SB Nation - Eric Fowler

Full Rundown of Lions' Recent Roster Moves

Sean Yuille — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:50:22 -0000

The Lions have been quite busy this week making changes to their roster. I wouldn't exactly call it a roster shakeup considering injuries forced two of the moves, but I am glad there are at least a few new faces in wake of what happened in Baltimore last Sunday. The season is as good as over already, but the Lions might as well get a look at as many players as they can with 2010 quickly approaching. Anyway, here is a rundown of the moves the Lions made this week:

Placed RB Kevin Smith (knee) and TE Casey FitzSimmons (concussion) on injured reserve
Signed RB Cedric Peerman from the practice squad to fill Smith's spot on the roster
Signed free agent TE Michael Matthews to fill FitzSimmons' spot on the roster
Claimed CB/KR Brian Witherspoon (he was waived by Jacksonville on Monday)
Released CB Jahi Word-Daniels to make room for Witherspoon
Released FB Terrelle Smith just days after Baltimore's Terrell Suggs called him out for taking a cheap shot at his injured knee
Claimed OG Roy Schuening to fill the open roster spot (he was waived by Oakland on Tuesday)
Signed WR Eric Fowler and DT Terrance Taylor (former Michigan player) to the practice squad

As you can see, it's been a busy week for the Lions. Although the season is winding down, it's at least good to see that the front office still has its eyes glued to the waiver wire. You never know when you might stumble upon somebody who just needed a change of scenery to really get his career going. At the same time, many of other teams' cast offs are upgrades over players currently on the roster, so the Lions probably figure that they might as well bring in talent whenever they can.

Injury Report: Detroit Lions (2-9) @ Cincinnati Bengals (8-3)

Kirkendall — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:18:59 -0000

BENGALS	WED	THUR	FRI	STATUS
C Jonathan Luigs (back)	DNP	DNP	DNP	Doubtful
DT Domata Peko (knee)	DNP	DNP	DNP	Doubtful
RB Bernard Scott (toe)	DNP	DNP	DNP	Doubtful
WR Laveranues Coles (chest)	LP	LP	LP	Probable
S Kyries Hebert (hip)	LP	LP	LP	Probable
DT Tank Johnson (knee)	LP	LP	LP	Probable
LB Rey Maualuga (foot)	LP	LP	LP	Probable
DE Frostee Rucker (neck)	LP	LP	LP	Probable
CB Morgan Trent (knee)	LP	LP	LP	Probable
RB Cedric Benson (hip)	FP	FP	FP	Probable
LB Keith Rivers (calf)	FP	FP	FP	Probable
DT Orien Harris (illness)	--	DNP	--	--
S Tom Nelson (foot)	--	--	DNP	Probable

DETROIT	WED	THUR	FRI
G Daniel Loper (back)	DNP	DNP	DNP	Questionable
S Kalvin Pearson (hamstring)	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
S Louis Delmas (ankle)	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
WR Eric Fowler (knee)	LP	DNP	DNP	Out
DT Grady Jackson (knee)	LP	DNP	LP	Probable
LB Ernie Sims (hamstring)	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
DE Dewayne White (toe)	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
DE Andre Fluellen (toes)	FP	FP	FP	Probable
LB Zack Follett (neck)	FP	FP	FP	Probable
WR Calvin Johnson (knee)	FP	FP	FP	Probable
QB Matthew Stafford (left shoulder)	FP	FP	FP	Probable

Friday Notes: Lions Place Stephen Peterman on IR, Sign Eric Fowler

Sean Yuille — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:13:28 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

3 months ago: Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson (81), is congratulated by teammate guard Stephen Peterman (66) after his touchdown in the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field in Detroit, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

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My thoughts go out to Chris Spielman and his family, as his wife, Stefanie, passed away yesterday after a long and courageous fight with breast cancer.
I was a bit surprised that Stephen Peterman wasn't one of the players placed on injured reserve earlier this week, because the ankle injury he suffered during the Vikings game looked pretty serious. Peterman was in an immense amount of pain and though he managed to walk off the field without any help, he had to be carted off to the locker room from the sideline. It was apparent the injury was serious, but nobody was really sure just how serious until today. I say that because the Lions have now placed Peterman on IR, ending his season. He will probably have to undergo ankle surgery, which is why the Lions went ahead and ended his season.
Replacing Peterman on the roster is wide receiver Eric Fowler, who was activated from the practice squad. A replacement for Peterman was really already signed earlier this week when Melvin Fowler joined the team, so the Lions decided to promote Fowler to fill the latest open spot on the active roster.
Kalvin Pearson and Ernie Sims are out this week.
It was thought that Cleveland's Joshua Cribbs might be out as well, but now it looks like he will play on Sunday against the Lions.
The reason Louis Delmas' absence from last Sunday's game was so unexpected was because Delmas himself thought he was going to play despite having a root canal and dental surgery on the Friday before the game. All was fine up until kickoff was approaching, which is when he realized he was in too much pain and couldn't play. It happened so soon before kickoff that he wasn't even on the inactive list, which actually ended up hurting the Lions' depth because so many other players got hurt during the game.
Jim Schwartz made some adjustments to the team's schedule this week in order to get ready for playing two games in five days.
The fate of the Silverdome will be decided by a judge by Monday at the latest.
Ernie Sims and a few of his snakes visited a class of fourth-graders earlier this week to talk about reptiles.
Shaun Rogers talked about his time in Detroit earlier this week.

Thursday Notes: Calvin Johnson Practices, Kevin Smith Sidelined with Shoulder Injury

Sean Yuille — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:02:13 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

about 1 month ago: Detroit Lions running back Kevin Smith is stopped by St. Louis Rams defenders Quincy Butler (36), David Vobora, Paris Lenon and James Laurinaitis (55) in the first quarter of an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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Although he was listed as limited, Calvin Johnson practiced on Wednesday with the No. 1 offense. That's a good sign, because even Matthew Stafford was listed as limited in practice. He was listed as limited last week as well, but he obviously ended up playing. For Calvin, it looks like he will be a game-time decision, which is probably what Kevin Smith will be as well. Smith missed yesterday's practice because the shoulder he injured during the Rams game is still sore. If Smith is unable to play on Sunday, Maurice Morris will step in as the starter, and you can probably expect to see more of Aaron Brown as well.
Jason Hunter finally returned to practice after missing a couple games. It would be nice to get him back for this weekend.
Wide receiver Eric Fowler has been signed to the practice squad by the Lions.
It looks like Manny Ramirez and Jon Jansen are competing for the starting spot at left guard.
Danny Amendola, the returner that got lit up by Zack Follett, has a concussion. When asked about the hit, Amendola said this:

"The hit didn't hurt, but my mind wasn't working," Amendola said. "I walked off, I think. Just got my head buzzed a little bit."
Zack Follett: he will hurt your mind.
Roy Williams complained to the media about how Tony Romo's passes to Miles Austin are thrown much better than when they go in his direction. I still can't believe we got a first- and third-round pick for him.

Wednesday Notes: Lions Claim Orion Martin, Release Eric Fowler

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

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

Lions Re-Sign Drew Henson to Active Roster

Sean Yuille — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:04:51 -0000

Since this is a short week and Drew Stanton suffered a concussion during yesterday's game, there is no way that he will be ready to play on Thursday against the Titans. Because the Lions don't want to have only one healthy quarterback on the team, Drew Henson was signed to the active roster today and will be Daunte Culpepper's backup.

According to John Niyo, the deal is two-years long, so I'm inclined to believe that Dan Orlovsky will be headed to the injured reserve to make room for Henson. If Henson was simply going to be on the active roster until Stanton was healthy again, there would be no reason to sign him for two years. Since the Lions did just that, my guess is that they want to keep him on the team for at least the rest of this season and are keeping him in their future plans.

The Lions also re-signed wide receiver Eric Fowler to the practice squad and released Joel Filani, another WR, from it.

Wednesday Notes: Lions Sign Two, Release Three from Practice Squad

Sean Yuille — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:36:08 -0000

Safety LaMarcus Hicks, who was released from the active roster, was signed to the practice squad yet again. The Lions also signed wide receiver Joel Filani, who played for Seattle earlier this season, to the practice squad. Former Grand Valley State receiver Eric Fowler, tight end Jake Nordin, and cornerback Antonio Smith were released from the practice squad.
I expect to find out how many tickets are left for Sunday's game sometime today. My estimate is somewhere around nine or ten thousand. The last home game had around seven thousand tickets left on the Thursday before the game, so chances are there will be even more available since the Lions have lost twice since then.
MLive's Philip Zaroo rounded up some different reactions to the Lions' 2-point conversion attempt against Carolina that resulted in no penalties even though Daunte Culpepper got his face mask pulled. I personally like the headline of the post, as it shows how the referees must have been thinking during the play: "Lions QB Culpepper's facemask attacks hand of Panthers LB Beason."
Peter King suggests that a team like the Lions or 49ers take a look at hiring Scott Pioli, the Patriots' VP of Player Personnel. My belief is that if the Lions can't hire a proven general manager, then they should go after someone that works for a proven winner. The Falcons hired Thomas Dimitroff from the Patriots earlier this year, and that move looks like it was a pretty good one already.