Bullocks waived, surgery likely...update in post 6 (1 Viewer)

[Anthony Borbely]

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Source: Lions put Daniel Bullocks on waived/injured list

by Tom Kowalski

Wednesday August 19, 2009, 5:37 PM

According to a league source, the Detroit Lions have placed safety Daniel Bullocks on the waived/injured list. The Lions signed free agent linebacker Robert Francois to take his place on the roster.

Bullocks, who has been troubled by knee problems since suffering a major knee injury two years ago, was a second-round pick in 2006. First-round pick Ernie Sims is now the only player on the Lions roster who remains from that draft.

Francois was an undrafted free agent who signed with the Minnesota Vikings and was recently released.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Kalvin Pearson in line to become the starter at SS now or will they go with Marquand Manuel? Pearson seems like a bad fit at SS, which would make Delmas an even more attractive IDP option.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Kalvin Pearson in line to become the starter at SS now or will they go with Marquand Manuel? Pearson seems like a bad fit at SS, which would make Delmas an even more attractive IDP option.

Manuel has missed a lot of practice, but he is a possibility. Schweigert is a possibility. I think Calvin Lowry is too. He used to play for Schwartz in Tennessee. It's pretty wide open right now. Pearson made some plays in the first preseason game, but he also missed 3 tackles, including one on Turner's TD run. Pearson is not very big and my guess is the Lions are hoping someone else steps up and wins the job. If I had to guess right now, I'd say Pearson has the edge, but it's too early to really know. I do agree that Pearson is not the best fit at SS.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Also, Lions beat writer Tom Kowalski seems certain that Anthony Henry will be playing cornerback. There was talk before that Henry might move to safety, but the Lions are even thinner at CB than safety.

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No one is stepping up at cornerback, so Anthony Henry is likely starter for Lions

by Tom Kowalski | Opinion

Wednesday August 19, 2009, 2:45 PM

ALLEN PARK -- There appears to be a signficant shift in how the Detroit Lions are handling veteran cornerback Anthony Henry, and it might be because they already have made a key decision about personnel.

Before the first preseason game, the Lions gave Henry a lot of work at the starting cornerback position and some reps at safety.

Henry is capable of playing both positions and, truth be told, the Lions would prefer to put him at safety. The problem is, they're desperately thin at cornerback.

The Lions will start Phillip Buchanon on the right side, and the coaching staff had hoped somebody would step up and fight Henry for a starting job on the left side. It hasn't happened.

The two biggest candidates were Keith Smith and Eric King. Smith has been sidelined for almost the entire camp with a groin injury, and he needed that time to convince the coaches he could do the job on a consistent basis. King, who also is sidelined, had a key play in the first preseason game that has to keep the coaching staff leery about making him a starter.

King, who is good in short zones but tends to get in trouble in man-to-man situations, was called for a 38-yard pass interference penalty in the end zone. He was running step for step with Atlanta receiver Robert Ferguson but never turned around to try to locate the ball.

When King put his hands on the receiver, it was an easy flag for the official to throw. If King had made contact but had looked around in an attempt to play the ball, it's likely the official would not have thrown a flag.

Turning and locating the ball is one of the toughest things for a cornerback to do, but it's also a must in the job description of an NFL corner.

With it becoming more obvious that Henry will be the starter at corner, the Lions are giving him more rest in the practices. During Wednesday's session, he didn't take a single snap in the seven-on-seven drill.

"I think Anthony Henry looked like his old self,'' said Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham, referring to the preseason game against Atlanta. "I think we need to be smart with him, because every time he gets a little rest, he goes back to the guy we brought in here.''

 

[zanti8]

just watched the lions game on dvr this morning . henry looked like their best defenender . schweigert who was in at the end of the game (3/4string) made 2 great plays in the falcon backfield and was the other defense stand out to me .

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Update: Looks like surgery for Bullocks and IR once he clears waivers

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Lions put safety Daniel Bullocks on waived/injured list; surgery to come

John Niyo / The Detroit News

Allen Park -- The Lions placed safety Daniel Bullocks on the waived/injured list Wednesday, and a troublesome knee injury will keep him off the field this season. If Bullocks clears waivers, as expected, he'll go on injured reserve.

Bullocks, a 2006 second-round pick, missed most of the offseason and training camp due to recurring problems with his surgically-repaired left knee. He missed the 2007 season after tearing his ACL in the preseason, but returned to the lineup last season and started 15 games.

Bullocks, who was entering the final season of a four-year rookie contract, had the knee re-examined by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., last week, and is expected to undergo surgery in the next week or two. Lions general manager Martin Mayhew deflected questions about Bullocks' status earlier this week, saying, "Sometimes you gotta make tough decisions. And we'll keep evaluating the roster and make those as we go."