Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions End Pre-Season 4-0, So Damn What!,Roster Cuts

The Lions ended their pre-season Thursday against the Buffalo Bills.   In an ugly game, both teams rested a majority of their first team players, and allowed the players who were fighting for final roster spots to battle it out.

The Lions do appear to be a more physical, faster team on defense.  How much of the team’s pre-season performance will actually carry-over on Sunday’s remains to be seen.  I do believe that the ultimate challenge for this organization is a consistent, sustained level of performance over 16 games, and not the maddening rollercoaster ride of highs and lows that they normally subject us to.

The Lions made their final 53-man roster cuts yesterday as the regular season approaches.  Some of the more surprising players to be released were: DE Rudolph Hardie, S Greg Blue, LB Buster Davis, RB Artose Pinner, WR John Standeford, WR DeVale Ellis, and WR Brandon Middleton.

I would expect that the Lions might attempt to put players like Rudolph Hardie, John Standeford, Drew Henson and Kenneth Moore onto their practice squad.   It remains to be seen if Buster Davis, Frank Davis and Jonathan Scott are eligible to return to the practice squad, or not.

This is one of the few seasons in recent memory where the Lions have released players who could have easily regained roster spots due to their familiarity with the organization and potential upside, is this a sign of the team taking steps forward in roster quality and depth?

The Lions kept 11 defensive linemen, 4 tight ends, 2 running backs, and have only 2 healthy quarterbacks on their current roster.  RB’s Brian Calhoun and Aveion Cason were placed on the injured reserve, which makes running back easily one of the more perplexing playing groups on the entire roster.

Do the Lions think that they will make it long with just Kevin Smith and Tatum Bell at running back.  Is Jerome Felton going to fill their short-yardage, goal-line and third-down back role? Are the Lions planning on trolling the waiver wire for additional help in their backfield?

Will the Lions lack of depth at receiver, they only kept four, along with the added responsibility of returning kicks by Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald have an impact on their performance as a group?  In some situations, will Casey FitzSimmons be used as another wide receiver, ala Dallas Clark for the Colts?

Ultimately, a lot of  this will be sorted out as the season progresses, or devolves, depending upon your perspective.   I am not certain of the prudence of retaining Tatum Bell, after his poor pre-season performance, and keeping only two healthy running backs on the team’s 53-man roster given the supposed added emphasis on the running attack this season.

53 Man Roster Battles

Mlive.com’s Tom “Killer” Kowalski has written an enlightening article about some of the roster battles that will occur as result of injuries, performance, etc as the pre-season draws to a close for the Lions. He highlights the offensive line in the article, a group whose performance must improve significantly in ‘08, since it’s the most muddled and unsettled of the entire roster.

The Lions optimally would like to employ 25 men each on offense and defense, with three roster spots reserved for the kickers and long-snapper.  Where the major problem lies, and where the numbers crunch will ensue, is the fact that Dan Campbell and Drew Stanton (appears the Lions are going to cut Henson after the Bills pre-season game,oops) are not healthy, meaning that they likely will have to keep four players at each position, rather than three.  The Lions also could potentially choose to keep K David Rayner (oops, he was cut) for kickoffs, admittedly a longshot.

After just one day, the previous paragraph was essentially nullified.  The Lions cut DE Claude Harriott, C Carroll Madison, K Dave Rayner, and LB Tyrone Pruitt.  The clarifying news is that Rayner is gone, and that the Lions will attempt to put (and likely succeed in) QB Drew Henson onto the team’s practice squad.

The tight end situation still remains cloudy, which means that there will likely be an extra roster spot allotted to that playing group.

That’s where the muddled offensive line situation really louses things up.   The Lions are set with LT Jeff Backus, LG Edwin Mulitalo, and C Dom Raiola.   They obviously will keep T Gosder Cherilus, who has been prepped to play both sides, since he may not emerge as a starter for a while.  If George Foster is the right tackle, then Jonathan Scott will likely be released.  Stephen Peterman should be the team’s right guard, with Frank Davis and Manny Ramirez battling to be his backup.  Rumors indicate that the battle between Ramirez and Peterman is still quite close ,though.

This would leave one utility linemen among Corey Hulsey, Damien Cook, and Andy McCollum to back up at center, with Cook versatile enough to play all three spots.  The Lions need for Cherilus to emerge, soon.  They also need their roster roles to be clearly defined along the line, so that they can develop some cohesiveness entering the season.

The Lions may have to resort to keeping four receivers, with Shaun McDonald thrust into the punt returner’s role, since Brandon Middleton, DeVale Ellis, and Kenneth Moore have not yet seized that role, which would justify one of them remaining as a fifth receiver.

The Lions plan on keeping one FB in Jerome Felton, and likely his backup in TE/FB Sean McHugh.   Dan Campbell’s continued injury problems may force the Lions to keep John Owens.   The tight ends, especially stout blockers Campbell, Owens, and Michael Gaines are important because they may be called upon in max protect situations, and short-yardage situations, too.   If the Lions keep Casey FitzSimmons he will pre-dominantly serve as an additional receiver.

“Killer” also believes that the Lions will retain Tatum Bell over Artose Pinner and Brian Calhoun, in spite of his weak pre-season performance, due to his experience within the offense and past track record.  Somewhere I hear James Mungro ferally shrieking into the dark night…

Kowalski also believes that the Lions will not be tempted to move either McDonald or Furrey in trade to keep a young player like Middleton or Ellis.

Back to the offensive line, the Lions offensive line, along with it’s defensive line, is the area that has needed to improve the greatest in order to turn around the team’s fortunes.  The fact that this unit is still languishing, after a great deal of attention has been paid to it, is not a good sign.

Stay tuned

Lions Run Their Way to a 3-0 Record In Pre-Season, Yikes!

The Lions, at least at this very premature stage, are giving their fans an increased hope for a successful upcoming season.   They have appeared credible as team, and they have even exhibited the potential to improve, rather than exuding the appearance that they might have already reached their high watermark, as they clearly did at the midpoint of last season.

It’s still the pre-season, but the Lions seemed to have made the right decision with their choice to select rookie running back Kevin Smith.   The Lions running game is far from proficient, but Smith’s big run yesterday stands as a potential sign of things to come, if Drew Sharp is right.  Smith’s rookie cockiness is welcome, especially if he exhibits the ability to grow within the Lion’s offense.

Most importantly, in my opinion, the Lions appear to be a unified front.   Jim Colletto has adhered to his plans of utilizing the running attack as a weapon, in spite of the limited  success it has yielded thus far.  These statements from Rod Marinelli may be even more indicative of the strong organizational stance in favor of highlighting their rushing attack :

“We had a couple (runs) that broke, which is good, but what I want is punishment,” stated Marinelli.  “I want to punish the defense.  I want to take their legs out of them so they can’t (pass) rush.  That’s what I’m trying to do.  Will we run for 2,000 yards?  I don’t know.  But I want to be physical and make a physical statement with that front.  We have to keep punishing the ball inside.  And then we have a chance to hit the guys on the outside.”

Preach it brother Rod, this is most lucid, affirmative declaration I have heard from anyone inside of the Allen Park compound in years.   In spite of the Patton-esque speeches, Marinelli will be tested.  What will the team do when they are down early in a game against say, the Vikings who have a staunch rushing defense?  If the Lions can punish the interior of that defense, and stay committed to it despite it’s initial results, then the Lions may finally be going somewhere as an  organization.

The stable of running backs is another unresolved issue.   Kevin Smith is a given, and FB Jon Bradley is on the injured reserve.  At FB, rookie Jerome Felton and TE/FB hybrid Sean McHugh  would appear to be the primary fullbacks, with Casey FitzSimmons and John Owens providing spot duty, if Owens is kept on the team’s final roster instead of McHugh.

After Smith, and the versatile Aveion Cason, the tailbacks are engaged in a heated battle, with Brian Calhoun and, in my opinion, Artose Pinner outperforming disappointing fifth year back Tatum Bell.  This is the last piece of the Lions rushing puzzle, which back can step in and produce when called upon.

Calhoun would appear to have the edge, with “Tose” being a sentimental favorite.  This decision is very important for the Lions.   If Marinelli is going to continue to preach consistency and toughness, he needs to find the resolve to reward a player like Calhoun or Pinner, in spite of the team’s heavy investment and the previously successful track record of Tatum Bell.

Some Things I Hope Not to See in the Third Pre-Season Game

The third pre-season game is a virtual dress rehearsal for the beginning of any given season.   It is well-established that Lions fans want to see the team run the ball effectively, and exhibit a tougher, more productive brand of defense.  I figured given the stakes of today’s game, the prestigious “Great Lakes Series Trophy”, it might be helpful to highlight the things that I truly hope that we don’t see:

1) “Big Baby” Shaun Rogers playing like the disruptive, punitive, pocket demolisher, that he is fully capable of.   If Rogers looks like a Hall of Famer, Lions fans are likely to suffer from convulsions.  It was fun to watch him do a mimed Superman cape removal after a sack when he wore Honolulu Blue, but for the Brownies, not so much.

2) Braylon Edwards streaking down the sidelines for TD’s after torching CB Leigh Bodden, and the rest of the secondary, for a few early scores.  As a Michigan State alum, Edwards conjures a number of horrors, when you add what he could do to the Lions, well….

3) An injury to Jon Kitna.   I don’t harbor any illogical notions that Kitna is anywhere near as proficient as either Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, but arguably, he is more elemental to his team’s ultimate success than either of them likely are, in my opinion.

Dan Orlovsky has looked awful rolling out and passing, an added wrinkle to the Lions offense this season, which definitely takes some pressure off of the team’s offensive line. Kitna has flourished with the added rollouts and boots, so the loss of Kitna would likely remove this dimension from the Lions offense.

4) George Foster, et al on the Lions offensive line.  Thus far, the Lions O-Line has looked remarkably capable, at least average, which is a major step up from previous seasons.   If Foster earns a false start, or three and Backus and company struggle my concerns entering the season will heighten significantly.  Gosder Cherilus’ continued development and improvement would assuage my concerns, a bit.

5) This one is aimed at the Lions broadcast team.  Please don’t attempt to convince us of the importance of the Great Lakes trophy, or the long and storied history of the rivalry between the Lions and Browns.  Remember, it has been over 50 years since this contest was a  true “rivalry”.

You are only allowed to play “Cleveland Rocks” once as bumper music, and please, I implore you, play the Ian Hunter version!  You should also refrain mentioning the Drew Carey Show, The rabid, frenzied “Dawg Pound”, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,  or how the Browns stole Chris Spielman from the Lions before he retired.   Gus and Des, you can feel free to mention often the storied history of the 70’s Cleveland punk rock scene (especially The legendary Pagans, Dead Boys, Electric Eels, and Rocket from the Tombs), the 70’s eco-disaster that was the “Lake Erie Fire”, and why Cleveland ultimately sucks more than Detroit.  That’s not too much to ask, is it?

In all seriousness, with the growing surprise competency of the Lions during this pre-season, I hope that they can contine to acquit themselves, suffer few, if any, injuries and give the strong impression that Rod Marinelli’s “football guy” mantras are created some sort of qualitative organization change.

A Tale of Two Drews

The Lions added ex-Michigan QB Drew Henson to replace an ex-Michigan State QB Drew Stanton, who has a thumb injury which will make him unavailable for 4 weeks.  Both Drew’s were among the most highly regarded multi-sport standouts in Michigan high school sports history.

Stanton, who never seems capable of remaining healthy, will be seriously affected by the loss of reps in both practice and the remaining pre-season games.  There has been a growing excitement around the spunky Stanton’s (He reminds me of Mike McMahon, who aroused the same kind of excitement among Lions fans) performance, in spite of the fact that he still appears a long way from legitimately competing with Jon Kitna for a starting job.

Henson, who has become a bit of a NFL itinerant, has proven unable to establish his worth as a NFL backup at his various stops around the league.   The presence of QB coach Scott Loeffler (a former U-M assistant) definitely figures into the equation of the Lions choosing to give Henson, at least what appears to be, a brief look.

For Henson it’s a winning situation.  His NFL career is still extant, even if the death rattle is perceptible, for the time being.  He will be on tape, and any franchise who needs to replace an injured QB, like the Lions, will find someone willing to assimilate quickly.

Now if the Lions could convince Drew Neitzel to reconsider his career as professional basketball player in Europe, maybe he could….

Lions Pre-Season Games Thus Far, Unreasonable Optimism?

I’ll concede, the Lions have played pretty well two games into the pre-season.   There is a growing optimism surrounding the organization, obviously, following some very preliminary results.

Considering the context, since pre-season games should be viewed as a skeletal, pared down version of what most teams will eventually become,  the Lions have performed well.  That being said, the fatalist in me, demands that Lions fans proceed with caution.  We have been here before.  The Lions have provided glimpses of hope in the past, but routinely  have failed to live up to those increased expectations.

Each step of the way, the Lions can convince us that they are truly legitimate.  This week’s pre-season game against the Browns, for the vaunted and highly coveted (tongue firmly planted in cheek..)Great Lakes Series Trophy, stands as a major test for this team.

This week is also the all-important third pre-season game, which ominously leads towards major roster cut-downs, which is usually stands as a truer barometer of what stage of development a given teams roster currently resides at than the rest of the pre-season games.

The Browns give off the appearance of being a legitimate contender in the AFC North.  They have a fine set of skill players, in spite of starting QB’s Derek Anderson’s concussion, and have tightened up their defense with the addition of behemoth defensive linemen Corey Williams and “Big Baby” Shaun Rogers, whom Detroiter’s are very intimate with.

The important thing for the Lions at this point is continuity.  The Lions have set the precedent that they are going to play a more physical brand of football than recent editions of the team.  Their adherence to the run, and continued improvement in that area of their offense, is very crucial.

As good as their receivers are capable of being,  if the Lions running game perpetually stalls and the success of the offense is more squarely placed upon the shoulders of the offensive line, then the team will ultimately be in big trouble.

Crucial Battles to Watch:

1) Running Back–This situation was supposed to be sewn up by now.  Tatum Bell and Kevin Smith were going to be backs 1 and 1a, with Aveion Cason filling the 3rd down and kick returners role.  Brian Calhoun and Artose Pinner have clearly outplayed Bell and have proven that they deserve legitimate roster consideration.  I have been particularly impressed with the verve of Artose Pinner, a player who clearly understands the treacherous precipice his NFL career currently rests upon.

2) Offensive Tackle–Jeff Backus, begrudgingly, is the incumbent at Left Tackle.  George Foster is likely to provide a stopgap for Gosder Cherilus on the Right Side.  Cherilus is playing both tackle spots, which may render Jonathan Scott expendable.  The play of the Lions tackles must improve significantly this season, so this battle is a crucial one.

3) Lions Secondary–Leigh Bodden, Travis Fisher, Brian Kelly, Daniel Bullocks, Gerald Alexander, Dwight Smith, and Kalvin Pearson are the givens.  Who survives among Greg Blue, Keith Smith, Dovonte Edwards, and Ramzee Robinson, all players who have to make their case to remain.  The secondary should be improved with all of it’s veteran leadership, but will be exploited if the Lions defense is on the field for too long  or if there is not a consistent…

4) Pass Rush–DeWayne White has looked excellent.   Jared DeVries, Corey Smith, Ikaika Alama-Francis, and Cliff Avril need to become consistently productive  if this defense will thrive.

5) Kick Returner–Aveion Cason appears to be the favorite for kickoffs.  Punt Returns are a more wide open competition, though.  Can Cason return punts?  Will the Lions need to retain DeVale Ellis or Kenneth Moore to return punts?

6) Linebacker–The starters: WLB Ernie Sims, MLB Paris Lenon, and SLB Alex Lewis appear set, but their backups, Jordan Dizon, Anthony Cannon, Buster Davis, Gilbert Gardner and Leon Joe will be engaged in a serious battle to sort out who remains.  The improvement of Dizon figures heavily into the equation.  The Lions could shift Dizon to the strong side, or use him to replace Lenon who would shift to the outside.  Wherever the Lions think they will use Dizon should effect who they decide to keep among Joe, Gardner, Cannon and Davis.

Young players like Andre Fluellen, Buster Davis, Brandon Middleton, John Standeford, and Ralph Hardie have exhibited promise.   Can the Lions find the roster spots necessary to prevent them from losing these players?

Things Getting Chippy In Camp, Roy Williams, Josh McCown?

Apparently, the approaching season has raised the hackles of several players and coaches. G Manny Ramirez, a borderline roster candidate, was unceremoniously bounced from the team’s practice yesterday by Defensive Coordinator Mike Barry. Today, the offense and defense got a little contentious during a scrimmage. First, S Dwight Smith called out an offensive teammate with some colorfully vociferous language. Then later on, Buster Davis whacked one player a little late, and a few plays later, whacked another receiver late, which drew Jon Kitna’s ire. Apparently, hard-assed Kitna needed to be restrained by the coaching staff.

I’d like to be the first to state, with the utmost certainty, that I really like it. As long as none of the players injure each other, and no one makes a bonehead play as a result of losing their cool, I think the time has come (it’s long overdue) for the Lions to develop a bit of an edge. They have been the league’s whipping-boy for the better part of the last decade, and they had better want to rip someone’s throat out, in a controlled manner, of course!

The Lions will have had a long time between last Thursday and this upcoming Sunday’s pre-season matchup with Cincinnati, it only makes sense as the pressure mounts to retain a roster spot and carve out an active role in the playing group, that tempers might flare up. The Lions are ready to level their blows at an opponent, and hitting teammates does not provide the same level of satisfaction.

Will Roy Williams be able to remain happy and satisfied with his diminishing role, given that he is entering a contract season, as the emerging supernova that is Calvin Johnson takes precedent within the Lions offense? Roy Williams is a crucial factor to the Lions success. Drew Sharp wrote an excellent article today about the very real possibility, that the Lions and Williams will be parting after the ‘08 season. Personally, given the added focus upon the ground game, the Lions aren’t going to have enough balls to keep both Williams and Johnson happy in the passing game, in my opinion. I also believed that the Lions should have extracted maximum value for him, prior to the ‘08 draft, too.

The Dolphins have made it abundantly clear that they will not be keeping four QB’s. Should Josh McCown become available, will the Lions give him a look as a backup, given his familiarity with the coaching staff and his experience having played with several members of the current Lions roster? It seems to be prudent to me.  Exchanging a 6th or 7th round draft pick for McCown would be a far safer decision than counting on Drew “Mikey” Stanton and Dan Orlovsky in the event that Jon Kitna suffer an injury, in my opinion.

The Lions Cloudy Wide Receiver/Running Back Situation

MLive.com’s “Killer” Kowalski has begun to speculate how exactly the Lions plan to fill out their skill player roster groups when they pare down to the 53 man roster entering the season. Kowalski suggests that the Lions may choose to keep just their four primary receivers, in order to keep either Aveion Cason, Brian Calhoun, or Artose Pinner as kick returners.

The Lions special teams were far from spectacular last season, and none of these players strike me as the kind of game-changing, productive, positive field position type of players that are necessary for NFL success. A Devin Hester, or to refer to ghosts of Lions past, Mel Gray, Glyn Milburn, or even a Desmond Howard is nary to be found among these players.

That being said, if the Lions stick with their four primary receivers (Calvin Johnson, Roy Williams, Shaun McDonald, and Mike Furrey) it does buy them some crucial developmental time for Kevin Smith, and allows them to sort out their running back situation more completely. The Lions could utilize RB’s Aveion Cason, Brian Calhoun, Tatum Bell, or even TE Casey FitzSimmons in the slot, when the situation dictates, if necessary.

I am eminently more concerned, if they are going to stick with their stated focus upon a solid running attack, that they are able to sort out the roles of each of their backs, and find a way to utilize them to their fullest. The combo of Bell, and hopefully, Smith should give the Lions the kind of rushing attack that they need. More importantly, especially on third downs, short-yardage, and goal-line situations, the Lions need to determine who provides them with their best opportunity to upgrade all of these crucial areas where they have so noticeably failed during previous seasons.

Aside from the pass rush, offensive line, backup QB and secondary, this situation bears watching, because it will be heated right to the finish line, in my opinion.

Lions Pre-Season Game 1, Lions Visit With C LeCharles Bentley

The Lions visited with free agent C LeCharles Bentley, who was a premier center a few seasons ago, before a severe knee injury and a few bouts of staph infection (a strangely common occurrence in Cleveland) have derailed his one promising career. The Lions would like to find a backup for Dom Raiola, and I believe that a meeting with Bentley may ultimately be a statement about there concerns at guard, too. Any player that the Lions add at center for depth, would also likely have to be willing to shift to other positions along the offensive line, too. With that in mind, a healthy Bentley would likely represent a solidifying, if not pernicious force, if he were able to regain even a small measure of his previous form. The Lions indicate that they are not going to sign Bentley, but that obviously could change quickly.

Until I have seen a stronger pass rush and a more productive running attack, I remain concerned about this team’s long-range potential. With that in mind, the first pre-season game did yield some positive signs, though.

I was impressed with the Lions discipline and toughness during their first exhibition game. They exhibited toughness and refrained from too many penalties. However, Gosder Cherilus, and more significantly coming from a veteran, George Foster each committed costly penalties. If Foster commits any more pre-season false starts, judging by the look on Rod Marinelli’s face during the game, it will likely be his last in Detroit.

The combo of Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson looked spectacular. In particular, Johnson’s brief appearance conjured a wanting lasciviousness within me usually reserved for an unfettered, Sunday morning mexican food buffet after a long, hard Saturday night of partying(I bet you thought I was going to drift into a more unseemly direction with this analogy!). Johnson easily  looks as good as advertised, and Abu Mara may actually say it best when he states that trying to find a weakness in Johnson’s game is like “picking lint off of an Armani suit”. The Johnson, Williams, McDonald/Furrey tandem will likely be the most productive since the days of Herman Moore, Brett Perriman, et al.

Apparently, one Novi fan, is concerned though. During a Lions open practice recently, a Novi fan was verbally upbraiding Roy Williams mercilessly for his lack of hustle and for routinely taking plays off. He was quickly ejected. This fan does bring up a good point. Williams has exhibited world class athleticism, and a big time mouth to match. What seems to be lacking, at least at crucial times, is Williams consistent focus and effort. Any future success the Lions will enjoy, is heavily dependent upon Williams fully realizing his high-ceiling talent. I don’t agree with the Novi fan’s methods, but I hope Williams, and the Lions organization take note, they are being held accountable, even if it’s from a vocal minority of fans.

I am anxious to see how the Lions will benefit from the additions of Shaun McDonald, Dan Campbell, Edwin Mulitalo and Daniel Bullocks to their playing group, and off the PUP list. The Lions roster is significantly improved with the addition of each player, and Bullocks has a lot of promise.

In the aftermath of the first pre-season game, the Lions jettisoned K Eddie Johnson and replaced him with journeymen  (is calling a kicker a journeymen, redundant?) Dave Rayner, a MSU alum. The Lions came to an injury settlement with once promising CB Stanley Wilson, Jr., who ruptured his achilles tendon. In the meantime, CB Kiwaukee Thomas returns to the roster. The Lions will likely keep either 5 safeties and 4 corners, or vice versa. Assuming that Leigh Bodden, Travis Fisher, Brian Kelly, and Keith Smith are the corners, S Kalvin Pearson helps in the slot in nickel and dime packages, that would likely leave Dwight Smith, Daniel Bullocks, Gerald Alexander and one more player left to fill out the personnel group. This will be a spirited battle, to be sure.

Thoughts on First Pre-Season Game, Takeo Spikes,

For at least a couple of days, I have celebrated the dismay and confusion that has engulfed Packer-land upon the trade of their immortal folk hero, Brett Favre. Selfishly, I hope that their misery is compounded with more Harrington-like performances by Aaron Rodgers as the season approaches. Am I wrong for deriving joy out of this “cheesehead” misery?

When the Favre trade was announced, I was cautiously hopeful that the Lions may acquire former Jets QB Chad Pennington to back up Jon Kitna. That was until Bill Parcells paid Pennington $11 million to assume the starting job in Miami. That is a little rich for most teams blood, considering that Pennington, as efficient as he can be, is a rag-armed immobile, and injury-prone version of his former self.

After Thursday’s pre-season performance, I am still left wondering, why aren’t the Lions in the market for a backup QB? I like Dan Orlovsky, but my perception of Drew Stanton, err I mean, Mike McMahon Jr., is that he is a VERY long way from being ready to play in the NFL. I was inspired by McMah-er I mean Stanton’s gutty performance at the end of the game, as he scrambled and dove for every inch of crucial yardage, against unfortunately, the Giants 3rd and 4th string defense. If Jon Kitna suffers even a mild injury, it would be an organizational disaster.

The Lions loss out on their pursuit of LB Takeo Spikes to the lowly 49ers.  Spikes presciently sized up the relative health of the two organizations and, let’s just say the Lions were the bridesmaid, again.  The Lions seem happy with the performance and growth of young linebackers Buster Davis and Jordan Dizon, so there may yet be a light at the end of the tunnel for them on the strong side.

Overall, the Lions pre-season performance was surprisingly solid.  Their mental errors were surprisingly limited, but I still was left with the feeling that they have no running attack and that their pass rush has a long ways to come before it is even an average NFL pass rushing attack.  I’ll give ‘em, a C+.