SB Nation - Caleb Campbell

Monday Notes: Lions Give Indoor Practice Field a New Name

Sean Yuille — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:33:51 -0000

The Lions' indoor practice field has been named after Ricky Sandoval.
Funeral arrangements for Sandoval can be found here.
In an interview with FanHouse, Phillip Buchanon explained why he signed with the Lions.
Eric Hicks' connections to his former Chiefs and current Lions coaches played a big role in him coming to Detroit.
The Lions' offensive line is going to play a key part in getting things turned around for this team.
Caleb Campbell's NFL career may be on hold, but he is now training with the United States bobsled team in hopes of making the 2010 Olympics. He had never been in a bobsled prior to the start of his training, so it would be pretty remarkable if he actually is able to make the Olympics.

Wednesday Notes: Mayhew Addresses Media One Last Time Before Draft

Sean Yuille — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:53:31 -0000

8 months ago: Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew speaks about the upcoming NFL football draft in Allen Park, Mich., Tuesday, April 21, 2009. The Lions have the No. 1 overall pick in the draft on Saturday, April 25. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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The main reason people seem to be against drafting Aaron Curry with the top pick is because they don't think it makes sense to pay a middle linebacker so much money. What if I told you that the money wouldn't be a problem, as the Lions may not have to break the bank to sign Curry.

In a segment on Sirius NFL Radio's "Movin' The Chains," Curry said he "sure would" do a pre-draft deal with the Lions, and said he'd go to Detroit even if it was for less than the five-year, $58-million deal Jake Long got as the No. 1 pick last year. That contract included about $30 million guaranteed.

"I'd be more than happy to accept that deal," Curry said.
If the Lions could get Curry for a reduced price, they would be crazy not to jump at the opportunity. According to the experts, the only negative of drafting Curry with the top pick is the cost, so if that wasn't an issue, why pass on him for Stafford, especially when Stafford would get an even bigger contract?
During yesterday's pre-draft press conference, Martin Mayhew said that the plan is to have the top pick signed before the Lions actually go on the clock at 4 p.m. Saturday. I'm expecting this to play out like a few years ago when the Texans signed Mario Williams the night before the draft. If a deal isn't done by the time Saturday rolls around, it seems less likely that one will be agreed to prior to 4 p.m., but then again, since the draft starts so late this year, I wouldn't be surprised if a deal was worked out Saturday morning.
Mayhew also said that if he and Jim Schwartz don't agree on a player, they simply won't draft him. It is nice to have a front-office and head coach on the same page for a change, as Matt Millen never seemed to be in agreement with his coaches. Players would be picked against the coaches' will, leading to the mess Millen left behind.
One final thing from Mayhew is that he said the Lions will be more efficient on the clock this year, as they have planned ahead enough to not have to scramble if one of their targets is picked before they get a shot at him.
Jason Smith doesn't really have a good idea of where he stands with the Lions as far as the top pick goes. That really says a lot about how good of a job Martin Mayhew and company are doing of keeping people in the dark.
The Lions' new logo had been in development since before last year's draft.
Mark Sanchez's stock is quickly rising. I'm starting to have a feeling that he will be gone pretty early on if the Lions draft Matthew Stafford.
Caleb Campbell isn't going to be re-signed, so he will technically be entered back into this year's draft pool, though it seems unlikely anyone will draft him at this time.
SI.com retracted its report that B.J. Raji tested positive for drugs at the combine by simply saying "We regret the error." I don't understand why they didn't publicly apologize to Raji for the mistake, as it is not some minor error. Then again, it does look minor compared to NFLDraftBible.com's erroneous reports. They have multiple stories to retract.
Percy Harvin and Brandon Tate did test positive for marijuana.
After breaking Pride of Detroit's single-day traffic record on Monday, that record was absolutely shattered yesterday. POD had over 85,000 page views on Tuesday, which is both awesome and shocking at the same time.

Monday Notes: Game Week Is Here

Sean Yuille — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:57:00 -0000

The first game week of the season is finally here! It's been a long offseason and you can bet the Lions can't wait to get back on the field or a real football game. Last season started out better than we all expected as the Lions were 6-2, but things quickly came crashing down with a 1-7 finish. That bad taste lingered into the offseason and only now can we really start to put it in the rear view mirror.
The Lions' opponent on Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons, present a great opportunity for Detroit to start the season 1-0. The Falcons are coming off a rough season and will be starting rookie Matt Ryan at quarterback. This game isn't a lock at all or anything of the sort, but it is a game the Lions should win.
Speaking of the Falcons, they cut Joey Harrington on Saturday.
Drew Stanton has a blog and he talked about his thumb injury a week ago. The blog entry discusses how the injury happened and what he did right after he hurt his thumb. Also, there was this tidbit about using the bathroom that I'll classify as being too much information:

But honestly, having my thumb in a cast makes everyday things seem difficult. Besides the obvious of not being able to throw a football, I didn’t realize how important my right hand was. Like trying to eat dinner, get my cell phone out of my pocket, and, of course, the worst, wiping my butt. I know that is gross, but honestly, it sucks. Also, trying to take notes in meetings is next to impossible. Lucky for me, or unlucky depending on how you look at it, I will only have this cast on for about a month.
Some of the more relevant information from the post is that Stanton won't be going on the injured reserve and that this really was a freak accident. Stanton stated that he hurt his thumb on what probably was the last throw of the day, showing you just how unlucky he was.

(HT: Free Press)
Caleb Campbell is going to be featured on a show about rookies on ESPN2. The show will air at 8 p.m. ET tomorrow.
As Terry Foster pointed out, it looks like Rod Marinelli finally has a football team with nothing but his players.
ESPN The Magazine featured an answer of mine to one of their fact/fiction statements recently. The statement involved whether or not the Colts' "best days are behind them." I disagreed and said they'd win another Super Bowl with Peyton Manning at QB, and that answer was included with answers from Jay Mariotti and Drew Sharp. How did I get so lucky to have my answer next to those two guys? From all accounts Mariotti is, well I'll let Roger Ebert tell you, and every article Sharp writes is negative to draw attention.
My thoughts and prayers go out to anybody feeling the effects of Hurricane Gustav. I know Gonzo of the Daily Norseman and Dave of Canal Street Chronicles both were in the line of the hurricane, so here's to them and anybody else staying safe.