SB Nation - Keith Smith

Mike Singletary 12/7 Press Conference Transcript

Fooch — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:04:26 -0000

Mike Singletary had his weekly press conference earlier today and, as promised, here is the transcript from said press conference. Not a whole lot of shocking information, but certainly always interesting to hear his thoughts on a wide range of topics.

One issue that will continue to stick out until next training camp is who will be the starting QB heading into training camp. Singletary basically says he won't ~~anoint~~ Smith the guy yet. Last year was a competition between Shaun Hill and Alex Smith. Earlier today I mentioned how it was likely that Smith would be the guy heading into 2010. I'll stand by that statement for the foreseeable future, but I can understand the hesitance in naming the guy for 2010 when there are still 4 games to go. Singletary said:

"What we have seen so far is so far, so good. But I don't want to jump the gun. I don't want to say, ‘We found him and he is going to be the next great...' No, I don't want all of that. I just want to give him his due. I think he is working his tail off. I think the coaches are doing a heck of a job with him. I think he is using the tools that are around him. I think he is making really good decisions. Hopefully, that will just continue."

I know we've got folks clamoring for Nate Davis playing time, but in terms of starting time, they have to stick with Smith. The good news about the Arizona game is that it's now, before Arizona has clinched a playoff spot, so they'll clearly be battling. The next week they get a Philly team in an absolute dogfight for a playoff spot and further positioning. Neither team will be taking it easy on the 49ers as if it's Week 16 with nothing to gain. And then even the last two games against Detroit and St. Louis have some value. Can Alex Smith (and the offense in general) go in to a game with a bad team and take care of business. When the 49ers pounded the Rams earlier this year it was primarily because of the defense. We need to see the offense kick it up a gear against bad teams.

Other than that, there is plenty of discussion of the play-calling, the reverse, and of course the refs.

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Press Conference - December 7, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

On whether using RB Frank Gore so little gave the Seahawks an advantage:

"I think there were several advantages in this game for [Seattle coach] Jim Mora, but I won't even address those."

On how much the Seahawks defense dictated the 49ers plan:

"I think nothing out of the ordinary than any other team. If a team sends a particular personnel out on the field, offense or defense, you adjust. That's where you get your matchups. There was absolutely nothing that they were doing - the only problem, what they were doing on the offensive side of the ball is not giving us time. There is a certain amount of time that you - if they send someone out on the field, then, OK, you send them out on the field, you huddle and you go ahead and go from there. But, they weren't giving us time to get our personnel on the field. That's something that's an unfair advantage. You can't do that. We talked to the refs about it. But anyways, those are kind of some of the things that were happening in the game."

On whether the first timeout in the game was because of that:

"A little bit. It's just one of those things where some referees do a better job than others of handling that and making sure that you go over to the sideline and you tell them, ‘Hey, you have to allow them enough time to make sure that they have the appropriate personnel in the game.' Otherwise, everybody could do that and you're always mismatched, and you really can't do that in a game."

On the balance in the first half:

"I think I told you before, and I really do believe this, I want whatever we're winning with. I think if we have a certain package in the game and it's a better thought process to pass the ball rather than run the ball, then that's what we need to do. If it ends in us winning the game, that's what I want. I don't want to try and outsmart ourselves. I don't want to be looking at something where, ‘Let's see now. How many runs have we had? How many passes have we had?' We need to look at what's working. If they have a certain personnel out there on the field and it's better for us to attack it because of the matchups, then we need to throw the ball and take advantage of the matchups. Obviously, if we have our regular people in the game and they come out in nickel situation, we're going to run the ball every doggone down. But I just think you have to be smart about what are the matchups, and I think that dictated some of what we were doing, how many people were in the box? That sort of thing, and I think some plays were running plays at the beginning of the game, but because of what they had on the field, we audibled to a pass because it didn't make sense to run the play that we had. So, that's what was happening on some of those."

On whether it seems weird to fans that at the beginning of the year the team was running against eight-man fronts and now a seven-man front dictates the pass:

"Well, early in the season, we had a totally different situation. You go back and forth, run-pass, whatever. The bottom line is, did you win the game? Did you lose the game? And, I think that's what we need to be talking about. As far as how many times you ran the ball, how many times you threw the ball, you can play cat and mouse with that all year. Just understand that going into the game a balance is what you always want to look for, but at the same time, if your quarterback is given certain parameters - if they are in this, if we're in a two-backs, two-wide outs, one-tight end situation and they come out and they have a situation where it's more nickel, you know what? We want to run the ball because we want to take the shots every chance we get. But, I think they were more focused on the run in this game because of what happened last time. So, I think that made them more vulnerable against the pass. Whether Jim Mora said that not running the ball - I think running the ball maybe would have helped him a little bit more than, I thought, than passing the ball."

On whether QB Alex Smith can become the leader of the team:

"What we have seen so far is so far, so good. But I don't want to jump the gun. I don't want to say, ‘We found him and he is going to be the next great...' No, I don't want all of that. I just want to give him his due. I think he is working his tail off. I think the coaches are doing a heck of a job with him. I think he is using the tools that are around him. I think he is making really good decisions. Hopefully, that will just continue."

On where yesterday's game ranks in Smith's career:

"Obviously, he did a really good job. I thought he made some good changes. I thought he really made some good audibles. I thought he got the ball, for the most part, where he wanted to put it. What we did in last week's practice, some of the reads were exactly what he got in the game and he took advantage of those things. I think any time that you see that, it creates a very positive result."

On whether the team disappointed him:

"No, I won't say this team has disappointed me at all. Quite the opposite. To have the guys that we have, and to do what we do, and to unfortunately be in a situation where six games come down to you having a chance to win at the end and your guys are still fighting, I think that is a special group of guys. We just have to win. But, to say that these guys have disappointed me is far from the truth. Unfortunately, character does not show in numbers in the game. But I cannot tell you how proud I am of these guys. Do we have a lot of work to do? Trust me, you have eyes, we have a lot of work to do. Do we have a lot of great players on this team? We have some players that are really developing and will soon be great players once they learn how to focus, once they learn how capture the vision and understand what it is, once they learn the little things. What they think are secrets are not secrets, it is just a matter of confidence and consistency. No, I am far from being disappointed in this team."

On whether he is frustrated the team hasn't already figured the little things out:

"Frustrated is a great word, for lack of maybe other words. Frustration is a tremendous word to fill in the blank. You go out and you play a game like yesterday and you end up on the losing side, the only thing you tell your players is that we just have to stay together. We have to continue moving forward. The ground work from this, somehow, someway this will be a positive for us going forward, but right now it doesn't feel that way."

On whether there is still a unity of purpose in the locker room:

"There will always be a unity of purpose in our locker room."

On how much he second guesses his or his coaches' decisions in the game:

"I wouldn't say second guessing of myself is something I would do at all, in terms of what I know second guessing to mean. I don't second guess anything about myself. I don't second guess some of the decisions to go for it on fourth down. I don't second guess some of the challenging of the calls. I don't second guess any of those kinds of things. Some things happened yesterday, as far as the punt situation and miscommunication on that, that was just one of those things that happened. Frustrating, but it happened. Just miscommunication."

On what the miscommunication was:

"The miscommunication was - we worked on it in practice, therefore we are going to do it in the game and that was my fault for not articulating that. We might do it in the game, but we're not for sure going to do it in the game. That's my fault for not making that more plain."

On whether the call on the punt return was a reverse:

"Let me just put it this way. It was my fault. Whenever something like that happens it's my fault because the communication should have been better. Because we did it in practice that week, we were going to do it in the game and we did not hit on the same - we didn't touch on it the way we should have, to say we are definitely going to do that in the game."

On whether the weather or the way the game was going that in retrospect, he wouldn't have done the reverse:

"I think it's a situation in which you've got two players back there and the one player, [WR] Brandon Jones, is not really your normal guy to do that. So, maybe you don't want to have him doing that; just go ahead and let [WR] Arnaz [Battle] return punts. Let's just keep it simple going forward with that. We did practice it last week, so it showed up in the game."

On whether they went on the field knowing that they were going to execute the reverse:

"Just to clarify, it was bad communication and it was on my behalf. Nothing more than that. It's starts with me, that's me."

On whether he will be sending any tape into the league on some of the questionable calls the referees made:

"Every week we send a letter to the league about different calls that are made or not made in a game. Just to say this week, there will be several paragraphs that will be going to the league."

On whether there is one call he is particularly upset about:

"There were many."

On the non-call on TE Delanie Walker and whether it was talked about on the flight home:

"Let me say this before I go too far down this road, obviously there were bad calls made and I think in every game there are bad calls made. Yesterday, for me, there were just a few more than I had witnessed maybe since I've been in the league and I just want to make sure that our players, coaching staff, our fans, everybody involved with the 49ers, everybody that cares about the 49ers, I want them to understand that this is not about the referees. They didn't fumble the ball. They didn't throw interceptions. They didn't make bad plays, we did. So I don't want to put this on the referees. I certainly feel that some of those calls were questionable, but if we had done what we were supposed to do, we overcome that and we win the football game."

On why CB Keith Smith was inserted during the game:

"We just had a few guys getting a little tight in the legs and they had to put some receivers on the field to try and get some match ups. A few more receivers, four receivers and we just needed to match up. We just felt that he was a good match up and he really did a pretty decent job coming in and playing the limited amount of time that he did."

On who Keith Smith was substituting for in the secondary:

"Michael Lewis would come out."

On what happened on the team's last offensive drive:

"On our offensive drive, we just didn't make the plays it's as simple as that."

On whether or not he was okay with the calls:

"Once again, you look for better calls after the calls are made. If we make the plays, then we're not talking about the calls. I just wished they would've worked, but no I don't question the calls at all.'

On whether he feels comfortable with Jimmy Raye as his offensive coordinator:

"Absolutely, I think that Jimmy has adapted and adjusted. I think he's going 180, 360 anything that I've asked him to do he's been more than willing to do and I think that he's done a fine job. I think that Alex has adjusted to him well. I think that he and Alex are on the same page along with [QB coach] Mike Johnson. All of the guys are on the same page and I think that it looked that way yesterday. Alex is feeling as comfortably as he feels and I think that everybody's on the same page moving forward."

On how much of a role does quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson have in the team's game planning and is he being groomed by Jimmy Raye for an offensive coordinator position:

"I think that Mike Johnson and Jimmy Raye just continue to develop their relationship. There's a synergy there, a flow there and they spend a lot of time talking, a lot of time in conversation and Alex Smith is also part of some of that conversation in terms of basically asking him the questions as, ‘Are you comfortable with this? Do you like this? What about this?' And Alex is able to have some feedback. So, I think that it's been a work in progress, but I think that it's working very well."

On whether it is part of his long term plan to move Mike Johnson in as an offensive coordinator:

"You know what, I want to talk about the short term plan right now and stay focused on that before I talk about long term plans."

On the slim chances of making the playoffs:

"I think that by the time the last game rolls around they'll play their math game as if this one loses or this - I could care less about that. I think the only thing that we need to be focused on is that Arizona is coming up. I mean, hopefully we can gather the things that we need to gather amongst ourselves. Yesterday was a tough loss. I am not thinking that we might not be able to rally together and play a good game but, I want to win this game Monday night. I want people to see that the 49ers are a team that's out here in the west that really isn't the same team. Something is happening out here and hopefully we can show that on Monday."

On whether it's more frustrating to see the team not play smart or not play well:

"Yes, you could say that. Yes, when the opportunities are there for us to make plays and you don't make those plays, it's frustrating. It's frustrating for the players. It's frustrating for the coaches because you know that making a play makes a difference. But I think that the bottom line is that when you lose games, no matter how you lose them, it's frustrating."

The Monday Morning Microscope: Week 13

DrewsLions — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:22:39 -0000

More photos » by Tony Tribble - AP

10 days ago: Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz yells to his team during the first half of their NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Tony Tribble)

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Okay, so four games have gone by since my last post. Doesn't seem like that long, but it has been. I apologize for my lack of presence on the site lately, but when you take a two week vacation, you then have two weeks worth of work stacked up that you have to dig out of when you return. That sometimes makes vacations not worth taking. What a ridiculous world we live in. Absolutely zero work/life balance out there. Everyone is just work, work, work. Does no one care about their families anymore? Sorry, just venting a little. As you can tell, my initiation back into work the week after my vacation was less than pleasant. And forgive me for complaining, because I know that I am supremely blessed to even have a job in this unforgiving economy, let alone a good job. It's just that with all the happenings of this year that have shaped my life's current perspective, I wish to spend a little more time with my family and a little less time with the triviality of my company's finances... especially around the holidays. Whew... okay, I feel better. Let's say we talk a little football, eh?

Because I'm playing a little catch-up, this week's edition of MMM might be a little longer than usual. I'm not going to go into a ton of detail for any one of the past games, but more or less just sum up where we are as a team at this point in the season and talk about where we need to go from here. I'll finish it up with some specific thoughts about the Bengals game.

With only four weeks left, there are few surprises anymore. The Lions are what they are... a struggling team with lots of holes and a few bright spots to pin future hopes upon. They will most likely lose the remainder of their schedule and be back into familiar territory... competing with the bottom of the NFL's barrel for draft position. I see that the draft has once again become the popular topic of conversation here at POD. You'll have to forgive me for not joining in that one quite yet. For me, at least the regular season and bowl games need to be over before joining the cacophony of useless fun that is mock drafting. I'll say this much though, I believe that the Lions are very much in the running for the number two or three overall pick in the draft. That just might be enough to net us Suh. But back to the season at hand...

Through Week 13, the offense can pretty much be characterized as inconsistent and mostly ineffective. At times, they can take your breath away and at others, they make you scratch your head, wondering if we'll see another first down the entire game. To get in a little more detail, I'll break it down by area:

Quarterback: Well, Matt Stafford single-handedly created one of the most memorable games in Lions history and showed why he was drafted first overall against Cleveland. But that was against Cleveland. He has subsequently stunk it up two games running and showed that he still has a long way to go to become a great quarterback in this league. He has no doubt played hurt the last two weeks and I'm sure that's affected him somewhat, but his decision making has to get better if the Lions are to become contenders. I choose to look at it this way... he's a typical rookie. He's going to make good plays and he's going to make some really bone-headed plays. That's what you get with young players. We've seen it with them all... Pettigrew, Delmas, Levy... all of them. Stafford, as talented as he is, in not immune to the huge learning curve that all rookies who start in this league have to go through. Couple that with a poor offensive line, suspect receivers aside from Calvin and a struggling running game... well, you get the mish-mash performances we've seen from Stafford. Bottom Line: Matt will be fine. He's getting some great experience and if he's really "the one", we will see many of these mistakes start to go away over the course of the 2010 season.
Backs and Receivers: I think we've all learned an inconvenient truth about the Lions' receiving corps... it is once again an area of need heading into the off-season. With as much money as we've thrown at this position in the past, this is a true exercise in frustration. Without Calvin Johnson, the offense just dissolves. The reality is that Calvin gets hurt a little too much for comfort and we must have some reliable talent behind him. That means we have to yet again focus on this position in the draft and free agency. The good news is that, before the season ending injury, Pettigrew really started to blossom. That is one position that appears to be solidified (unless this injury lingers into the 2010 season). I also disagree with all of the fans clamoring for the Lions to use a draft pick on a running back. Kevin Smith has not been great this year, but as shown by his efforts in yesterday's game, he is a hard runner and when given adequate blocking, is shifty enough to be a more than serviceable back in this league. Both Brown and Morris are valuable back-ups and add to the offensive versatility. Bottom Line: One of the more important acquisitions for the coming off-season is a complementary wideout opposite Calvin. They must find this player next year, both for the development of Calvin and Matt and for the progress of the offense as a whole. With better blocking, the running backs in our stable should be more than sufficient.

Offensive Line: The most disappointing and biggest problem on our offensive line right now is Gosder Cherilus. We all know that the Lions need a big-time upgrade at left guard... that's a given. In my mind, at some point between the second and fourth round, the Lions must take an offensive lineman. The problem is that Cherilus' poor play throws a massive wrench in the gears of the Lions' long term strategy here. Do the Lions take a guard or will they have to take a tackle to replace Cherilus? Can they move Cherilus to left guard and draft a good young right tackle? If so, how will his play translate to guard and will he simply be the next useless player in the revolving door at that position? See... he creates a pickle for the front office. We were supposed to be able to forget about the right tackle position for the next twelve years, yet here we are once again... questioning the ability of a Millen-drafted first round pick. Forget about even attempting to replace Backus or Raiola. We NEED them. How's that for a cold prickly? Bottom Line: The coaching staff needs to determine if Cherilus still has enough potential to waste time with him at right tackle. He is so inconsistent - will it end at some point... who knows? At the very least, the Lions' need to draft a guard. But is that enough? In my opinion, they need another tackle. I'd try Cherilus at left guard and draft a new right tackle that has the ability to move to left in a few years to replace Backus. Anyway you slice it, the line has not played well consistently and something has to be done. Finding a working combination of players will be the biggest off-season challenge for the front office offensively.

As weak as this defense is roster-wise, I think they've played surprisingly well at times. There just isn't enough talent to fend off opposing offenses if our own offense can't score a lot of points. This gives me hope that with sufficient talent, Schwartz and Cunningham can put together a defense worth fearing. I'll break the defense down by area as well:

Defensive Line: One word... ineffective. Much more so against the pass than the rush, but we cannot expect to get pressure against any team in the league with any combination of four players on our current roster. There's simply not enough talent. I wish there was an elite pass rusher at the top of the draft this year. I know we are all salivating over Suh and there is no doubt he would be a valuable addition to the Lions, but an elite pass rusher is probably the biggest need on the entire roster. It would fix so many problems. The defensive line and secondary have a cause and effect relationship. The defensive line pressure, or lack thereof, causes the quarterback to either be rushed or to have time. That effects the play of the secondary and how much time they are asked to cover. Our line gives the quarterback all day, which causes the virtually talent-less secondary to have to cover much longer than they are capable. Bottom Line: This year can be scrapped for our defensive line. No one capable of coming close to double-digit sacks is on this roster. Unless they can find that guy in the later rounds of the draft, I'm not sure where the upgrade is going to come from next year. Maybe free agency... ala, Aaron Kampman or someone like that? Either way, this has me very nervous.
Linebackers: I think most of us agreed before the season that this was going to easily be the strength of the entire team and we were right. Really, we have five good linebackers on this team. Foote and Peterson are solid, not spectacular players that have been one of the big reasons why the defense has played well at times. Regardless of ranking last in a lot of defensive passing categories, there is no denying that this group has played better this year than last. We've had many more stops on third downs, tackling has been good at times and play against the run has definitely improved. Now, this is all relative to what the Lions were a year ago, but progress is progress. The key decision heading into the off-season will be what to do with Ernie Sims. It should be a no-brainer to try to resign both Foote and Peterson in my opinion. I think it would be a step backwards not to try. For once, there is an area of our team that we shouldn't have to worry about going into next year. Bottom Line: Although Peterson and Levy started slow, both have joined Foote as quality additions to our defense. I believe that we should hold on to all five linebackers next year (Peterson, Foote, Sims, Levy and Dizon) and allow the front office to focus elsewhere. Even though they can't be considered the best corps in the league, they are a vast improvement over what we've had in the recent past. Paris Lenon anyone?
Defensive Secondary: Ugh... where to start? Well, Delmas was a home run hit in the second round for Mayhew. Anyone want to argue that? Didn't think so. Beyond that? Nothing. Not sure if there is anyone even worth keeping for next year besides Ko Simpson. James? Maybe as a nickel. Buchanon? Played well sporadically, but we know that he is nowhere close to a great player. Henry? Even the interception yesterday doesn't help mask the fact that he's pretty much washed up. We know by this point in the season what our secondary is... the worst in the league. It's going to be hard to find a good starting corner in the upcoming draft, too. That is disheartening. Hopefully, Mayhew can work his magic and find a late round gem. This is a passing league and if we can't cover or get pressure, we can't compete. The front office has its work cut out trying to piece together a foundation that will be able to dramatically increase production in the secondary next year. Bottom Line: Aside from Delmas and Simpson, they will basically have to start over in the secondary. Our foundation should have been on guys like Keith Smith, A.J. Davis, Gerald Alexander, Daniel Bullocks and Stanley Wilson. What a shame. It's just too much to do in a year. The more I look at it, the more it looks like it might take two more drafts to put this secondary together.

Quick note on Special Teams: I don't believe I've ever written anything negative about Jason Hanson, but I'm about to. His kickoffs are getting shorter and shorter each game. With poor special teams play to begin with, the opponent's returner fielding the ball between the 10 and 20 is not acceptable. For the first time, I believe his age is showing and affecting his kicking power and subsequently, his distance. As for Nick Harris... I believe he's having one of his most inconsistent seasons. For every two good punts, it seems like he's having a horrible one. That's not good. We might have to replace both of these iconic players soon if these trends continue. How do you guys feel about this?

Thoughts About the Bengals Game:

As usual, I'll start with Stafford's performance. In a nutshell, it was another sketchy outing by the rookie. The big TD pass to Johnson was a thing of beauty, but that's where the love affair ends. He seemed okay at the start of the game, but during one of the many hits he took, he re-aggravated that shoulder and it seemed to affect him the remainder of the game. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but it might be time to sit him for a game and let that shoulder recuperate. I want him to have as many opportunities as possible to get valuable experience, but if that experience is hampered by injury, then it's time to sit him down.
Kevin Smith had a fantastic game yesterday. Yeah, maybe the numbers don't say "fantastic", but in my opinion, it was his best performance of the year. He ran hard and with purpose. He showed his ability to be shifty, nimble and powerful at the same time. He made quicker decisions and made a few cuts that gave me goosebumps. He needed that game, because he's a good back and has taken a lot of heat for the ineffective play of the line.
Speaking of offensive line... Gosder had another horrible game yesterday. I forgot to DVR it, so I can't watch it back to see how bad it really was, but I spent a fair amount of time cursing his play yesterday. I thought that the interior, with Gandy and Ramirez, held up fairly well... especially against the run. The blitzing is where the Lions fell apart and part of that was on Stafford to get the ball out quicker. All-in-all, not the worst day for the Lions' O-line... which still isn't saying much.
Defensively, it was a decent performance. The Bengals by no means blew out Detroit. We stopped them on several key third downs, forced turnovers and pretty much kept them in check for most of the game. The offense was the real problem yesterday. I think Cunningham and Schwartz have really made the best of this unit. I think the scheme is sound, but the talent is what is missing. Like I've said before, I believe wholeheartedly that once the talent is in place, Schwartz will give Detroit an outstanding defense.

So, there's four games left in the season. Any winnable? Maybe the Bears game at home. Does it matter? Not really. We will have another 10+ loss season written down in the annuls of Lions history and another top 5 draft pick on the way to further destroy our salary cap. For me, this season is and continues to be about the progression of the young talent. More and more, it looks like - realistically - that we will be waiting until 2011 to really be able to compete in this league. There are simply too many holes to repair in the upcoming off-season. That's a discouraging thought, but the front office does appear to have a plan in place and another two drafts like 2009 and we will be an up-and-coming powerhouse in this league. Unfortunately when you are building a team, the last thing to come is the wins.

Go Lions!

Friday Notes: Kevin Smith Returns to Practice

Sean Yuille — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:24:21 -0000

Kevin Smith returned to practice on Thursday, splitting No. 1 reps with Maurice Morris. Calvin Johnson also practiced again on Thursday. It appears both will be game-time decisions for Sunday's game, but if I had to make a prediction right now, I'd say that the Lions will have all of their offensive weapons against Seattle.
A lawsuit against Dennis Northcutt that brought about some pretty serious accusations was dropped.
Although twins are on the way, Nick Harris will be with the team in Seattle this weekend.
Unlike Julian Peterson, Sunday's game is not circled on Cory Redding's calendar.
Chris Osgood used to be a Seahawks fan, but the Lions are his favorite team now.
This year's Thanksgiving game halftime show will be "A Motown 50th Anniversary Tribute." For more information, click here.
The 49ers signed former Lions cornerback Keith Smith and already released Carson Butler from their practice squad.
SB Nation's mid-season studs and duds awards are out.

Arizona Cardinals Fly Around the NFC West: Roster Move Addition

Hawkwind — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:56:31 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

about 1 month ago: St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo, left, is congratulated by linebackers coach Paul Ferraro after beating the Detroit Lions 17-10 in an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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The Arizona Cardinals weren't the only team in the NFC West that made some roster moves this week, but even mid-season roster moves aren't the lead story this week. First it's worth mentioning that the Cardinals will make one more roster move in the upcoming couple of days because the Bengals have signed fullback Fui Vakanpuna off the Cardinals practice squad. It'll be interesting to see who the Cardinals sign to fill the vacant practice squad spot.

St. Louis Rams: Normally we list the teams in order of division standings but when a team breaks a 17 game losing streak, they deserve some recognition. It had literally been 378 days since the Rams last won a regular season game and Steven Jackson (149 yards rushing) did most of the heavy lifting against the equally hapless Lions. Despite the win the Rams still have major questions at quarterback and some are starting to think that Marc Bulger's career is very near the end. One bright spot, outside of Jackson of course, is the development of the offensive line though, especially first round pick Jason Smith. The Rams also made a roster move, releasing wide receiver Tim Carter and signing cornerback Danny Gorrer.

San Francisco 49ers: The Niners lost a game to the Colts that was closer than just about everyone expected (18-14) but the Niners aren't waving the "moral victory" flag either. Not only does this loss push their current losing streak to three but they also lost three significant starters during the game. Joe Staley (MCL and PCL strain) is expected to miss six weeks, Nate Clements (fractured scapula) is expected to miss six to eight weeks and Demetric Evans (AC sprain) is expected to miss at least three weeks. These injuries forced the Niners to make a couple of moves, signing cornerback Keith Smith (formerly of the Lions) and releasing seldom used wide receiver Michael Spurlock. Their also expected to make at least one more roster move (possibly pulling up an OT from their practice squad). Considering that Sunday's game was Alex Smith's first start since 2007, here's also a complete breakdown of his peformance and Niner's fans have also determined that the NFC West will come down to a dog fight (we can still say "dog fight" right?) between their team and the Cards.

Seattle Seahawks: Following thier second consecutive lopsided loss, which dropped them to 2-5, the Seahawks seem to be cleaining house. In the past two days they've made nine roster moves including the release of veteran running back Edgerrin James. Also included in the released/cut department include Travis Fisher and C.J. Wallace. New to the 53 man roster will be Mike Hass (WR), Roy Lewis (CB) and Jamar Adams (S), all of whom were on their practice squad. Filling thier now vacant practice squad spots will be Trae Williams (CB), DeAngelo Willingham (CB) and Devin Moore (RB). Needless to say roster cleaning like this is indicative of a team that has given up on any hopes of competing this season and moving on with the hopes of allowing younger players to grow during the remaining nine games. One interesting thought is that some Hawks fans are wondering if it's time to pass the torch from Matt Hasselbeck to Seneca Wallace (part I and II). Needless to say we're watching the demise of the Hawks and it could turn into quite a show over the next couple of seasons.

NFC West Standings

	W	L	PF	PA
Arizona	4	3	157	143
San Francisco	3	4	147	140
Seattle	2	5	135	147
St. Louis	1	7	77	221

(updated 11.3.2009 at 3:44 AM CST)

49ers sign CB Keith Smith, Release WR Micheal Spurlock

Fooch — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:04:20 -0000

The loss of Nate Clements meant the team needed some cornerback depth behind Dre Bly and Marcus Hudson. Today the 49ers made an initial move to shore up that depth by signing CB Keith Smith. To make room for Smith, the 49ers released much maligned KR/WR Micheal Spurlock.

Below are some details from the 49ers about the move. I was looking for some info and found some interesting stuff. Our Lions blog had some comments when Smith was released at the final roster cut:

Cornerback Keith Smith was released on Wednesday. Though Smith was injured for part of training camp and hadn't been great since he returned, this was an unexpected move. I personally thought Smith would make the team over Ramzee Robinson, albeit not by a very wide margin. This decision really just came out of left field, especially when news broke a few hours later that Cletis Gordon was claimed by the Lions to fill Smith's spot on the roster. Gordon is a cornerback who was cut by the Texans after spending only a few days with the team. Before that he was with the Chargers, where he spent three seasons and was a starter in one game last year.

The folks at mlive.com had some comments when Smith was released by the Lions at the beginning of the season:

Smith was Detroit's best downfield on-ball defender last year, but he never stepped up in training camp this season.

Smith (5-11, 191) was originally selected in the third round (73^rd overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. After spending five seasons with Detroit, he was released prior to the start of the 2009 season.

Smith has played in 71 career games (5 starts), registering 118 tackles, four interceptions, 14 passes defensed, one sack, one forced fumble and one touchdown.

A 29-year-old, native of Leesville, LA, Smith played collegiately at McNeese State.

Spurlock signed with the 49ers on January 23, 2009, after spending one season with the Arizona Cardinals and two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He appeared in 11 career games (four with the 49ers) and totaled four receptions for 31 yards and 19 kickoff returns for 498 yards and one touchdown.

In addition, the 49ers have also released TE Carson Butler from the practice squad.

Thursday Notes: Lions Claim Cletis Gordon, Release Keith Smith

Sean Yuille — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:18:44 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

4 months ago: San Diego Chargers cornerback Cletis Gordon, left, breaks up a pass intended for receiver Malcom Floyd during practice at NFL football training camp, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

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Cornerback Keith Smith was released on Wednesday. Though Smith was injured for part of training camp and hadn't been great since he returned, this was an unexpected move. I personally thought Smith would make the team over Ramzee Robinson, albeit not by a very wide margin. This decision really just came out of left field, especially when news broke a few hours later that Cletis Gordon was claimed by the Lions to fill Smith's spot on the roster. Gordon is a cornerback who was cut by the Texans after spending only a few days with the team. Before that he was with the Chargers, where he spent three seasons and was a starter in one game last year.
Expect Matthew Stafford to play for around 25 snaps tonight against Buffalo. The coaches don't want him to play for too long, but they do want him to get some more work in before the regular season.
It doesn't sound like Kevin O'Connell is going to play tonight. The Lions will evaluate him by working him out on Friday and probably Saturday as well. The final cuts have to be made on Saturday, but the Lions will have time to put him through a workout.
The Lions' value as a franchise dropped by 6% from last year, according to Forbes.
At one time it looked like both Charles Rogers and Pacman Jones could end up signing with the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but now neither are expected to head north of the border. Rogers isn't allowed to sign with any CFL team because he is still suspended by the NFL. As for Jones, it looks like the Blue Bombers had a change of heart once their pursuit of him became public knowledge.
If Brandon Marshall were to be traded to the Jets, the Broncos reportedly would want linebacker David Harris in return. Harris is a former Michigan player and is who I hoped the Lions would draft in the second round back in 2007. Instead they chose Drew Stanton.

Friday Notes: Culpepper to Start; Lions Sign Alexander, Release Ervin

Sean Yuille — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:50:12 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

5 months ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper throws during football minicamp, Wednesday, June 24, 2009, in Allen Park, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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Daunte Culpepper will start for the Lions against Indianapolis tomorrow. Culpepper will play for all of the first quarter and half of the second. Matthew Stafford will come in after that and play until the end of the third quarter. (Drew Stanton will get to play in the fourth quarter.) The starters will be in the game for both Culpepper and Stafford, allowing the coaches to get a look at what each can do with the No. 1 offense.

Jim Schwartz cautioned to not read into this very much, as someone has to go out there first. He also made sure to mention that a starter probably won't be named until the week of the Saints game, and even then we probably won't hear who is getting the start until right before the game. That way the Saints have to spend time preparing for both quarterbacks.
The Lions signed linebacker Rufus Alexander and released running back Allen Ervin on Thursday. Alexander has previously played for the Vikings and Colts. Ervin had played quite well in the first preseason game before suffering an injury the next week in practice. He was not going to play on Saturday, and the Lions probably figured he wasn't going to make the team, so it's best to move on and give someone else a chance.
Starting cornerbacks Phillip Buchanon and Anthony Henry both will not play against the Colts. Keith Smith will play in his first preseason game, but I think Peyton Manning is going to have a field day with our secondary. He very well may have anyways, but with the starters out this probably will get ugly really quickly.
Dennis Northcutt has also been ruled out of tomorrow's game.
Kevin Smith and Ernie Sims are going to be game-time decisions tomorrow.
Brandon Pettigrew is going to play against Indianapolis.
Daniel Loper and Manny Ramirez are battling it out for the starting spot at left guard.
People were actually lined up at Ford Field's box office to buy Lions tickets when they went on sale Thursday morning.
With all of this talk about backup kickers lately, Jim Schwartz decided to show the team a clip of when offensive line coach George Yarno kicked an extra point back when he played for the Buccaneers. He was actually the long snapper, but when the starting kicker got hurt, Yarno ended up coming in as the emergency backup and did quite well.

(More after the jump)

The Vikings' locker room reportedly is already divided on Brett Favre.
Roy Williams hurt his shoulder last night during a Cowboys practice and will likely miss the rest of the preseason. There was a report from PFT that he broke his collarbone, but his X-rays came back negative.
The Broncos have suspended Brandon Marshall.
The Cowboys are not going to have to raise their giant scoreboard, as the NFL has simply created a do over rule, meaning that if a punt hits the scoreboard, the play will just be done again. I realize it would cost $2 million to raise the scoreboard, but this rule is just stupid. The Cowboys have spent over a billion dollars on the stadium already, so what's another $2 million? Besides, they are the ones responsible for not testing this out in the first place, so they should be responsible for fixing the problem. This rule will just cause problems, and I can't wait to see the outcry the first time a do over punt is blocked.

Thursday Notes: Daniel Bullocks Could Still Be Put on IR

Sean Yuille — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:49:47 -0000

Although Daniel Bullocks was placed on the waived/injured list, that doesn't necessarily mean he will become a free agent. I have always wondered what being put on the waived/injured list meant, but thankfully Tom Kowalski outlined it in a story today.

Assuming Bullocks clears waivers, the Lions can agree to an injury settlement with him and then waive him or re-sign him in approximately four to six weeks, or they can put him on the injured reserve. If they decide to do the latter, which seems to be the most logical move, Bullocks would become a restricted free agent after the 2009 season. The Lions would still be able to re-sign him and match any offer he receives from another team if they want to bring him back.

The one thing I don't understand about all of this is why Bullocks wasn't simply put on the IR in the first place. It's not like every player who has gone on the IR had to be put on the waived/injured list first, at least not as far as I know. Maybe it is because Bullocks is entering the final year of his contract. I'm not really sure, so if anyone knows or looks up the details of going on the IR and all that, leave a comment sharing what you know/found. I will do some research today and see what I can find.

UPDATE: I missed this at first, but John Niyo explained it in his blog yesterday, saying that before the first round of roster cuts happens, players who have been in the league for less than four years have to be put on waivers prior to going on the injured reserve.
Brandon Pettigrew and Calvin Johnson for sure won't play against Cleveland on Saturday. The same likely goes for Casey FitzSimmons, who just returned to practice this week.
Jim Schwartz is going to announce the starting quarterback for the Cleveland game tomorrow. I expect Matthew Stafford to get the start. The hope is that the Lions will have a better idea of who should be the permanent starter before the third preseason game, which is usually the closest thing to a simulation of a regular season game.
There were two fights during practice this morning.
Keith Smith has returned to practice.
What was supposed to be the Lions' final open practice has been closed to the public since it was moved indoors due to bad weather.
The AP's Larry Lage wrote an in-depth piece on Ramzee Robinson.
Pride of Detroit passed 2,000,000 page views this week!

Friday Notes: Daunte Culpepper Named Starter for Preseason Opener

Sean Yuille — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:57:27 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

4 months ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper (11) throws during an NFL football training camp in Allen Park, Mich., Friday, Aug. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

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Daunte Culpepper has been named the Lions' starting quarterback for their preseason opener against the Falcons tomorrow afternoon. Matthew Stafford and Drew Stanton will still get an equal amount of playing time, but Culpepper will get to play first, with Stafford expected to come in during the second quarter and Stanton some time in the second half. Knowing that, this move really isn't too big of a deal. It's only the first preseason game, and for me, it was expected that Culpepper would be the starter initially.
Casey FitzSimmons, Keith Smith, and Daniel Bullocks were ruled out of the Falcons game by Jim Schwartz. That doesn't mean they are the only ones who won't play, however, as the injury list will probably reach double digits. Those three players are just the ones that are out for sure. Other injured players will participate in the pregame warm-ups before a decision on their status is made. I would be surprised if a player who is injured gets a significant amount of playing time. There is simply no point in risking further injury at the very start of the preseason.
The Lions' depth chart has been posted on the team's official website. It accounted for some injured players, as their names are italicized and dropped to the end of their position.
Decals honoring Corey Smith and Ricky Sandoval will be on the Lions' helmets this season.
NFL teams are allowed to have a sponsor on their practice jerseys, and the Lions are going to put the Ronald McDonald House of Detroit's logo on theirs.
Drew Stanton did a good job of running the scout team in preparation for the Falcons.
Members of Michigan's Air National Guard attended practice yesterday and got to be a part of the Lions' circle after practice.
Louis Delmas had a rough childhood.
Brian Billick is a fan of Jim Schwartz.
Grady Jackson is the slowest player in Madden 10, coming in with a speed rating of 34. That's pretty bad, but at least he isn't 34 overall like cornerback B.J. Sams.
In case you hadn't already heard, the Eagles signed Mike Vick.

Wednesday Notes: Bryant Johnson Returns; Lions Release Fonoti, Sign WR McMullen

Sean Yuille — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:20:40 -0000

The Lions signed wide receiver Billy McMullen and released offensive guard Toniu Fonoti on Tuesday. McMullen was just released by the Seahawks, and with the Lions' wide receivers having a bad case of the injury bug, the team felt it was necessary to add depth to that position.
Bryant Johnson finally practiced for the first time in training camp. He only took part in individual drills for the most part, but that seems to be the Lions' protocol when injured players return to practice. Jordon Dizon, who also returned to practice today, only participated in individual drills as well.
In case you need to get caught up on the current list of injuries, here is what it looks like, as compiled by Tom Kowalski:

Others still sidelined include receivers Calvin Johnson (thumb), Dennis Northcutt (hand) and John Standeford (hamstring), tight end Brandon Pettigrew (thigh), cornerback Keith Smith (groin), tight end Casey FitzSimmons (ankle), linebacker Zack Follett (shoulder), safety Daniel Bullocks (knee), tackle Lydon Murtha (undisclosed), safety Marquand Manuel (calf) and running back Maurice Morris (hamstring).
Hopefully they won't be added to the list, but Anthony Henry and Dewayne White both left practice today when they had "thigh bruises tighten up."
Calvin Johnson's thumb injury is only a sprain, thankfully.
Jim Schwartz already has an idea of who will start in the Lions' preseason opener on Saturday, but he probably won't announce that piece of news until later in the week.
Safety Daniel Bullocks is out indefinitely with a sore knee. He was checked out by Dr. James Andrews recently and nothing new appears to be wrong with Bullocks' knee. The fact that it is still sore, however, has caused Schwartz to "shut him down for a little while." Hopefully Bullocks' knee eventually gets better, allowing him to return before the regular season, but things don't look all that promising right now.
There were quite a few mental lapses during practice today.
Lloyd Carr and Jeff Daniels were at practice today.

(More after the jump)

MLive.com's Philip Zaroo has a full rundown of yesterday's practice.
Jim Schwartz sort of complimented Rick Porcello's body slam of Kevin Youkilis in last night's Tigers-Red Sox game. (Can you believe that Porcello was not only ejected, but suspended 5 games? Youkilis got 5 games as well, which is just ridiculous. There were no warnings issued before Porcello plunked Youkilis, and what's more, it's not Porcello's fault Youkilis charged the mound. I don't understand how they can get equal suspensions when Youkilis threw his helmet at Porcello. It seems like the Tigers got the shaft last night and again today with this ruling.)
One of the reasons Shaun Smith decided to sign with Detroit was that his best friend and ex-Lion Shaun Rogers spoke highly of the team. That's a bit surprising considering the circumstances of Rogers' departure from the Lions, but Smith even said Rogers "wishes he could come back here now."
SI.com's Don Banks wrote about the Lions and the practice he attended on Monday in Allen Park.
If you want to watch the Lions play at Cleveland on August 22, you can get tickets for only $16.
Charles Rogers supposedly is running the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds on a consistent basis, according to his trainer via Jemele Hill. I will believe that when I see it.