Detroit Lions Training Camp Report. (1 Viewer)

[Penguin]

I probably sound like a broken record in all of these camp threads but this is great stuff!

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Defensive coordinator Joe Barry transcripts July 31st

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JOE BARRY -- JULY 31, 2007

>> On where the Lions defense currently stands

“I like where we’re at. I don’t know how long we’ve been in camp, but it feels like about 3 months. But where we’re at, I think today was our eighth or ninth practice, but I like where we’re at. We still have a million miles to travel, but where we’re at right now in this particular time we’re good. Guys are coming around, they’re flying; they’ve really bought into everything that we’ve talked about back since March 19th when we started this thing. Where we’re at right now, I’m really happy.”

>> On CB Keith Smith

“Right now at this point, we really haven’t ranked anybody. We have nine corners that are in camp and as a corner, you’re judged on making plays. You obviously have to do your job, you have to play man coverage, you have to play zone coverage but a corner is out on an island and he has to make plays. No. 23 (Smith) every single day is making plays. I’m really happy with where Keith Smith is at.”

>> On giving Smith a shoulder bump after making a play in practice

“If anyone made a play, Nick (Cotsonika) if you came out and made a play I’d come over and give you a shoulder bump. Anybody that makes a play, that’s just the way I coach. If you do something bad I’m going to let you know, but if you do something good I’m going to let you know no matter who you are. But to answer your original question, Keith Smith is doing a good job.”

>> On simplifying the defense for Smith

“Yeah, again I’m not really sure what has happened here in the past, but I think he had played some multiple positions in the back end. Right now he’s playing right corner. He might get a few reps at left corner, but we try to keep his plate pretty thin and not really overload him with a bunch of stuff. Just let him fall into one spot and it’s proven to do pretty well, because he is making plays.”

>> On LB Ernie Sims

“I’ve never really hid my feelings about Ernie Sims, even when I was where I used to be. When he was coming out of college I thought he was one of the best linebackers that I’ve ever evaluated since I’ve been in the NFL. I think he’s got a chance to be not a really good player, but a great player. Again, he’s only a second year guy; 12 short months ago he was a rookie. He’s improving everyday. I think the thing that’s going to make Ernie great is not only his God given ability, but his work ethic. He works as hard as anybody I’ve ever been around, so he’s got a chance to be a star.”

>> On the goals he has set for his defense

“I don’t make a bunch of statements and have a bunch of goals. We’re going to play hard, play fast and we need to finish. So that’s something that we talk about everyday. It doesn’t matter what position you play; those three things are what we’re preaching to our defense.”

>> On LB Teddy Lehman leaving practice with an injury

“I don’t know, I haven’t talked to the trainers. I didn’t see it, but I guess I heard he walked off the field. He walked off, so that’s a good sign. We usually get an injury report when we go back in.”

>> On whether the hype surrounding the offense motivates the defense

“I hope so, but if you need something like that to motivate you we have a problem. We do what we do, we take care of our side of the ball and the offense is going to take care of their side of the ball. The offense and defense all have to participate on special teams. We don’t get hung up on that, we do have a great offense. We have a great offensive coordinator, great offensive coaching staff, so I’m happy.”

>> On DE Kalimba Edwards

“Kalimba looks (good). I’ve never coached Kalimba Edwards before, I’ve never been around him but I think he’s special. He’s fortunate in the sense that he doesn’t have one great defensive line coach, he has two in Joe Cullen and Rod Marinelli. I’ve seen first hand what Rod is able to do with defensive linemen, so I’m excited about Kalimba.”

>> On why they haven’t shown heavy interest in DE Simeon Rice

“I think it’s a lot of things. I think it’s where we’re at number wise with our whole team; it’s a number of things that fall in. But yeah, Kalimba Edwards is our starting right end right now and he’s doing a great job.”

>> On the importance of his defense creating turnovers

“I think turnovers for any defense in the National Football League (are important). You look at the stats at the end of the game and usually the team that wins the turnover battle wins the game. That’s something that I told you we emphasize; play hard, play fast and finish. Another thing we emphasize is to get the ball back. Whether it be causing fumbles, getting interceptions, whatever. We need to up our turnover number from last year and that’s going to pay dividends for us. If we can get the ball back for our offense, then we are doing a good job.”

>> On LB Boss Bailey overcoming his previous injuries

“Yeah, and again kind of like Keith Smith; I’m a firm believer, if you can let a player play one position and just fall in love with that position and learn the nuances of that position and know exactly every detail that goes into that position, he’s going to be a good football player. I know Boss has been duel trained here before; he’s played multiple linebacker positions – we’re not doing that. He’s playing SAM linebacker and when a player knows what to do he can play really fast.”

>> On where he expects to play CB Travis Fisher

“All of our guys that play nickel corner play other positions when we’re not in nickel. We might have some guys that play safety that might also play nickel corner. Travis is playing left corner with Fernando over there and then when we go nickel he’s our starting nickel. So he’s playing left corner in our base package and he’s also playing nickel corner. For example, in our preseason games you’ll see Travis playing outside on a number one receiver, not always in the nickel corner position; he’s going to play two spots.”

>> On evaluating whether guys can play faster when they know what they’re doing

“I think that’s No. 1 – you have to look and see. If you know a guy is running 4.3 (40 yards) and he’s not playing up to a 4.3, it’s because he’s thinking and reading stuff. I think it goes the same on the offensive side of the ball. When you can really play fast, you react. The ball is snapped and whatever your cues, whatever the offense does you react to it. You’re not sitting there looking at it, reading it, diagnosing it; you’re reacting to it. That’s the No. 1 way that we read to see if a guy can do it. If a guy is 4.3 and he looks like he’s 4.8 out there, it’s because he doesn’t know what he’s doing and can’t pick it up, so that’s what you need to look at. If you know a guy is fast and he’s not playing fast it’s because he is reading and not reacting. I think generally if a guy is flying to the ball and he’s always in the right spot, it’s because he’s wired into his assignment and he knows exactly what he’s supposed to do. He can use that speed and that size and that God-given athleticism. That’s ultimately what we’re trying to get. We don’t want to bog down players with a bunch of rules and a bunch of stuff that limits them from playing fast. That’s the name of the game; if you can get eleven guys to the ball at a million miles an hour then you’ve got something great.”

>> On protecting the corners when the system is executed correctly

“I think any system when you’re more zone coverage than you are man coverage, especially cover two zone, because the corners are just out there re-routing and playing the flat area – opposed to in man, when the corner has his man wherever he goes all over the field. You can get exposed in that, but its a little bit more corner friendly when you play zone. Especially cover two zone, because you’re asking him to play an area rather than a man all over the field. That’s what we are, we’re a zone coverage team and we also play man. We do play cover two, so it is a corner friendly defense in that aspect.”

>> On the point during preseason that they play their starters to prepare for the regular season

“Usually the third preseason game is the one where the starters play the most. That’s the one where during the week and preparation for the game you kind of treat it like a normal game week. To answer you’re question, probably the third preseason game we’d like to have an idea.”

>> On getting his starters prepared in the third preseason game against the Colts

“Peyton Manning? Who’s he play for? Oh, the Colts. There are a lot of good quarterbacks in this league, but Peyton’s very good so we’ll be excited for Peyton. We got Carson Palmer in the first game, so it doesn’t get any easier.”

>> On whether or not anyone else in his defense has stuck out during camp

“No, I think the guys that really bought into what we’re doing (have). That’s all you can ask for as a coordinator. They’re eager, they want to get better, they want to be the best. When you have that type of attitude you have a chance. We have great veteran leadership. Having DT Cory Redding in camp and back around this team is great. I think CB Fernando Bryant and S Kenoy Kennedy are providing great leadership; they want to win. They’re standing up and saying: ‘hey, if you don’t know how to practice or how to work watch me and follow me.’ That’s what we need.”

>> On whether DT Cory Redding was a little rusty

“You know a little bit I’m sure. The last time that he’d even put a helmet on was at the Dallas game (last year). So yeah, there was maybe a little bit of rust, but he’s good now.

>> On when they will need DT Shaun Rogers

“We need Shaun when Shaun is ready. Right now, that’s why he is on PUP, because he’s physically unable to do it. One thing he is doing, I’ll tell you I’ve been impressed, he’s working his tail off. For a guy that I heard had a little bit of a work ethic problem, I’ve not seen that at all. He’s done everything we asked of him in the off season as far as working out and being involved with us. He’s doing everything now; I know he’s not practicing but you look over and he’s working his tail off. He’s in every meeting, he’s wired in, he’s taking notes and his attitude is great. Obviously I plan on him being ready by opening day of course, but you know if he gets ready before then we’re going to take him off (PUP) and practice him. But that’s not my job, that’s the trainers and the strength coach to do that.”

>> On whether Rogers needs to lose weight

“Oh of course, but also people need to understand that Shaun Rogers is a big man. He’s a huge man. He’s never going to be 305 pounds, but of course he needs to lose some weight. That’s why he’s busting his ### and he’s working. I don’t know what the exact numbers are, but he was 20 pounds lighter when we reported on the 25th (of July) than he was when we left back in June. In my mind that’s great, and he’s shaving it off right now because he’s working. It’s hard to work out and stay in shape when you have a knee and shoulder injury. You guys be the judge, just watch what he does when he’s over there working in the afternoon and in the morning. He’s got a lot better to get, but where he’s at I’m excited.”

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Marinelli post-practice transcripts August 1st

HEAD COACH ROD MARINELLI -- AUGUST 1, 2007

>> Opening statement

“We came out with a good walkthrough today. Like I said, I’m trying to teach this team to be a good professional football team and it’s no rewards unless earned. That was a very physical practice yesterday, but it wasn’t just physical hitting, we were in the right gaps. We were blocking the right guy, under heat and duress and all those things; that’s what I’m looking for. I’m going to keep pounding it, you might as well call me Peter the Parakeet. I’m going to keep saying it over and over and over; that’s what we’ve got to do. If you just keep hammering then we’re going to be fine. They came out wired in this morning, caught them off guard with this. We had a team meeting then came out, and we’ll practice this afternoon in helmets and shorts.”

>> On the difference between this year and last year’s training camp

“There’s a difference, it’s the trust. They have to trust me and I have to trust them. You go out and practice hard and you have errors, well I’m going to do it again. That’s just me; we’ll just keep drilling it. If I don’t like the tempo, we’re going to do it (again). These guys, I’ve said it from our OTA days, to understand the pace and to play really fast and smart; it’s hard to do. (Especially) without hitting each other too much, without having a proper etiquette. The learning curve on that is hard. You’ve just got to keep doing it and they are working extremely hard at it – it was extremely physical yesterday. They’ve earned this, we’ll have a helmets and shorts (practice) this afternoon and we’ll get back to the pads tomorrow.”

>> On the player’s efforts at practice

“Execution is everything. You have to have effort, you’ve got to, and then the details. Each guy has got to be on top of his details, doing things right. Then there becomes trust within the offense/defense special teams, they trust each other. I know my buddy is going to be in the B-gap if I got the A-gap. It’s a trust thing. The backbones trust the front that they’re going to put heat on. The quarterback trusts the offensive line that they’re going to work hard on their protections and that the receiver is going to be where they’re at. When I start to see that, then we’ll be smart and get going.”

>> On whether the trust factor has become more prevalent since last year

“I want to find out who can do it. If you remember the trip I had at Oakland; well I might give them keys this time and let them use them. The thing I did that week was I wanted to see who could do it. I had 13 guys who could do it, that I felt did it the way I wanted it and they were all on the same flight. You start finding out about people, and I found out a lot that day and I found out a lot with the last quarter of the season.”

>> On whether the Raiders player’s reaction had an effect

“No, I always come back with it’s what we do; do what we do. Focus is important and my background has been that way. I just needed to stress this to the team. To me, last year if I just would have went out and rolled them out here, well I had to make a statement of what I wanted. I made it hard; they were in pads the last week of the season. There was a group of guys that stayed with it all the way and kept getting better.”

>> On his league leading receivers (Williams and Furrey) campaigning for WR Calvin Johnson

“Oh, it’s awesome. It’s not the best talent, it’s the best team. When we cut this team down everybody will have their roles defined. Those last ten guys on the roster are critical; it may be the most important ten guys. They create the morale of your team, because their jobs aren’t always the best jobs. Then you got guys who are like: well this isn’t what I want to do. You have to be able to weed it out, see it, see how these guys are playing and then develop our depth.”

>> On his receivers losing some yards and receptions to the incoming WR Calvin Johnson

“Oh they’re awesome; they want to win the right way. They want to. It’s my job, our staff’s job, to guide them correctly; it’s all on me. We’ve just got to get it done.”

>> On G Edwin Mulitalo

“He’s hard grinding; he’s working; he’s lost weight; he’s just a strong good man but we got nice competition in there now. We got Frank Davis flying around and Blaine Saipaia and (Stephen) Peterman. We got guys that have played a lot of football that we liked last year, so we’ll let it kind of play out.”

>> On whether G Edwin Mulitalo has been affected by injury

“No, I think he’s healthy right now. He just missed some time, but he’s got a great relationship with Jim (Colletto), and that helps because he knows what to expect; he’ll be fine.”

>> On the morale provided by G/T Barry Stokes

“Oh, he’s a great guy; we have a lot of guys like that. You know you get a team of that, and then when you have to trim down you’re still keeping guys; he’s not the only one. You got a bunch of guys like that, you’re hoping. That’s what I’m gearing toward. We’re going to hit adversity, so that’ll be great and see how we respond.”

>> On the competition at quarterback

“It’s great. You know that’s important too, but it’s the guy coaching them that’s really important because I trust him. He’s done it. It’s not like he kind of knows what he wants; he knows exactly what he’s looking for. He knows how to teach it better than anybody in this league; he’s an expert. You can sleep at night with that one.”

>> On the ‘money-downs as part of the game

“You’re exactly right, you can never downplay that part of it. The passing game seems to be the money down. That’s where your quarterbacks, receivers, rushers and picks come from. What you’ve got to teach is that team comes from running the ball and defending the run; that’s where you build a team. It’s together, that’s the part I love about the run. Run drill everyday, it’s just my favorite. I can’t wait – wake up in the morning and say: ‘oh the run drill, 31 minutes.’ You know what I’m saying, because it’s about team. You can’t run the ball if everyone is not on it. You can’t defend the run if not everybody is on their gaps.”

>> On WR Calvin Johnson

“A couple of our receiver coaches talked to him. It’s more just dialogue right now; it’s just hard right now because we’re in camp; you know two-a-days, meetings, so it’s a little bit harder. I don’t know (if he’s in town). He’s been in, and then he’ll leave for a little bit, but I don’t know.”

>> On his thoughts of DT Langston Moore

“Oh, explosive. I like that. He explodes and I like it. He is really disrupting, we got another guy DT Jon Bradley, and I’m going to need that fourth tackle bad. I want to develop a fourth tackle and they’re both exploding right now. We got another guy in the mix: DT Marcus Lewis; so we just keep looking at these guys. We’ll let it play out, get them into preseason. But (Moore) is showing really good rush ability, really impacting in his gap controls and he’s got a great attitude. Yeah, he is (a pleasant surprise). I kind of felt that when we had him on our roster last year at the end of the season. I could see something about him; I just need to get him to play a little bit lower right now.”

>> On how many defensive linemen they are likely to retain

“Well last year we kept eight, but now each year your team is different. You’ve got to say: ‘well, hey we might not have as many defensive backs that we want to keep; you know you’ve got to look at it. What you don’t want to cut is a guy who could be a good player for you. Those numbers will change as I look at it.”

>> On WR Eddie Drummond’s status

“We know what kind of a return guy he is. That’s why we have a lot of time in camp and you just kind of let things play out. We try not to jump on decisions too early. We’ll get to a preseason game and that’s how were doing all those things. That’s what I try to do at least because when you start making decisions in your mind too early it’s wrong. I kind of like to let them play out and keep coaching these guys.”

>> On how offensive line coach Jim Colletto has developed the line

“We’ve got to go in the game and do it all, but you can see what he’s doing. He’s really a structured teacher. He teaches extremely well; he’s a veteran and he’s just doing a very nice job. He’s a great match with Mike (Martz); they go way back to Arizona State where they coached together. They have a great relationship and that’s all part of it; the chemistry of the staff and the chemistry of the team.”

>> On whether the first string offensive line will get a lot of reps in preseason games

“That’s usually something we discuss a day or so before the game. Right now we’re just cranking on practice. I just don’t want to get out of that mindset. My focus right now is having a really good meeting this afternoon and a really good practice. As we get closer, then the scouts get in with us and we start looking through it.”

>> On the Lions running back corps

“I like it. Tatum (Bell) gives you unique speed – you know explosive speed. He’s an accomplished runner, really a great downhill runner. He’s developed into a pass receiver and he’s done a nice job of that. (Brian) Calhoun, he’s showing us some stuff; he’s kind of jumped out at me a little bit and he can do some stuff. T.J. (Duckett) is a big back in there. We’ll just let that thing go and hopefully we’ll get Kevin (Jones) back there soon and it’s a nice mix then. Aveion (Cason) is in there, the thing about him is he does everything good. He does everything; the kicking game, coverage kicks, he returns kicks, good pass blocker, good runner, good receiver, trust. You just let all that work out now.”

>> On whether they would consider carrying more than eight offensive linemen

“Oh, well we went nine last year. I think we went eight defensive linemen, maybe nine. I just kind of let it play out. Sometimes you’re forced to fit them in; you need to go an extra guy here or here and if we cut one back over here, now you’re worried about whether you can get the guy through the practice squad that you like. There are some gambles in that. You say, man I like this guy, hopefully we’ll get him on the practice squad and keep an extra guy here, but it doesn’t always work out that way. As you know, we got four preseason games and you get beat up fast. Especially those two line positions. We’ll have to see who can do it; who can stay consistent and steady and we’ll let it play out.”

>> On what they discussed at this morning’s meeting

“We just had a team meeting and the only thing I said is that they’re a pro football team. How they conduct themselves in meetings, how they prepare everyday for practice. You ask them to do a lot of stuff, and I haven’t had a fine in camp. I have not had one fine and you don’t want to be the first. It’s these guys being on the details and those details will show up in the fourth quarter. To the guys that blow it off and say this is not important, that’s not true. Everything that I ask you to do is important. If it’s important to be on time, it might be important on the blitz that I take the right guy. You try to teach those habits all the way through.”

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Marinelli post-practice transcripts August 2nd

HEAD COACH ROD MARINELLI -- AUGUST 2, 2007

>> Opening statement

“Just a normal training camp day again. We came out, I thought there was pretty good energy this morning, and yesterday we had a walkthrough and then went no pads in the afternoon. I think they responded a little bit. They’re tired, they’re fatigued, but the biggest thing I just keep emphasizing, it’s not the physical toughness, it’s the mental toughness: doing things right when we’re tired. Everybody in the league is feeling the same way right now; it’s the teams that can do things right under duress. (Those are) the things I keep emphasizing and I think we’ll be okay.”

>> On DE Kalimba Edwards and the defensive line

“He’s having a good camp, I feel good. Before Dewayne (White) got banged up, he was coming along as a good rusher. Jared (Devries) can rush, Corey (Smith) can rush, and then it’s not just the one-on-one stuff, it’s to be able to run pass-rush games, and the intelligent part of the rush, and some of those things. We’ll see; the tackles have to really start to push this pocket for us. They’ve got to be able to take advantage of those singles.”

>> On how dominant the offense can be

“It’s good. Mike Martz, obviously, he’s got a great background with offense. Obviously, we know that. I think we’ve got the right tools, but, more importantly, right chemistry right now. The energy, they’re playing at the tempo we want. They‘ve got good skill, good skill athletes, good skill at the runners, the tight ends, the O-line’s coming through very well right now. They’re getting coached very well. It’s got a chance to be as good as we want to be. It’s just about being on details now: it’s just doing things right.”

>> On the offensive line

“I think we brought (George) Foster in, I mean that’s been a nice addition. (He’s) a very (talented) veteran offensive lineman in this league. Edwin (Mulitalo) came in, and he’s got a background with Jim (Colletto) at Baltimore, so that was two nice additions. Some of those young players from a year ago: Jonathon (Scott), Frank Davis, and (Stephen) Peterman all played last year for us and started. So that adds the depth. Throw Manny (Ramirez) in there, a rookie, and then you bring in (Dominic) Raiola, and Stokesy (Barry Stokes), and Jeff (Backus), and (Rex) Tucker. So, the competition, the age in the group, is perfect. You’ve got three or four young guys, some middle guys, and a couple of older veterans. You’ve got to mesh together. In this league, it’s just about if guys will play together, know what to do – especially in that position, — get the hat on the right guy. Then you’ve got to execute, and we’ll be fine.”

>> On the secondary

“Boy, I like our safeties right now. I mean, Daniel Bullocks has really had a heck of a camp now. I mean, he’s a big, fast, physical player. Kenoy (Kennedy) is a pro, and we’ve got the two other guys. We’re two deep at that safety position, I really like it right now. Keith Smith is having a very good camp. We’ve just left him at one spot, doing one thing, and he’s playing well. Stanley (Wilson) did some nice things for us last year, he’s stepping up. Fernando’s a pro, and you’ve got Travis Fisher, he’s a good player now, and he’s playing nickel for us. So, like I’ve said from the very beginning, kind of a no-name group. They’ve just got to do what we do. They’re working hard at just playing the system. If they play the system well and the front gets a rush, we’re going to be fine.”

>> On an update on WR Calvin Johnson

“No. One day I say, ‘Oh.’ And the next day, it’s ‘No.’ So, I don’t know. I just line up and coach who we’ve got.”

>> On any other injuries

“Oh, we’ve got a stinger; Joe Lobendahn had a stinger (that) I don’t think will be very bad. Maybe, good chance he’ll be back tomorrow. We’ve just got to get some of the other guys – we’ve got some hammies out there. And, what happens is, you get two or three guys at one position with hamstrings or something, then those other guys get worn down. And we keep the pace going, so we’ve just got to be smart with it.”

>> On WR Eddie Drummond

“He’s just (got)a hammy and hip flexor right now. So, we’ve got a few hammies, which, at that position, it’s either the d-line or the wide receivers, because of the running those guys do. So hopefully we’ll get a couple of these (guys) back to take the pressure off those other guys right now.”

>> On when LB Teddy Lehman is expected back

“It’s week-to-week, for sure. We’ll evaluate every week, but it’s just going to need time to heal. So he’s going to be fine.”

>> On DE Dewayne White

"I think they just want to be a little bit cautious with him, but I’m going to hope maybe early next week. I think early next week he’s got a chance. He’s been running now, and once that starts, then the healing process comes along pretty good.”

>> On if White will play next Thursday

“I’ve got to see where he’s at. I don’t want to push that yet, I just want to be smart. Make sure he’s healthy, and then we’ll get him going.”

>> On opening the practice up to the general public tomorrow

“Oh, that was important to us. We sat down and talked; I just thought that was really key for us. Sometimes, some people may not have that opportunity to ever come out and watch this team play or practice. So we just want to extend it and just have people come out and have a chance to see this football team, part of this community.”

>> On G/T Barry Stokes

“He’s great, he’s a pro. How he prepares every day, (he’s) in shape, all those things. He’s great. You just love having him out there. Every day he’s got high energy and has a lot of fun.”

>> On if coaching the defense is work or fun

“It’s fun. I just, enjoy it. I’m lucky. I’m very fortunate and very grateful that I can have the opportunity to have done what I’ve done my whole career: to coach ballplayers, be around ballplayers. That’s where, like I was saying the other day, all of us just kind of take it for granted to come out to practice, to watch an NFL practice every day or be involved in it. These people here are just awesome. I mean, this is special to these people coming out. But every day is a good day.”

>> On why Drummond didn’t work out at receiver last year

“I just think just learning the position. The complexity, sometimes, of this system is enormous. You’ve really got to be grounded in it, it’s something you’ve got to love and have a great passion to do it. Then you start moving guys around, where you’re learning more than one or two spots, that’s when the enormity of it comes into play. So, it’s just learning. He had to move around.”

>> On if it is better for Drummond to focus on returning

“Yeah, right now, we’re just having him out there, and make sure he’s got to still know what to do on offense, and then hammer away as a returner.”

>> On how the QBs are looking

“(Jon) Kitna is on it right now, and it’s just a nice, real good competitive situation with that second group between Dan (Orlovsky) and J.T. (O’Sullivan). So, they’re picking up the offense, they’re grasping the offense, they’re executing it. So, it comes down to getting the preseason games here. In the 7-on-7s and some of those things – it’s just knowing what to do. That’s what you look for in practice: what to do.”

>> On if they’re preparing for Oakland

“No, we’re just working on what we do. And it’ll be that way when we start regular season: just work on what we do.”

 

[DeadStroke]

Tony did a great job breaking down the Lions and the Lions camp. I haven't posted in here in a while, but still come back for fantasy info as the season approaches. I am passionate about the Lions and do follow them all season long. Some of the preseason games may change things, but for anyone that drafts early, here is a preliminary outlook on the Lions.

Running Back's

Kevin Jones - well, there is a chance that he begins the season on PUP, but under the PUP rules, if he's not removed by the 1st week of the season, he'll have to remain on PUP until at a minimum the 6th week of the season. I'd say that Tony is right in that there is a 90% chance that KJ will not be ready by week 1, but I'd say it's 50-50 on whether he starts the season on PUP. There is definately going to be some type of RBBC in Detroit and I think when KJ is healthy, he'll be the #1 back. I also think that he is the best option for a third down back as he really improved his receiving and pass blocking skills last year. My early prediction is that KJ will get about 50% of the carries when he's healthy, including most of the 3rd down and medium to long carries and will be a factor in the receiving game.

Tatum Bell - Mike Martz has always been infactuated with speed and that's something that Tatum has, he may be faster than any back in the league. He'll definately be in the mix for the carries. There have been mixed reviews on his receiving skills and pass blocking is definately not a strong point of his. Until KJ is healthy, I see him getting about 40%-60% of the carries. When KJ is healthy, I'd guess 20%-30%.

TJ Duckett - He's going to be getting a lot of the short yardage and goal line carries, although I wouldn't completely rule out KJ from getting some of these carries as well. Martz noted how decimated with injuries the Oline was last year and that was the biggest reason for the ineffectiveness of the running game and particularly the short yardage running game. In training camp, Martz has experimented with using TJ in two back sets and that he was not relegating him to FB duty, he was just looking to see what he could do in that role. In prior years, we had Shawn Bryson pulled the duel responsibility of backup RB and receiving FB, it appears that Martz is looking to see if TJ can do that this year. I see him getting about 30%-50% of the carries if KJ is not healthy and 15%-25% of the carries when KJ is healthy.

Brian Calhoun and Aveion Cason - One of these guys will make the team and both could make the team, especially if KJ starts the season on PUP, but, barring injury, neither should be much of a factor. 5% of the carries.

Wide Receivers

Roy Williams - He should be a top 10 receiver this year. As CJ gets more involved in the offense, Roy will be facing less double teams. I think he'll have a bigger 2nd half than 1st half.

Calvin Johnson - Martz' system is complex and the more training camp that he misses, the less he's going to be prepared when the season rolls around. I really think that Roy and Furrey will be the starters when the season starts and it may continue that way well into the season. I think they'll gradually work CJ in as his play book is going to be limited when the season starts. When asked about CJ by the media, Martz' said all the proper things, but his tone sounded like he was starting to get really annoyed that CJ was missing so much camp (it's a four week camp and he's missed one week already). In redraft leagues, I'm sure that Calvin Johnson is going to be drafted way to high, but should be #2 behind Peterson in dynasty leagues.

Mike Furrey - Furrey is one of those guys that puts the team first and he, along with Roy, both openly campaigned to get the Lions to draft CJ. He doesn't mind losing his looks, he just wants the Lions to be the best team possible. He should probably be considered an average #2 receiver early in the season, but as Calvin becomes more involved, he will get less looks. Late in the season, he'll probably be considered a #3 or #4 receiver and if there are any injuries to Calvin or Roy, he'll get the #2 slot on the team.

Quarterback

Jon Kitna - He had a decent fantasy season and it should improve this year. As noted earlier in this thread, the Lions were absolutely devasted by injuries to the offensive line. On top of that, they couldn't find a viable 3rd receiver. They started the season with Cory Bradford, he was cut within the first month of the season, they tried Eddie Drummond, but he didn't work, they signed A. Hakim, but cut him about a month later, brought in Kevin Kasper and cut him two weeks later, tried Mike Williams and gave up on him and finally brought back Cory Bradford. This year they will have the above three receivers plus Shaun McDonald, who worked in Martz' system in St. Louis, so they should be able to run an expanded playbook that will include 3 and 4 receiver sets. I think at a minimum, he'll be a top 10 fantasy QB. Barring injury, there is no way that he won't put up better numbers than last year (he may lose some yards, but should get more TD's and less INT's). One thing with Kitna, no matter what anyone says, there will not be a QB controversity in Detroit, he is entrenched as the starter.

Tight Ends

Dan Campbell - He's the starting TE, but he's a better blocking TE than a receiving TE. I was actually suprised by his contributions to the receiving game last year, but I wouldn't expect anything different than what he did last year. For fantasy, he's a weak starting caliber TE, but would be better served as a backup.

Casey Fitzsimmons - Is a little bit of a wildcard, he is going to be playing an H-back type of role in Martz's system. I don't think he'll have any fantasy value, but you never know what Martz is going to come up with.

Kicker

Jason Hanson - Always one of the best in the game. Nothing should change from last year.

Defense - Hard to gauge. Just like our Oline last year, the defense line was decimated by injuries, losing 3 of their 4 starters by midseason and then a couple of the backups after that. My guess is that it'll be a mediocre fantasy defense at best.

 

[Winning IS Everything]

Tony did a great job breaking down the Lions and the Lions camp. I haven't posted in here in a while, but still come back for fantasy info as the season approaches. I am passionate about the Lions and do follow them all season long. Some of the preseason games may change things, but for anyone that drafts early, here is a preliminary outlook on the Lions.

Running Back's

Kevin Jones - well, there is a chance that he begins the season on PUP, but under the PUP rules, if he's not removed by the 1st week of the season, he'll have to remain on PUP until at a minimum the 6th week of the season. I'd say that Tony is right in that there is a 90% chance that KJ will not be ready by week 1, but I'd say it's 50-50 on whether he starts the season on PUP. There is definately going to be some type of RBBC in Detroit and I think when KJ is healthy, he'll be the #1 back. I also think that he is the best option for a third down back as he really improved his receiving and pass blocking skills last year. My early prediction is that KJ will get about 50% of the carries when he's healthy, including most of the 3rd down and medium to long carries and will be a factor in the receiving game.

Tatum Bell - Mike Martz has always been infactuated with speed and that's something that Tatum has, he may be faster than any back in the league. He'll definately be in the mix for the carries. There have been mixed reviews on his receiving skills and pass blocking is definately not a strong point of his. Until KJ is healthy, I see him getting about 40%-60% of the carries. When KJ is healthy, I'd guess 20%-30%.

TJ Duckett - He's going to be getting a lot of the short yardage and goal line carries, although I wouldn't completely rule out KJ from getting some of these carries as well. Martz noted how decimated with injuries the Oline was last year and that was the biggest reason for the ineffectiveness of the running game and particularly the short yardage running game. In training camp, Martz has experimented with using TJ in two back sets and that he was not relegating him to FB duty, he was just looking to see what he could do in that role. In prior years, we had Shawn Bryson pulled the duel responsibility of backup RB and receiving FB, it appears that Martz is looking to see if TJ can do that this year. I see him getting about 30%-50% of the carries if KJ is not healthy and 15%-25% of the carries when KJ is healthy.

Brian Calhoun and Aveion Cason - One of these guys will make the team and both could make the team, especially if KJ starts the season on PUP, but, barring injury, neither should be much of a factor. 5% of the carries.

Wide Receivers

Roy Williams - He should be a top 10 receiver this year. As CJ gets more involved in the offense, Roy will be facing less double teams. I think he'll have a bigger 2nd half than 1st half.

Calvin Johnson - Martz' system is complex and the more training camp that he misses, the less he's going to be prepared when the season rolls around. I really think that Roy and Furrey will be the starters when the season starts and it may continue that way well into the season. I think they'll gradually work CJ in as his play book is going to be limited when the season starts. When asked about CJ by the media, Martz' said all the proper things, but his tone sounded like he was starting to get really annoyed that CJ was missing so much camp (it's a four week camp and he's missed one week already). In redraft leagues, I'm sure that Calvin Johnson is going to be drafted way to high, but should be #2 behind Peterson in dynasty leagues.

Mike Furrey - Furrey is one of those guys that puts the team first and he, along with Roy, both openly campaigned to get the Lions to draft CJ. He doesn't mind losing his looks, he just wants the Lions to be the best team possible. He should probably be considered an average #2 receiver early in the season, but as Calvin becomes more involved, he will get less looks. Late in the season, he'll probably be considered a #3 or #4 receiver and if there are any injuries to Calvin or Roy, he'll get the #2 slot on the team.

Quarterback

Jon Kitna - He had a decent fantasy season and it should improve this year. As noted earlier in this thread, the Lions were absolutely devasted by injuries to the offensive line. On top of that, they couldn't find a viable 3rd receiver. They started the season with Cory Bradford, he was cut within the first month of the season, they tried Eddie Drummond, but he didn't work, they signed A. Hakim, but cut him about a month later, brought in Kevin Kasper and cut him two weeks later, tried Mike Williams and gave up on him and finally brought back Cory Bradford. This year they will have the above three receivers plus Shaun McDonald, who worked in Martz' system in St. Louis, so they should be able to run an expanded playbook that will include 3 and 4 receiver sets. I think at a minimum, he'll be a top 10 fantasy QB. Barring injury, there is no way that he won't put up better numbers than last year (he may lose some yards, but should get more TD's and less INT's). One thing with Kitna, no matter what anyone says, there will not be a QB controversity in Detroit, he is entrenched as the starter.

Tight Ends

Dan Campbell - He's the starting TE, but he's a better blocking TE than a receiving TE. I was actually suprised by his contributions to the receiving game last year, but I wouldn't expect anything different than what he did last year. For fantasy, he's a weak starting caliber TE, but would be better served as a backup.

Casey Fitzsimmons - Is a little bit of a wildcard, he is going to be playing an H-back type of role in Martz's system. I don't think he'll have any fantasy value, but you never know what Martz is going to come up with.

Kicker

Jason Hanson - Always one of the best in the game. Nothing should change from last year.

Defense - Hard to gauge. Just like our Oline last year, the defense line was decimated by injuries, losing 3 of their 4 starters by midseason and then a couple of the backups after that. My guess is that it'll be a mediocre fantasy defense at best.

Very nice writeup, thank you!

 

[Winning IS Everything]

Lions sign Johnson

August 3, 2007

The Lions signed wide receiver Calvin Johnson to a six-year contract this morning, and Johnson has just taken the field with his teammates for this morning’s practice at training camp.

Johnson was the second overall pick of this year’s NFL draft and widely considered the best player in the draft. He is expected to make a big impact as a rookie, not just with the balls he catches, but with how his presence opens up things for his teammates.

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While Johnson missed the first eight days of practices, his agent and the Lions negotiated the contract. Talks picked up early this week, but the sides haggled over the structure until the deal finally got done.

Financial terms were not immediately known, but Johnson is likely to have received more than $26 million guaranteed.

More to come.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Calvin Johnson has signed a 6 year contract, terms not known yet, and he is at morning practice.

Link to Detroit Free Press article

 

[SofaKings]

QB Drew Stanton placed on IR-gone for the season.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Link to Stanton on IR

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Link to Stanton on IR

I knew that pick was horrible when they made it, yeah the lions couldnt use poslusny. geez

 

[Colin Dowling]

QB Drew Stanton placed on IR-gone for the season.

I was thinking that him being injured was a good thing for fantasy value. Him being IR'd prolly isn't.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Jones progressing

Kevin Jones did a successful workout of about 30 minutes in Thursday's late afternoon practice that included forward, backward and side-to-side cuts to test his recuperating left foot.

Jones has been out since the Dec. 10 loss to Minnesota, a game in which dislocated and broke the foot, creating speculation that it could be a career-ending injury.

One of the drills he participated in involved short runs while being strapped to a harness pulled by another person. Jones seemed to have no problem with the resistance.

Bailey, who overcame a knee injury his second season, said word is going around the team that Jones is ahead of schedule That isn't a surprise because of the effort and desire Jones shows everyday, Bailey said.

"It's one of those things where you can't be afraid to go hard," said Bailey of Jones' injury. "You have to fight with your mind and body, which can often tell you something is wrong."

Link to entire article, Detroit News

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Calvin Johnson has signed a 6 year contract, terms not known yet, and he is at morning practice.

Link to Detroit Free Press article

Link to Stanton on IR

That is the sound of Kitna solidifying on my boards. Right past Brady to #5. Two questions solved.

1) CJ is in the fold and practicing with the first team (as he was in spring) giving the Lions a passing game monster.

2) Stanton done. Zero chance of "getting him some snaps" weeks 15-17. Dan and JT will get zero time barring injury.

 

[sholditch]

Calvin Johnson has signed a 6 year contract, terms not known yet, and he is at morning practice.

Link to Detroit Free Press article

Link to Stanton on IR

That is the sound of Kitna solidifying on my boards. Right past Brady to #5.

enjoy

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Calvin Johnson has signed a 6 year contract, terms not known yet, and he is at morning practice.

Link to Detroit Free Press article

Link to Stanton on IR

That is the sound of Kitna solidifying on my boards. Right past Brady to #5.

enjoy

Laugh all you want.Im not saying he is a better QB, but that his fantasy points will be more. Brady is safer, but Im not a "safe" drafter.

Tom Brady NE 3529 24 12 - 49 102 0

Jon Kitna DET 4208 21 22 - 34 156 2

...and if you seen my posts, I have Vince Young higher then both.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Calvin Johnson has signed a 6 year contract, terms not known yet, and he is at morning practice.

Link to Detroit Free Press article

Link to Stanton on IR

That is the sound of Kitna solidifying on my boards. Right past Brady to #5.

enjoy

Laugh all you want.Im not saying he is a better QB, but that his fantasy points will be more. Brady is safer, but Im not a "safe" drafter.

Tom Brady NE 3529 24 12 - 49 102 0

Jon Kitna DET 4208 21 22 - 34 156 2

...and if you seen my posts, I have Vince Young higher then both.

I don't think it would be shocking for Kitna to finish with more fantasy points than Brady. He did last year.

 

[Righetti]

Jones progressing

Kevin Jones did a successful workout of about 30 minutes in Thursday's late afternoon practice that included forward, backward and side-to-side cuts to test his recuperating left foot.

Jones has been out since the Dec. 10 loss to Minnesota, a game in which dislocated and broke the foot, creating speculation that it could be a career-ending injury.

One of the drills he participated in involved short runs while being strapped to a harness pulled by another person. Jones seemed to have no problem with the resistance.

Bailey, who overcame a knee injury his second season, said word is going around the team that Jones is ahead of schedule That isn't a surprise because of the effort and desire Jones shows everyday, Bailey said.

"It's one of those things where you can't be afraid to go hard," said Bailey of Jones' injury. "You have to fight with your mind and body, which can often tell you something is wrong."

Link to entire article, Detroit News

:

this is the most positive thing i've heard about the KJ thing this off season

 

[Sweetness_34]

Jones progressing

Kevin Jones did a successful workout of about 30 minutes in Thursday's late afternoon practice that included forward, backward and side-to-side cuts to test his recuperating left foot.

Jones has been out since the Dec. 10 loss to Minnesota, a game in which dislocated and broke the foot, creating speculation that it could be a career-ending injury.

One of the drills he participated in involved short runs while being strapped to a harness pulled by another person. Jones seemed to have no problem with the resistance.

Bailey, who overcame a knee injury his second season, said word is going around the team that Jones is ahead of schedule That isn't a surprise because of the effort and desire Jones shows everyday, Bailey said.

"It's one of those things where you can't be afraid to go hard," said Bailey of Jones' injury. "You have to fight with your mind and body, which can often tell you something is wrong."

Link to entire article, Detroit News

Signed

Owner of Kevin Jones in a WCOFF Sat League

 

[sholditch]

Calvin Johnson has signed a 6 year contract, terms not known yet, and he is at morning practice.

Link to Detroit Free Press article

Link to Stanton on IR

That is the sound of Kitna solidifying on my boards. Right past Brady to #5.

enjoy

Laugh all you want.Im not saying he is a better QB, but that his fantasy points will be more. Brady is safer, but Im not a "safe" drafter.

Tom Brady NE 3529 24 12 - 49 102 0

Jon Kitna DET 4208 21 22 - 34 156 2

...and if you seen my posts, I have Vince Young higher then both.

I don't think it would be shocking for Kitna to finish with more fantasy points than Brady. He did last year.

Right, and I guess the additions of Randy Moss and Donte Stallworth won't have any effect on Brady at all. HE had no one to throw to last year. His best receiver was Reche freaking Caldwell with 760 and 4. What is the likelihood of that happening this year. When Brady has receivers, he posts much better stats. Also, if ints are -3, Brady still outscored Kitna last year.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Calvin Johnson has signed a 6 year contract, terms not known yet, and he is at morning practice.

Link to Detroit Free Press article

Link to Stanton on IR

That is the sound of Kitna solidifying on my boards. Right past Brady to #5.

enjoy

Laugh all you want.Im not saying he is a better QB, but that his fantasy points will be more. Brady is safer, but Im not a "safe" drafter.

Tom Brady NE 3529 24 12 - 49 102 0

Jon Kitna DET 4208 21 22 - 34 156 2

...and if you seen my posts, I have Vince Young higher then both.

I don't think it would be shocking for Kitna to finish with more fantasy points than Brady. He did last year.

Right, and I guess the additions of Randy Moss and Donte Stallworth won't have any effect on Brady at all. HE had no one to throw to last year. His best receiver was Reche freaking Caldwell with 760 and 4. What is the likelihood of that happening this year. When Brady has receivers, he posts much better stats. Also, if ints are -3, Brady still outscored Kitna last year.

No more than the Lions adding Calvin Johnson, Bell, and 2 starting offensive linemen. Remember, Kitna had Roy and Furrey, and nothing else. The Lions could not even run 3 WR sets. After KJ was hurt, the RB was Arlen Harris. Nuff said. Twelve linemen started more than one game last year, including several games with THREE 3rd stringers. He was sacked and hurried a lot all year. And Kitna still finished 6th in FBG scoring. The Lions offense overall will be tons better, and so will Kitna. He has been very sharp in practice. You are too fixated on that meaningless thing about him never having 2 good years in a row, when in fact, there were likely circumstances that told the story of why, such as Palmer being given his job after he had a solid year with the Bengals. Everything points to him having a good year.

If you can tell me a tangible reason why Kitna will be worse than last year, I'm all ears.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Kevin Jones article August 3rd

Making Steady Progress

Jones Continues Along the Unfamiliar Path of Recovering from a Serious Injury

By Chrissie Wywrot

Detroitlions.com

August 3, 2007

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- In all his years of football, Kevin Jones had never once needed surgery to repair an injury.

But, after suffering a Lisfranc fracture to his right foot last December, Jones has been on a rollercoaster of an experience that has not only included surgery, but mental and physical toughness.

Rehab has been on a steady incline for Jones – yesterday he was running and cutting at full speed in cleats – but it has been an emotional up-and-down journey for the starting running back fighting to get back to playing the game he loves.

“It’s a little bit aggravating that I can’t get out there and practice and do what I know how to do,” he said. “I feel like everybody’s counting me out, but at the same time, I kind of like that because I don’t like everybody to be for me. That’s when you become complacent and you get lazy. It’s a challenge.”

Speculation has surrounded Jones and his work to get back on the football field since he underwent surgery last year. Everyone wanted an answer to the black-and-white, over-simplified question: when will he be back?

The answer is no clearer today than it was eight months ago, but the truth of the matter is that Jones is on a consistent climb toward recovery. He has progressed to the point of running every day instead of every other day – something he did to alleviate pain – and is keeping everything in perspective.

“I’m not sure I’m (ever) going to be pain-free,” he said. “I’ll say that (rehab is) probably building up pain endurance. If it’s God’s will, I’ll be back out on the field, 100-percent. If not 100 – 90 and I’ll play with 90-percent.

“But it’s hard to judge it. I was judging it before and saying I would be back by camp. I am doing a lot of things I thought I would be doing by camp, it’s just that I’m not ready to go through the physical load of it; getting hit and things like that, two times a day. My foot’s not ready for that yet. But I am running and cutting and I’m doing drills.”

Getting to the point of physical contact will be the biggest hurdle for Jones to jump over. Regardless of the amount of rehab, nothing will compare to playing against actual opponents who are not only looking to bring him down, but are looking to bring him down with brute force.

It is a reality of the NFL that those watching may not even be aware of.

“It’s a man’s game,” said Jones. “You’ve got grown men out there trying to feed their kids and they’ll do whatever they’ve got to do. It’s a whole bunch of different issues because, when defenders tackle you, they don’t just grab you and you fall. They’re trying to put you through the ground.

“I already know I’m going to have to become a smarter runner just so I won’t take certain hits and take unnecessary hits on my foot and things like that.”

Becoming “a smarter runner” isn’t something that will compromise Jones’ running ability, it will simply change the way he finishes a play. There may be instances where it isn’t worth it to take a hit because he won’t earn any positive yards out of it, or he may fall differently or run himself out of bounds.

It is something he began doing even before he suffered his foot injury.

“When you don’t have certain injuries you just get hit, get tackled and just get up,” said Jones. “I’ve got to protect my foot. When I’m on the ground, I can’t just leave it out for somebody to just dive on it or fall on it. I’ve got to curl up and stuff like that.

“I’m going to have to do certain things to protect myself, (like) knowing to lift your foot up, or something like that. Don’t let anybody grab it and hold on it, twist it, turn it and things like that.”

The Lions have been optimistic about Jones’ recovery since he underwent surgery last December, but, with the possibility looming that he wouldn’t be ready for the start of the 2007 season, they needed a backup plan.

They went out and acquired Tatum Bell, another fourth-year running back selected by Denver 11 spots after Jones in the 2004 NFL Draft. The Lions traded for Bell and tackle George Foster in March, quickly stirring up the debate of who would be the starting running back to begin the Lions’ regular season.

Despite the difficulty in watching another player take over the spot deemed his for the past three seasons, Jones has taken everything in stride.

“I’ve said this before: I feel like the only reason he’s here is because he got hurt and that’s just where the facts are,” he said. “If I didn’t get hurt last season, we would just be talking about me going through (camp) and having a better season than I did last year. But it is what it is. He’s here and if I’m healthy it won’t be an issue. My main thing is to get healthy.”

While Jones and Bell are different types of running backs – Jones is known as a physical runner while Bell is known as a downhill runner – both are fiery competitors who have not been shy about their desire to own the starting spot.

Jones considers the position his after three years of blood, sweat and tears and Bell feels it is his to earn, coming to Detroit after three progressive years in Denver. It is a unique situation that could potentially create tension in a locker room, but the pair of running backs has acted like professionals.

“It’s definitely not personal,” said Jones. “It wasn’t his decision to come here, it happened through trades and things like that. I would say we’re pretty much cordial. I mean, I don’t hate him. He shouldn’t hate me, there’s no reason. We’re both good people.

“I just don’t want anybody to feel too comfortable in my spot because it’s not going to be that way once I get back.”

Spoken like a true competitor.

Jones understands the nature of the business that is the NFL – if a player can’t help a team in the here and now, that team will go out and find another player who can. He is focused on preparing for the day he will return to action, which has been a physical and emotional struggle on a day-by-day basis.

His attitude about his foot may change four or five times a day; one minute he’ll feel pain and become discouraged, where as the next minute he’ll be running around feeling good.

It has been a true test that no one but Jones can truly understand.

“It’s an up-and-down thing emotionally with this injury because I’ve never had anything serious like this,” he said. “I’ve had hamstring pulls or things like that, but to go under the knife – it’s an emotional situation. But I don’t cry about it and, as for kinds of support, I pray about it, that’s my main thing.

“My wife supports me and my mom and my dad support me – that’s who I need the most I think. That’s what will help me get through it the most.”

Jones will continue to work toward his ultimate goal of making it back for the season-opener, but he fully understands that it may not be a possibility.

He is taking things day-by-day, remaining on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list, which allows the Lions to keep Jones without using up an active roster spot. If he begins the season on PUP, NFL rules state he will have to miss a minimum of six games to start the season.

Though Jones would love to return tomorrow if he could, he understands the Lions are playing it safe and only want him to return when he is fully ready.

“If you come back too early and you have a setback, then you go on I/R and it’s a waste (of) all the work I’ve been doing,” said Jones. “So it’s being careful right now. That’s why they put me on there. If I would have twisted my foot pretty bad in practice – re-injured it – I would have missed the whole season.

“So it’s a good thing to be on PUP and a bad thing, just because I want to be out there and play – that’s the bad thing. But the good thing is insurance reasons that I’ll be there later on.”

It has been a tough ride thus far for Jones, but he is determined to get back to doing what he does best – running the football.

He asks fans to keep praying for him as he continues through rehab.

“It’s a steady progress,” said Jones. “I’ve been running every day instead of running every other day (and) being able to run and cut is the positive for me. It’s a steady progress.”

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Camp update, post-practice August 3rd

Lions Tracks

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Inside the Lions training camp in Allen Park

Friday's news: Wide receiver Calvin Johnson ended his holdout and started his rookie season Friday morning, while quarterback Drew Stanton saw his rookie season end when he was put on the injured reserve list. The team started the morning practice in shoulder pads, but ditched them halfway through the session. "This was a good morning,'' Lions coach Rod Marinelli said. "We gave them a very physical start to the day, and then we had them take the pads off and worked on some situational football -- stuff that got their minds working. We wanted to change things up on them and keep them alert.'' The Lions then held a special-teams workout in the afternoon.

Coach's slant: Marinelli said the Lions wouldn't necessarily add a fourth quarterback for the last few weeks of camp. Jon Kitna is firmly established as the starter, but the coaching staff wants to take long looks at both Dan Orlovsky and J.T. O'Sullivan as they battle for the backup position. O'Sullivan has played in just one NFL game, despite being on the roster of nine different teams in a journeyman career, and Orlovsky played in two games in 2005."We'll always keep our eyes open, but we mainly want to see Dan and J.T.," Marinelli said.

Getting his life back: Lions chief operating officer Tom Lewand, who handled the Johnson negotiations, said Friday that he's thrilled he doesn't have to answer questions about the holdout anymore. "I haven't been able to talk to anyone in the last few days -- family, friends, people at the gas station -- without them asking when Calvin would be here," he said shortly after Johnson signed a six-year contract. "My wife was even getting asked -- a clerk saw her name on her credit card, asked if she was related to me, and then wanted to know how things were going."

Bumps and bruises: WR Shaun McDonald sat out the morning workout with a large icepack on his left knee, but said it wasn't serious. "I'm just sore from all of these two-a-days," he said.

What's next: Doors will open at 4:30 p.m today for the open practice at Ford Field. The workout will begin at 5 p.m. and conclude about 6:30 p.m. Admission is free to the public, and fans can enter Ford Field at Gate A or Gate G. After a day off on Sunday, the team will resume two-a-day workouts on Monday in preparation for Thursday's preseason opener against Cincinnati at Ford Field.

 

[hotboyz]

I know this may seem crazy to you guys but I have Kitna as my #2 qb on the board!! His situations

is eerily similar to the 1999 St.Louis Rams. Remember they added a Great rookie WR to an established vetran (torry holt,Issac Bruce) and they also had then great slot wr in az hakim aka Mike Furrey (and Furrey is better) The only thing The Lions don't have is their Marshal Faulk!! I'm telling you guys Martz is a terrible head coach but he is the best offensive mind in football!! I think with Calvin Johnson on the other side and Furrey in the slot Row Williams is gonna have a MONSTER YR!!

 

[Tick]

Any news on Baldwin's chances to pass up Lehman and Lenon?

 

[duaneok66]

I know this may seem crazy to you guys but I have Kitna as my #2 qb on the board!! His situations is eerily similar to the 1999 St.Louis Rams. Remember they added a Great rookie WR to an established vetran (torry holt,Issac Bruce) and they also had then great slot wr in az hakim aka Mike Furrey (and Furrey is better) The only thing The Lions don't have is their Marshal Faulk!! I'm telling you guys Martz is a terrible head coach but he is the best offensive mind in football!! I think with Calvin Johnson on the other side and Furrey in the slot Row Williams is gonna have a MONSTER YR!!

not a good post . . .the OL is not even close to the OL of the Rams in 1999 . . .

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Any news on Baldwin's chances to pass up Lehman and Lenon?

I would say it is unlikely, because reports say he has a long way to go because he played at a small school. They love his long term talent though. I'll see if I can locate the article where he was discussed. Also, they are giving solid reviews about Anthony Cannon, and believe he could be the main competition for the backup job. Lenon appears to be in solid as the starter. Lehman is hurt again and I have to wonder about their committment to him.Right now, Lenon should have the starting j0ob locked up. The battle is for the backup.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Comments from various posts in this thread relating to the MLB spot.

Tuesday July 26th: # The starting linebackers are Sims, Lenon and Boss Bailey and all three of them made some plays, especially in the passing game. Bailey made a very good instinctive and athletic play when he made a nice outside pass drop and then leaped high in the air to bat away a pass on a deeper "out'' route.

# MLB Paris Lenon made an excellent play during team drills when he knocked away a pass from RB Tatum Bell who was coming out of the backfield and then tried to cut across the middle.

The backups are Anthony Cannon (WLB), Teddy Lehman (MLB) and Alex Lewis (SLB). Cannon jumped out on a few plays and you can clearly see his development from a year ago.

July 27th: # The athleticism of LB Anthony Cannon, now in his second year, is really starting to reveal itself. You can see his confidence building and his comfort in the system because he's playing more and thinking less. Don't be surprised if he moves Teddy Lehman out of one of those backup nickel linebacker spots.

Tuesday's (July 31st) news: Linebacker Teddy Lehman was held out of practice after sustaining a shoulder sprain. He was scheduled to have an MRI Tuesday night and the results won't be known until today. "We're just looking at it right now," head coach Rod Marinelli said. Lehman, the only NFL rookie in 2004 to start every game, has played in just nine games the past two seasons because of injuries.

August 2nd: Marinelli said linebacker Teddy Lehman (shoulder) was week-to-week.

I have heard very little on Baldwin, but a quote from one of the coaches (I believe it was Joe Barry), where he said something like "he is a million miles away, but thats good considering he was 2 million miles away before he arrived."

I know there was something more detailed about Baldwin, but I can't find it right now. I know they like him a lot, but he has a long way to go and I don't see him being a factor this year.

 

[SanDawg]

I know this may seem crazy to you guys but I have Kitna as my #2 qb on the board!! His situations is eerily similar to the 1999 St.Louis Rams. Remember they added a Great rookie WR to an established vetran (torry holt,Issac Bruce) and they also had then great slot wr in az hakim aka Mike Furrey (and Furrey is better) The only thing The Lions don't have is their Marshal Faulk!! I'm telling you guys Martz is a terrible head coach but he is the best offensive mind in football!! I think with Calvin Johnson on the other side and Furrey in the slot Row Williams is gonna have a MONSTER YR!!

Bell is no Faulk, but watch out, this guy is being undervalued at this time. There will be alot of space for this guy to get going and when he does he can take it the distance. Bell will be a solid RB2 this year.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Any news on Baldwin's chances to pass up Lehman and Lenon?

Baldwin article in the IDP forum

 

[crush304]

I know this may seem crazy to you guys but I have Kitna as my #2 qb on the board!! His situations is eerily similar to the 1999 St.Louis Rams. Remember they added a Great rookie WR to an established vetran (torry holt,Issac Bruce) and they also had then great slot wr in az hakim aka Mike Furrey (and Furrey is better) The only thing The Lions don't have is their Marshal Faulk!! I'm telling you guys Martz is a terrible head coach but he is the best offensive mind in football!! I think with Calvin Johnson on the other side and Furrey in the slot Row Williams is gonna have a MONSTER YR!!

Bell is no Faulk, but watch out, this guy is being undervalued at this time. There will be alot of space for this guy to get going and when he does he can take it the distance. Bell will be a solid RB2 this year.

the one thing that scares me about bell in Det is that Martz's rbs get a lot of points in the passing game and Tatum has never been a good receiver.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Lions update Auguest 6th, Detroit Free Press

Nicholas J. Cotsonika's blog

QB UPDATE: Lions still looking hard at O'Sullivan, plus more notes

August 6, 2007

Tidbits from Day 12 of Lions training camp:

— J.T. O’Sullivan is still getting all the reps as the backup quarterback. Dan Orlovsky has been basically standing around, holding his helmet. “Nothing to read into it,” coach Rod Marinelli said. “We think he’s got some good stuff going, and we’re taking a good, hard look at him.”

— Wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who reported to camp Friday, ran with the second team during this morning’s practice. He made one notable play, sprinting down the left sideline and hauling in a long ball from O’Sullivan. “He’s got to get in shape,” Marinelli said. “The guy’s just been here a couple of days. He’s got to make sure he knows what he’s doing all the time. He’s still a young player. He’s a young guy, and he’s missed a lot.”

— When the Lions went four-wide, they had Johnson and Roy Williams outside, with Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald inside. “Really what makes it special is Mike Martz,” Marinelli said of his offensive coordinator. “A lot of times people will get that type of configuration of people and not really know how to use them as well.”

— The Lions pounded in pads this morning. “It’s about us still,” Marinelli said. “It’s not about this preseason opponent yet.” They will hold a walkthough this afternoon, then the players will get some time off while the coaches plan for Thursday night’s exhibition opener against Cincinnati. The Lions will start preparing for the Bengals in practice Tuesday.

— Defensive end Dewayne White (groin) won’t play Thursday night. His injury was a little worse than first thought, but he was running this morning and shouldn’t be out too long.

— How much will the starters play Thursday night? “We’re going to talk about it, but it won’t be much,” Marinelli said. “You’re always looking at 10, 12 snaps or something like that.”

— Marinelli liked how rookie defensive lineman Ikaika Alama-Francis looked this morning. “He’s really starting to see it a little bit right now,” Marinelli said. “He looked faster and more explosive today. That was fun to see.”

— The Lions released cornerback Israel Route.

— Wide receiver Devale Ellis continues to stay on the physically unable to perform list with a knee injury. When he works out, the knee swells up. “It’s lingering right now,” Marinelli said. “A couple of weeks, we’re going to have to make a decision.”

 

[BigSteelThrill]

— When the Lions went four-wide, they had Johnson and Roy Williams outside, with Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald inside. “Really what makes it special is Mike Martz,” Marinelli said of his offensive coordinator. “A lot of times people will get that type of configuration of people and not really know how to use them as well.”

Martz is the fantasy coach. And thats a scary alignment.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Lions update August 6th Detroit News

Lions quarterback race takes shape

O'Sullivan and Orlovsky battle for No. 2 after Stanton's season comes to an end

Mike O'Hara / The Detroit News

LLEN PARK -- The Lions put rookie quarterback Drew Stanton on injured reserve last week, ending his season, when a complete post-operation diagnosis determined his recovery would take longer than believed.

Stanton, drafted in the second round out of Michigan State, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last week. Stanton experienced soreness and swelling in the knee over the weekend and was held out of practice Sunday and Monday.

An examination revealed torn cartilage in the knee. The procedure, however, revealed more work needed to be done than repairing the cartilage.

After further evaluations, the Lions were told Stanton would not return for eight to 12 weeks, Lions president Matt Millen said Monday. That meant Stanton would be unavailable for at least a month of the regular season, and perhaps two months.

On Friday, three days after surgery, Stanton was put on injured reserve.

With Stanton out, the battle for the No. 2 job behind quarterback Jon Kitna is on.

And during Monday morning's practice, newcomer J.T. O'Sullivan took most of the plays while Dan Orlovsky, a lightly used backup the last two seasons, watched.

A sign?

"There's nothing to read into it," Lions coach Rod Marinelli said. "We think (O'Sullivan's) got some good stuff going. There are only so many reps in a day you can get. We'll see how it plays out."

Stanton, drafted in the second round out of Michigan State, was placed on injured reserve last week after a complete post-operation diagnosis determined his recovery would take longer than believed.

Extra points

The Lions open the exhibition season at home against the Bengals at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

*DE Dewayne White (strained groin) will miss Thursday's game. White has been held out of drills for a week.

*LB Teddy Lehman (shoulder) is expected to miss another week.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Lions update August 6th, Kowalski

Blog: Martz gets irritated with offensive sloppiness

by Tom Kowalski

Monday August 06, 2007, 11:34 AM

Impressions of Monday's morning practice ...

# Offensive coordinator Mike Martz was not in a happy mood and nearly everybody felt his wrath, including the guys working the chain gang on the sideline. After the players had the day off on Sunday, Martz apparently wasn't thrilled with the players' attention to detail on their practice back. Quarterbacks, receivers and running backs all got their fair share from Martz. The offensive linemen didn't hear it as much, but that's only because line coach Jim Colletto lit into them during the 9-on-7 drill.

# Rookie receiver Calvin Johnson was working most of the time with the second unit, but don't read anything into it.

# Running back Tatum Bell looks very comfortable running routes when he's lined up on the outside. A lot of backs look a little lost when they're out in space like that and not just running flares or circling out of the backfield. Bell, though, runs his routes strong and sharp and can catch the ball in full stride.

# Speaking of Bell, he made a terrific move -- a hop/cut -- in the guard-tackle gap during a running play and nobody laid a glove on him. It brought some oohs and ahhhs from his teammates.

# Unlike previous years, the Lions will not be protecting Eddie Drummond in the early preseason games. Drummond might not play in the preseason opener because of a lingering hip injury, but he's going to get plenty of action after that. Drummond has to show that he's still got a lot of spark on special teams -- and not just as a returner -- and needs to win a job.

# The retirement of Eric Beverly could pave the way for a roster spot for Darnell Sanders, who had almost no chance of making the team if Beverly had stuck around. While both Casey FitzSimmons and Sean McHugh can also play tight end, they don't have the size to be effective blockers in the two-tight end sets. If the Lions plan on using enough of those formations, Sanders could stick.

# Cornerback Fernando Bryant made a great play on the sideline, cutting in front of "out'' route and put himself in position for an interception. It'd would've been a tough catch, but Bryant was furious with himself for not coming up with it. Still, it was a solid veteran play.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Marinelli post-practice transcripts, August 6th.

HEAD COACH ROD MARINELLI -- AUGUST 6, 2007

>> Opening statement

“It was a good, padded morning. It’s an ‘A’ practice for us in terms of schedule. We hit well this morning, kept them in pads all the way through it. I still want to kind of work on us, what we’re doing. It’s still about us. It’s not about the preseason opponent yet. This afternoon, we’re going to take the helmets off and have a real thorough walkthrough. We extend our meetings a little bit longer in the afternoon, and then we’ll get going with them. I’m going to give them a little bit of time off tonight, more for the staff to start preparation for our preseason game right now. But, (it was) a pretty good pace for us this morning. Tomorrow will be our first experience – really, we have to card some things up tomorrow. It’s the first time we’ve done that since last year. So that’s a whole new learning experience. It’s a whole new experience about tempo, and that’s my biggest concern: is pace and fundamentals. So it’s something we’ve got to deal with as we get ready to prepare.”

>> On what cards are

“It’s your opponent’s different fronts and alignments that we might play on defense, different coverages. Then the offense – some of the things that are similar, we’ll call the play, but the shifting, the movement might be different than our offense. So we’ve got to, as a staff, take cards, and then you draw them up, and then you show it to them. And they’re tired, and they’re looking at the cards, and they’re tired, and they line up wrong. So, as a team, I’ve got to emphasize that tonight: do a nice job of… understand your role. When you’re running a card team, you’ve got to be exact, perfect. It’s hard to be a good football team without that look.”

>> On whom they are carding

“Yeah, just where you’re getting ready, so we see now just some different fronts and alignments we’ve got to get used to.”

>> On if the O-line is coming around

“It’s still got a nice mesh of guys in there right now, but where it’s really going to get taxed right now is, you get into preseason to see all that different stuff coming at us a little bit right now. We’re a faster, quicker defense, now you’re going to start seeing bigger, physical guys. Each week you’ve got to be able to adjust: size, power rushers. So this will be a good test, but I think they’re coming along well.”

>> On G Damien Woody

“Woody’s been fine, been fine.”

>> On how WR Calvin Johnson changes the dynamic of the offense

“The first time, I guess, you go back to he’s got to go get in shape. If you take it back to the simplest things, the guy’s just been here a couple of days. He’s got to make sure he knows what he’s doing all the time. So that’s on us right now, because he’s still a young player. He’s a young guy and he’s missed a lot. So we’ve just got to condition him and knowing what to do. But he’s got a chance to obviously be very, very special. It dictates coverage problems for people, and once again, he has a chance to open up your running game a little bit.”

>> On the game-breaking potential of Johnson

“Oh, yeah, big time. I mean, he’s a big time athlete. So, the key is, it’s just like with (LB) Ernie (Sims) in camp last year. We’ve got to kind of keep developing. Getting it done, the details, and all the things we’ve got to get done, and he’s doing a good job.”

>> On how he feels when the offense goes four-wide

“Really, what makes it special is Mike Martz. A lot of times, people will get that type of configuration of people and not really know how to use them as well. That’s what I’m so very comfortable with that. Mike knows how to use it; the pace, the tempo, the running game with that, and he’s done it. So that’s the part that really makes it exciting to me.”

>> On what QB J.T. O’Sullivan getting all the reps means

“Just, we’ve seen some good things in him, we’ve just got to keep pushing him along and let us get into preseason and get it going. Nothing to read into, we just think he’s got some good stuff going, and we’ve taken a good hard look at him.”

>> On if QB Dan Orlovsky can be sharp without getting reps

“We’ve had a chance with a lot of offseason work, he got some early, so we’ve just got to work through it. We’ve just got to see; there’re only so many reps in a day you can get. But, then the preseason will come, and we’ll see how that will play out.”

>> On if there are any players that will be held out on Thursday

“Dewayne (White) won’t (play). If he (any player) is healthy, we’re going to play him. Everybody’s healthy that we’re going to play. If it’s close, then we’ll obviously back off those guys.”

>> On how long they’ll keep the first team out

“We’re going to talk about it, but it won’t be much. You’re always looking at 10, 12 snaps or something in that vicinity. We’ve got to sit down tomorrow night and talk about it.”

>> On if White’s injury is worse than they thought

“It’s still a groin, but it was an upper one, a little higher. It’s just probably an extra week; they’re being somewhat cautious with him. We want to make sure he’s fully healthy. I think it’s just week-to-week, and I think it’s going to be pretty soon. He was running today, so that was a plus. I’d just rather be smart and get him healthy. He’s staying on top of everything.”

>> On when they think DT Shaun Rogers will come off the PUP

“I’ve got to see how he’s feeling, all those things, but hopefully these last couple weeks that I’m looking at. We’re going to just keep him running, keep conditioning and keep running. Hopefully he keeps coming around.”

>> On if any of the rookies are standing out

“Calvin has done some nice things. Five-O (Ikaika Alama-Francis), today it’s just like you’re really starting to see it a little bit right now. He looked faster and more explosive today. That was fun to see. Gerald Alexander –he’s a smart guy; he’s a good, young, solid player. So those three are on course. Manny Ramirez is working and competing in there, so we’ll see how it all works out. But they’re making progress, which they should.”

>> On giving DE Kalimba Edwards a fist bump today

“We just like how he’s working. You could see his speed the other night. You could really feel him. So you’ve just got to do it, but it’s every day, it’s every rep, it’s every opportunity, he’s got to turn it into a great rush. He’s got to do that for this system to work and he knows that. I believe in him. He’s starting to rush, but he’s got to finish the rushes off, get the sacks and fumbles. That’s what he’s got to be able to do for us.”

>> On CB Israel Route

“We released him.”

>> On LB Teddy Lehman

“He’s still not ready. He got hit last week, and it’s week-to-week. We think another week for him. He won’t play this week. Teddy will not play.

“He just got popped. I mean, the guy hit him hard. That big fullback, boy, 47 (Alan Ricard) came in there, it was a heck of a collision. He just got a helmet right there. So we’re hoping to get him back here.”

>> On TE Darnell Sanders

“He’s coming pretty good; we got him off the street, really, last year. He’s done a nice job. He’s a big man. He’s smooth catching the ball. So, between him and Rudy (Sylvan), we just keep kind of pounding those other tight ends, see if we can find another guy.”

>> On WR Devale Ellis’ injury

“It’s lingering right now; so a couple weeks we’ve got to make a decision here. But it was just the rehab, everything, he cuts and starts swelling. We talked about him this morning, so we’ve just got to wait and see.”

>> On RB Kevin Jones

“Just day-to-day still; just day-to-day running, cutting, all those things. We’ll see how it works out. That’s a hard injury for a trainer to deal with. It’s just about pain sometimes.”

>> On if Jones will have a reaction to playing in pads

“No question. As soon as you put the pads on, and, boy, you plant and make contact – these are tough injuries, but we’ll just play it (out). It’s up to the trainers when they give him a green light to add to.”

>> On the plan to get Rogers back the last couple of weeks

“Yeah, because there is no structural stuff. I just want to get him in condition. That’s my thing, because I just, if he went in pads too early… That’s what he got last year. We got him in and he wasn’t in great shape and fell down and hurt his shoulder. So I wanted to make sure I was working hard to get him in really good condition. That’s been my plan for him. There’s a plan for him, to get him… these other ones, you’ve just got to see how the injuries heal.”

>> On a timetable for evaluating the injuries

“You’re just going to have to make a decision there pretty soon on all that. We just let the trainers guide us in that area.”

>> On if O’Sullivan has a history holding for kicks

“I couldn’t answer that directly for you, but most quarterbacks do.”

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Notes from Lions camp, and what they expect to do in tonights game:

QB: Kitna and the rest of the starters are going to play about 10-12 snaps. O'Sullivan has gotten most of the work in practice this week and will play most of the game after Kitna. Next week, Orlovsky will get the work in practice and the game, and they are hoping to know the #2 after next weeks game. Stanton was going to miss 8-12 weeks, not the 4 that they originally thought, so that is why he was placed on IR. He can't practice, but I he can work on the sidelines with the QB coach. Martz will not work with him as he has to work with the players on the roster who are active. Stanton also will be allowed to be in meetings. They aren't expected to bring any other QBs in, so these 3 appear set for now.

RB: Kevin Jones remains on PUP, and is gradually doing more cutting and receiving in practice on the sidelines. The Lions are indicating that they will make a decision in the next 2 weeks or so regarding starting the season on PUP. Bell will play with the starters, and I am interested to see how he does catching passes out of the backfield. Duckett looks like he is in great shape. Calhoun is not playing because his knee isn't healthy, but they think he might play next week. There is a chance Calhoun goes on IR. If not, he will have to show a lot of improvement to make the final roster. Cason has the edge over Calhoun because of better special teams play and versatility.

WR: Calvin is expected to play a lot, possibly over a half, and they want to play him a lot the entire preseason. The top 4 (Roy, Calvin, Furrey, McDonald) are locked in, and after there are several candidates and whoever gets the job will likely return kicks. McDonald seems likely to return punts. Among those looking for the last spot or 2 are Eddie Drummond, Devale Ellis (currently on PUP), and Troy Walters, who has reportedly looked good in camp.

TE: Dan Campbell is a lock. There are some who will play both TE and the FB, including Fitzsimmons, and McHugh. TE Darnell Sanders has impressed.

Offensive line: Right now, the starters are Backus at LT, Mulitelo at LG, Raiola at C, Woody at RG, and Foster at RT. Woody is one to watch. If he plays like he did for NE, the line will be much better. Foster is the main lineman to watch tonight. Peterman appears to be the one who would replace Woody if he doesn't do the job, and is pretty much locked regardless as the backup guard. There are several fighting for backup spots, and unlike past years, there are experienced players fighting for the remaining spots.

K: Hanson

P: Harris

DT: Shaun Rogers remains on PUP and there are concerns that his knee may be an issue all year, although they expect him to be ready for week 1, if not sooner. He looked to be quite a bit overweight at the start of camp. Redding has had a solid camp. Cody is likely to be the 3rd DT, and he can backup Rogers at the nose and Redding at under-tackle. A few young players are battling for the 4th DT spot.

DE: Dwayne White is out with a groin, and they will be cautious with him. It's not believed to be serious. Kalimba Edwards is under the microscope. They want to see him put a constant pass rush on the QB and not give up on plays. Alama-Francis has improved of late and is showing more explosiveness off the snap. He is raw and will be a work in progress all year. Jared DeVries should be a backup all across the line and is a great special teams player. Corey Smith will get plenty of work in the preseason.

LB: Lenon has the MLB job locked up. Sims has been the best player on the field throughout the preseason. They say now that he knows the tampa-2 defesne, he is reacting instead of thinking, which should allow him to make more plays/. Boss Bailey is starting at SLB. Alex Lewis backs up Bailey and looks to be a nickel backer along with Sims. Anthony Cannon backs up Sims and has been among the most impressive players in camp. Johnny Baldwin is very raw, but has improved throughout camp and will likely get a lot of playing time in preseason. Teddy Lehman is hurt again and is week to week. I think his roster spot is in jeopardy.

DB: the weakest part of the defense by far. Safety appears to be set ofr now with Kennedy at SS and Bullocks at FS, behind them are Gerald Alexander and Bashir. Kennedy is under the gun a bit. At CB, Fernando Bryant has had a great camp, but he is always an injury risk. They need him to stay healthy. Stanley Wilson is starting opposite him, but could be pushed by Keith Smith, who has had a solid camp. Travis Fisher will be the nickel corner. AJ Davis should play a lot in the preseason.

 

[Winning IS Everything]

Man, I wish this game tonight was on TV here in the Chicago area!!!!!

 

[Futz]

>> On CB Israel Route“We released him.”

Anyone else just laugh out loud after reading this? I mean BAM straight to the point. No sugar coating. Gotta love Marinelli.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Calvin Johnson has signed a 6 year contract, terms not known yet, and he is at morning practice.

Link to Detroit Free Press article

Link to Stanton on IR

That is the sound of Kitna solidifying on my boards. Right past Brady to #5.

enjoy

Laugh all you want.Im not saying he is a better QB, but that his fantasy points will be more. Brady is safer, but Im not a "safe" drafter.

Tom Brady NE 3529 24 12 - 49 102 0

Jon Kitna DET 4208 21 22 - 34 156 2

...and if you seen my posts, I have Vince Young higher then both.

Preseason game #1...With over 10 minutes left on the clock in the 4th quarter...

The Lions have thrown 35 times for 351 yards.

I'll enjoy a capable and talented Mike Martz led offense all year long for fantasy purposes.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

497 yards passing!



Thats a hell of a warm up.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Lions beat writer Tom Kowalski was just on local sports radio. Here are some topics he covered:

Mentioned 3 things that have hurt the Lions in the past, and still were a problem in the Bengals game: lack of a running game, lack of pass rush, and poor defense on 3rd downs.

He said the biggest disappointment was the starting offensive line, especially that they weren't physical in run blocking.

He thought the Lions should have tried some jump balls in the end zone to Calvin to take advantage of his leaping ability.

He said Kalimba Edwards needs to show improvement, and that Corey Smith should play more in passing situations, because he has some speed off the edge.

Concern about Shaun rogers and his knee problems, and his ability to be in condition because of it. He thinks it could be a problem this year and beyond.

He said Kevin Jones is way ahead of schedule, especially compared to others who have had this injury, but that the Lions want to play it safe. They don't think he can recover 100% AND get in top football shape by week 1, but Kowalski and the Lions believe he will be 100% by week 6, and both him and the Lions think Jones is a better all around RB than Bell. Kowalski says the only thing Bell has that is better than Jones is his speed, but that the Lions think KJ is a special player. He says KJ starts if healthy, but that he will have to earn the job, it will not be handed to him.

 

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

Any update on Shaun Rogers?

he's fat. good news is he wont be charged in that off the field issue he had earlier

There is the possibility of a civil suit. The law firm that is filing claim against Rogers is run by the most flamboyant, egotistical, and dramatic lawyer in Michigan. Its the same lawyer who defended Dr. Kevorkian.

what a feiger...

 

[culdeus]

Deet can get 5 wins this year can't they? Thinking about putting some scrilla on this.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Kowalski's impressions of the first preseason game

Blog: Early troubles, but some good signs arrive late

by Tom Kowalski

Friday August 10, 2007, 8:27 AM

Early impressions from the Lions' first preseason game:

# The three biggest issues facing the team last year -- and for the last several years -- are still in evidence. When the first units were in there, the Lions struggled to run the ball, couldn't get a pass rush and couldn't convert on third-down situations. Those are things that must be addressed and get better as the preseason continues.

I understand that they're just doing the basics and aren't game-planning, but they should be executing much better.

# QB Jon Kitna, who has had a very strong camp, came out a little shaky. He was throwing the ball a little -- Roy Williams bailed him out on one occasion with a great shoestring catch.

# DT Cory Redding saw consistent double teams and that's going to be an interesting situation to watch. Once the regular season gets here, Redding needs Shaun Rogers to be healthy and to stay strong in the games to take some of the pressure off. If he doesn't, Redding is going to get awfully frustrated because he'll see double teams every time.

# Pet peeve. If the idea of putting different players back on kickoff returns is to see how they perform, what sense does it make to take a touchback when the ball is just three yards into the end zone? Makes no sense. I don't blame Troy Walters because it looked like he was going to come out, but Casey FitzSimmons told him to stay in.

# LG Edwin Mulitalo, who gave up a sack when he whiffed on a block, is a much better run blocker than pass protector. Still, he's got to do a better job than that.

# I thought both J.T. O'Sullivan and Dan Orlovsky did a really good job once they settled down. The backup QB situation isn't as bad as I thought it might be. They're not close to pushing Kitna for the starting job, but they showed some talent in running the offense.

# The most encouraging thing about the interception by CB Keith Smith was the way he played the ball. He stayed close to the receiver and, instead of just eyeballing the receiver and hoping for the best, he turned (without losing stride) and played the ball.

# Shaun McDonald isn't going to get a ton of opportunities, but he's going to make the most of them. He also gives the Lions great depth and it means the offense won't grind to a halt if any of the top three receivers misses some time.

# I don't want to take anything away from the Lions' come-from-behind victory, but they were using some veteran receivers in the fourth quarter against Cincinnati's third-stringers. Troy Walters (eight-year veteran), Cliff Russell (five years), Kevin Kasper (five years) and Edell Shepherd (four years) combined for 15 catches for 213 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

# I want to see more of rookie Johnny Baldwin. The kid is extremely raw, but he seems to make things happen. He might never develop into anything more than a special teams player, but this guy should see a lot of playing time over the next three games.

# Daniel Bullocks, despite whiffing on a tackle on the first play, looked more comfortable in the defense. His defense and hitting ability is starting to show. He still has a long way to go, though, before he becomes a playmaker.

# OK, Fernando Bryant can't cover Chad Johnson. Nobody -- with the possible exception of Champ Bailey -- can cover him, either.

# Eddie Drummond didn't get a single snap at receiver while the Lions trotted out an assortment of guys to see them in the return game. At this point, it looks like Drummond will be playing for someone else this season.

# Rookie cornerback Gerald Alexander did a good job sniffing out a screen and then making a play. It'll be interesting to watch his progress throughout the preseason schedule.

 

[TDavi118]

What happened to the daily updates, Anthony? If one must be a subscriber to view these updates, I am one. Just give me a link 'cause I cant find it anywhere.

Thanks, man.