SB Nation - Cliff Avril

Tuesday Notes: Copeland Bryan Has MCL Sprain

Sean Yuille — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:42:22 -0000

The trade deadline is at 4 p.m., and so far it doesn't appear that there are even whispers of a trade by the Lions. Jim Schwartz did say that the Lions are "open to everything," but as of right now I haven't heard even a single trade rumor.
Defensive end Copeland Bryan sprained his right knee's MCL during Sunday's loss to the Packers. That is the same injury that Steelers safety Troy Polamalu suffered during the opening week of the season, and he just returned on Sunday. It obviously depends on the severity of the injury, but usually it'll take 3-6 weeks to get back on the field after suffering an MCL sprain.
Offensive guard Stephen Peterman enjoyed playing some defensive tackle against the Packers.
I made the mistake of forgetting my iPod when I went home this weekend, so I actually listed to 97.1 The Ticket for a bit while driving yesterday. The little bit I listened to before I changed to music was basicaly Brandon Pettigrew getting criticized and the hosts of the show questioning the Lions decision to draft him at pick No. 20. I thought to myself: Yes, he has been rather average so far, but let's wait until at least the end of the season before making that kind of judgment. John Niyo agrees with that line of thinking, pointing out that Pettigrew missed part of training camp and is still adjusting to the NFL. My guess is that by the end of the season, Pettigrew will be one of Matthew Stafford's favorite targets, assuming of course that Stafford gets healthy and stays healthy.
That brings me to my next bit of news. Stafford went on Mitch Albom's radio show yesterday and denied that there is talk about his injury potentially being season-ending. According to him, any talk of him possibly having surgery or being out for the season is nothing more than a rumor. Let's hope it remains nothing more than a rumor.
Cliff Avril shared his plans for the bye week on his blog.
Julian Peterson is going to be an honorary captain for Michigan State on Saturday. Considering the Lions are on a bye and both Michigan and Michigan State are home, I would expect to see Drew Stanton in East Lansing and Jeff Backus, Larry Foote, and Jon Jansen in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

A Somewhat Depressing Blowout

Mitchell_M — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:03:02 -0000

Green Bay had several things going for it this week. In no particular order, they were:

Coming off the bye week
Getting Chad Clifton and Atari Bigby back from injury
Playing Detroit at home
Playing against a team missing it's best QB (Matthew Stafford) and WR (Calvin Johnson)

All together, these things pointed to a dominant Green Bay victory. And, in the end, it was, if you consider only the final score (26-0). So then why did this feel like a letdown? Short version: we saw the same old problems surfacing again. Long version: after the jump.

Here are some things that I saw that I didn't like. As usual (sadly), these are all impressions that I got despite not watching the game.

13 penalties for 130 yards. Green Bay netted 435 yards. They allowed Detroit to gain 149. Their 130 yards lost to penalties were over 25% of their offensive gains and nearly 90% of Detroit's. That is absolutely unacceptable. Let's do a rundown of how many of what penalty there were:

5 personal fouls - 75 yards
3 false starts - 15 yards
2 holding - 20 yards
2 illegal formation - 5 yards
1 illegal contact - 5 yards

False starts happen, even though they shouldn't. Holding happens way more than it's called. Illegal contact happens almost as much as holding. Even illegal formation happens, even though it's a stupid penalty that you should get out of your system in high school. But personal fouls? Absolutely ridiculous. Unless there's a brawl, there's no way any team should get called for five personal fouls in one game. I have no idea whether or not these were legit penalties, but the fact that Packer players were in position to have these penalties called in the first place infuriates me.

You know what that says to me? On-field discipline is a major problem. In a way, that's almost worse than off-field issues. Personal fouls cost the team 3/4 of a football field, while the rest of the penalties combined for 1/2 a field. This will kill you against an opponent with a better offense. I don't care how young a team is; you ABSOLUTELY CANNOT be whistled five times for 15 yard penalties. I cannot express in a family friendly manner how angry I am over these penalties.

Of course, penalties have been a problem all year. The Packers have been flagged 43 times (4th in NFL) for 359 yards (3rd in NFL). Mike McCarthy said that it was something they would have to fix. You had a bye week, coach. And even that didn't keep the team from putting up a season-worst performance penalty-wise. Ugh.
Five sacks for 30 yards. If the penalty yardage wasn't bad enough, tack on the losses to Detroit's pass rushers. Now, I have respect for Julian Peterson and Cliff Avril. They are the best pass rushers on a team that doesn't perform well in this department. Still, they combined for 3.5 sacks, which is not good. But Turk McBride, a player who had one tackle all season before Week 6 and isn't even listed on Detroit's depth chart on NFL.com, had 5 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

I know Clifton was dealing with an injury. I know the offensive line has been all shuffled and jumbled around this season. I know Mark Tauscher isn't ready yet. But you cannot give up five sacks a game! Yet that's exactly what they're doing (5 games + 25 sacks = 5.0 sacks/game average)!

In other news, Aaron Rodgers' contract was renegotiated to include extended medical coverage, a personal chiropractor, yoga classes, and sleep therapy. Because if the season continues this way, he will end up more messed up than Ryan Leaf. If there was any debate as to whether the Packers' O-line is broken, I think this should settle it.
30 rushes for 107 yards. This statistic isn't even that bad. But then you consider that the majority of the yards were gained by Ryan Grant (24 carries for 90 yards), which still isn't that bad. But then you look at the drive chart for the game, and you realize that nearly half of his yards came on the game's final drive, when Green Bay simply took advantage of a tired Lions' defense for the final 7 1/2 minutes (where Grant totalled 41 yards on 7 attempts, including a 22-yarder, resulting in his final stat line). Before the 7:52 mark in the 4th quarter (when the score was already 26-0), Ryan Grant had 14 carries for 49 yards.

Again, I didn't watch the game. I don't know if the lackluster running performance was the fault of Grant, the O-line, or just good run defense by Detroit. But surely the Packers can do a better job establishing the run against a team that is less than notorious for it's run-stopping. Even with Jason Spitz as a surprise inactive, you have to take it to a team that boasts Grady Jackson as their primary run defender.

Again, this falls to Mike McCarthy. For someone who still uses a workhorse back approach, why didn't he give Grant more carries in the first three quarters of the game? Detroit was a team ripe for the pounding, and Green Bay desperately needs to foster some sort of momentum for their rushing attack to build off of for the remainder of the season. They certainly haven't developed any momentum in the first 4 games. Unless, of course, the season is destined to end on January 3rd, which I sincerely hope it does not.

Okay, so those were all the things that bothered me. Here's what impressed me:

Zero. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. As a former defensive player, nothing quite compares to the feeling you get when you shut out an opponent. I think the best analogy in sports is a no-hitter in baseball, where everyone from the catcher to the pitcher to the outfielders does their job just right. That's what happened today on defense for Green Bay.

The Lions' quarterbacking duo of Daunte Culpepper and Drew Stanton combined to produce this line: 11/25 for 105 yards and 3 INTs. While that might be a good day for Jamarcus Russell, that's a terrible day for an NFL quarterback, and that's exactly what Dom Capers' 3-4 defense is designed to do. It's fitting that Atari Bigby got the final interception in the end zone to seal the shutout, considering his absence forced the defense into a more conservative (read: more crappy) approach.
Clay Matthews. I know I already talked about how well the defense played as a whole, especially against Detroit's passing game. And of course Matthews wasn't the only one responsible, as Aaron Kampman, Al Harris, Nick Barnett, and Michael Montgomery all came away with sacks. But Matthews' 2 sacks were just another example of how dynamic of a player he is becoming. I barely knew who he was before the draft, and I was clueless as to why Ted Thompson would trade back into the first round to grab him. But I am glad he did. Now the question is: which linebacker has to lose snaps in order to get Matthews on the field more?
Another interception for a defensive lineman. Remember my whole tirade above about poor discipline? Cullen Jenkins' read of the screen pass was the exact opposite. When an end or tackle gets that much penetration with minimal resistance, that means he either beat his man beyond recognition, or there's something unusual happening. In this case, it was the latter, and Jenkins immediately halted his rush to disrupt the screen pass. A wonderful play.
Green Bay's receivers. I made a big deal out of the erratic and sometimes frustrating play of the Packers' receiving corps. Well, today they all came to play. Greg Jennings' one-handed grab in the first quarter was a beautiful play, as was James Jones' juke of Marquand Manuel for a 47-yard TD. Even Jermichael Finley continued his development, putting up 54 yards on 5 catches.

But the big story from Lambeau was Donald Driver's record-setting catch in the first quarter, leaving him as the sole leader in receptions in Green Bay history. Of course, his 7 catch, 107 yard performance on the day was nice, but there's something about the story of a 7th round pick becoming a franchise leader in a major category that makes you smile, win or lose. Congratulations, Donald. You're a class act both on and off the field, a true role model, and a top receiver in the history of one of the NFL's premeire franchises.
Aaron MF'ing Rodgers. Of course, someone has to get Donald the ball so he can break that record. And Aaron Rodgers did that, and so much more.

Now, let's not go crazy, because Rodgers wasn't perfect. His fourth quarter interception to former Badger LB DeAndre Levy was simply underthrown, and Jones was closely covered anyway. Rodgers also danced around too much when faced with a collapsing pocket, which led to his fifth sack and a fumble recovered by Larry Foote.

But there was little else Rodgers did poorly. He bought time when he had to, and met with thrilling success on two occasions in the third quarter (especially the play where he faked one way, started out the other direction, then went back in the original direction and, as he was falling backwards, fired a strike to Jermichael Finley off his back foot). All his throws were crisp, and he did an excellent job providing space for his recievers to work after the catch. His 78.4% completion rate and his 113.7 passer rating were stellar, despite his protection issues.

Altogether, this was a decent game all-around. Not great, because the offense surely could have played better. But the defense was outstanding, and even the special teams performed well after Jordy Nelson got hurt. There were things we can take away from this games as positives, but still significant flaws that must be addressed before visiting Cleveland. I'm torn between optimism and pessimism, but perhaps you could sway me one way or the other in the comments section.

Tuesday Notes: Lions Activate Zack Follett, Waive Darnell Bing

Sean Yuille — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:57:12 -0000

The Lions have activated linebacker Zack Follett from the practice squad. Linebacker Darnell Bing was waived to make room on the roster for Follett, who is being added to the active roster mainly for his special teams skills. He flies down the field on special teams, and during the preseason he had quite a few tackles on kickoffs, so the hope is that adding him to the mix will improve a rather lackluster coverage unit.
Adam Jennings was placed on injured reserve yesterday, as the ankle injury he suffered against Chicago is season-ending. To fill the opening created on the roster, the Lions claimed safety Marvin White, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals.
RB Jehuu Caulcrick (of Michigan State fame), OT Isaac Sowells, OG Kurt Quarterman, DE Robert Henderson, LB Vinny Ciurciu, DB Vernon Fox, and S Todd Johnson tried out for the Lions on Tuesday.
Even if Jim Schwartz had challenged Johnny Knox's kick return for a touchdown (it appears Knox threw the ball before he reached the end zone), the Bears still would have ended up with the ball. The original thought was that the play would have been a touchback since the ball ended up in the end zone, but since Knox threw it forward, it would have simply been an illegal forward pass. The penalty would have put the Bears on the 6-yard line at worst, so in hindsight it wasn't quite as big of a deal. Still, it pisses me off that FOX Sports cut off the replay and kept the Lions from seeing if the play was worth challenging. I personally didn't even notice what happened at the time, as I turned away from the TV around the time Knox crossed midfield. I knew it was a touchdown by then and didn't want to see the rest of the play, so I didn't even realize what had happened until someone pointed it out in a FanPost earlier today.
John Clayton thinks the Lions will rest Matthew Stafford for a couple weeks since the bye week isn't too far away.
Don't expect any coaches (I'm looking at you, Stan Kwan) to be fired in the middle of the season, as it doesn't sound like Jim Schwartz rolls like that.
Cliff Avril isn't 100% just yet, but his "hamstring is getting better."
Chuck Darby spent much of the three weeks in between stints with the Lions fishing.
I don't have much to say about the Tigers other than I can't believe they choked that game away. They had so many chances to win the game or pull away, only to blow all of them and let the Twins end it in the 12th inning. I'm also extremely pissed off at the umpire for not realizing Brandon Inge got hit, costing the Tigers a run, but Detroit didn't deserve to win. They choked away the entire season over the last few weeks, and really I think it's time for a change at manager. Sure, there are many problems with this team, from the hitting to the pitchers to the management, but this entire organization needs some changes, starting with replacing Jim Leyland.

Wednesday Notes: Lions Re-Sign Jennings, Release Figurs

Sean Yuille — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:10:58 -0000

Jim Schwartz was "mic'd up" on Sunday, and there is an awesome video on NFL.com letting us see and hear Schwartz at different points in the game. I could watch it over and over.
Hoping to make their special teams better, the Lions re-signed wide receiver Adam Jennings and released Yamon Figurs, who was claimed on September 6.
Ernie Sims practiced today for the first time since injuring his shoulder against the Vikings. His status for Sunday is unclear, but he hopes to play against the Bears.
Cliff Avril also returned to practice today.
Kevin Smith, Sammie Hill, Kalvin Pearson, and Dewayne White missed today's practice.
I was a guest on ESPN 1410 WNER yesterday to talk about the Lions' first win. You can listen to audio of my appearance here.
Theo "Gridiron" Spight, the man who sings the fight song every time the Lions score, was interviewed by NPR to talk about the Redskins win.
Drew Stanton and Kevin Smith talked about the win on their blogs.

Tuesday Notes: Cliff Avril Talks About His Injury

Sean Yuille — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:58:18 -0000

Ernie Harwell was honored before Sunday's game.
Unsurprisingly, Jim Schwartz isn't about to yank Matthew Stafford after only two games.
Cliff Avril talked about his injury in his latest blog post.
ESPN's Kevin Seifert had this to say about Jeff Backus on the first play of the second half:

I have no idea what left tackle Jeff Backus was doing for any part of the first play of the second half. He lined up across from Allen -- with no tight end help -- but never took a step to block Allen at the snap. Allen sacked Stafford untouched, forcing a fumble. Backus was facing the play at the time but made no move to recover the fumble, acting as if he thought the play was dead. (Finally, tight end Brandon Pettigrew fell on the ball.) Did Backus hear a whistle? Did he think that tailback Kevin Smith was going to block Allen? All the way around, a bizarre and crucial play for the Lions.
I still have to go back and look at the tape, but something went drastically wrong on that play and it really doomed the Lions for the rest of the game. I don't know who is to blame just yet, but there's no excuse for letting Jared Allen run cleanly at Matthew Stafford.
Speaking of Jared Allen, he's sort of a douche.
Charles Rogers pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while impaired.
The Redskins' offensive line is a bit banged up.
You know that video I posted yesterday of a drunk chick getting arrested at the Lions game? Well, she had some reason to be upset about halfway through the video, as some old guy got a handful during the altercation (click to enlarge).

Official Vikings/Lions Injury Reports

Gonzo — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 04:54:02 -0000

Good evening/morning, campers! Glad to see that things have been relatively normal here, with the exception of some of the more creative FanPosts (all of which have been deleted). I would have gotten to these injury reports a bit sooner, but I spent my evening last night in New Orleans at a retirement party for a very good friend of mine that is moving on to the civilian world after putting in his 20 years. Let me tell you. . .Disney World might advertise themselves as the happiest place on Earth, but they've got nothing on Bourbon Street.

And I'll just leave it at that. This is, after all, a family show.

So, let's move on to the injury reports. As is customary here, we'll look at the visiting team first, so his Minnesota's injury report for tomorrow's game.

Minnesota Vikings Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Anthony Herrera	back	09/18/2009
Jim Kleinsasser	hand	09/18/2009

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Heath Farwell	hamstring	09/18/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Erin Henderson	calf	09/18/2009

Henderson is going to be out, we know that already. The big question here is Heath Farwell's status. According to Access Vikings, Henderson was the only member of the team that didn't practice on Friday, so since Farwell practiced, I'm guessing that he'll be a go for tomorrow's game, barring anything surprising. So, the Vikings should basically have their entire complement of players going into Ford Field tomorrow.

And here's the injury report for the Lions:

Detroit Lions Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Grady Jackson	knee	09/18/2009
William James	foot	09/18/2009
Jason Hanson	knee	09/18/2009
Phillip Buchanon	neck	09/18/2009
Daniel Loper	knee	09/18/2009

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Eric King	shoulder	09/18/2009
Andre Fluellen	knee	09/18/2009

Doubtful

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Cliff Avril	hamstring	09/18/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Cody Spencer	knee	08/18/2009
Daniel Bullocks	knee	08/20/2009
Jared DeVries	achilles-tendon	08/11/2009
Chris Roberson	undisclosed	09/05/2009
Damion Cook	triceps	08/07/2009

Grady Jackson is probable despite not having practiced on Friday, and his matchup against Vikings' center John Sullivan will be one of the more interesting ones to watch tomorrow. Sullivan had his difficulties with Shaun Rogers last week in Cleveland, and while Jackson is no longer in the class of guys like Rogers, he's still a big run-stuffing body in the middle of the Detroit defense.

Cliff Avril will likely be inactive for the Lions tomorrow, and I haven't seen anything indicating that anyone else on the Lions' injury report is a definite deactivation for tomorrow.

So there are the bumps and bruises for both teams going into the Week 2 matchup at Ford Field. Not a lot of hugely game-changing injuries for either side. We're about 12 hours away, folks, so make sure you're here for the Game Thread and all the fun that's involved with that. We'll see you here then!

Pre-season Preview 2009: Indianapolis Colts at Detroit Lions

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:46:22 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

4 months ago: Blake Olderman, of New Albany, Ind., waits for the start of an NFL preseason football game between the Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings in Indianapolis, Friday, Aug. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Browse more photos »

This third pre-season game will feature both team's offensive and defensive starters playing into the third quarter. We Colts fans will have a first hand look at #1 overall pick Matthew Stafford and the #2 overall pick in the 2007 draft, Calvin Johnson. The Lions also sport a new coaching staff headed by former-Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Schwartz ran a 4-3, Cover-2 style defense in Tennessee. They rarely blitzed, and often got pressure with their front four. However, their corners often played a bit more man-to-man, making it not quite a Tampa-2 defense, but pretty close. But in Detroit, with former-Chiefs defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham calling the shots on D, I think we shall see more blitzing from the Lions.

Unlike last year (where the "third" pre-season game was more of a "let's get this over with" game than an evaluation game), this game will hopefully showcase a few new wrinkles that we Colts fans have been buzzing over this entire off-season. So far, both the offense and defense have been pretty vanilla. Now, with starters getting cemented a bit more into their roles and an entire training camp come and gone to digest the new wrinkles, we should hopefully see of of these new things Larry Coyer and Jim Caldwell have been talking about.

My list of things I'll be looking for during the 1pm Eastern pre-season game tomorrow is after the jump...

Charlie Johnson needs to show me something. The Lions do not have an impressive defensive front. They are rebuilding, but likely will be well-coached. If CJ has trouble controlling the likes of Cliff Avril, we have some very, VERY serious problems.
Tony Ugoh needs to win his job back. Detroit's starters aren't anything great. Their back-ups are even worse. If Ugoh is inconsistent against the back-ups for the Lions, then join me in a collective "Oy vey!"
One of the side effects of an overly aggressive defense with new blitz packages is the chance for giving up big plays in the passing game. One of the reasons the Colts pass defense was so dominant under Ron Meeks was because they rarely, if ever, gave up big plays in the passing game. This is why I've always stressed that running the ball and stopping the run are secondary to the pass. If you have a great run defense but surrender points and yardage in the passing game, you haven't got a prayer. This is a passing league, folks. And in a passing league, a team cannot surrender big plays in the passing game to the opponent and expect to win. Detroit's Calvin Johnson is arguably the best WR in football. I'd like to see how Indy's back-ups defend him.
Donald Brown. I'd like to see him get more touches.
Pierre Garcon. This is his moment to shine, to show something. We know Austin Collie's role. He's the slot receiver. Now, I want to see Garcon actually live up to the buzz. He has all the tools, and has had some great practices. I want to see him play a game where he doesn't drop an easy pass.

What are all of you looking for and evaluating?

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.

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.

Tuesday Notes: Grady Jackson Finally Practices

Sean Yuille — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:31:57 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

4 months ago: Detroit Lions linebacker Curtis Gatewood takes a drink during their morning workout at NFL football training camp Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, in Allen Park, Mich. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

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Grady Jackson practiced today after missing the first few days of camp with an illness. He spent most of the offseason recovering from knee surgery, so it's good that he is finally practicing again, though he only participated in individual workouts and line drills.
Other injury updates: Brandon Pettigrew, Casey FitzSimmons, Keith Smith, and Eric King all missed practice on Monday. King was back on the field today, but the other three missed practice for the second day in a row. Pettigrew and Smith seem to be day-to-day, but FitzSimmons reportedly has a high-ankle sprain, which probably means he is week-to-week.
Today was the first day of practice in pads, and the players responded well to that, wanting to get more physical. Jim Schwartz liked what he saw, noting that this was probably the hottest day of practice so far.
In yesterday's two-minute drill, Matthew Stafford and Drew Stanton led their units into field goal range, whereas Daunte Culpepper's unit turned the ball over on downs at the 40-yard line.
It seems like the Lions' receivers are dropping a ton of passes, especially in the 7-on-7 drill. Tom Kowalski pointed this out, saying that outside of Calvin Johnson and Dennis Northcutt, the receivers are struggling to catch the ball on a consistent basis. I guess this explains why the Lions made a trade for Northcutt, as the other receivers certainly aren't cutting it. The loss of Bryant Johnson is also a bigger blow than I originally anticipated. Having him back will be nice for the quarterbacks, especially if this case of butterfingers keeps up.
Adam Jennings did make a nice catch yesterday, snagging a pass from Drew Stanton by diving in the end zone for a TD.

(More after the jump)

Phillip Buchanon likes practicing against Calvin Johnson, as lining up against one of the top receivers in football on a daily basis will only make him better.
Julian Peterson thinks Cliff Avril can be one of the league's top pass-rushers.
Scott Linehan doesn't feel like Matthew Stafford is a rookie when he coaches him.
Louis Delmas has already showed off enough skill that he is expected to be a starter.
Yesterday was Landon Cohen's birthday. He is really starting to make a name for himself, from his impressive bench press performance to making plays in practice.
The Lions are expecting Sammie Hill to become NFL-ready pretty quickly.
Offensive line coach George Yarno already seems like an upgrade over Jim Colletto.
Lions linebackers like the 4-3 defense, especially the ones that played in the Tampa-2 under Rod Marinelli.
Jim Schwartz likes to practice different situations rather than just go out there and practice.
Roar of the Lions recapped his visit to practice.
It looks like Vikings receiver Aundrae Allison will soon be on waivers. He is a great returner, and Kevin Seifert wonders if the Lions will claim him.
The Patriots now are reportedly showing interest in Kevin Carter. If they give him an offer, I think we can officially give up any hope of him signing with the Lions.
Don't forget, tomorrow practice opens up to the public for the first time. If you go to Allen Park and check it out, write a FanPost and share your observations with us.