Lions Release 20, Place 2 on IR to Trim Roster to 53 Players

Sean Yuille — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:39:01 -0000

The Lions announced their 53-man roster today after releasing 20 players and placing 2 on the injured reserve. The two players placed on the IR were running backs Brian Calhoun and Aveion Cason. With both Calhoun and Cason done for the year, you would have thought that Artose Pinner would make the team, but he didn't. That means the Lions will carry only two running backs going into the regular season.

Here is the full list of the players released today by Detroit:

QB Drew Henson
RB Artose Pinner
WR Ron Bellamy
WR Devale Ellis
WR Brandon Middleton
WR Kenneth Moore
WR John Standeford
TE Clark Harris
OT Jonathan Scott
OG Frank Davis
OG Corey Hulsey
DE Victor DeGrate
DE Rudolph Hardie
LB Darnell Bing
LB Buster Davis
LB Leon Joe
CB Dovonte Edwards
CB Kiwaukee Thomas
S Greg Blue
S LaMarcus Hicks

I'll post a full analysis of what all of this means tomorrow.

Friday Notes: Bills Game Observations

Sean Yuille — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:15:37 -0000

Just a heads up, I didn't catch much of the Lions-Bills game yesterday, so the game recap will not be as detailed as usual.
As expected, many Lions starters did not play at all, and a few of the ones that did were not in the game for very long. The same can be said for Buffalo as only one regular starter played.
Brian Calhoun was injured during the game. He got the start for the Lions but only had 2 carries. Aveion Cason and Tatum Bell were held out of the game, so Artose Pinner played nearly the entire game at running back. He had 23 carries for 78 yards when all was said and done.
Dan Campbell was held out of the game because of his hamstring injury. He missed all four preseason games and only returned to practice this past week.
Dan Orlovsky played most of the game and did quite well. He went 12-21 for 114 yards and 1 touchdown. That 1 touchdown was the only time either team got into the end zone, and Jerome Felton was actually on the receiving end of the TD pass.
Drew Henson completed the only pass he threw in this game for 11 yards. Henson tried to get a second pass off, but got sacked before he could make the throw. Mainly he was in the game to hand the ball off as he only knows 10 plays right now.
WWJTV's broadcast of the game really stunk. Matt Shepard did a decent job of filling in for Gus Johnson, and Charlie Sanders was alright as a color commentator to complement Desmond Howard. However, who the hell was working the cameras? Have you ever heard of zooming out once in a while? Watching football when the camera is zoomed in so you only see a few players in one shot is not fun.
Tom Kowalski thinks the Lions will keep five receivers, five cornerbacks, and six linebackers on the 53-man roster. Surprisingly, he believes Buster Davis won't make the team as he isn't versatile enough at linebacker. Also, Tatum Bell seems to have wrapped up a spot on the roster as he was held out of last night's game, signaling that the Lions need him to be healthy.
We will find out what the 53-man roster looks like by 4 p.m. ET tomorrow. That is when the deadline is to trim the roster down to 53 players. I'll be at the Michigan-Utah game when the cuts are made, but I'll try to put up a post as soon as I get back from the game updating who made the team and who didn't.
Originally I planned to make a final roster prediction today, but that is up in the air right now. I am having Internet issues at my place in Ann Arbor (I'm not there right now), so a roster prediction will depend on if I can even access the Internet.
The Lions are offering a "Pepsi Pack" for the Packers game on September 14. The "Pepsi Pack" will get you two upper-deck tickets, two soft drinks, and two hot dogs for $99.
Lions safety Dwight Smith will be going to his old high school on their first day of class next week.
ESPN's so-called experts predicted the Lions to finish last in the NFC North. I don't necessarily think they'll go and win the division, but I don't think they will finish last, either.
Click here for a recap of the Lions' kickoff luncheon.
The Saints may be forced to temporarily relocate to Indianapolis next week as Hurricane Gustav appears to be headed straight for New Orleans.
Chad Johnson reportedly has legally changed his name to Chad Ocho Cinco. Seriously. How awesome would it be if the Bengals changed his number?
Adam "Pacman" Jones was reinstated by Roger Goodell yesterday. Guess where he was when he found out the news. No, it wasn't a strip club. It was actually Hooters.

SB Nation - Artose Pinner

Lions Release 20, Place 2 on IR to Trim Roster to 53 Players

Friday Notes: Bills Game Observations