SB Nation - Aveion Cason

Lions Re-Sign Chuck Darby, Release Marcus McCauley, and Shake Up Practice Squad

Sean Yuille — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:25:22 -0000

6 months ago: Detroit Lions defensive tackle Chuck Darby reaches for a football during the NFL team's minicamp Tuesday, June 23, 2009, in Allen Park, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Browse more photos »

The Lions no longer hold the top waiver priority in the league, so they have to start doing their homework to get a list of possible players that are worth signing should injuries pop up. To do that, they held a mass tryout today, bringing in a total of 11 players (including some familiar faces).

Per a league source, they were running back Aveion Cason, cornerback Travis Daniels, defensive tackle Chuck Darby, cornerback Demarcus Faggins, defensive back Isaiah Gardner, receiver Taurus Johnson, safety Stuart Schweigert, receiver Derek Stanley, running back Kenny Watson, cornerback DeAngelo Willingham, and cornerback DeAndre Wright.

The Lions ended up re-signing defensive tackle Chuck Darby and releasing cornerback Marcus McCauley. Darby was released during the final round of roster cuts, and McCauley was claimed a day later.

Tight end Carson Butler and wide receiver John Broussard, members of the practice squad, were also released. Taking their spots are wide receiver Taurus Johnson and cornerback DeAndre Wright.

Thursday Notes: Lions Sign Billy Cundiff as Camp Breaks

Sean Yuille — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:16:05 -0000

Training camp is now technically over. Players are no longer required to stay in a hotel, and there is no longer a curfew. Practice still continues on, but the players' living arrangements are a bit different now (if they choose to leave the hotel).
With Jason Hanson out until at least the start of the regular season and Swayze Waters suffering the effects of a tight hamstring, the Lions decided to sign kicker Billy Cundiff on Wednesday. (Waters was released to make room on the roster.) Cundiff began his career as a starter for the Cowboys and has been on a few teams since then. He hasn't played in an actual game since 2006, and I hope he doesn't get to end that drought in a Lions uniform. It's nothing against him, I just want Hanson to be healthy enough to return for the season opener.
Receiver Dane Looker did a great job of filling in at kicker the last couple of days. He made a kick from 48 yards out yesterday before missing a couple attempts from 53 yards away. Like I said once before on this site, kicking is a lot harder than it looks, so I have an immense amount of respect for what Looker did. Yes, he was a backup kicker in high school, but it's not easy to suddenly start kicking again. For me, I maxed out somewhere between 30-35 yards recently, so nailing one from 48 is a great feat.
Louis Delmas helped cause a brawl during yesterday's practice after he laid out Aveion Cason similar to the way he hit Aaron Brown last week. Jim Schwartz again made sure Delmas realized that in practice you don't need to be laying such big hits on teammates. While Delmas does need to be a bit more careful, I love his physicality.
Ernie Sims was out for the second straight day with an oblique muscle pull.
Anthony Henry was also again missing from practice.
Kevin Smith left practice after Jordon Dizon's knee collided with his thigh.
On the positive side, Calvin Johnson and Bryant Johnson will likely play on Saturday against Indianapolis. Brandon Pettigrew may play as well, but don't expect to see Dennis Northcutt.
Gunther Cunningham is "flat pissed off" with the defense's recent tackling.
Louis Delmas originally didn't answer the Lions when they called on draft day because he thought it was a college teammate since a 313 area code showed up on his caller ID.

Wednesday Notes: Lions Claim Orion Martin, Release Eric Fowler

Sean Yuille — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:18:20 -0000

Don't forget, individual tickets for Lions home games go on sale tomorrow morning.
The Lions claimed linebacker/defensive end Orion Martin on Tuesday. Martin was released by the Dolphins on Monday, and the Lions wasted little time in claiming him. With depth at linebacker getting a little thin thanks to Darnell Bing's injury, the Lions felt it was necessary to bring someone in to shore things up a bit. Martin is an undrafted rookie from Virginia Tech.
To make room on the roster for Martin, the Lions released Eric Fowler. With a trio of Lions receiver returning to practice earlier this week, it's not too surprising that Fowler was released. I would have rather seen Keary Colbert get released, but it's not like Fowler was doing anything special. I'm sure he will be back at some point anyways. It seems like he is always getting signed and released by the Lions.
Brandon Pettigrew was back in practice on Monday, though it was in a limited fashion. Regardless, it's good that he has returned. There is a chance he could play against Indianapolis, though I imagine things would have to go perfect for him the rest of this week for that to happen.
Anthony Henry missed the morning session of practice yesterday, and fellow cornerback Phillip Buchanon only participated in individual activities.
Aveion Cason missed practice again, as did Allen Ervin, who just stopped wearing his protective boot.
While the Lions did add a running back to the team earlier this week, they may not be done with that position just yet. If injuries continue to pile up, undrafted rookie Tyrell Fenroy, who visited the Lions on Monday, could join the team. Fenroy went to Louisiana-Lafayette and was briefly on the Bears following the draft.
Although receiver turned kicker Dane Looker didn't miss a single field goal during yesterday's practice, the Lions are going to host a few free agent kickers for a visit today. Everyone was impressed with what Looker did, but the Lions probably want him to stay focused on being a receiver. Plus, the Lions need to have a kicker ready to go just in case Jason Hanson isn't able to return when the regular season begins. Swayze Waters hasn't looked bad or anything, but Detroit has to make sure he isn't injured on a regular basis with Hanson's status in question. Considering that, a backup backup plan may be necessary.
Aaron Brown is spending time in practice working on his pass-blocking.
With T.J. Duckett becoming a free agent, there has been some talk about the Lions bringing him back. Duckett is a good player for short-yardage situations, but I'm happy with Jerome Felton.
As if Daniel Bullocks wasn't having a rough enough time as it is, news broke yesterday that he may have been a victim of a Ponzi scheme.
Former Lion Dick LeBeau is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2010 class.

Monday Notes: Lions Place Kenneth Harris on Waived/Injured List, Sign Tristan Davis

Sean Yuille — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:38:51 -0000

The Lions signed running back/returner Tristan Davis (undrafted rookie from Auburn) today and put wide receiver Kenneth Harris (undrafted rookie from Georgia) on the waived/injured list. Rather than add another receiver to the team to fill Harris' roster spot, the Lions likely opted for a running back because of injuries to Maurice Morris, Allen Ervin, and Aveion Cason. Ervin and Cason missed practice today, according to CBSSports.com's Rapid Reports.
Although the Lions lost Harris, who had missed the last week or so of practice, they got Calvin Johnson, Bryant Johnson, and Dennis Northcutt back today. All three are expected to play on Saturday, which is great news for the quarterback who ends up starting against Indianapolis.
Jason Hanson said his recovery from knee surgery is on schedule, though he admitted he really doesn't know what that schedule is. Martin Mayhew said the plan is for Hanson to be ready for the start of the regular season, but he didn't exactly make any promises that that would happen.
Mayhew wasn't surprised that Matthew Stafford struggled on Saturday because he is a rookie playing in his second NFL game.
When asked about whether the Lions could cut Daniel Bullocks in the future (after coming to a settlement), Mayhew didn't rule out the possibility of that happening, though he said they don't plan on releasing him right now.

(More after the jump)

When asked if the Lions have any interest in superhuman sprinter Usain Bolt, Jim Schwartz said no and explained that "nobody ever won the 100 meters with somebody standing in their lane." While that is very true, I'd love to see what Bolt can do on a football field. One thing that is certain is that he would be a better kick returner than Aveion Cason.
Shaun Smith supposedly yelled at Browns GM George Kokinis after Saturday's game.

"According to WKNR radio, former Browns defensive lineman Shaun Smith, now with the Lions, gave Browns General Manager George Kokinis an expletive-filled tongue lashing in the stadium hallway Saturday night. The station reported that Kokinis said nothing and walked away.
I understand that Smith is upset over how his stay in Cleveland ended, but it's really not necessary to seek out your former team's general manager and swear at him. That just is really unprofessional and sort of embarrassing for the Lions. Speaking of embarrassing...
As many of you know, Dewayne White and Carson Butler got into a fight during warm-ups on Saturday night. After Butler scored on a pass from Drew Stanton, one of the TV announcers said that White congratulated him. That couldn't be farther from the truth, however. White explained after the game that he didn't congratulate Butler and that this feud is far from over.

"No," White said. "I don't kiss and make up. What's wrong with you? We'll probably have to go at it one more time -- when we're not playing a game in a few minutes. Next week sometime."

White sort of laughed as he said that. Then he grew more serious when asked if the two were not done yet.

"We might go at it," White said. "I'm not saying that we are. But it's going to be bad blood between us, yeah."

Butler has a history of fighting, as he and a teammate beat up a fellow Michigan student on St. Patrick's Day a couple years ago. It was bad enough that the victim had to suffer the effects of getting beat up, but it turned out he wasn't even the person they were after. That's right, they beat up the wrong person. Both Butler and the teammate eventually got kicked off the team, but Butler was allowed back the next summer. Last year against Notre Dame, Butler punched an opposing player and got ejected, landing him in Rich Rodriguez's doghouse. If I were Butler, I would be on my best behavior considering he is fighting (no pun intended) for a roster spot.
While White played especially well in the second half of the Browns game, don't get too excited. Why? Well, he was lining up against George Foster.
I shared my thoughts on what the NFL's Twitter policy should be for WashingtonPost.com's The League.

Thursday Notes: Inconsistency Highlights 7-on-7 Drill

Sean Yuille — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:32:15 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

4 months ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws during at NFL football training camp in Allen Park, Mich., Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Browse more photos »

Louis Delmas missed practice again today and is officially day-to-day with a knee injury.
Grady Jackson missed the morning session of practice yesterday, but it wasn't because he was injured. Jackson and Ephraim Salaam both only participated in one practice, as the Lions want to slowly ease them into camp, especially Jackson since he had only practiced once since signing with Detroit.
Jordon Dizon and John Standeford missed the afternoon session of practices yesterday due to injury.
Jared DeVries missed the afternoon session on Wednesday as well, though he was out because of personal reasons.
After struggling in the 7-on-7 drill yesterday, the Lions' quarterbacks performed better today.
Drew Stanton's unit was the only one to score in Wednesday's two-minute drill.
Matthew Stafford threw a no-look pass to Calvin Johnson on Tuesday.
The battle for the third running back spot on the roster will likely be between Aveion Cason and Aaron Brown. Both are also returners and are very similar players in general. Brown has age working for him, as he is younger and hasn't had a chance to prove himself. Cason, on the other hand, has the obvious edge in experience. One area where Brown clearly has Cason beat is speed, so we will have to see how big of a factor that plays when the final round of roster cuts arrives.

(More after the jump)

Philip Zaroo of the Highlight Reel has a recap of how the offense and defense performed during practice yesterday. Also in the defense post is a funny moment with offensive tackle Ephraim Salaam.
Jerome Felton has been getting some carries out of a 2-fullback set that features him and Terrelle Smith.
Gunther Cunningham really likes the Detroit area and its people.
Rich Gannon thinks Matthew Stafford will be the Lions' starter when the season opens.
Ernie Accorsi was invited to practice by Jim Schwartz.
With this whole Twitter-fad going on right now, some teams, including the Lions, have prohibited the media from Tweeting while watching practice. What's funny is that any fan with a cell phone can do just that, yet the media aren't allowed to. Something just doesn't make sense about that policy.
Michael Crabtree is threatening to sit out the 2009 season and re-enter the draft in 2010.

Monday Notes: Brandon Pettigrew Injures Quadriceps

Sean Yuille — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:12:16 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

4 months ago: Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew, right, hauls in a pass in front of cornerback Phillip Buchanon during NFL football training camp Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, in Allen Park, Mich. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Browse more photos »

Brandon Pettigrew suffered a quadriceps injury and left the afternoon session of practice yesterday. The injury doesn't sound too serious, though, so hopefully he will be back soon.
Casey FitzSimmons also suffered an injury, one that appeared to be bad at the time. He apparently was on the ground grabbing his knee, but he returned to practice and later said, "Just one of those bumps and bruises you get in training camp."
Ephraim Salaam didn't practice in the afternoon. He was given the session off, though, which is likely because he isn't one of the younger guys out there. Adam Jennings missed the morning session (he was excused) but returned in the afternoon.
None of the Lions' three quarterbacks were able to lead the offense to a touchdown in the two-minute drill. If Keary Colbert wouldn't have dropped a pass, Stafford's unit would have scored, so it wasn't completely bad. (Colbert did push-ups as a punishment for dropping the pass.)
According to Tom Kowalski, a couple "minor skirmishes" happened on Sunday. One was between John Standeford and Eric King and the other involved Damion Cook and Landon Cohen.
Aaron Brown, Aveion Cason, and Derrick Williams are currently the Lions' kick returners.
The defensive line seems to be having its way with the offensive line. Look at that however you want, but either the D-line has suddenly gotten a lot better or the O-line is really struggling.
Calvin Johnson likes what he sees in Matthew Stafford. I'm sure Stafford feels the same way about Calvin.
The team's first day of practice in full pads is tomorrow.

(More after the jump)

Martin Mayhew is a huge fan of Kevin Smith.
Tom Kowalski relayed a funny encounter Louis Delmas had with a Central Michigan fan after practice. As usual, players went over to the crowd to sign autographs, and one person presented a CMU hat for Delmas to sign. Delmas, as you probably know, is from Western Michigan, and this was his reaction to seeing the hat:

"Oh, hell no,'' Delmas said of signing the hat. "The guy was actually laughing about it. I think he was testing me.''
Delmas signed something else the guy had, so it seems like it was a joke. I'm sure if gave Drew Stanton a Michigan hat to sign, his reaction would be similar or even worse.
Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey attended practice on Sunday.
Referees Ron Winter, Mike Spanier, and Scott Helverson are going to be at practice from August 6-8 to get themselves ready for the preseason as well as help the Lions see any penalties they may be committing.
The FanHouse has video of Matthew Stafford answering questions at the ESPYs.
Travis Fisher has signed with the Seahawks.

Lions Sign Cody Spencer, Re-Sign Aveion Cason

Sean Yuille — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:23:05 -0000

Continuing to add depth to the roster, the Lions signed linebacker Cody Spencer and re-signed running back Aveion Cason today. Both deals are for one year.

Spencer played under Jim Schwartz in Tennessee during the first two years of his career before landing with the Jets for the previous three. He is a reserve linebacker as well as a solid special teams player. Cason is very similar. He has been on and off the Lions roster quite a few times over the years and is back for another year as a reserve running back and in all likelihood a special teams player as well.

Cody Spencer

Linebacker / Detroit Lions

Height: 6-2

Weight: 245

Born: Jun 01, 1981

College: North Texas

Aveion Cason

#36 / Running Back / Detroit Lions

Height: 5-10

Weight: 204

Born: Jul 12, 1979

College: Illinois State

Lions Release Six Players, Announce UFAs

Sean Yuille — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:32:15 -0000

The Lions have announced that six players were released today, including the four that were already reported. Here is the full list:

WR Mike Furrey
TE Dan Campbell
OT Jon Dunn
OG Edwin Mulitalo
CB Leigh Bodden
S Dwight Smith

Along with that announcement, the Lions also confirmed that eighteen players will become unrestricted free agents on February 27:

QB Dan Orlovsky
RB Aveion Cason
RB Rudi Johnson
FB Moran Norris
WR Keary Colbert
WR Shaun McDonald
TE John Owens
OT Damion Cook
OT George Foster
OG Stephen Peterman
OG Andy McCollum
DE Corey Smith
DT Shaun Cody
DT Langston Moore
LB Paris Lenon
LB Ryan Nece
CB Stanley Wilson
K Jason Hanson

Saints @ Lions: Offensive Scouting Report

Saintsational — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:00:08 -0000

Season Stats

	Detroit	Opponent
Total First Downs	200	298
Rushing	60	126
Passing	122	158
Penalty	18	14
3rd Down: Made/Att	49/176	73/172
3rd Down Pct.	27.8%	42.4%
4th Down: Made/Att	6/14	6/8
4th Down Pct.	42.9%	75.0%
Possession Avg.	26:53	33:07
Total Net Yards	3721	5454
Avg. Per Game	265.8	389.6
Total Plays	786	877
Avg. Per Play	4.7	6.2
Net Yards Rushing	1107	2362
Avg. Per Game	79.1	168.7
Total Rushes	296	479
Net Yards Passing	2614	3092
Avg. Per Game	186.7	220.9
Sacked/Yards Lost	49/323	26/156
Gross Yards	2937	3248
Attempts/Completions	441/248	372/252
Completion Pct.	56.2%	67.7%
Had Intercepted	15	4
Punts/Average	79/44.3	56/43.9
Net Punting Avg.	38.2	38.4
Penalties/Yards	77/634	82/681
Fumbles/Ball Lost	30/10	26/14
Touchdowns	25	53
Rushing	8	26
Passing	16	20
Returns	1	7

Offensive Rankings

Team	Yds / Game	Yds / Play	Rush Yards / Game	Rush Yards / Play	Pass Yards / Game	Pass Yards / Play	Int. Rate	Sacks / Pass Att.	First Downs / Game	Punt Return Avg	Kickoff Return Avg	Field Goals Made	3rd Down Pct	4th Down Pct	Red Zone Pct	Goal to Go%	Avg Time of Poss.	Pts. / Game
DET	265.8	4.73	79.1	3.74	186.7	5.93	3.40%	11.11%	14.3	8.0	21.9	95.45%	27.84%	42.86%	57.69%	80.00%	26:53	17.1
Rank	29	27	31	28	24	25	26	31	31	26	26	2	31	24t	9	5	31	27

Rushing Offense

Left End

Left Tackle

Left Guard

Up the Middle

Right Guard

Right Tackle

Right End

Plays: 36

Plays: 60

Plays: 14

Plays: 79

Plays: 9

Plays: 55

Plays: 38

NFL Rank: 24

NFL Rank: 9

NFL Rank: 30

NFL Rank: 25

NFL Rank: 32

NFL Rank: 11

NFL Rank: 20

Avg Gain: 2.33

Avg Gain: 5.27

Avg Gain: 2.79

Avg Gain: 3.65

Avg Gain: 3.89

Avg Gain: 3.56

Avg Gain: 5.08

NFL Rank: 32

NFL Rank: 4

NFL Rank: 30

NFL Rank: 23

NFL Rank: 14

NFL Rank: 24

NFL Rank: 13

Passing Offense

Short Left	Short Middle	Short Right	Deep Left	Deep Middle	Deep Right




















Plays: 135	Plays: 58	Plays: 154	Plays: 34	Plays: 23	Plays: 36
NFL Rank: 12	NFL Rank: 29	NFL Rank: 16	NFL Rank: 8	NFL Rank: 14	NFL Rank: 7
Avg Gain: 5.86	Avg Gain: 6.62	Avg Gain: 4.96	Avg Gain: 9.44	Avg Gain: 7.52	Avg Gain: 14.44
NFL Rank: 19	NFL Rank: 17	NFL Rank: 25	NFL Rank: 23	NFL Rank: 28	NFL Rank: 6

Individual Stats

Passing	Att	Cmp	Yds	Cmp%	Yds/Att	TD	TD%	Int	Int%	Long	Sack	Lost	Rating
D.Orlovsky	190	111	1266	58.4%	6.7	6	3.2%	4	2.1%	96t	12/	81	80.3
D.Culpepper	115	60	786	52.2%	6.8	4	3.5%	6	5.2%	70t	14/	95	63.9
J.Kitna	120	68	758	56.7%	6.3	5	4.2%	5	4.2%	47t	15/	89	72.1
D.Stanton	14	8	107	57.1%	7.6	1	7.1%	0	0.0%	41	5/	33	105.4
D.Henson	2	1	20	50.0%	10.0	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	20	3/	25	85.4

Rushing	No.	Yds	Avg	Long	TD
K.Smith	186	773	4.2	50	6
R.Johnson	76	237	3.1	27	1
J.Kitna	6	34	5.7	10	0
D.Orlovsky	7	29	4.1	10	0
D.Culpepper	12	25	2.1	9	1
A.Cason	3	5	1.7	4	0

Receiving	No.	Yds	Avg	Long	TD
C.Johnson	65	1165	17.9	96t	10
K.Smith	36	279	7.8	27	0
S.McDonald	35	332	9.5	26	1
M.Gaines	23	260	11.3	33	1
M.Furrey	18	181	10.1	25	0
R.Williams	17	232	13.6	25	1
R.Johnson	12	88	7.3	34t	1
C.Fitzsimmons	11	78	7.1	16	1

Wednesday Notes: Lions Re-Sign Cason, Release Middleton

Sean Yuille — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:14:22 -0000

The Lions released wide receiver Brandon Middleton and re-signed Aveion Cason on Tuesday. Wide receiver John Standeford was also re-signed after fullback Darian Barnes was released. Barnes was on the roster for depth purposes while Jerome Felton was injured. Now that Felton is healthy again, Barnes was no longer needed.
Apparently the Jaguars were making jokes about the Lions during Sunday's game. Kevin Smith tried to defend his team by saying that Jacksonville also sucks, but the Jaguars simply came back by saying, "Well, not as bad as (you)." Smith then agreed with whoever said that since no one sucks as bad as the Lions.
Some Lions players aren't acting like they are on an 0-9 team.
Rod Marinelli shared an interesting metaphor at his press conference earlier this week.

“You’re in this dark tunnel and you’ve got no way out,” he said. “You’re waiting for light, and you see that light, what do you do? What do you do? You start digging and getting out. … I’ve always believed you stay in the tunnel and you keep digging when you expect no light.

“You have the same faith when you expect no light. You have the same belief in what you’re doing when you expect no light. … It’s dark and I’m going to dig through. My shovel is sharp and my pick is sharp and my will is outstanding.”
I was following what Rod was saying initially, but why would you dig your way out of a tunnel? If it's dark and you suddenly see a light, wouldn't you go to it? And if there was something to dig out of, how was the light showing through in the first place? I'm so confused.
Pro Football Talk has the details on how Daunte Culpepper can get his $1 million incentive. He has to participate in 5% of the Lions' offensive plays before anything else, and then he can become eligible to make the incentive.
Speaking of Culpepper, he reportedly weighed 280 pounds at his physical with the Lions.
How desperate were the injury-riddled Denver Broncos for a healthy running back? Well, they signed Tatum Bell on Wednesday. I never thought Bell would play in the NFL again after allegedly stealing Rudi Johnson's bags, but then again, Denver is where he played before he was traded to the Lions in 2007.
The Steelers signed former Lions cornerback Fernando Bryant on Monday.
I was a guest on the Pigskin Podcast last Friday. You can listen to my interview here.