SB Nation - John Standeford

Wednesday Notes: Lions Sign Demarcus Faggins, Re-Sign John Standeford

Sean Yuille — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:46:56 -0000

Detroit Lions wide receiver John Standeford catches a two-point conversion from quarterback Drew Stanton during the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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The reason teams hold mass tryouts every once in a while was exemplified today, as the Lions signed free agent cornerback Demarcus Faggins. The Lions needed to add another corner to the team after Eric King was placed on injured reserve, and Faggins tried out with the team earlier this season. He was obviously at the top of their list of free agent corners, and he is now a member of the team. (John Niyo thinks Kevin Hobbs will become the Lions' nickel corner and Faggins will be inactive on game days for now.)
At the top of the Lions' list of free agent wide receivers must have been John Standeford, as he was re-signed by the team on Tuesday. Standeford was released during the final round of cuts before the season, but he has been brought back to add depth to the wide receiver position. What that means for the health of Calvin Johnson is beyond me, but I'm hoping the Lions just want to have depth going forward so they are never again left with only three healthy receivers during a game like they were last Sunday.
On a more positive note, Sammie Hill must be healthy again based on the fact that the Lions released Chuck Darby to make room on the roster for Standeford. Darby was brought back after Hill got banged up a few weeks ago, but the rookie must be ready to return if the Lions are willing to part with Darby.
The Lions not only signed a couple players on Tuesday, but they also held another tryout. This one only included three players: offensive tackle Levi Jones, center Melvin Fowler, and defensive back Jahi Word-Daniels.
When Ernie Sims returns to full health, he will be one of the Lions' starting linebackers.

(More after the jump)

The Lions have agreed to a deal with 97.1 The Ticket that will keep it as the team's flagship radio station for at least three more years.
Bidding on the Silverdome begins next month, and remember how I joked about how Pride of Detroit should buy it? Well...

"The Silverdome is a marquee property and in good condition, but the city can't run it properly, and it should be turned over to someone who can return it to a vibrant asset," Leeb said. "We're told there has already been considerable interest, but if the high bid is only $1, well, then that's it."
If the auctioneers happen to stumble across this post, I am officially bidding $1 (and whatever else POD readers want to throw in) for the former home of the Lions. The yearly costs of maintaining it would be a pain in the ass, but how sweet would it be to own the Silverdome? I can see it now... "Hi, my name is Sean, I own the Silverdome, err, the Seandome." Talk about a great conversation-starter.
Remember how Tom Lewand said a good way to sell tickets is by winning games? I have an even better strategy: Hope and pray that the Steelers come to Ford Field more often. At least half (probably more) of the fans at Sunday's game were waving terrible towels, and it was probably the most friendly game for an away team in the history of the NFL. I know the Steelers travel well, but as Larry Foote pointed out, quite a few of those fans didn't even come from Pittsburgh.

"I'm a little disappointed," Foote said. "On my way home on the freeway, I seen a lot of Michigan plates with a lot of Terrible Towels in the car. The people who live here and are Steeler fans, shame on you guys. You will be on our bandwagon sooner than later."

Foote smiled as he spoke. He expects the Lions to turn themselves around and win over those fans.

"These Detroiters that love Pittsburgh, they're going to have Honolulu blue on," Foote said. "People like to support a winner. I understand that. But I wanted to run some cars off the road yesterday."
He couldn't have summed up my feelings on this any better.
Quite a few players were fined because of plays that happened in the Bears-Lions game earlier this month, including Adewale Ogunleye, who got docked $7,500 for the sack that injured Matthew Stafford.
The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation is going to pay for two new police dogs for the city of Detroit.
Dre' Bly is not very intelligent.
I knew Owen Schmitt was crazy, but I didn't know he was quite this crazy.
How's this for a stat: All of the Redskins' first six games will end up being played against winless teams. Here's an even better stat: Not counting the Giants (the Redskins' Week 1 opponent), Washington's opponents have a combined record of 2-22, and both of those wins came against the 'Skins.

Boilers in the NFL: Week two of the preseason

BoilerTMill — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:45:54 -0000

With most of week 2 in the books it is time to start looking at fantasy draft options. Most of the Purdue guys are still kicking around, but the first round of cuts are coming. It is only a matter of time before this list gets a little shorter, unfortunately.

Side note: Speaking of fantasy, we have so far had four people sign up for the Hammer & Rails league through CBS Sports' college football. We need at least 6 more as well. If someone would be willing to commissioner this league it would be awesome as well. As a warning, CBS Sports fantasy is about as user unfriendly as possible, so hopefully someone out there has figures it out. Now, on with the update.

Arizona Cardinals - Chike Okeafor (OLB) - Okeafor had one assist on a tackle as he fights to stay a Cardinal. I would say his chances of making the roster are pretty good. The Cardinals lost to San Diego 17-6 in the second preseason game. He has been battling a sore back, however.

Carolina Panthers - Anthony Heygood (LB) - An undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot, Heygood got some more game action, notching a tackle as he tries to land a roster spot. He is in the same boat as Landon Johnson (LB) - Landon at least signed as a free agent this summer. He had no stats in the second preseason game though, a 27-17 loss to the Dolphins

Cincinnati Bengals - Greg Orton (WR) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Greg had no stats in a 7-6 win over New England, so I would say his chances of making the roster at this point are pretty slim.

Dallas Cowboys - Anthony Spencer (LB) - Spencer had two tackles and one assist as the Cowboys opened their giant new stadium with a 30-10 win over Tennessee. The Cowboys lost rookie OLB Brandon Williams to a torn ACL, making Spencer that much more valuable.

Denver Broncos - Kyle Orton (QB) - Kyle had a much better second week of the preseason, completing 16 of 22 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Chris Simms is still breathing down his neck for the starting job, however. Kyle had an ugly left handed interception hat left Denver fans shaking their heads in dismay. Denver lost 27-13 at Seattle. Brandon Gorin (OL) - Gorin has a strong chance to be a starter along Denver's offensive line.

Detroit Lions - Cliff Avril (DE) - Cliff had no stats in the second preseason game, which is a shame because he had the chance to sack Brady Quinn, Medicine Woman. He struggled in limited action. Schweigert (S) - Stu had a tackle in the 27-10 loss at Cleveland in week 2. John Standeford (WR) - John had two catches for 16 yards after missing the first game with an injury. He has as good of a chance of anyone of making the final roster, as he performed very well in the second half of last season, all things considered for the Lions.

Houston Texans - Jacques Reeves (CB) - Jacques is battling a broken leg at the moment and may miss the entire season. Jeff Zgonina (DT) - Jeff still has a good shot of making a roster for his 17^th season in the league. He had two tackles and a sack in a 38-14 loss to New Orleans.

Indianapolis Colts - Curtis Painter (QB) - Painter saw quite a bit of action as Jim Sorgi was out again with a sore hamstring, but that will change in week 3 against Detroit. Sorgi is expected to return. Given his experience with the Colts, I have a hard time seeing Painter overtake him for the number two job. This is a season of learning for Curtis. Still, he completed 11 of 19 passes for 119 yards and an interception in a win over Philadelphia. He also ran once for a loss of six yards.

Jacksonville Jaguars - Uche Nwaneri (OL) - Uche is starting for now, but is likely headed to the bench once the season starts.

Kansas City Chiefs - Bernard Pollard (S) - Pollard sat out week 2 of the preseason. Had five tackles in preseason debut. Alex Magee (DT) - Magee played but did not have any stats against the Minnesota Favres last week. No one seemed to notice as it was all about Brett.

Miami Dolphins - Akin Ayodele (LB) - 8^th year in league. Akin is the likely starter again for the Dolphins. He had one tackle in limited action against Carolina. Ryan Baker (DT) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Baker had a tackle and an assist in the second preseason game.

Minnesota Vikings - Ray Edwards (DE) - Like Pollard and Magee above, no one noticed what Ray Edwards did as Favre played his first game as a Viking. Edwards had a tackle and an assist as he is a likely starter.

New England Patriots - Matt Light (LT) - 9^th year in league. Has won three Super Bowls and has started all but two games in his career. Light will be the starting left tackle once again. Rob Ninkovich (LB) - 3^rd year in league. Rob had a very positive second week of the preseason, leading the Patriots with six tackles and three assists. Apparently he has moved from Defensive End to Linebacker

New Orleans Saints - Drew Brees (QB) - It is still smooth sailing for Brees, as he was 9 of 14 for 87 yards and a touchdown in the win over Houston.

New York Jets - Dustin Keller (TE) - DK plays his second preseason game tonight at Baltimore. The game will be on ESPN at 8pm

Philadelphia Eagles - Eugene Bright (TE) - Bright did not have a catch against Indianapolis, but he is still in the running for a backup tight end spot.

San Diego Chargers - Shaun Phillips (LB) - Phillips had one tackle in week 2 as he continues to hold down a starting linebacker spot. Nick Hardwick (OL) - 6^th year in league. Likely starter with 68 career starts at center and a Pro Bowl nod in 2006. Charles Davis (TE) - Davis did not have any stats in the second week of the preseason, making it harder and harder for him to make the roster. There is the possibility, however, of Davis making the roster as a fullback/H-back

San Francisco 49ers - Kory Sheets (RB) - Kory continues to be the most likely candidate to go from undrafted free agent to roster member, as he ran for 51 yards on 12 carries and added a fourth quarter touchdown to give the 49ers a 21-20 win over Oakland. Kory has all but sealed the 3^rd string running back job now.

I had video of Kory's TD, but SBNation allows only YouTube embedding, so you'll have to follow the link.

Seattle Seahawks - Craig Terrill (DT) - Craig had two tackles in the win over Seattle. He has been a stalwart in the Seahawks' defensive line rotation for years now. Seattle fans do like his ability to disrupt things on the line.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Niko Koutouvides (LB) - Niko had no stats in week two, as he fights for a roster spot after signing as a free agent.

Tennessee Titans - Stanford Keglar (LB) - Keglar had two tackles in the preseason loss at Dallas. Mike Otto (OT) - Otto is fighting for a roster spot, but the blog Music City Miracles thinks both Otto and Keglar will make the final 53 man roster.

Wednesday Notes: Four Injured Lions Return to Practice

Sean Yuille — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:23:54 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

4 months ago: FILE -- This is a June 24, 2009, file photo showing Detroit Lions safety Louis Delmas watches during NFL football minicamp, in Allen Park, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

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Calvin Johnson and Louis Delmas returned to practice on Tuesday. Johnson was without his cast, but he didn't have any passes thrown to him just to be safe. Delmas made his presence felt by destroying Aaron Brown with a ferocious hit during today's practice. Jim Schwartz made sure to tell Delmas to be a bit more careful when jacking up teammates, but he seemed to enjoy the hit. Gunther Cunningham, as expected, seemed to like what he saw as well.
Casey FitzSimmons and John Standeford returned to practice today. FitzSimmons was limited, but the fact that he simply returned is good news, as I didn't expect him to be back so soon. Standeford fully participated in practice.
Wide receiver Kenneth Harris was carted off the field because of an ankle injury.
Daniel Loper didn't practice today and was replaced by Manny Ramirez at left guard.
Running back Allen Ervin was wearing a boot at practice because of an ankle injury. Jim Schwartz said it was more serious than a day-to-day issue, which is too bad. Ervin played well against the Falcons and certainly looked better than Aveion Cason. Ervin and Aaron Brown pulled ahead in the competition for the third running back spot for sure. Obviously Brown has the upper hand (and will continue to have it with Ervin out), but losing a player means less competition, which is never a good thing.

(More after the jump)

Jim Schwartz compared Brett Favre unretiring again to this famous quote from Godfather III: "Every time I think I'm out, they pull me back in."
Favre's decision to sign with the Vikings caused a big increase in ticket sales for the Lions. The Vikings play at Ford Field on September 20 -- the Lions' home opener -- and it seems like there is a very good chance of it being a sellout. In that sense, thank you, Brett Favre.
Nick Schuyler, the lone survivor of the boat accident that involved Corey Smith, was interviewed by Bryant Gumbel and recounted what happened during the tragedy.
Tarvaris Jackson's days with the Vikings are numbered, and it is expected that he will be released or traded by Friday. The Pioneer Press speculated that the Lions could be interested in him based on the fact that he was with the Vikings and has knowledge of their offense, but I highly doubt Detroit would waste anything on him. It's not like he would be anything more than the Lions' third-string QB, so I would be shocked if he ended up joining Detroit via a trade. If he does become a free agent, I wouldn't be too surprised if the Lions showed interest in signing him, but does anyone honestly think Jackson is going to sign with a team that already has a couple QBs that would be ahead of him?

Boilers in the pros: Preseason week 1

BoilerTMill — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:56:12 -0000

With the first week of the preseason in the books I wanted to take a quick look and see how all of our guys did in week 1. Obviously many guys are established on rosters already, but some are fighting for spots. This was a lot of fun, as I did most of the research on Sunday night, but waited until this morning to post it because there were a pair of preseason games last night. If I have time, I think I will make this a regular feature, as I have no weeded out hte teams that do not have former Purdue players on their rosters. Some guys, like Charles Davis, were happy finds because I didn't know they were still kicking around out there.

Here is how everyone did in week 1:

Ladies and gentlemen, your reigning NFL offensive player of the year.

Arizona Cardinals - Chike Okeafor (OLB) - 11^th year on team. Had a tackle against Pittsburgh in opener. Likely starter.

Atlanta Falcons - No players on roster

Baltimore Ravens - No players on roster

Buffalo Bills - No players on roster Side note: Who the hell is Gibran Hamdan? Apparently, he is a former IU quarterback that is on their roster, but I have never heard of him.

Carolina Panthers - Anthony Heygood (LB) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Had one tackle in preseason opener. Landon Johnson (LB) - 6^th year in league, fighting for roster spot. The Panthers played their first game Monday night and Landon had no stats.

Chicago Bears - No players on roster

Cincinnati Bengals - Greg Orton (WR) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Had no statistics in 17-7 loss at New Orleans

Cleveland Browns - No players on roster

Dallas Cowboys - Anthony Spencer (LB) - 3^rd year with team. Had one tackle in loss to open preseason. Likely starter.

Denver Broncos - Kyle Orton (QB) - Had brutal debut as starting quarterback with three interceptions. Completed 9 of 16 passes for 89 yards. Is still listed as the starter for now, but he obviously must improve. Brandon Gorin (OL) - Trying to return to NFL after starting 8 games at tackle for St. Louis in 2007. Six year veteran with 26 starts and former member of the Visa Five Layers of protection, thus making him the rare offensive lineman with an endorsement deal.

Detroit Lions - Cliff Avril (DE) - Second year player. Had two tackles as Lions won on late field goal. Stu Schweigert (S) - Found a home in Detroit last year after getting cut by Washington and Denver. Had four tackles in preseason opener and should be safely on the roster. He is also loving the fact he plays for his hometown team. John Standeford (WR) - After years on the Colts practice squad, finally made a regular season roster with the Lions. Emerged as #2 receiver late last season with four starts. No stats in opener

Green Bay Packers - No players on roster.

Houston Texans - Jacques Reeves (CB) - 6^th year in league. Will likely start at corner after breakout season in 2008. No statistics in opener. Jeff Zgonina (DT) - An astounding 17^th season for the last active player from the Colletto Era. Played in all 16 games last year with two starts. Is fighting for a roster spot apparently. No statistics in opener. UPDATE: It is no wonder Reeves had no stats in the opener, as he suffered a broken leg in camp and will be out for some time.

Indianapolis Colts - Curtis Painter (QB) - Rookie likely playing 3^rd string quarterback. Took the majority of snaps for the Colts in a 13-3 loss that was a boring as it sounds. Completed 10 of 17 passes for 77 yards.

Jacksonville Jaguars - Uche Nwaneri (OL) - 3^rd year in league. Likely starter at offensive guard after making 15 starts last year.

Kansas City Chiefs - Bernard Pollard (S) - 4^th year in league, probable starter. Most hated non-Yankee in New England after ending Tom Brady's season last year. Had five tackles in preseason debut. Alex Magee (DT) - Rookie on defensive line rotation. Had four tackles in preseason debut. The chiefs lost to the Texans 16-10.

Miami Dolphins - Akin Ayodele (LB) - 8^th year in league. Starter 13 games with 75 tackles last season. Likely starter again. Ryan Baker (DT) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Both Ayodele and Baker had one tackle Monday night in a 12-9 field goal kicking contest.

Minnesota Vikings - Ray Edwards (DE) - 4^th year in league. Likely starter after 15 starts and five sacks last season. Had tackle in preseason debut win over the Colts.

New England Patriots - Matt Light (LT) - 9^th year in league. Has won three Super Bowls and has started all but two games in his career. Will be protecting Tom Brady's blind side until both head to Canton most likely. Rob Ninkovich (DE) - 3^rd year in league. Has played in just 8 career games as he tries to return from serious knee injury. No stats in preseason debut.

New Orleans Saints - Drew Brees (QB) - 9^th year in league. Will be starter after making the Pro Bowl for third time and second time being named All-Pro. Reigning Offensive Player of the Year. Completed 6 of 9 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown in 17-7 win over Cincy.

New York Giants - No players on roster.

New York Jets - Dustin Keller (TE) - 3 catches for 52 yards in preseason debut. Likely starter after solid rookie season in 2008. Big things are expected from him this year.

Oakland Raiders - No players on roster.

Philadelphia Eagles - Eugene Bright (TE) - An interesting one, as Bright was a pretty average Defensive end at Purdue and never played tight end. Undrafted free agent trying to make roster. Had one catch for eight yards in preseason debut.

Pittsburgh Steelers - No players on roster.

San Diego Chargers - Shaun Phillips (LB) - 6^th year in league. Likely starter as one of San Diego's best linebackers. Had 2 tackles in first game. Nick Hardwick (OL) - 6^th year in league. Likely starter with 68 career starts at center and a Pro Bowl nod in 2006. Charles Davis (TE) - Has bounced around league (Giants, Panthers, Jaguars) trying to make a roster, but has yet to play in an official game. No stats in opener

San Francisco 49ers - Kory Sheets (RB) - Undrafted free agent trying to make a roster. Kory probably had the most beneficial weekend of anyone. Rushed for 51 yards on 10 carries and a long of 25 in win over Denver. Also saw main competition Thomas Clayton unfortunately tear his ACL and get released. Has solid chance to make roster as 3^rd down back/kick returner.

Seattle Seahawks - Craig Terrill (DT) - 6^th year in league. Is having a very Jeff Zgonina-like career so far. Will likely be in the rotation at defensive tackle and may start. Had no statistics in opener.

St. Louis Rams - No players on roster.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Niko Koutouvides (LB) - 6^th year in league. Fighting for roster spot after disappointing year in Denver last season. Had four tackles in preseason debut. Buc fans are excited to have him.

Tennessee Titans - Stanford Keglar (LB) - 2^nd year in league. Played in 13 games as a rookie last season. Leads the team in tackles with 11 through 2 games (The Titans played in the Hall of Fame game too). The Titans think he may be the steal of last year's draft, too. Mike Otto (OT) - 2^nd year in league officially. Has been on practice squad and has played in one official game.

Washington Redskins - No players on roster.

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.

Friday Notes: Lions to Take Practice to Ford Field

Sean Yuille — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:42:21 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

4 months ago: Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford, left, sits with team general manager Martin Mayhew, center, and talks with president Tom Lewand, right,during NFL football training camp in Allen Park, Mich., Friday, Aug. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

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Don't forget, tomorrow is "Lions Uncaged" at Ford Field. Gates open at noon and you can get autographs until 12:45 p.m. The practice will start at 1 p.m. and is expected to last around two hours. FOX 2 Detroit will be broadcasting live from the practice from 2-3, and I will be providing live updates via Twitter on Pride of Detroit.
Today's 7-on-7 drill went very well for Detroit's quarterbacks.
As you know by now, injuries are really starting to pile up. Damion Cook is out for the season. Bryant Johnson is still out due to wounds from his golf cart accident. Casey FitzSimmons is going to be out for an extended period of time, as is Keith Smith, who has a groin injury. Maurice Morris, John Standeford, Dennis Northcutt (missed today's morning practice and only took part in individual drills in the afternoon), Brandon Pettigrew, Jake Nordin, Lydon Murtha, Jordon Dizon, Daniel Bullocks, and Louis Delmas have all suffered injuries that are of the day-to-day nature. Most haven't returned to practice yet, but it isn't expected that those players will be out for too long. At least that is the hope.
Anthony Henry practiced at safety today, but it was mainly because Lions coaches want him to learn the position just in case depth continues to be thin with Bullocks and Delmas both injured.
In case you ever attend a practice and wonder why the quarterbacks suddenly are throwing passes out of bounds on a consistent basis, it probably is because they are running a drill where throwing the ball away is actually somewhat encouraged.
Aaron Brown had a long touchdown run during an 11-on-11 drill on Thursday.

(More after the jump)

The Lions' defense has had 40 different blitzes installed already.
Gunther Cunningham supposedly said this to Martin Mayhew after watching a 75-play video of a free agent:

"Last night, he had me look at 75 plays of a (free agent) player and he asked me, 'How'd you like him?' and I said, 'Eh, I've seen a lot better and you just wasted a lot of my time.' But that's my job, you know. You've got to look, and you've got to keep looking."
I would love to have seen the look on Mayhew's face after Cunningham delivered that line.
Gunther Cunningham's aggressiveness is rubbing off on his cornerbacks.
You need a premium membership to read the article, but the title of this story about DeAndre Levy pretty much says it all: "Failing to Impress Coaching Staff."
Jim Schwartz went on FOX Sports Radio recently. The audio can be found here.
Three former Lions are headed to the UFL.
The latest "Lions Congregation" is up at Church of Schwartz.

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)

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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)

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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.

Wednesday Notes: Rosenhaus Signs Standeford, Talks Him Up on Twitter

Sean Yuille — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:06:32 -0000

Drew Rosenhaus' newest client is Lions receiver John Standeford. Rosenhaus announced the news on his Twitter page, saying that he thinks Standeford "has a good chance to be a starter this season for the Lions." I know it's Rosenhaus' job to say good things about his clients, but I highly doubt Standeford will be a starter. His first goal should be to make the team, as that isn't even a certainty right now.
SI.com's Don Banks thinks that out of four franchise QBs on new teams, Matthew Stafford has the highest chance of struggling through 2009 due to playing for the Lions.
Seahawks receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh is boycotting Madden 10 because he is only rated a 91, making him the sixth-best wideout in the NFC. The five players with a better rating, Calvin Johnson being one of them, all put up better numbers than Houshmandzadeh last year, so I don't know why he has such a problem with the rating. He actually blamed his numbers on his offense last year, which I just find funny. Calvin Johnson played in a crappy offense as well, but his numbers were quite a bit better.
Rich Eisen is going to host the Hall of Fame induction ceremony next month since Chris Berman, the usual host, is going to be Ralph Wilson's presenter.

Best Years in Purdue Sports History #2: 2000-01

BoilerTMill — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:14:58 -0000

A slow week this week has allowed me to get a jump on finishing this series. As a programming note, I'll continue with previews and stuff over the next three weeks, but I will be out of town July 11-19 with very limited internet access. I'll likely write some previews ahead of time and schedule them to post then, but otherwise I won't be around to comment or post anything that comes up suddenly. I had asked the Boiled Sports guys to come over and guest host for a week, but they too will be unavailable for most of that week. Therefore, feel free to use the FanShot and FanPost features if anything noteworthy comes up. If anyone wants to volunteer to guest host that week please e-mail me.

In the meantime, let's look at the choice that I seriously thought would be #1 on the list. Some confusion in the voting criteria may have made it #2. The 2000-01 school year was my junior year on campus. The basketball team was coming off of its closest approach to a Final Four under Gene Keady, while the football team had Drew Brees returning for his senior season.

Need I say more?

Football highlights:

I think it would be easier to countdown what wasn't a highlight for this season. Four of the games from this year alone made the Best Wins of the Tiller Era list I did last year. The four wins that didn't make the list were in blowout fashion, though the Northwestern game could be included since it came over our fellow Big Ten co-champion.

The season started off with a nice twist. At this point in coach Tiller's career we were known for our offense, while the defense was a major question mark going into the 2000 season. Many of the regular contributors on this defense were freshmen that went on to be stars on the 2003 team. They performed well from the beginning though by shutting out Central Michigan 48-0 in the season opener. It was Purdue's first shutout in 19 years dating back to a 35-0 win over Northwestern in 1981. Travis Dorsch tied the school record for career field goals in the game, and he would break it in the next game against Kent State. That game against the Golden Flashes was more of the same as Purdue won easily 45-10.

A trip to South bend followed, and it was yet another game that makes me angry still today. It was the second of three straight "luck of the Irish" wins Notre Dame got over us in South Bend from 1998-2002. All three of those losses were incredibly frustrating, but they did make the 2004 stomping we gave them that much sweeter. As fun as that 2004 win was, it makes me hate the 2000 game even more. Purdue played like absolute crap and got beat by a tight end playing quarterback for the only time in his career. He couldn't run the option worth a damn, but our mistakes handed them 17 points in a 23-21 loss. The thought of a Notre Dame tight end playing quarterback (poorly for that matter) and doing better than Drew Brees makes me want to punch something even now.

George Godsey led a clutch fourth quarter drive that set up Nick Setta's game-winning 38 yard field goal as time expired. In this game, Notre Dame had a 60 yard interception return for a touchdown and a blocked punt set up another TD. A 22 yard TD pass to Vinny Sutherland gave Purdue the lead with less than 4 minutes left, but the defense couldn't hold on. What made matters worse was the fact that this win set Notre Dame up for their first undeserved BCS bowl of the past 10 years, though it was delicious watching Oregon State beat the crap out of them in that season's Fiesta Bowl.

Demoralized, Purdue returned home to face Minnesota in the Big Ten opener. That day was a memorable one for Brees as he became the new Big Ten career leader in completions and attempts. He threw for 409 yards on 33 completions in 49 attempts to set the new record. He finished his career against Minnesota with especially high numbers. In three games against Minnesota Brees completed 92 of 127 passes for 1,214 yards and 10 touchdowns without an interception. He had a career best 522 yards and 6 TD's against the Gophers as a sophomore in 1998.

Purdue could not sustain that momentum a week later in losing 22-20 at Penn State. Travis Dorsch missed a 46 yard field goal with 2:36 left that sealed the win for Penn State, who was just 1-3 coming in to the game. Once again, special teams cost us as two botched punts led to two Penn State touchdowns. Purdue came home to face Michigan at 1-1 in the conference and needing a win to stay alive.

It's just a shame ABC didn't get the double-bird from Dorsch or Tim Stratton hanging from the goalposts

That win ranked as the #5 win on the Best Wins countdown. Dorsch redeemed himself for numerous failures (firing a double-bird salute toward the student section in the process) as Purdue upset Michigan 32-31 on his last second field goal. More details can be found on that link, but it started the most memorable October in Purdue football history. Purdue followed it with a convincing win over Northwestern (41-28) in Evanston and another memorable overtime win over Wisconsin in Madison to set up a battle for first place against Ohio State.

That Ohio State game is the best football game I have ever attended, narrowly beating out the Colts-Patriots AFC championship game in Indianapolis a few years ago. The fourth quarter alone is more than enough to make me watch the tape I have (a generous gift from Boilerdowd) until it wears out. Short of Purdue winning a National Championship in football or basketball with me in attendance (or my beloved Kokomo Wildkats winning a boys basketball state title) I doubt I will ever have a game top it. The game itself can be summed up with the following play:

I still don't remember anything after he actually caught the pass. It was easily the happiest moment in Ross-Ade Stadium history. I doubt any Purdue fan objects to yet another viewing of it.

We now controlled our destiny for Pasadena with a week off. In that week, a critical game happened as Northwestern upset Michigan in another fantastic game in Big Ten history. That proved to be a critical result, as we simply crapped the bed at Michigan State in an ugly 31-10 loss. Fortunately, Iowa also upset Northwestern on that day, meaning we got a second chance and controlled our own destiny going into the Bucket game. Given that chance, there was NO FREAKING WAY we were going to let Indiana prevent us from going to the Rose Bowl. Montrell Lowe's 208 yard, 4 touchdown day booked us that trip with a 41-13 win over the Hoosiers.

The Rose Bowl, even though we lost, is still one of the most memorable trips I have ever taken. At the time I deliriously though it would be the first of many trips under Tiller. We would only come close one more time, that being in 2003. We had waited a lifetime to play in Pasadena, and even if we don't go again until 2035 I am glad I got to go once just to see at least 50,000 Purdue fans also make the trip. Hearing "I Am an American" in Pasadena was almost as tear jerking as it was the very next time I heard it in a virtually silent Ross-Ade Stadium on September 22, 2001.

As for season honors, Drew Brees brought home a ton of them. He won the Maxwell Award as the nation's most outstanding player, was on numerous All-America teams, made the Cover of Sega's College Football 2K1, and is the only Purdue athlete (and second Purdue alumni, joining Neil Armstrong) to reach prestigious Level 8: Multiple Dead Male Hookers of the infamous Dead Hooker in the Trunk Scale. For someone else to reach this level that person will have to be a Purdue grad and first person to set foot on Mars or lead Purdue to a football national title. The stakes are set. I am sure if Drew ever reads this it will be the highest honor of his career. That, or he will think I am completely insane and he will possibly have a restraining order filed against me.

Basketball highlights:

After such an incredible football season, the men's basketball season was very anti-climactic. Midseason injuries to Rodney Smith and John Allison derailed what had been a promising year, but any team that relied on John Allison and his pitiful rebounding ability for a big man didn't have a lot of promise. At least he wasn't Matt ten Dam.

Purdue started the year with a shocking loss at home to Central Michigan on a last second layup. They then upset #1 ranked Arizona in the Wooden Tradition at Conseco Fieldhouse. Virginia delivered a 92-79 loss in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge before Purdue reeled off seven straight non-conference wins over easy opponents. A December 30^th 87-82 loss to UCLA in Mackey Arena gave Purdue a solid 8-3 record going into conference play.

Purdue beat Michigan, Northwestern, and Wisconsin to start conference play 3-0, but consecutive losses to Iowa and Minnesota ended the hot start. Purdue broke the streak with another win over Northwestern, but then lost 66-55 to Indiana in Bloomington. The Boilers were able to rebound once again in a home win over Minnesota, but that is when things quickly went south. Purdue then dropped six straight games, losing Allison and Smith (the two leading scorers) to injury in that stretch. A late season win over Michigan and Big Ten Tournament win over Minnesota salvaged a 15-14 regular season finish, but it broke a string of 8 straight NCAA Tournament appearances. It also meant we would dance only once over the next seven seasons.

Purdue did receive an NIT invite and that lead to home wins over Illinois State and Auburn, but a double overtime loss at Mackey Arena to Alabama prevented Purdue from going to New York. Both Allison and Smith were able to return for the NIT.

Other highlights:

Women's basketball - The women's basketball team, behind current Indiana Fever star Katie Douglas, Camille Cooper, and Kelly Komara, turned in a fantastic season during the 2000-01 year. All they did was win the Big Ten and come within a basket of winning their second National Championship in three years.

Unlike 1999, the ladies didn't enter the NCAA Tournament as one of the favorites. Purdue came in as a #3 seed at 26-6 and had lost the Big Ten Tournament championship to Iowa. An opening round over UC Santa Barbara was easy in Mackey, but Purdue was tested in a 3-point win over LSU in round 2. In the sweet 16, Purdue survived another close game, beating Texas Tech 74-72. They also got a huge break when Xavier upset top seed Tennessee in the other regional semifinal. Unfortunately, freshman point guard Erika Valek tore a ligament in her knee during the game and was lost for the rest of the tournament.

Purdue took care of Xavier in the regional final 88-78 to reach its third Final Four in program history. Once there, they faced tournament Cinderella Southwest Missouri State. The Bears featured the NCAA's career scoring leader in Jackie Stiles and had become the story of the nation during the tournament. Purdue held her to 22 points in an 81-64 victory to earn a rematch with Notre Dame.

Most people thought the other semifinal between number 1 seeds UConn and Notre Dame was the real national championship game. The two heavyweights had dueled twice in the regular season and most people assumed The Irish's 90-75 win in the Final Four would give them the title. Notre Dame had even defeated Purdue 72-61 during the regular season. The Boilers surprised everyone by building a 12 point first half lead and controlling most of the game though.

Purdue led 66-64 with about a minute to play but was unable to stop the nation's best player in Ruth Riley. Riley tied it with a basket in the lane with 1:01 remaining then got a rebound after a Purdue miss at the other end. Riley was then fouled in the final seconds and hit both free throws to give Notre Dame a 68-66 lead. Douglas missed an 18-fotter at the buzzer for Purdue, giving the title to Notre Dame.

Douglas would finish as a first-team All-American for Purdue, while several freshmen such as Shereka Wright and Valek would go on to have stellar careers.

Baseball - I have spoken about how Purdue has a poor history in baseball numerous times, but the 2001 season was probably the best the Boilers have had in the last 20 years. Purdue began the year by upsetting the #1 team in the nation, Rice, 5-2 in the season opener. They then lost to #16 Central Florida, but pulled off another upset of #24 Wake Forest to win the prestigious Coca-Cola Classic in Houston during the season's opening weekend. As a result, Purdue actually made an appearance in the bottom of many national top 25 baseball polls for a week.

Unfortunately, the hot streak didn't last. Purdue lost 11 of its next 13 games, including all six games on a spring break trip to play some of California's top baseball schools. Once in Big Ten play Purdue got hot again. Purdue went 19-7 in Big Ten play and finished 32-22 overall. It also had some rare national recognition from its early season wins, so a good showing in the Big Ten Tournament would likely mean an NCAA Tournament berth.

What ultimately hurt the Boilers was snow. One game of a four game series at Michigan State was snowed out early in the Big Ten season. Purdue won the other three games, but since that fourth game wasn't played the Boilers lost the Big Ten regular season title to Ohio State by just a half game. Had Purdue played that game and won, it would have ended a 92 year Big Ten baseball title drought that has now reached 100 seasons. They also would have hosted the Big Ten Tournament instead of the Ohio State. Rain also cancelled a fourth regular season game with Minnesota in West Lafayette.

Unfortunately, Purdue couldn't manage the one win it likely needed to secure an NCAA Tournament at large berth once they got to Big Ten tournament play. Purdue dropped games to Illinois and Michigan to finish 0-2. Their 32-24 record was overlooked by the committee and Purdue had to stay home.

Pitcher Chadd Blasko was named the top pro prospect from the Big Ten and was a 1^st round compensatory selection by the Chicago Cubs in that summer's draft. Dave Gassner, another starting pitcher on that team, went on to have a better pro career. He was drafted by Toronto and later made the major leagues for two games with the Minnesota Twins. He is Purdue's most recent Major Leaguer and managed to win his major league debut on April 16, 2005.

Women's Indoor Track and Field - The women's indoor track and field team won its only Big Ten team championship to date in 2001. Krissy Liphardt was an individual Big Ten champ by winning the 400 meter dash. To me, these last three achievements added to football should have made this the best overall year combined in Purdue sports history.

Swimming and Diving - This really isn't for anything the program did, but 2001 was the year that the Boilermaker Aquatic Center opened, moving our programs from the dank Lambert Fieldhouse pool into one of hte nicest collegiate aquatics centers in the country. It is so nice, in fact, that Purdue hosted the 2003 women's NCAA championships.