SB Nation - Dominic Raiola

Friday Notes: Lions Place Copeland Bryan on IR, Sign Vinny Ciurciu

Sean Yuille — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:54:25 -0000

Defensive end Copeland Bryan was placed on injured reserve yesterday. An MCL sprain he suffered against the Packers is the reason behind his season coming to an end. The Lions replaced Bryan on the roster with free agent linebacker Vinny Ciurciu, who has been on a variety of teams over the years, including the Panthers, Buccaneers, Vikings, and Patriots. Ciurciu actually practiced at fullback on Thursday, showing that he is a very versatile player. His biggest impact will likely be on special teams rather than at linebacker, but the Lions obviously feel that he could also help out with depth at fullback.
The Lions filled the vacancy on their practice squad (Lydon Murtha was signed by the Dolphins, as you probably already know) by signing defensive tackle Joe Cohen.
Matthew Stafford threw some passes on the sideline during Thursday's practice, but he didn't actually get on the field with the rest of the team.
The Lions were still so injured earlier this week that Jim Schwartz had to change a practice to a walkthrough.
Schwartz said that the Lions would be comfortable with DeAndre Levy being a starter.
Anthony Henry could still be moved to safety.
Some Lions players are going back to their colleges for the bye week and others are simply going home. Kevin Smith is actually going to New York City, but he said the Rams will still be on his mind even though the game isn't until next week.
Orien Harris, who was released by the Lions earlier this season, has signed with the Bengals.
The Highlight Reel's Philip Zaroo snapped a couple funny pictures during a Lions practice. The first is of Tom Lewand and Jim Schwartz, who both have a priceless expression on their face. The second is of Dominic Raiola doing what he does best: flipping people off.

Ending The Bye Week Blues

Mitchell_M — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:32:36 -0000

It's been a rough fortnight for me, Packer fans. Not only did Green Bay lose round one of FavreFest 2009 (while watching Jared Allen and his lame-unless-he-was-on-your-team stirring sack celebration), but they headed into the bye week at 2-2, re-signed an old favorite who may or may not be ready to play, and draw a feisty Detroit Lions team that looks like it's charging back towards middle-of-the-pack status.

So there's that whole deal. Combine that with the fact that the Milwaukee Bucks are wrapping up their preseason (and Brandon Jennings looks even less ready than we thought he would), the World Series is shaping up to be a showdown between the Dodgers and Yankees (after yet another disappointing Brewers campaign), and hockey is less important to me than the price of high heels in Sri Lanka, and you can see that it's a tough time for a Wisconsin-native sports fan. Even my fantasy teams are imploding (1-4 and 2-3 in the leagues that matter).

It's tough to lose your last game before a bye week. It gives you an awful taste in your mouth about your chances afterwards. But then I remember that the Packers are playing the Lions at Lambeau this week. That makes me feel slightly better.

DET rushing vs. GB defense: Every time I think of the Detroit running backs, I think of Kevin Smith, and every time I think of Kevin Smith, I think of Clerks 2, and every time I think of Clerks 2, I think of the scene where Randal and Elias debate which trilogy was better: Lord of the Rings or Star Wars (definitely NSFW). Specifically, I think of the part where Randal reenacts the LOTR movies by simply...walking.

That scene is oddly parallel to the story of Detroit's run game. Detroit's top 4 running backs (Smith, Maurice Morris, Aaron Brown, and Jerome Felton) are averaging less than 3.6 yards per carry. Not that we're used to dominant running performances around these parts, but Kevin Smith and his 3.1 average (287 yards on 94 carries) does not strike fear into opposing defenses.

It's not even that Kevin Smith is a below-average running back. He has good size (6'1", 217), and excellent speed and agility. He regularly breaks off 10+ yard runs, and is even a decent pass catcher (19 receptions for 143 yards). But his line is giving him no help.

Jeff Backus (6'5", 305) and Gosder Cherilus (6'7", 325) are capable bookends (especially Cherilus, who is a nasty run blocker), but the interior linemen, Daniel Loper (6'6", 320), Dominic Raiola (6'1", 295), and Stephen Peterman (6'4", 323) simply aren't able to move defenders and open running lanes. Smith is the type of running back that needs space to gain momentum and use his second gear, but he can't get started because he's constantly running into brick walls.

Green Bay has fared well this season against opposing running backs. Besides Cedric Benson (who has looked every bit like the player Chicago wanted him to be, including breaking Baltimore's streak of 39 games without allowing 100+ rushing yards to a single player), the Packers have effectively bottled up opposing running backs. As a team, Green Bay is only allowing 3.5 yards per attempt, in no small part because of the "Big Okie" formation that puts 5 linebackers on the field, allowing effective pursuit to the ball, stringing plays out to the sideline, and cutting off gaps. Brandon Chillar is a surprise tackling leader this season (26 on the year), but 7 other players in the front seven have at least 11 tackles.

Advantage: Green Bay. As a team, the Packers do an excellent job of closing running lanes, while Detroit does not do a good enough job at opening them up.

DET passing vs. GB defense: When I was a kid, 'Transformers' was awesome. When Michael Bay tried to turn it into a summer flick, it made me want to further repress my childhood so that I'd have no memory of ever enjoying the battle of Autobots vs. Decepticons. But there's still one guy that makes me glad to have watched that cartoon: Calvin "Megatron" Johnson.

Whoa, nelly. Megatron is a beast. I know I gushed about him last year, but I don't care. The 6'5", 236 lb. Georgia Tech product managed to put up 1331 yards and 12 touchdowns on the putrid 2008 Lions squad. He is big, fast, strong, has great hands, and can make any catch at any time. He has been limited in the last two weeks because of injury, but coach Jim Schwartz says that it isn't serious and he is currently listed as probable.

After Johnson is where the problems start. Bryant Johnson is a first round pick who never lived up to his promise. Dennis Northcutt is a Jacksonville castoff, which is saying something. Derrick Williams has some promise, but is buried on the depth chart. Yamon Figurs is a recent addition, but will likely focus on return duties. Will Heller is a career backup at TE, and first-rounder Brandon Pettigrew was injured in training camp and is still trying to figure out his role.

Behind center, Detroit went all-in on Matthew Stafford, which I thought was a terrible decision back in April. Stafford hasn't looked awful, but he certainly hasn't outplayed fellow rookie Mark Sanchez (who is on a much better team). Stafford has a big arm (894 yards, 3 TDs), but merely average accuracy (56.8% completion) and questionable decision-making (6 INTs, 65.6 QB rating). Basically, I didn't think that Detroit should have spent first-overall money on a guy who may or may not work out at the pro level, but the jury is still out on him.

Ever since dislocating his kneecap against Chicago, however, the Matthew Stafford debate is moot for the time-being. With Stafford likely sidelined another week, Daunte Culpepper takes the reigns again. And you know what that means:

I've got these tiny hands...

While we remember his time with Minnesota in the earlier parts of the 2000's, Culpepper has never been the same since his 2006 knee injury. He's bounced around a bit before settling in Detroit as a stop-gap QB, but he's still a capable passer. He still has a big arm, decent accuracy, and can run a huddle effectively. As weird as it seems, one of Daunte Culpepper's biggest weaknesses is the size of his hands. For a few years, Culpepper was averaging over a fumble per game. He has compensated for his tiny mitts by employing an unconventional throwing motion, but when he tries to run or gets hit in the pocket, he is prone to losing control of the ball.

And Culpepper has been hit a lot lately. Seven sacks against the Steelers is downright Rodgers-esque. Even before that, though, the Lions gave up 10 sacks in 4 games, giving them 17 total for the season. The Lions simply cannot protect their quarterback, something we know all about. Backus is a decent blind-side protector, and Raiola has been around long enough to make good adjustments on the line, but Cherilus is still too raw, the interior linemen are too weak, and the backs do not block well.

Green Bay's 3-4 defense was supposed to be the kind that got after the quarterback and forced turnovers. While the +7 ratio fulfills the second part, the sacks simply haven't been there. Through four games, the Packers have five sacks. Two came against Jay Cutler, and two against Marc Bulger. Brett Favre and his porous offensive line wasn't even touched on Monday night.

The decision to change Aaron Kampman into a pass-rushing OLB was a head-scratcher during the offseason, and it's become downright dumbfounding in October. On the play where Favre had over 7 seconds to find a receiver, Kampman wasn't shut down by a Vikings lineman. He was in zone coverage, someplace he has been found all too often. Dom Capers' blitz-happy defense took a turn for the conservative when Atari Bigby went down in Week 1, so his return is much anticipated. The lack of pass rush has severely hampered the production of the defensive backfield. Charles Woodson, Nick Collins, Al Harris, and Tramon Williams are still ball-hawks. As long as they get opportunities from the front seven, they will break up more than a few passes.

Advantage: Push. While Green Bay has the clear advantage on paper, I want to see more results before I declare them to have any sort of edge.

GB rushing vs. DET defense: Detroit's run defense was one of the many weak points in 2008. Thus far in 2009, it hasn't been fixed. The Lions give up 4.9 yards per attempt on the ground. That includes performances of 142 yards by Mike Bell, 92 yards by Adrian Peterson, 121 yards by Matt Forte, and 77 yards by Rashard Mendenhall. Jim Schwartz has tried to fix the problem by shuffling personnel, but results are mixed. LB Ernie Sims was benched last week for rookie DeAndre Levy, DT Chuck Darby was waived to make room on the field for rookie Sammie Lee Hill, and Grady Jackson has seen more and more snaps.

It doesn't help that the Lions are starting Packer castoff Jason Hunter at LDE with the 240 lb. Julian Peterson playing both at LOLB and at the other DE spot. Aside from Larry Foote, the Lions don't have anyone that can really shoot gaps and take on lead blockers. Ernie Sims was supposed to be that guy, but he's currently in the dog house. Rookie safety Louis Delmas is a big hitter, but he's no Troy Polamalu just yet. The only run-stopper they have is Grady Jackson, who is getting up there in years.

Luckily for Detroit, Green Bay doesn't seem that interested in running the ball. I did a little post last week exploring where the Green Bay rushing attack has gone. As it turns out, it really hasn't gone anywhere, it's just been ignored. The team averages a shade under 100 yards per game, which is somewhat respectable, but they haven't been able to sustain long drives by picking up yards on the ground. 2007 Ryan Grant is still MIA, and DeShawn Wynn has been downright awful. Brandon Jackson is coming back from injury, which might help, but he's best suited to a 3rd down back role anyway.

Up front, Green Bay's injury problems and lack of depth have exposed the team in pass protection, but also showed below-average run blocking. With Chad Clifton returning from injury, Daryn Colledge can resume his normal role at LG, putting Jason Spitz back at C and Scott Wells on the bench. From here, the Packers have a better shot of opening running lanes, especially on the right side (where Allen Barbre performs well).

Advantage: Push. This matchup is like the stoppable force against the movable object. If Green Bay calls an even offensive game, they might have an advantage, but I don't see any at this point.

GB passing vs. DET defense: Quarterbacks like playing Detroit. Against the Motor City Kitties, NFL passers have put up 15 scores against only 3 INTs while amassing a 73.3% completion rating. While the Lions have had middling success getting to the quarterback (10 sacks in 2009), their highest individual total is 2.0 (Jason Hunter). There is no designated pass rusher, unless you count Julian Peterson, who has been a failure as a DE on passing downs. Whether the sacks have been from good downfield coverage, poor blocking by opponents, or a schematic advantage, one thing is for sure: they aren't blitzing very much (bottom third in NFL).

The defensive backfield has been a sore point in Detroit. Anthony Henry has performed well as the #1 corner, but Will James and Philip Buchanon have been switching in and out of the starting lineup. Rookie Louis Delmas is best used in run support, but he is capable in pass coverage. The Lions split time at the other safety between Ko Simpson and former fan favorite Marquand Manuel.

Passing offense has been, for Green Bay, one of the lone bright spots in a disappointing start. Aaron Rodgers has put up big numbers behind an awful offensive line, showing accuracy and poise despite getting sacked 20 times in 4 games and having to run out of the pocket on numerous occasions. The receivers have been somewhat underwhelming, amassing 10 of the team's 14 drops. Greg Jennings has been unusually quiet in the first quarter of 2009, and has gone on record to say that he thinks that the team needs to get back to the short-passing game that allowed he and the other WRs to create yards after the catch. Hear, hear, Greg.

Advantage: Green Bay. If Rodgers can get hit 8 times and still throw for over 300 yards, he will get good looks against Detroit.

Preliminary verdict: Coming off a bye, Green Bay seems to have changed a bit as a team. Mark Tauscher has been re-signed. Brandon Jackson, Jeremy Thompson, Chad Clifton, and possibly Atari Bigby should be returning from injury. The offensive line should get back to the group that started the season, and the defense should get back to the blitzing that gave us all high expectations for 2009. Perhaps this is the week where we see the 2009 preseason team in action instead of the poor impersonation we've watched for the last month.

I can't think of how the timing could be better than hosting Detroit. Unless it was Oakland, or Kansas City, or the Browns, or even the struggling Cowboys. See, Lions fans? Your team has improved a lot!

Poll

What outcome do you see for Week 6 vs. Detroit?

Big GB win.

414 votes

Slim GB win.

197 votes

Too close to call.

26 votes

Slim DET win.

40 votes

Big DET win.

11 votes

688 votes | Poll has closed

NFC West Breakdown: Seattle Seahawks

Pyromnc — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:00:14 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

4 months ago: Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck throws at a NFL training camp workout Monday, Aug. 3, 2009, in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

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Key Additions: FB Justin Griffith (Raiders), DT Colin Cole (Packers), WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Bengals), CB Ken Lucas (Panthers), TE John Owens (Lions), DT Cory Redding (Trade Lions), CB Travis Fisher (Lions).

Key Losses: DT Rocky Bernard (Giants), WR Bobby Engram (Chiefs), RB Maurice Morris (Lions), FB Leonard Weaver (Eagles), C Dominic Raiola (Lions), WR Samie Parker (Raiders), TE Will Heller (Lions) LB Julian Peterson (Trade Lions).

Draft: OLB Aaron Curry (1st), OT Max Unger (2nd), WR Deon Butler (3rd), QB Mike Teel (6th), S Courtney Greene (7th), DE Nick Reed (7th), TE Cameron Morrah (7th).

If there was anything constant about the NFC West division the past few years, it was that Seattle was going to win the division. In the past six years they have been to the playoffs five times and won the division four times. Things have changed for the Seahawks as they are coming off a dreadful season in which went 4-12. They endured tons of injuries, the defense didn't play up to it's ability, and head coach Mike Holmgren coached his final season. This season they hope to fix those problems and get back to what they are used to doing, making the playoffs.

The biggest change this off season for Seattle has to be replacing Mike Holmgren. Seattle has known for sometime that Holmgren has wanted to retire, or leave football for awhile, so in 2007 they went out and hired Jim L. Mora as the secondary's coach/future head coach when Holmgren left. Mora was a head coach for the Atlanta Falcons from 2004-2006 and had some success, taking the team to the playoffs in his first season. In 2006 he instigated a lot of scrutiny when he said he would leave Atlanta to be the head coach of the University of Washington if it was offered to him that season, even if they were in playoff contention which at the time they sort of were. This led to his firing and is how he was available to be a coach for Seattle. One thing is for sure, if he wants to get this team back to the playoffs he will have to fix the injury bug on offense.

Under Holmgren, Seattle had one of the best offenses in the NFL until last season. The offense had virtually no running game and could not keep anyone healthy. They lost several of its receivers to injury including Bobby Engram, Deion Branch, and Nate Burleson. It seemed like they were having to go out and sign someone every week to fill in at receiver. The most important injury this team had was losing Matt Hasselbeck for most of the season. The three time Pro Bowler only played in seven games because of back and knee injuries. If Seattle wants to have any success on offense it needs to keep the offensive line, Hasselbeck, and it's receivers healthy, because they are what made this offense a threat in the past. This has already been a daunting task as WR Deion Branch has had swelling in his reconstructed knee and starting C Chris Spencer hurt his ankle in a pile up. Neither one of them looked to be serious but coming off a season like the Hawks had in 2008, there is still cause for concern.

This off season the team went out and tried to fix some of the problems it faced at receiver by adding star receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The former seventh rounder has proved the past five seasons that he is a top receiver by catching at least 70 passes for over 900 yards in each season despite having Chad Ochocinco wanting the ball every play. Other additions to the offense include Max Unger who can play any position on the offensive line and TE John Owens who is a very good blocking tight end. Both of those players were picked up in hopes of keeping Hasselbeck healthy, which again is very important.

The offense is looking poised for a rebound this season but is the defense looking the same?

Before the start of last season the Seahawks defense looked like it could rank in the top five. It had one of the best linebacker units in the NFL with Julian Peterson, Lofa Tatupu, and Leroy Hill. Their defensive line also looked pretty good with DE Patick Kerney, DE Darryl Tapp, DT Rocky Bernard, and Brandon Mebane starting at the front four. They had Marcus Trufant coming off of a Pro Bowl season, Deon Grant and Brian Russell at safety, and a promising young player in Josh Wilson starting the other corner spot. The defense wasn't immune to injuries either though as Patrick Kerney suffered a shoulder injury that caused him to miss the final nine games of the season. Kerney's absence caused a domino effect that started with a weaker pass rush that in turn put increased pressure on the secondary. The linebackers unit really failed to be the tops in the league even though they played almost every game with the exception of Leroy Hill missing 4 games. Marcus Trufant failed to shutdown any receiver like he did in the 2007 season and the safeties really failed to cover the ball at all.

Despite the lack of plays on defense, there is still reason to be excited with the additions of Cory Redding and Colin Cole at defensive tackle and Aaron Curry replacing Julian Peterson. Curry has missed the first week of training camp but he has as much potential as any young player in the league and could become the best LB on the roster rather quickly. If that is so, then the LB unit will be even scarier than it had been in 2007. Cornerbacks Ken Lucas and Travis Fisher have been added to bolster the depth and act as an insurance policy should the injury bug decide to attack the secondary. Both are veteran defenders with starting experience but hopefully their playing time will be limited to nickel and dime situations. The biggest key for the secondary will be the resurgence of Marcus Trufant because when he's playing up to his ability, he's a special player. Despite the question marks, this defense still has plenty of potential and there are plenty of reasons to be excited if you're a Seahawks fan.

This team is showing some promise but the same question keeps coming up, can this team stay healthy? They have already experienced some injuries in camp with Spencer, Trufant, and Branch which isn't a good sign. You also have to wonder how this team adjusts to Mora's coaching style compared to Holmgren's but that's true for any new head coach. This team is definitely a sleeper team for this season and if they stay healthy they could push the Cardinals for the division.

Record for 2009: 8-8
Record Vs the Cardinals: 1-1 (both teams winning their home games)
Record Vs the NFC West: 4-2

Poll

Biggest Obstacle Seattle has to overcome?

Keeping the offense healthy

307 votes

Defense playing up to the ability is showed in past seasons

115 votes

Learning Jim Mora's style of coaching

44 votes

Something else, specify in comments section

11 votes

477 votes | Poll has closed

Lions Extend Dominic Raiola, Sign Rookie Dan Gronkowski

Sean Yuille — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:01:43 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

Detroit Lions center Dominic Raiola runs through drills at the NFL football team's training facility in Allen Park, Mich., Thursday, June 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Browse more photos »

The Lions signed center Dominic Raiola to a four-year contract extension, keeping him in Detroit through at least the 2013 season. According to FOXSports.com's Alex Marvez, the extension is worth $20 million ($9 million guaranteed). Raiola's base salary this coming season will be $4 million.

Raiola has been a member of the Lions his entire NFL career, as the team drafted him in the second round back in 2001. Most players would likely want to get away from a team like the Lions as quickly as possible, but Raiola wants to be here when the team hopefully turns things around.

"There's so much I put into this it would be like quitting," he said. "This place is worse now than when I came in, and I definitely want to be part of it when this thing turns around.

"This is home for me. This is a great city, this city is special to me. I have a lot of friends here, and I've seen pretty much every other sports franchise in the city win, and there's nothing more than I want than for this city to see this team win."

Aside from extending Raiola, the Lions also signed their first draft pick not named Matthew Stafford, inking seventh-round pick Dan Gronkowski to a three-year deal. It was written earlier this week that the Lions were holding off on signing draft picks in order to have more players on the roster, but with nothing going on until training camp, that really is no longer necessary, as Tom Kowalski explains.

One of the reasons the Lions haven't attempted to sign any draft picks (other than Stafford) is because they get a roster exemption for them while they're unsigned. The Lions wanted to bring more players to minicamp - they currently have 88 on the roster - to take a look at some of them and to also give some of their veterans a breather in certain drills.

Due to the signing of Gronkowski, the Lions released wide receiver Chris Hannon, who was claimed off waivers from the Dolphins at the end of last season. With no more team activities scheduled to take place until training camp, I would expect the rest of the draft picks to be signed over the next month or so. A year ago, Cliff Avril was signed on July 11, six other second-day picks were inked a couple days before the start of training camp, Gosder Cherilus agreed to a deal the day before camp began, and Jordon Dizon was the last to sign after missing a few practices.

Thursday Notes: Former Lions Drinking the Honolulu Blue Kool-Aid

Sean Yuille — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:29:41 -0000

Some former Lions players made predictions about how many games the team will win next year.

Greg Landry: 8
Charlie Sanders: 9
Lem Barney: 10

The Kool-Aid is being served everywhere it seems like.
Dominic Raiola said this on the radio about how Matthew Stafford and Joey Harrington are much different:

"And even Matt ... Matt came in and – it's totally different than our past first-round quarterback that we've drafted, y'know, in the past. You can tell that this guy, he looks like a first-rounder. He looks like a No. 1 pick."
That's definitely good to hear.
Antonio Gates, Larry Foote, and Rich Rodriguez are going to be speakers at the Sound Mind, Sound Body camp at Wayne State. The camp, in its second year, is going to play host to 400 youth football players through Saturday.
My mute button will be getting a workout this coming season, as Matt Millen is reportedly going to join NFL Network as a color commentator. Unfortunately he is still going to work with ESPN as well for MNF and college football, meaning I will be watching as little ESPN as possible until the actual games start.
Some good news in the television world is that Adam Schefter will return to reporting in August, though it will be for ESPN. I wish he was still at NFL Network, but ESPN definitely could use a boost in credibility among its NFL reporters.

Thursday Notes: Raji, Pettigrew Visit Lions

Sean Yuille — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:10:31 -0000

Just a heads up, tomorrow I will be posting information on the SB Nation Mock Draft. It is going to get started next week, so I will be posting a poll with potential top picks much like I did last month.
Boston College DT B.J. Raji and Oklahoma State TE Brandon Pettigrew visited the Lions on Wednesday.
Matthew Stafford's pro day was today. Look for information on how that went tomorrow.
Aaron Curry talked about his visit with the Lions in his latest diary on SI.com.
The Lions are reportedly going to attend Penn State WR Derrick Williams' private workout on Friday.
Jeff Backus probably won't be moved to left guard before the draft.
Drew Stanton talked about his future with the Lions recently and is going to do his best to prove that he is capable of starting.
Dominic Raiola can sense the change that has occurred with the Lions since Matt Millen left. Raiola also thinks that Daunte Culpepper lost at least 20 pounds and looks great. Considering Culpepper weighed 290 when he joined the Lions, I certainly hope he has been losing weight.
Phillip Buchanon signed with the Lions because of the good things he heard about Jim Schwartz and the good things he heard from Jim Schwartz.
Ernie Sims hid out in the woods after the Lions wrapped up their season to avoid all talk of 0-16.
Season-ticket renewals are at a level that the Lions expected, according to Tom Lewand.
The Ravens waived Samari Rolle.
A memorial for Corey Smith is going to be held on Saturday.

Friday Notes: Culpepper Two TD Passes Away from $1 Million

Sean Yuille — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:17:01 -0000

0and16.com redirects to the Lions' official website. The site doesn't appear to be owned by the Lions, but it's certainly interesting nonetheless. (Via PFT)
If Daunte Culpepper throws two more touchdown passes this season he will be one million dollars richer. Two more TD passes would earn him his $1 million incentive, so I suggest that the Lions bench him to prevent that from happening. That won't be a concern this Sunday since he is doubtful due an injury, but in the final two weeks of the season it will be something to keep an eye on.
One last note from Pro Football Talk is that Matt Millen is shockingly not still involved with the Lions. I don't know who the Windsor Star's sources are, but they may want to confirm ridiculous rumors before making them public.
Dominic Raiola has sort of moved on and is no longer challenging fans to fights.
Tony Dungy doesn't really understand why things have gone so badly for Rod Marinelli in Detroit.

Lions Fine Dominic Raiola for Flipping Off Fans

Sean Yuille — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 06:22:47 -0000

Sometime late in Sunday's game against the Vikings, Lions center Dominic Raiola gave some fans what is assumed to be the one-finger salute. Apparently a group of fans were heckling Raiola for his and presumably the team's performance and the insults allegedly became too personal and involved his family, according to the Detroit News. At that point, Raiola couldn't take any more of what he heard and decided to flip off the hecklers.

When asked about the incident on Monday, Raiola wasn't the least bit sorry for his actions, as he was clearly still upset over the heckling.

"Nope. Not one bit," said Raiola, who returned to the lineup Sunday after missing four games with a broken right thumb. "Not one bit. Because I wish everybody out there came into the film room and watched the film, watched the effort put out there. And, yeah, everybody makes mistakes, everybody messes up -- and I'm talking for everybody right now -- and, yeah, they're paying customers. But we're trying to put some wins on the board and give them something to cheer about. And I don't know what to say, other than what I said yesterday."

Raiola continued and actually challenged some fans to a fight, saying he wished he could give out his address so they had to go up against him face-to-face.

"I don't take one thing back," said Raiola, an eighth-year pro whose string of 104 consecutive starts ended after getting injured Nov. 2 at Chicago. "I'll say the same thing to a fan that I see on the street. I wish I could give my address out to some fans -- I'd do that. But you can't. Nobody plays with fists. Everybody wants to play with metal. So I can't.

"I'm just so frustrated. I'm tired of being a doormat. For people to just talk to us how they want to talk to us, I'm just not gonna put up with that anymore."

As you probably guessed, the Lions fined Raiola $7,500 for his actions. Even so, Raiola isn't backing down. He continued his tirade against the fans in an interview with Sporting News Radio by saying that they should just stay home.

"You know, if you're not happy, why are you coming to the game? I understand that they haven't seen a winner in eight years, so don't come. Don't come until we turn it around."

Considering the number of fans that are actually still going to the games decreases with each non-Thanksgiving home game, I'm sure the Lions don't like to hear one of their players telling fans to stay home. Hell, the ones that are showing up to games are probably the most loyal fans out there. Not many people would voluntarily pay money to go watch a winless team, so it's probably not smart to generalize an entire fan base because a few people insulted you.

I can understand why Raiola is upset, as personal insults involving his family are absolutely classless. There is no need to go after anything but how players perform on the field unless their behavior dictates otherwise. I mean, come on people. He has played for the worst franchise in the NFL his entire career. Is it really necessary to insult him about off the field things involving his family? There is plenty to criticize regarding his and other players' on the field performance, and everything else should be off limits.

With that being said, Raiola does need to cool it. I understand why he flipped the fans off and don't really have a problem with the gesture. He was angry and he flipped (no pun intended) out. However, what I do have a problem with is going off on basically all the fans for no reason at all. A few people are not representative of an entire fan base, and when you do play for a winless team it probably is a good idea to keep your mouth shut. You got to display your displeasure with the hecklers during the game and in the papers after the game. Now, though, it's time to give it a rest and focus on more important things. You know, like winning a game.

Tuesday Notes: Orlovsky to Return to Practice?

Sean Yuille — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:57:54 -0000

Rod Marinelli brought up the possibility of going 0-16 earlier this week and plainly said that that won't happen. Marinelli appears to have turned the Lions' winless record into a motivational ploy to get them to win a game.
This Sunday is probably the Lions' last chance to win a game this season. They should have beat Minnesota in the Metrodome earlier this season, but they were on the wrong end of a couple bad calls that led to the Vikings kicking a game-winning field goal. Obviously Dan Orlovsky's embarrassing safety was all his fault, but the refs certainly didn't make things any easier for the Lions.
Speaking of Orlovsky, he may return to practice this week, as his thumb injury appears to have healed enough for him to play football again. If he is healthy enough to play, I believe the Lions should start him. Before his injury, Orlovsky wasn't playing all that bad, and Daunte Culpepper hasn't exactly been playing all that well.
Staying on the injury front, Dominic Raiola, Stephen Peterman, and Edwin Mulitalo were back in practice on Monday after missing the Titans game. Kevin Smith and Gosder Cherilus missed practice but should play on Sunday.
Dave Birkett pointed out an interesting fact regarding the draft. Since the Chiefs won on Sunday, they now have two victories this season. That leaves the Lions at 0-12 as the league's worst team. The Bengals are the next worst team with a 1-10-1 record, meaning the Lions would have to win two more games to lose the #1 pick. Since the chances of that happening are beyond slim, it appears that the Lions will be the first team on the clock next April.
Lions rookies went through a charm school type of thing to learn everything from where to put your napkin when eating to how to write a thank you note.
Pro Football Talk thinks that the Lions' Thanksgiving game won't be taken away by Roger Goodell, as it would probably take a consensus among the owners to make a change.
The Buccaneers and Patriots are going to play in England next year.

Week 13 Injury Report

Sean Yuille — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:04:03 -0000

DETROIT LIONS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
QB	Dan Orlovsky	Hand	Out
QB	Drew Stanton	Concussion	Out
RB	Kevin Smith	Groin	Probable
WR	Mike Furrey	Concussion	Out
TE	John Owens	Toe	Probable
OG	Edwin Mulitalo	Elbow	Questionable
C	Dominic Raiola	Hand	Out
DE	Dewayne White	Calf	Out
DT	Chuck Darby	Calf	Questionable
DT	Cory Redding	Knee	Probable
DT	Shaun Cody	Elbow	Probable
LB	Alex Lewis	Pectoral	Out
LB	Ernie Sims	Knee	Probable
CB	Keith Smith	Groin	Out

TENNESSEE TITANS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
OT	Michael Roos	Foot	Probable
DT	Jason Jones	Foot	Questionable
LB	Colin Allred	Concussion	Probable
LB	Keith Bulluck	Chest	Probable
CB	Nick Harper	Ankle	Questionable
CB	Chris Carr	Shoulder	Probable

NFL INJURY REPORT GUIDE
Status	Definition
Probable	75% chance that the player will play in the game
Questionable	50% chance that the player will play in the game
Doubtful	25% chance that the player will play in the game
Out	0% chance that the player will play in the game