The Detroit Lions

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

WEEK ONE: DETROIT LIONS @ ATLANTA FALCONS


Lions-vs-Falcons1.jpg

Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons
Sep 7, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Detroit Lions (0-0)	7	14	7	3	31
Atlanta Falcons (0-0)	0	6	7	6	19

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		DET	ATL
06:31	(DET) Shaun Alexander 2 yard run (Hanson PAT)	7	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		DET	ATL
10:10	(DET) Griese 15 yard pass to B. Johnson (Hanson PAT)	14	0
03:51	(ATL) Mare 42 yd FG	14	3
00:55	(DET) Griese 19 yard pass to B. Calhoun (Hanson PAT)	21	3
00:00	(ATL) Mare 34 yd FG	21	6
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		DET	ATL
10:24	(DET) Griese 24 yard pass to R. Williams (Hanson PAT)	28	6
00:46	(ATL) Rashard Mendenhall 1 yard run (Mare PAT)	28	13
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		DET	ATL
09:46	(ATL) Green 11 yard pass to R. White (2 pt failed)	28	19
06:29	(DET) Hanson 30 yd FG	31	19

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Brian Griese 14/21 221 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Shaun Alexander 20 56 1 Brian Calhoun 4 -9 0 David Kirtman 1 4 0 Jerome Felton 1 9 0 Brian Griese 4 -10 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Roy Williams 4 39 1 Garrett Wolfe 3 31 0 Quinn Sypniewski 2 80 0 Shaun Alexander 1 7 0 Dan Campbell 1 20 0 Bryant Johnson 1 15 1 Brian Calhoun 1 19 1 Jerome Felton 1 10 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Ernie Sims 8-2 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Hanson 1/1 4/4 7 30

Atlanta Falcons PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Trent Green 15/27 185 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Rashard Mendenhall 27 113 3 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Roddy White 6 60 1 Joe Horn 5 86 0 Laurent Robinson 2 20 0 Bo Sciafe 1 7 0 Rashard Mendenhall 1 12 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Montavius Stanley 4-2 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Olindo Mare 2/2 1/1 7 43

The opening game of the 2008 season for the Lions had them traveling to Atlanta to face the Falcons. Atlanta, coming off a terrible 4-12 season in 2007 had re-stocked the roster acquiring an all-pro quarterback to mentor Atlanta's top draft pick, quarterback Matt Ryan. They also drafted a tough as nails running back to help add some muscle to their young, talented offense.

Both teams were fairly healthy going into this season-opening game, with only the Lions top sacker from 2007, Jared DeVries, missing the game due to injury.

The Lions offense looked potent through the air, as Brian Griese had little trouble finding both his top wideouts as well as a running back for scores. The lack of running lanes though was quite obvious, as Shaun Alexander was frequently hit as soon as he got near the line of scrimmage. There appears little help available via trade or the free agent pool, so hopefully this group will be able to get it together next week.

The Falcons, on the other hand, seemed to have a good balance with Mendenhall and Roddy White throwing big play after big play at the Lions. However, three fumbles by Mendenhall killed drive after drive and help Detroit score off of short fields. He'll have to work on ball security extra hard, or he'll be on the bench in no time.

Defensively, the Lions bent, but didn't break. The loss of DeVries must have had some impact, as they Lions were not able to get much pressure, resulting in zero sacks or interceptions. Hopefully things improve next week with DeVries's injury; and the pass rushers the Lions drafted need to step up in a big way.

As for the Falcon's defense, they could only bail out the team for so long; and had no answer for the physical play of the Lions receivers. They were focused on stopping Shaun Alexander for sure, as the backs and tight ends were able to get big chunks of yardage off play action passes.

Once the Falcons failed on their 2-pt conversion (a run by Mendenhall that was strung to the sidelines), the Lions really felt like they had this game won... The final field goal by Hanson sealed the deal. Next week, however, the Lions get their first division test when the Packers come to town. Green Bay has turned to Daunte Culpepper to lead the team now that Brett Favre has retired, and former first-rounder Aaron Rodgers is biding his time behind an all-pro for at least a little while longer.

The Packers invested draft picks this season on qb Brian Brohm (3rd string), Mike Pollak (2nd string center), Dre Moore (starting DT), Cliff Avril (starting LOLB), and Darnell Terrell (5th cb)

Up next, the week in review and game two of the 2008 season gets underway!

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

BREAKING NEWS:

lions training camp.jpg

Lions starting quarterback Brian Griese lacerated his hand during the Lions final walkthrough and is expected to miss tomorrow's game vs. the Green Bay Packers. Estimated timetable on the injury is 3 to 5 days for the stitches to set. Second-year quarterback Drew Stanton will be making the first start of his career.

To add to this truly bizarre tale, Packers starting quarterback Daunte Culpepper is also injured and it will be Aaron Rodgers under center for the Packers!! Culpepper was injured in the season opener, and is expected to miss the next 2 to 4 weeks. This has given Aaron Rodgers all week to take first-team reps, an advantage the Packers will have over their division rivals.


(I was seriously bummed when I saw this, and for a second wished I hadn't saved it; but I would have been more mad if I had went back and reloaded so I didn't have the injury. Life happens, we'll roll with it.)

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

WEEK ONE MILESTONES:
MAKING THEIR MARK ON HISTORY

bradysimms.jpg
Tom Brady (New England) throws touchdown pass #200, passing Phil Simms for 27th all-time.

faulkalexander.jpg
Shaun Alexander (Detroit) notches his 101st rushing touchdown; breaking the tie he had with Marshall Faulk and is now #7 all time.

reed-TO.jpg
Terrel Owens (Dallas) reaches 13,229 receiving yards, passing Andre Reed for 8th all-time.

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

So close and yet so far...
Drew Stanton 1.jpg

Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
Sep 14, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Green Bay Packers (1-0)	0	7	0	0	7
Detroit Lions (1-0)	0	3	0	3	6

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		GNB	DET
04:53	(GNB) Rodgers 2 yd pass to Driver (Crosby PAT)	7	0
00:24	(DET) Jason Hanson 35 yd fg	7	3
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		GNB	DET
03:04	(DET) Jason Hanson 50 yd fg	7	6

Green Bay Packers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Aaron Rodgers 9/15 103 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Ryan Grant 16 73 0 Vernand Morency 9 5 0 Aaron Rodgers 3 -6 0 Jesse Chatman 2 5 0 James Jones 2 3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Greg Jennings 4 63 0 David Lee 2 14 0 James Jones 2 24 0 Donald Driver 1 2 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Aaron Kampman 7-2 2 0 Dre Moore 5-1 1 0 Nick Barnett 5-0 0 1 Al Harris 4-0 0 1 AJ Hawk 5-3 0 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Mason Crosby 0/0 1/1 1 -

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Drew Stanton 8/22 95 0 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Shaun Alexander 17 105 0 Brian Calhoun 10 91 0 Garrett Wolfe 3 3 0 Jerome Felton 1 8 0 Drew Stanton 1 2 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Roy Williams 3 48 0 Travis Taylor 1 5 0 Quinn Sypniewski 1 8 0 Sean McHugh 1 20 0 Brian Calhoun 1 15 0 Garrett Wolfe 1 9 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Gerlad Alexander 8 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Hanson 2/2 0/0 6 50

The Green Bay Packers faced the Detroit Lions in the "Battle of Backups", as each team was without their starting quarterback. The game quickly evolved into a trench battle, as each time tried to control the clock (and the score) through the ground game, not trusting their backup quarterbacks to take the game into their own hands.

Drew Stanton, quarterback of the Lions, found out the day before the game he was starting, while Aaron Rodgers actually entered the game last week when Daunte Culpepper went down; and had the week to prepare. it showed.

While neither quarterback did much of anything through the air (Rodgers with 103 yards passing, Stanton with 95) the extra time paid off as Rodgers hit Donald Driver for a 2 yard touchdown, while Stanton threw three interceptions.

Shaun Alexander and Brian Calhoun combined to help the Lions have over 200 rushing yards, while the Packers ground game was going equally strong until Ryan Grant went down in the third quarter.

Both defenses played exceptionally well, although for the second week of the young season the Lions were unable to get a sack or interception. Coach Billick is hoping DeVries comes back soon and provides the spark the Lions defensive line needs, but a change may need to be made until then to start getting some pressure on the opposing teams quarterback.

The Green Bay defense was able to pick off Drew Stanton three times, and with the Lions driving for a potential game winning field goal, they forced a fumble on a Shaun Alexander run that allowed them to run out the clock.

Up next for the Lions: a trip out west to play Joey Harrington and the San Francisco 49ers. This will be a revenge game if I've ever seen one, with Harrington and Calvin Johnson playing the team that drafted them #3 and #2 overall, respectively. Add to that the 49ers Offensive Coordinator, Mike Martz, was the Lions offensive coordinator in 2007. I'm sure he's coming up with ways to use those two former Lions to punish the team that canned him.

CAN THE LIONS BOUNCE BACK?
detroit losswk2 2008.jpg

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

brian-billick.jpg

Coachspeak

This was a tough loss. They're all tough. I know people are going to second-guess my decision to go for it early in the 4th quarter from the 11 with us down 7-3. A field goal there, added to our last field goal would have given us a win... but there's so many variables. We were having our best drive of the day and I felt momentum was on our side. You can't coach the game afraid, and even though Drew had already thrown two interceptions, I thought we could get a score then and really take some pressure off him. Unfortunately AJ Hawk had other plans.

We came out of the game relatively healthy, with the exception of Sean McHugh - his back twisted kind of bad after his catch and he'll probably need a couple weeks to get things straight again. I don't anticipate making any roster moves to cover for him while he's out. Hardy, our rookie wideout, has been spending extra time at practice working with the tight end group too. We sat him vs the Packers, and while hindsight is 20/20, I wouldn't have done it differently a second time around. He's going to be fine.

All the other bumps and bruises will clear up with a day's rest, plus Brian will be back next week when we play San Francisco - so I feel pretty good about the state of the team.

I can't get into our X's and O's regarding the game plan for next week, but I know they've got a couple guys who are pumped up to get a chance to play us, Joey especially. I can promise you we'll be ready though...

(I followed their path and was able to get WR Coach Shawn Jefferson 'play learning' 2 and LB Coach Phil Snow 'play learning' 2. Here's my coaches and their current levels, as well as what their development goals are:
grid.png

In other "behind the scenes news", to give you a heads up as to stuff I'm thinking:

Even though they both played for Coach Bililck, veteran WR Travis Taylor and DT Sam Adams are more of luxury role-players rather than key components and it might be time to release them and see if there's some younger players - former Ravens or not - we can use. Travis is 30 and Sam is 35, I wanted to have them on the team, at least through preseason and part of the season to show the young guys the ropes, so to speak; and if they were able to stay on the roster all year, that would just a plus. We'll see how this week goes vs the 49ers. Also, I added my 3rd string TE Campbell (78) to the trade block. He's over 30 too, and part of a pricey contract. I traded for Quinn Sypniewski - a Raven with Coach Billick last year, and McHugh is 5 years younger than Campbell and just about equal in most facets of the game. there's some young tight ends out there I could get cheap to be my third tight end.

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

---

WEEK TWO MILESTONES:
MAKING THEIR MARK ON HISTORY

wk2 bruce monk.jpg

Isaac Bruce has passed Art Monk 6th most receptions all-time Sunday, catch 8 passes to move his total to 947, 4 behind Andre Reed.

wk2 harrisonlofton.jpg

Marvin Harrison (14,015) has passed James Lofton (14,004) for 4th most receiving yards all-time. He is only 5th wide receiver to reach the mark, joining Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, and Isaac Bruce.

wk2 to mccardell.jpg

Terrell Owens is back on our list as he has passed Keenan McCardell for 8th most receptions all-time with 903 receptions. He is only the 8th receiver to break the 900 yard mark. McCardell, currently a free agent, is still holding out hope a team will sign him this season.

wk2 muham gonz.jpg

A special shout out to Panthers wide receiver Mushin Muhammad and Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez as they have both passed the 10,000 yard mark in career reception yardage!

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

Lions-vs-49ers.jpg

Braving the STORM! Lions defeat 49ers in overtime during monsoon...

Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers
Sep 21, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Detroit Lions (1-1)	3	14	7	14	6	44
San Francisco 49ers (1-1)	7	7	3	21	0	38

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		DET	SFO
10:03	(SFO) Harrington pass to Battle 9 yds (Nedney PAT)	0	7
03:51	(DET) Jason Hanson 24 yd fg	3	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		DET	SFO
14:40	(SFO) Harrington pass to Johnson 9 yds (Nedney PAT)	3	14
05:31	(DET) Torain 1yd run (Hanson PAT)	10	14
00:50	(DET) Gerald Alexander 55yd INT return (Hanson PAT)	17	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		DET	SFO
08:49	(DET) Griese 17 yd pass to Calhoun (Hanson PAT)	24	14
04:43	(SFO) Nedney 26 yd fg	24	17
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		DET	SFO
11:13	(DET) Alexander 2 yd run (Hanson PAT)	31	17
04:56	(SFO) Harrington pass to Smith 12 yds (Nedney PAT)	31	24
03:04	(SFO) Harrington pass to Davis 2 yds (Nedney PAT)	31	31
01:41	(SFO) Gore 14 yd run (Nedney PAT)	31	38
00:32	(DET) Griese pass to Hardy 11 yards (Hanson PAT)	38	38
OVERTIME SCORING		DET	SFO
04:44	(DET) Dominique Cromartie 70 yd INT return	44	38

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Brian Griese 18/34 288 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Shaun Alexander 20 100 1 Brian Calhoun 6 17 0 Jerome Felton 6 21 0 Ryan Torain 4 12 1 Garrett Wolfe 3 6 0 Brian Griese 2 -2 0 Quinn Sypniewski 1 1 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Roy Williams 5 63 0 Bryant Johnson 4 62 0 James Hardy 3 42 1 Garrett Wolfe 3 83 0 Brian Calhoun 2 29 1 Quinn Sypniewsku 1 9 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Dominique Cromartie 10-0 0 1 1 Gerald Alexander 8-0 0 1 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Hanson 1/2 5/5 8 24

San Francisco 49ers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Joey Harrington 39/62 413 4 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Frank Gore 15 106 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Arnaz Battle 10 94 1 Calvin Johnson 8 99 1 Brandon Jones 8 91 0 LJ Smith 5 58 1 Ahmad Merritt 4 40 0 Frank Gore 3 29 0 Vernon Davis 1 2 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Patrick Willis 11-2 0 0 0 Spencer Larson 10-3 1 0 0 Chris Canty 4-1 1 0 0 Tully Banta-Cain 4-1 1 0 0 Michael Lewis 6-2 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Joe Nedney 1/2 5/5 8 26

The Detroit Lions came into Sunday's game still licking their wounds from last week's defeat, ready to face several ghosts from their past. San Francisco had remade some of their team with a few key former Lions: quarterback Joey Harrington, wide receiver Calvin Johnson, and Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz. All three put together impressive stats for this "grudge match", but in the end, a costly mistake by Harrington granted the opposing team the victory; something Lions fans were accustomed to during Joey's time with the team.

The Lions had their shares of miscues as well, as Brian Griese threw a key interception near halftime, and fullback Jerome Felton fumbled the ball in overtime that almost cost the team the game. The 49ers had received the ball first in overtime, and drove to the Lions 40, but rather than attempt a long field goal, the 49ers punted. The Lions began a long drive of their own that also got deep into enemy territory, but Felton fumbled on a simple run up the gut the Lions called to 'center the ball' for a field goal, and the 49ers were back in business. However, as they drove once again into Lions territory, Joey Harrington threw his second pick-six of the day - a bullet to the left hash where rookie corner Dominique Cromartie stepped in front of Arnaz Battle and sped 70 yards to the end zone, ending the game.

DEFENSE.jpg

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

detroit-lions-grey-weathered-wood_preview.jpg

After that heart-attack inducing victory last week in San Francisco, the Lions undoubtedly are looking forward to their bye week before they tangle with their division rivals, the Bears.

Rookie CB Dominique Cromartie was named NFC Defensive Player of the week in part to his heroic game-winning interception return!

Sitting at 2-1, Coach Billick (approval 49) is proud of his squad, as they are tied with the Packers for the division lead, ahead of the 1-2 Vikings and 0-3 Bears) so far on this still very young season.

The bye week will also let a few banged up players get healthy and back on the field. During the 49ers game, guard Edwin Mulitalo suffered a bad gash on his arm, but is expected to be fine in a few days. Dan Campbell, the Lions tight end, should be over his abdominal strain in a couple days - he was banged up during the game, and some question if maybe he was upset he was put on the trade block and didn't want to risk further injury. TE Sean McHugh has a decent chance at coming out of the bye in playing shape, his back has been responding well to treatment is a week or two away from being his normal self again.

As for LE Jared DeVries, he's recovering more slowly, and is still looking a 3-5 weeks until he's ready for action. The pass rush is in dire need for SOMEONE to make a play, as we have now gone the first three weeks without a sack, something that is NOT acceptable. It might be time to make a move to try to get a pass rusher in here. We tried moving rookies Bryan Smith and Angelo Craig onto the defensive line during dime packages to try to get some more pressure, with mixed results.

Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry improved his playcalling to level 3 - his max) and went from a 31 to a 32.
Offensive Coordinator Jim Coletto improved his playcalling to level 3) and went from a 29 to a 31.
Ugh...

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

Bye week roster moves highlight busy "week off" in Detroit

Press releases out of Detroit report that the Lions have cut LG Manuel Ramirez, a 4th round pick of the Lions in 2007. Manuel is a good player, but one who's struggling right now with his technique and his conditioning. With the injury to Mulitalo, and the importance of our power run game, we didn't have the roster space available to bring in another offensive lineman and keep Manuel too. We wish him the best. The Detroit Lions have announced they have traded their 2010 3rd round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for LG Tre Stallings. Tre is more of an established run blocker, and has the youth (24) and ability (76/77) to hopefully help the Lions ground game improve.

Detroit has announced that they have released WR Travis Taylor. Travis was once a first round pick of Brian Billick and the Ravens, and after his release in 2004, few thought he'd want to play under a Billick-coached team. However, he proved the skeptics wrong by signing a one-year deal back in August. Operating as the Lions 5th wide receiver, he only had one catch in 2 games. This was strictly a numbers move, as we needed a roster space to bring in some help on the defensive line, a place we desperately need some production. Former Ravens wide receiver Devard Darling, drafted in the third round to replace Travis and was released when Billick was fired, was brought in for a tryout as well, but not signed. It appears the Lions were just updating their emergency roster, I'm betting both Travis and Devard will be on speed dial if a Lions receiver goes down.

In a corresponding move, The Detroit Lions have traded two 5th round picks in 2010 for Miami Dolphins DE Matt Roth. Matt is a strong, young player who's motor rivals his bookend on the line, Tyler Brayton. I think that he's our best shot at boosting the pass rush, and with Ikaika getting some heavy playing time, getting valuable in-game learning time; and Jared hopefully back, maybe we'll take the next step towards the aggressive and effective pass rush we desperately need.

Also cut is veteran tight end Dan Campbell, brought over in free agency for the 2006 season. It's no secret the Lions were looking to move Campbell, age 32, via a trade; but his age and now his injury make that unlikely. Although his latest injury is a minor one, the fact that 2 of our 3 tight ends our hurt makes this move a necessity. Hopefully he'll get healthy and back on a roster soon. Good luck to him. The Lions have announced the signing of tight end Scott Chandler to a 1 year deal. Scott's a young, big, physical tight end who can move surprisingly well for a big guy. I'm excited to see him get in there and learn the playbook and start competing with Sean (McHugh) and maybe even Quinn one day!

Looks like one fan already got his Chandler jersey!

kid 81.jpg

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

WEEK THREE MILESTONES:
MAKING THEIR MARK ON HISTORY

wk3 muhammad sharpe.jpg
Mushin Muhammad (10,104) passes Shannon Sharpe (10,060) for 30th all time in receiving yards.

wk3holtsharpe.jpg
Torry Holt (817) passes Shannon Sharpe (815) for 16th most receptions all-time

wk3 to CC.jpg
Terrell Owens (132) caught two touchdowns Sunday to break the tie he had with Chris Carter (130) and take second place in the all time mark for touchdown receptions

wk3ottis dunn.jpg
Tennesee Titans running back Warrick Dunn (shown here last year in his Pro Bowl uniform with the Falcons) passes Ottis Anderson (10,273) for 22nd all time in rushing yards with 10,280.





I could not get the stupid spacing to behave this time! Oh well

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

detroit-lions-grey-weathered-wood_preview.jpg

WEEK FIVE PREVIEW

Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears
Detroit, Michigan

Detroit will come out of their bye week a little healthier, and with some new faces on the roster. There to meet them will be a long time division rival, the Chicago Bears.

Coach Billick's squad has a chance to take sole possession of first place in the division with a win and a Green Bay loss, though it's too early to talk division titles and playoffs.

Chicago, meanwhile is desperate for a win. Now 0-4, it appears that former Peyton Manning backup Jim Sorgi might be out of his league as a starting quarterback, having thrown only one touchdown vs ten interceptions. They must really be down on Rex Grossman if they haven't turned to him yet.

Starting running back TJ Duckett is hurt, leaving Cedric Benson to start. 3rd string rookie running back James Stewart is also injured. At receiver, rookie Harry Douglas is starting alongside Devin Hester, and the Bears must have made receiver a priority in the draft, as they also have Will Franklin and Kenneth Moore as their 4th and 5th wideouts.

The Bears also went heavy at Right Tackle this February, as there are three rookie right tackles making up the roster: John Greco, Jeff Otah and Kirk Barton. An even bigger surprise is that John Greco is starting over 1st round pick Otah - but I'm sure that battle is far from over.

As for the Lions, they are almost completely healthy, as only DE Jared DeVries is out; it looks like he's still a week or two away. The Lions seemed to use this break to tweak the roster a little, let's see if it helps them build off that week three victory!

detroit-lions-sexy-superfans-26.jpg

GO LIONS!

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

WEEK FOUR MILESTONES:
MAKING THEIR MARK ON HISTORY

wk4 Bruce Reed.jpg
Titans wide receiver Isaac Bruce (954) has passed Andre Reed (951) for 5th most all-time receptions. He has also passed Mark Clayton, Irving Fryar, Tommy McDonald, and Andre Rison to enter another tie, this time for 11th place all time in receiving touchdowns, joining Lance Alworth and Paul Warfield with 85 touchdown receptions!



wk4 muhammad lofton.jpg
Mushin Muhammad (765) has passed James Lofton (764) for 23rd all-time in receptions.



wk4 Edge.jpg
A special shout out to Cardinals running back Edgerrin James, as he became the 13th player to rush for 12,000 yards. He now has 12,003 yards. He also recorded his 78th rushing touchdown, breaking his tie with Tony Dorsett, and entering a tie with Ricky Watters for 18th all time.

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

LIONS FEAST ON BEARS!

DETROIT'S DEFENSE DOMINATES IN DISMANTLING OF DIVISION FOE

7468275.jpg

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions
Oct 5, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Chicago Bears (0-4)	0	0	0	7	7
Detroit Lions (2-1)	0	10	14	3	27

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CHI	DET
10:15	(DET) Jason Hanson 47 yd fg	0	3
00:00	(DET) Justin King 90 yard INT return (Hanson PAT)	0	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CHI	DET
08:06	(DET) Torain 35 yard run (Hanson PAT)	0	17
02:13	(DET) Alexander 1 yard run (Hanson PAT)	0	24
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CHI	DET
01:28	(DET) Jason Hanson 21 yd fg	0	27
00:16	(CHI) Sorgi pass to Benson 13 yds (Gould PAT)	7	27

Chicago Bears PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Brian Griese 11/23 125 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Shaun Alexander 17 152 1 Ryan Torain 7 65 1 Brian Calhoun 3 1 0 David Kirtman 3 6 0 Jerome Felton 3 21 0 Brian Griese 2 -6 0 Garrett Wolfe 1 1 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Garrett Wolfe 2 6 0 Roy Williams 2 37 0 Scott Chandler 2 31 0 Bryant Johnson 2 27 0 Eddie Drummond 1 13 0 Quinn Sypniewski 1 9 0 Jerome Felton 1 2 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Ernie Sims 12-3 0 0 0 Paris Lenon 10-2 1 0 0 Justin King 4-0 0 1 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Hanson 2/3 3/3 9 47

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jim Sorgi 18/30 186 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Cedric Benson 16 19 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Will Franklin 6 69 0 Jason McKie 3 17 0 Cedric Benson 2 25 1 Devin Hester 2 18 0 Greg Olsen 2 23 0 Mark Bradley 2 27 0 Harry Douglas 1 7 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Charles Tillman 10-1 0 0 0 Roy Manning 1-0 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Robbie Gould 0-0 1/1 1 0

The Detroit Lions came out of their bye week feeling pretty good after a victory in week three, with a more healthy team and a couple new faces to hopefully continue their success. They were correct.

The Lions dominated the contest from the second minute to the second to last minute, as they held a shut-out until the last 16 seconds of the game. A "loss of focus" coach Billick was quick to reprimand his team about.

The Lions, led by Shaun Alexander's 152 rushing yards, piled up 240 rushing yards as a team, vs only 19 for the Bears, and controlled the clock for the equivalent of a full quarter, 37:39 to 22:18.

Quarterback Brian Griese was efficient, but not spectacular as the Bears were quick to tackle the Lions receivers after short gains. His lone interception clanged off the hands to rookie WR James Hardy.

Rookie running back Ryan Torain, getting some extended action in this game, responded with 65 yards rushing, including a 35 yard touchdown.

Defensively, the jinx is over: the Lions recorded their first sack of the season in the 4th quarter of their 4th game, as MLB Paris Lenon was able to sack Jim Sorgi on 4th and goal from 2, with the Lions leading 24-0. In addition, rookie CB Justin King picked off a Sorgi pass and returned it 90 yards as the clock ran out for halftime to really knock the life out of the Bears.

One cause for concern is the kicking game; Jason Hanson had his second miss in 2 games; although Coach Kwan thinks it's an aberration. It'll be something to monitor as the season wears on as the Lions special teams coach begins to wonder if Father Time is catching up with the legendary Lion.

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

WEEK FIVE MILESTONES:
MAKING THEIR MARK ON HISTORY

wk5 gonza.jpg


This week it's all about Tony Gonzalez, possibly the greatest tight end the NFL has ever seen. After last week's game, Tony passed two all-pro's: Irving Fryar and Harold Jackson.

Against Carolina, Tony caught 8 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. The receptions brought his total to 857, passing Rod Smith and Irving Fryar for 11th best all-time.

The yardage put his total at 10,417, good for 25th all-time, passing all pro Harold Jackson. Jackson, who played from 1968-1983, and coached with various positions in college and the pros from 1985-2006, called to congratulate him and thank him for bringing a little attention to the career of the "Old timers" out there.

At 32 years old, Tony shows no signs of slowing down, averaging
7 receptions and 107 yards receiving through five games. Holder of virtually every record a tight end can get, who knows how many more times he'll make this list?

There were a few other marks that were tied this week, but only Tony got to move his name up the ranks.

[Aurabolt127]

Re: The Detroit Lions

detroit-lions-grey-weathered-wood_preview.jpg

Week Six Preview

The Lions, at 3-1, sit atop the NFC North in this still-young season; but feeling pretty good about themselves. Up next, another division battle against the suddenly-dangerous Minnesota Vikings.

Led by last week's NFC offensive player of the week Tarvaris Jackson, and last year's rookie of the year running back Adrian Peterson, the Vikings are a dangerous team. Jackson, in particular, had 256 yards passing and SIX total touchdowns, four passing and 2 rushing, in the Vikings last game.

Injuries, however, seem to be hitting the Vikings at the wrong time: as Adrian Peterson has a pulled hamstring and might miss this week's contest. (5-8 days), as well as receivers Sidney Rice is out for the season with an ACL tear and Bobby Wade has a lingering bruised hip injury; and defensive end Jared Allen has a multi-week injury. Regardless, the Vikings have some depth, and can't be overlooked.

As for the Lions, TE Sean McHugh's broken arm will require 4-6 weeks of healing time. I'm resisting the desire to bring in yet another tight end, and hope that the combination of FB David Kirtman and WR James Hardy can help fill the void at the 3rd TE spot for the time being. DE Jared DeVries still is sitting at a week or two more on the bench, and it's getting frustrating for Coach Billick.

Regarding, Coach Billick, his approval is now at 57, and the Owner Don Bored congratulated him for reaching a personal goal of his, a fast start to the season. As for the Lions themselves, they're just a couple days away from facing their division rivals, and the first calls from agents looking for new contracts for their clients are coming in.

K Jason Hanson must be feeling the heat, as his agent was the first to call. I'm not rushing into anything with him yet. He's 38 years old, and missed a kick in each of his last two games. His career mark of 81% and the fact he's been a Lion his whole career, going all the way back to 1992 means something, but I'm afraid he might be a little too expensive. I am going to table this for another week or two.

Backup Left Tackle Torrin Tucker's agent called, I'll call him back. DE Tyler Brayton's call, however I took. His agent wanted a modest 2 year deal, and Tyler's been a stout run defender and is still young, with a first round pedigree. At the last minute, we agreed on a 2 year deal for $1.98 million, a $250k bonus, and a couple incentives if he's a 16 game starter and has 50 tackles. Coach Billick was ecstatic with the signing.

I started negotiations with OLB Jarret Johnson as well. A former Raven, he's on the outside linebacker spot now, but a decision has to be made if he's better suited inside, a spot currently manned by Paris Lenon. Lenon, also in a contract year, came over from Green Bay in 2006, and has been a good MLB for the club; but Jarret knows the defense, knows Coach Billick - plus we have impressive rookie Angelo Craig learning the outside position. It might be a risk, but I'm tempted to plug Jarret into the MLB spot and allow Paris to seek a trade if he is so inclined. The question is: is Angelo the future and do we risk starting a rookie OLB?

Lastly, WR Byrant Johnson's agent called over with a deal I quickly signed: 2 years, $2.02 million dollars, with a $250k bonus and one incentive, another $250 if he's the starter for 16 games. Bryant's still young, so maybe he's hoping to establish himself and go after a bigger payday when he has more leverage. He's big, fast, and physical and has been great opposite Roy Williams; I'm glad he's going to be with us for at least the next couple seasons.

I also re-signed David Kirtman to a 3 year deal for $920k, no bonuses or incentives. He's a pretty valuable backup, helping Jerome Felton at fullback and eager to step in at tight end in a pinch when we lose a tight end - which seems to be every week!

That seems to be all the agents calling this week. I'm expecting our team to really ramp it up against a wounded foe, especially with potentially big paydays on the horizon for some of the players...

detroit_lions_2.jpg