Lions News

"Drew Stanton becomes Rod Marinelli’s free pass. There’s only one instance where yet another regular-season calamity keeps Marinelli’s — and, yes, believe or not, Matt Millen’s — hide off the hot seat for yet another disastrous regular season. And that’s a commitment to Stanton as the Lions’ new starting quarterback at some point next season. They’re rebuilding this season."

"“This is one of the big reasons, I explained to them, why we had such a great start last year, is our off-season participation,” Marinelli said. “You have a chance to work on all the little things. Their energy and all that is really good, and I think they see that. Now it’s just solid work. It’s just really good, solid work. But it’s a team thing. Just keep developing all three units.”"

"Foxsports.com presented a list of the 10 worst franchises in professional sports, and Lions fans won't be surprised to learn their team checked in at No. 5. The list identified only the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays as being more perennially hopeless than Detroit's NFL team. "

"The Lions have fewer injury concerns than a year ago and could open camp in July with all their veterans available. Tight end Dan Campbell (right elbow, third surgery) is the biggest question mark. He expects to be ready for camp, but coach Rod Marinelli will monitor his progress carefully. Campbell played in two games last season before going on injured reserve. He is participating in the offseason conditioning program but is not doing any drills."

"Lions wide receiver Roy Williams talked with reporters after practice Wednesday. He touched on the trade rumors that swirled around him earlier this off-season, whether he wants to play in Dallas someday, his contract situation and the Lions' new approach on offense."

"They were just the Lions' first couple of off-season practices. But to Drew Stanton, they were a big deal. He's back on the field again, competing with quarterback Jon Kitna and company. "I haven't done anything in a whole year," Stanton said Wednesday. "I was joking with Jon yesterday. I said, 'I haven't put a helmet on since last August,' and it felt awkward. I'm excited to get out here and just kind of learn now.""

"For the first time in almost a year, Dan Orlovsky is running the Lions' offense in practice. That seems like a strange circumstance for a backup quarterback, but it indicates how deep Orlovsky was buried in the depth chart. As the third-string quarterback the last two years, Orlovsky ran the opposing team's offense against the defense during practices. The Lions offense was run by starter Jon Kitna and backup J.T. O'Sullivan. Orlovsky's situation was made even bleaker last year when he suffered an ankle injury in the second exhibition. He never ran another play with the offense. "

"Jon Kitna is used to change and usually adapts well. This season will involve more shifts, as the Lions quarterback works under new offensive coordinator Jim Colletto and new position coach Scot Loeffler. But, with Kitna, some things never change -- like his confidence in the upcoming season. Just as he did last off-season -- and again earlier this year -- Kitna said Tuesday that the Lions should not accept less than 10 wins. The team went 7-9 in 2007."

"Jon Kitna is as firm as ever in his expectation that he will be the Detroit Lions' starting quarterback this season -- and that anything less than making the playoffs will be a disappointment...Kitna repeated his spring statement of last year and this year that anything less than 10 wins will be a disappointment. "Our expectation is, we will be disappointed if we don't win 10 games because that will mean we are not in the playoffs," Kitna said. "I can't make it any simpler than that. Anybody who says that's not their expectation level is unfortunately not very much of a competitor." "

"As the cast around him continues to evolve, Jon Kitna maintains the same level of expectation for the Lions and his role as the starting quarterback. The prospect of having competition for his job doesn't rattle Kitna, and he doesn't back down from his statements of what will qualify as a successful season. If there is competition from Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton in training camp, as offensive coordinator Jim Colletto has suggested, Kitna won't flinch. "

"Coach Rod Marinelli wants the Lions to put on a show in the running game this season. Rehearsals start today with their first off-season practice. "I think so much of it is an attitude up front," Marinelli said, "when these guys come off the ball together like a chorus line and hit it full speed." The Lions will have 14 voluntary off-season practices, also known as organized team activities. They also will have a three-day mandatory minicamp."

"The Detroit Lions' three-day minicamp concluded Sunday and coach Rod Marinelli still doesn't know if any of his young players will be valuable contributors this season. That's OK, because that's not what he was really looking for. It won't be until training camp and the preseason games, when the players are in full pads and full competition, that Marinelli will get a better evaluation of Detroit's new players. The purpose of the minicamp was to let the young players know what to expect in the NFL. "

"Wide receiver Shaun McDonald had knee surgery after the season and has been rehabbing in Arizona while the Lions have been going through their off-season conditioning program. Marinelli said McDonald should be in Detroit this week. The Lions begin their off-season practices Tuesday. "When he comes in, hopefully we'll have a chance to recheck him," Marinelli said. ..."

"The Lions should just shut up when it comes to Mike Martz. Let the doomed experiment die and move on. But the Lions cannot do that because when protecting the incompetent it’s imperative to offer the gullible a public scapegoat that can serve as a dumping ground for all the previous mistakes. Matt Millen told yahoo.com last week that although Martz was a good coach, he needed to be controlled more during games. Well, duh! Didn’t you know that before you hired him, Matt?"

"The first time it happened, Cliff Avril's heart pounded. Here he was at the Lions' rookie minicamp Friday, just five days after being drafted in the third round, and here came coach Rod Marinelli to work with him, one-on-one, while more than 50 other players went through drills in groups. "I knew he was a D-line guy," Avril said. "I knew he'd be down there. But I didn't know he actually pulled guys aside and ran drills. It was kind of nerve-racking having the head man telling you what to do, but it's all good.""

"Jordon Dizon left the Lions' rookie camp a day early. School bells were ringing, calling him back to the University of Colorado to take final exams on Sunday. Dizon already had made enough of an impression on the coaches in two days of practice to show that he will compete for a starting job at middle linebacker. Practices were in shorts and helmets without pads, but Dizon's quickness and instinct stood out. "He's very aware and very instinctive," Lions coach Rod Marinelli said after Sunday's practice."

"Safety Kalvin Pearson has rejoined the Lions' off-season program after his arrest for allegedly assaulting a woman pregnant with his child. He watched from the sidelines Friday during rookie minicamp."

"He also wrote he is to football what Denzel Washington is to the movie business. Is he really? "In college football? This year?" Smith said. "Yeah." Smith did rush for 2,567 yards at Central Florida -- 61 yards short of the record Lions great Barry Sanders set at Oklahoma State in 1988. He did score 29 touchdowns. But what about pro football? "I've got a lot to prove," Smith said. "To me, my mind-set, I proved what I could do in college. I come from Conference USA. I dominated Conference USA every year I played. Now I'm on a different level with good players."

"The Lions should just shut up when it comes to Mike Martz. Let the doomed experiment die and move on. But the Lions cannot do that because when protecting the incompetent it’s imperative to offer the gullible a public scapegoat that can serve as a dumping ground for all the previous mistakes."

"Safety Kalvin Pearson has returned to the Lions offseason workout program after being charged and released from a Tampa jail in a domestic violence incident last weekend. Pearson was released on $50,000 bond. He was booked on two felony and one misdemeanor charges -- aggravated battery of a pregnant female, domestic battery by strangulation and obstructing or opposing an officer without violence. "

"The Lions might never get another running back in the same class as Barry Sanders, but Kevin Smith shares one quality with the Hall of Famer: Smith doesn't celebrate after scoring touchdowns. "I hand the ball to the ref," Smith said after a morning practice at rookie mini-camp Friday. "Maybe when I become a veteran, I'll come up with a dance, but for now, I'll keep it close. "

"The Lions have increased competition at running back by bringing back Artose Pinner on a one-year deal... Pinner was drafted by the Lions in the fourth round in 2003. He was cut in 2006 and went to Minnesota. He played for Atlanta last year."

"The Detroit Lions have signed free-agent running back Artose Pinner, a player they drafted in 2003 and was out of football in 2007."

"Coach Rod Marinelli will see his rookies in uniform for the first time at a three-day mini-camp starting today. There will be two practices today and Saturday and one workout Sunday morning. The practices will not be in pads. They are closed to the public. "

"Yeah, it’s kind of strange. I can see how some people say I’m ‘undersized’. I can understand that. The one thing I’ve never understood about this whole process, was a lot of people said, a lot of flak I saw, said I had questionable lower body strength. You know, I’m up their in the record books at Florida State in terms of squats and stuff like that. That’s the only thing I was like ‘have they ever seen me work out? Have they ever seen me in the gym?’"

"He’s not a Marinelli guy and he won’t be that. I didn’t read what you read, so I don’t have any idea what that is. I just know what we looked at on tape is that this kid is an intense kid, this kid has athleticism from both sides, this is a guy who comes off the ball and has a nice mean streak. He fits what we want to try and get done with the running game. We feel it’s a good fit for us and he’ll be a very good pick."

"Caleb Campbell will graduate from the U.S. Military Academy on May 31. He will be an officer in the Army on active duty."

"It took a day or so, but Caleb Campbell's feet are firmly back on the ground. That's to be expected of an Army man. "

"It was not until he was a sophomore on the Army football team that Caleb Campbell learned his job after graduation might be something other than as a platoon leader, guiding 32 soldiers in Iraq or in Kuwait."

"Lions safety Kalvin Pearson was released from a Tampa jail on $50,000 bond Sunday afternoon. Pearson was arrested Saturday morning on felony charges of aggravated battery on a pregnant woman and domestic battery by strangulation, plus a misdemeanor count of resisting an officer without violence."

"What are the chances off the Cowboys getting Roy Williams, Chad Johnson or Anquan Boldin in a trade?"

"The Lions didn't just go back to the drawing board after stumbling to their seventh consecutive losing season. They went back to school. So says NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., who wrapped up his 25th year of draft duty for the cable network and his 30th year overall in assessing what sadly has become the biggest -- and often most disappointing -- day of the year for Lions fans. "

"Various experts gave their two cents on how they thought the Detroit Lions drafted this past weekend. Here's some of the highlights about the team's first-round pick Gosder Cherilus..."

"Their first-round pick was offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus of Boston College. On the second round, they took middle linebacker Jordon Dizon of Colorado. There were three third-round picks -- running back Kevin Smith of Central Florida, defensive tackle Andre Fluellen of Florida State and defensive end Cliff Avril of Purdue. "

"Gosder Cherilus celebrated his first-round selection with family at home Saturday."

"Two Lions draft picks -- defensive end Cliff Avril and offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus -- scuffled during a one-on-one pass rush drill at the Senior Bowl."

"Campbell heard chants of "USA, USA, USA" in Radio City Music Hall when the Lions drafted him on the seventh round Sunday. Campbell, a safety and linebacker at Army, hopes to be playing for the Lions in the fall, but many people think he will be representing his country. "

"In full cadet uniform, Army's Caleb Campbell sat upright in one of Radio City Music Hall's plush seats. On his head was a Detroit Lions ballcap."

"It's official. The Lions are rebuilding -- again. This draft reflects that. Suggesting anything otherwise is a con job."

"So the Lions traded the 15th overall pick in the NFL draft to Kansas City, moved down to No. 17 and took Boston College offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus over the likes of Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall and Pittsburgh offensive tackle Jeff Otah."

"The Detroit Lions went for offense first and defense second on Saturday with their first two picks in the NFL draft. The Lions were thwarted in their attempt to help the defense in the first round and switched to offense, taking tackle Gosder Cherilus with the 17th pick overall. "

"Gosder Cherilus first set foot in this country from Haiti at age 14 and the sizable teen first strapped on a football helmet as a sophomore at Somerville High."

"Gosder Cherilus. That’s the pick. Gosder Cherilus. Yep. An offensive lineman with a name more suited to a horror film (the old guy in the haunted house?) has filled the spot that has been fretted over, agonized over and argued over for months."

"Let me just say up front that I love the name Gosder Cherilus. I have no idea whether he can play. But what a name."

"You can bet there weren't any Gosder Cherilus jerseys being feverishly produced at some factory after the Lions picked him with the 17th overall pick in the NFL draft on Saturday. Cherilus, an offensive tackle from Boston College, is an unknown."

"Good trade by Matt. For the price of two spots in the order of the first round, he obtained two extra picks for a team that desperately must change its fortunes. And then again, Millen and the Lions were on the clock. Well sort of. "

"It makes no sense that Roy Williams is still a Lion. Even though he’s arguably their most productive player, his greatest value to a team that’s rebuilding once again is moving him to accrue at minimum another first round draft choice Saturday essential for establishing a true championship infrastructure along the interior line."

"Lions safety Kalvin Pearson is being held without bond in a Florida jail after an alleged incident of domestic violence this morning, according to an arrest report by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office."

"When it comes to the NFL draft, a man who admits he is lying is considered honest. Everybody lies. It's part of the entertainment. And everybody dodges questions, too. If you pin Matt Millen down (and let's face it, you have wanted to do that for years) he might admit that he will use his first-round pick on a football player -- though given the Lions' recent history, that might be a lie, too."

"It won't be surprising if a similar situation plays out with the 15th overall pick Saturday. The Lions could have a lot of options and select another Ernie Sims -- Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo. The weak side is set with Sims. But the Lions have an immediate need at another critical Tampa Two spot, middle linebacker, as they try to fix a defense that ranked last in the NFL in average yards and points allowed last season. They're looking for someone smart enough to make the calls, while athletic enough to cover the deep middle."