin drop moments later...also was at that Cowboys-Lions playoff game....who knew some 20 yrs later that would be the last time we won a playoff game. Live in Denver area now and head up a Lions Fan club out here...started with two of us and now about 50 strong...have the Octover 30th game circled and ready to see Detroit take on Denver in the MIle High City!!!

How did you get the Lions club going? I've sought something like that here in AZ, but no such luck. I see a ton of the Olde English D around town, so I know there would have to be interest out there. I've been thinking of making the trip up to Denver for that 10/30 game. It's as close as the Lions get to me this season.

 

[T with T]

Suh and Fairley will be very interesting. If Fairley pans out anywhere near the level of Suh, it will be fun to watch the kind of defense you can build around such a duo. The pieces are definitely coming together. The LB core just needs that guy who can blitz and the secondary needs that dominate safety. I think we have three corners who are pretty good in Houston, Leggart, and Wright.

If Fairley is just better than competent and with Suh getting double-teamed, the defense could very well make it's way in the upper echelon of the entire league. It's amazing how well LBs and DBs perform when the d-linemen dominate.

Corey Williams and Sammie Lee Hill were much more than competent last season. To be worth that pick at that spot, Fairley needs to develop into a stud. The shortened camps, hurt foot, and learning curve Suh went through make me think Fairley doesn't get anywhere near the playing time most are expecting. I'd say we see him in 20-30% of defensive snaps. Longterm, I think Fairley is a real force- especially rushing the passer and could have a Warren Sapp like career.

your foolish to think that he will only play 20-30 percent of the snaps

 

[dtownlions]

Suh and Fairley will be very interesting. If Fairley pans out anywhere near the level of Suh, it will be fun to watch the kind of defense you can build around such a duo. The pieces are definitely coming together. The LB core just needs that guy who can blitz and the secondary needs that dominate safety. I think we have three corners who are pretty good in Houston, Leggart, and Wright.

If Fairley is just better than competent and with Suh getting double-teamed, the defense could very well make it's way in the upper echelon of the entire league. It's amazing how well LBs and DBs perform when the d-linemen dominate.

Corey Williams and Sammie Lee Hill were much more than competent last season. To be worth that pick at that spot, Fairley needs to develop into a stud. The shortened camps, hurt foot, and learning curve Suh went through make me think Fairley doesn't get anywhere near the playing time most are expecting. I'd say we see him in 20-30% of defensive snaps. Longterm, I think Fairley is a real force- especially rushing the passer and could have a Warren Sapp like career.

your foolish to think that he will only play 20-30 percent of the snaps

Agree that number is probably low. I definitely hope so because that would mean he's playing well. I see the point that 80's is trying to make though that we have a couple of guys that have been playing pretty well already at the NFL level that Fairley will be attempting to displace.

 

[jon_mx]

Grew up in the Barry era. I was at the Mike Utley game vs LA, the win over the Cowboys and almost cried when the Skins killed em in the NFCCG the next week. They get me excited every offseason, but this one feels different.

Likewise....grew up in the Barry era, was at that Utley game where it went from one of the most raucous crowds I've ever heard to hearing a pin drop moments later...also was at that Cowboys-Lions playoff game....who knew some 20 yrs later that would be the last only time we won a playoff game. Live in Denver area now and head up a Lions Fan club out here...started with two of us and now about 50 strong...have the Octover 30th game circled and ready to see Detroit take on Denver in the MIle High City!!!

fixed.

 

[dtownlions]

Grew up in the Barry era. I was at the Mike Utley game vs LA, the win over the Cowboys and almost cried when the Skins killed em in the NFCCG the next week. They get me excited every offseason, but this one feels different.

Likewise....grew up in the Barry era, was at that Utley game where it went from one of the most raucous crowds I've ever heard to hearing a pin drop moments later...also was at that Cowboys-Lions playoff game....who knew some 20 yrs later that would be the last only time we won a playoff game. Live in Denver area now and head up a Lions Fan club out here...started with two of us and now about 50 strong...have the Octover 30th game circled and ready to see Detroit take on Denver in the MIle High City!!!

fixed.

Sad, indeed. Jon, how do you insert those GIFs? Do you just copy and paste from somewhere?

 

[jon_mx]

Sad, indeed. Jon, how do you insert those GIFs? Do you just copy and paste from somewhere?

No, if you click on the happy face in the post box, a bunch of emoticons appear that you can click on to insert.

 

[dtownlions]

Sad, indeed. Jon, how do you insert those GIFs? Do you just copy and paste from somewhere?

No, if you click on the happy face in the post box, a bunch of emoticons appear that you can click on to insert.

Oh geez I can't believe I didn't see that. Thanks.

 

[hutchins929]

Throw it to Calvin!I'm a Buc fan, but the Lions are by far my second favorite team. I'll be at Raymond James week one. Pretty excited about it.The future is looking bright in Detroit.

My wife is a Bucs fan. I am a Lions fan. We are very competitive... this could get ugly.

So she's been on top for the last ten years... interesting!

 

[flapgreen]

There's excitement brewing around the Lions outside of their own fans?

 

[matuski]

I can't bring myself to get too excited for 20111. Haven't broken myself of the expectation that something has to go wrong... right?

Cautiously optimistic for this year. Definitely excited moving forward.

 

[dtownlions]

Throw it to Calvin!I'm a Buc fan, but the Lions are by far my second favorite team. I'll be at Raymond James week one. Pretty excited about it.The future is looking bright in Detroit.

My wife is a Bucs fan. I am a Lions fan. We are very competitive... this could get ugly.

So she's been on top for the last ten years... interesting!

Good one! LOL Hopefully the Lions will be better than the Steelers this year and we can switch positions

 

[jon_mx]

I went back and read a lot of the scouting reports on Fairley, and I am getting real excited about what he will bring to the Lions. Yeah the guy dropped due to concerns about character, but the kid has elite talent to be one of the best pass rushers in the league. I think the situation with having a great d-line coaching staff and guys like Suh to mentor him and KVB to kick his butt if he slacks off is perfect. The concerns about his character seemed to be bunk. Only having one great season. The guy had to go JC, so his sophomore year was more like his freshman year in the SEC. The fact that he learned so much and improved so quickly should not be viewed as a negative. Fairley is going to be a beast. He may not have the lower body strength that Suh has, but his quickness, speed, and pass rushing ability is going to be impossible to stop with all the attention Suh will draw. Detroit's d-line will dominate and it will be fun to watch.

 

[Ilov80s]

I went back and read a lot of the scouting reports on Fairley, and I am getting real excited about what he will bring to the Lions. Yeah the guy dropped due to concerns about character, but the kid has elite talent to be one of the best pass rushers in the league. I think the situation with having a great d-line coaching staff and guys like Suh to mentor him and KVB to kick his butt if he slacks off is perfect. The concerns about his character seemed to be bunk. Only having one great season. The guy had to go JC, so his sophomore year was more like his freshman year in the SEC. The fact that he learned so much and improved so quickly should not be viewed as a negative. Fairley is going to be a beast. He may not have the lower body strength that Suh has, but his quickness, speed, and pass rushing ability is going to be impossible to stop with all the attention Suh will draw. Detroit's d-line will dominate and it will be fun to watch.

Fairley reported to Lions practice today in a boot. Detroit needs him on the field practicing. Everyday he misses, the more comfortable I feel with the projection of him being a pass rush specialist and not an every down player in 2011. I think that is a role he can be effective in. However, I 100% agree with your assessment. The 3 most dominant DTs I can remember in college football were Sapp, Suh, and Fairley. I'm no expert, but for me Fairley should have been a top 3 pick in the draft. He matched Suh in sacks and tackles for losses. In addition, Fairley and Suh both shined at the combine. Fairley had better numbers than Suh in the 40, broad jump, and 3 cone shuffle (Fairley did not participate in the bench). That shows me Fairley can be every bit as fast, quick, and explosive as Suh. I'm just not sure he will be able to catch on as quick as Suh.ETA: Rotoworld is now speculating about a possible stress fracture- not sure where they got this rumor from, but lets hope it is bunk.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

I can't bring myself to get too excited for 20111. Haven't broken myself of the expectation that something has to go wrong... right?Cautiously optimistic for this year. Definitely excited moving forward.

this. i already feel like anything short of a playoff berth is a failure this year, but as long as they're competitive and entertaining i'm willing to cut them some slack if they end up 7-9 or 8-8i feel like they finally have a plan and are building this team the right way, so the future looks pretty bright (at least until we end up in cap hell)

 

[Ilov80s]

http://tunein.com/radio/WDFN-1130-s28223/

Today 3-6 Tom Kowalski and Chris McCosky (2 Detroit Lions writers) are breaking down the Lions TC and upcoming year

 

[hutchins929]

I can't bring myself to get too excited for 20111. Haven't broken myself of the expectation that something has to go wrong... right?Cautiously optimistic for this year. Definitely excited moving forward.

this. i already feel like anything short of a playoff berth is a failure this year, but as long as they're competitive and entertaining i'm willing to cut them some slack if they end up 7-9 or 8-8i feel like they finally have a plan and are building this team the right way, so the future looks pretty bright (at least until we end up in cap hell)

I think that they have done pretty well with their contracts. at least recently anyway. They aren't overpaying for guys, they are doing things the right way. So this "cap hell", is that just speculation or do you have evidence to back it up? I really don't know because I haven't gone through the whole roster and looked at it. I know Stafford has a huge contract but that really wont happen anymore with the new rookie pay scale. With the Lions being a big up and coming team they really wont have to overpay anymore either.

 

[whoknew]

With the hype of Fairley, Corey Williams has really gotten overlooked this year. He was a stud last year. With a healthy Fairley, the Lions really have 4 good to great DTs - plus Fluellen.

 

[jon_mx]

With the hype of Fairley, Corey Williams has really gotten overlooked this year. He was a stud last year. With a healthy Fairley, the Lions really have 4 good to great DTs - plus Fluellen.

Fairley gives them depth and a bit of an upgrade at Pass Rushing. Having him will give the Lions the luxery of keeping the line fresh and wearing down the offensive line. The D-Line is still very good without him.

 

[Ilov80s]

With the hype of Fairley, Corey Williams has really gotten overlooked this year. He was a stud last year. With a healthy Fairley, the Lions really have 4 good to great DTs - plus Fluellen.

Corey Williams was outstanding last year. If you go back and look at Suh's highlight reel, you will see that it is more often than not Corey Williams or Sammie Lee Hill being double teamed. While Corey Williams didn't have nearly as many sacks as Suh, it was often his interior pressure that led to the big play.

 

[jon_mx]

"My job is come out here and complement Jahvid," Leshoure said during an interview with WDFN-AM Detroit. "I feel like I'm a runner that has power, speed and good vision who can run inside and outside the tackles. I just want to complement him and make this team better, specifically in the backfield."

Seems like this team is coming together well. It was nice that Detroit did not have to bribe anyone to come here, the free agents wanted to come play in Detroit.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

Killer was saying on AM 1130 that Jahvid Best has been dropping the ball all preseason long so far and that he MUST do better. Leshoure has looked pretty good but has dropped a few.

For fantasy purposes, I think Best is highly overrated. He won't be the goaline guy, he's a high risk injury guy, and he's not having a strong camp.

Let someone else take him, you will be happy you did.

 

[jon_mx]

Killer was saying on AM 1130 that Jahvid Best has been dropping the ball all preseason long so far and that he MUST do better. Leshoure has looked pretty good but has dropped a few.For fantasy purposes, I think Best is highly overrated. He won't be the goaline guy, he's a high risk injury guy, and he's not having a strong camp.Let someone else take him, you will be happy you did.

Who is over rating him? Usually ranked 15-20. Not worried about his hands, he showed last year he can catch. In PPR he is money. Nobody thinks he is going to score 8+ TDs.

 

[hutchins929]

Killer was saying on AM 1130 that Jahvid Best has been dropping the ball all preseason long so far and that he MUST do better. Leshoure has looked pretty good but has dropped a few.For fantasy purposes, I think Best is highly overrated. He won't be the goaline guy, he's a high risk injury guy, and he's not having a strong camp.Let someone else take him, you will be happy you did.

I already traded him because I was weary of this. But I still have faith that he and the team will do fine.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

Am standing in line at Lions camp, will report what I see today.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Am standing in line at Lions camp, will report what I see today.

 

[jon_mx]

The most stable job in sports has to be being the Lions PK. Not sure if Hanson will last much longer, but Murray and Hanson covered the job for 32 years now, outside missing a bit of time with injury.

 

[red stripe]

The O-Line really concerns me this year, Cherilius is coming off microfracture surgery and who knows how much longer Backus and Raiola can hold up. Not much depth behind them either. If they play decent and Stafford holds up I think we'll put a lot of points up but I think it could turn out to be the achilles heel.

I love the LB acquisitions and I think our defense will be better than a lot of people think.

 

[jon_mx]

The O-Line really concerns me this year, Cherilius is coming off microfracture surgery and who knows how much longer Backus and Raiola can hold up. Not much depth behind them either. If they play decent and Stafford holds up I think we'll put a lot of points up but I think it could turn out to be the achilles heel.I love the LB acquisitions and I think our defense will be better than a lot of people think.

Offensive Line is the only position the Lions did not adequately address in the offseason, and it has been banged up so far in camp. I think the Lions defense is solidly top 10.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

Hot and muggy at the Lions camp today. It's amazing how big those guys are when they're close up.

The one guy who stands out physically to me is Calvin Johnson. The guy just looks different than everyone else.

In regards to just football, Calvin looks in great shape and will have an outstanding year. So if you had him high on your charts like most, he looks ready to go right now.

If there was one guy that stood out I think it was Burleson. He caught everything thrown his way in the 7 on 7's as well as full team drills. They really seemed to line him up all over and Stafford seems to have a rapport with him. Pull the trigger on Burleson, especially in PPR leagues.

Stafford looked very good. No ill effects to injury, looks like a guy just playing football out there not worrying about the past. I also think Hill looked very good. He doesn't have quite the zip on the deeper throws but he's good, the offense will move with him running the team which makes me feel more confident in the Calvin and Burleson selections.

I think Pettigrew looked good. He had one dropped pass but they practiced a lot of play action passes to him, roll out passes to him and some check downs to him. He's in for a solid year.

I felt like Best was OK. He did drop a couple passes, he made some nice cuts in open field but certainly doesn't move the pile. I like the way Leshoure ran the ball, he's not as fast but he's tougher. It was hard to gauge the running game in what I saw today in practice. My gut says it wasn't great.

Houston impressed me on defense. Eric Wright was carted off the field, didn't look too serious, maybe a hammy tweak.

The linebackers of Levy, Tulloch, and Durant looked solid. Durant was in the middle while Levy was on the right and Tulloch on the left.

Defensive line was putting pressure on QB's, hard to tell exactly how much as they had to ease up when they got close. There was one play when Hill had to move up in the pocket due to pressure and he kind of got leg whipped and flipped up and on his back, he wasn't too happy about that.

Outside of that, 2 guys I kept checking to see who they were because they made some plays were no. 82 Rashied Davis and No. 15 Derrick Williams, both had solid practices and someone to keep an eye on in preseason games.

No. 16, Titus Young is SO Small. He was just out catching passes from some guy without pads on but he seems like if he ever gets hit, he'd get killed. I mean it, looks like a high school kid out there, I hope that pick works out, call me a skeptic.

Was a lot of fun, look forward to seeing them play the Bengals on Friday.

 

[jon_mx]

I hope Titus Young works in this offense. I am not a huge fan a little WR, but maybe he can be a game-breaker. Baltimore for instance drafted two guys I like better later.