SB Nation - Jordon Dizon

Friday Notes: Ernie Sims Has Grade 2 Hamstring Tear

Sean Yuille — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:46:49 -0000

We are going to be seeing a lot more of DeAndre Levy, because Ernie Sims is likely going to miss 1-2 months of action with a Grade 2 tear in his hamstring. The original hope was that Sims would only miss a couple weeks with his hamstring injury, but according to the Free Press, a tear like this takes 1-2 months to heal. Levy will step in as the starter to replace Sims, which will be a great opportunity for the rookie from Wisconsin. Levy has played great this season, and by having an extended period of time to be the starter, he will gain quite a bit of experience and get a chance to show the coaches that he deserves to stay in the starting lineup even after Sims returns.
Although Larry Foote missed practice again on Thursday with what we now know is a knee injury, according to him, he will play against the Vikings on Sunday. Jordon Dizon said Foote is missing practice just to rest his injury, so it doesn't appear to be something serious enough to keep him out of the lineup in a game situation.
Gunther Cunningham sort of called Foote out for his recent play.
Dewayne White was back on the practice field yesterday.
Detroit4Lyfe put together a Detroit Lions all-time fantasy football team, and the findings are pretty interesting.
Two Seahawks players were each fined $5,000 for late hits on the same Lions kickoff return.

Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson Miss Practice Today

Sean Yuille — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:38:21 -0000

2 months ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford looks on from the sideline against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter of an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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Although he practiced on a limited basis yesterday, Matthew Stafford did not practice at all today. Stafford is still recovering from the knee injury he suffered against the Bears, and as it stands right now, it doesn't look like he will play on Sunday against the Packers. The same goes for Calvin Johnson, who missed practice both today and yesterday. The chances of him playing at this point seem unlikely, though I suppose he could miraculously recover between now and Sunday.

There are a few different theories out there as to why Stafford practiced on Wednesday but not today, including a slightly paranoid one from Tom Kowalski, who seems to be freaking out a little bit over the fact that the Lions are now a secretive team that will play some mind games. Kowalski thinks that Stafford was sent out to take some snaps with the media watching but didn't do anything else, leading to the media saying he practiced when he really didn't.

Could that be the case? It wouldn't surprise me one bit. Let's remember that Jim Schwartz, as he once said, has a degree in football from the University of Bill Belichick. Even so, I don't see it as a big deal at all. We aren't going to find out if Stafford is the starter until before the game on Sunday, and you can bet that Schwartz and company will say as little as possible about his status in the mean time. If throwing Stafford out there for a few minutes on Wednesday throws even a little curve ball at the Packers' preparation for Sunday, then it's worth it. I don't necessarily think it will change anything, but I like that the Lions may be trying to play mind games, and I certainly don't think it's worth freaking out over.

Staying on the topic of injuries, it looks like the Lions' injury report will once again be quite large headed into Sunday's game.

Safety Ko Simpson (hamstring), running back Maurice Morris (hip) and defensive linemen Dewayne White (hamstring), Jason Hunter (ankle) and Sammie Hill (ankle) also missed practice for a second straight day, though Simpson at least did some work in the portion of practice open to reporters.

Fullback Jerome Felton (shoulder) and tight end Casey Fitzsimmons (thigh) were listed as limited after missing practice Wednesday. Linebackers Ernie Sims (shoulder) and Jordon Dizon (foot) were listed as limited for the second straight day.

All I can say is that I'm glad the Lions have a bye next week.

Thursday Notes: Lions Sign Billy Cundiff as Camp Breaks

Sean Yuille — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:16:05 -0000

Training camp is now technically over. Players are no longer required to stay in a hotel, and there is no longer a curfew. Practice still continues on, but the players' living arrangements are a bit different now (if they choose to leave the hotel).
With Jason Hanson out until at least the start of the regular season and Swayze Waters suffering the effects of a tight hamstring, the Lions decided to sign kicker Billy Cundiff on Wednesday. (Waters was released to make room on the roster.) Cundiff began his career as a starter for the Cowboys and has been on a few teams since then. He hasn't played in an actual game since 2006, and I hope he doesn't get to end that drought in a Lions uniform. It's nothing against him, I just want Hanson to be healthy enough to return for the season opener.
Receiver Dane Looker did a great job of filling in at kicker the last couple of days. He made a kick from 48 yards out yesterday before missing a couple attempts from 53 yards away. Like I said once before on this site, kicking is a lot harder than it looks, so I have an immense amount of respect for what Looker did. Yes, he was a backup kicker in high school, but it's not easy to suddenly start kicking again. For me, I maxed out somewhere between 30-35 yards recently, so nailing one from 48 is a great feat.
Louis Delmas helped cause a brawl during yesterday's practice after he laid out Aveion Cason similar to the way he hit Aaron Brown last week. Jim Schwartz again made sure Delmas realized that in practice you don't need to be laying such big hits on teammates. While Delmas does need to be a bit more careful, I love his physicality.
Ernie Sims was out for the second straight day with an oblique muscle pull.
Anthony Henry was also again missing from practice.
Kevin Smith left practice after Jordon Dizon's knee collided with his thigh.
On the positive side, Calvin Johnson and Bryant Johnson will likely play on Saturday against Indianapolis. Brandon Pettigrew may play as well, but don't expect to see Dennis Northcutt.
Gunther Cunningham is "flat pissed off" with the defense's recent tackling.
Louis Delmas originally didn't answer the Lions when they called on draft day because he thought it was a college teammate since a 313 area code showed up on his caller ID.

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.

Friday Notes: Reps Will Be Distributed Evenly Among QBs Early On

Sean Yuille — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:21:12 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

7 months ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, signals during drills at football minicamp at the team's practice facility in Allen Park, Mich., Friday, May 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

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Daunte Culpepper, Matthew Stafford, and Drew Stanton are initially going to split reps evenly when the entire team works out together for the first time since the draft.
Stanton ended yesterday's OTA by throwing a touchdown pass to tight end Will Heller.
Jim Schwartz was asked about Kevin Smith's playoff prediction and basically said that the Lions need to worry about today, not making predictions about the playoffs or even the season opener, for that matter.
Part of the reason Jordon Dizon had such a tough time last year was because he just didn't feel comfortable in the system or with the coaches. That has changed now, though, so hopefully we will see how far he has come on the field this season.
There was an interesting interview with Jim Schwartz on NFL Total Access yesterday. You can watch it here, and make sure to look out for the picture of Schwartz from when he worked in Cleveland. It is pretty hilarious.
MLive has pictures from yesterday's OTA.
Via Tom Kowalski, here is the Lions' OTA schedule:

Thursday was the Lions fourth official Organized Team Activity. They also will have OTA's May 19-21, 27-28, June 1 and June 3-4 before the voluntary mini-camp June 23-25.
Rookies will report to Allen Park on Monday and can begin working out with the rest of the team. On Tuesday, the Lions will hold their first OTA with both rookies and veterans.
The 49ers have started to sign late-round draft picks already.

Did The Draft Help The Lions?

Brandon — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:00:14 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

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How could it not?

The mid-season trade of WR Roy Williams provided Detroit with Dallas' 1st and 3rd round picks, giving them five picks in the top 82. With nearly every spot on the roster in need of improvement, this was a very important draft for them.

Detroit slipped from a promising 6-2 start in 2007, to a 7-9 finish, to a 0-16 disaster. Their defense was the worst in the NFL in 2007, based on total yards allowed, and it got even worse in 2008. Their offense was respectable in 2007, thanks to a solid season from QB Jon Kitna. But Kitna got off to a poor start in 2008, was soon thereafter lost for the season with an injury, and eventually traded to Dallas this offseason.

Now they're building around No. 1 overall selection QB Matthew Stafford.

Looking back, I gave Matt Millen a thumbs up last season. He drafted two offensive starters, RT Gosder Cherlius and RB Kevin Smith, and added three defensive players in the first three rounds. Cherlius was good last season, when he wasn't taking a shot at DE Jared Allen. Smith was good too, but he had too many carries in college to expect a long NFL career and his mouth isn't doing him any favors. Millen did waste his 2nd round pick on LB Jordon Dizon, who seems destined to remain strictly a special teams player. 3rd round DT Andre Fluellen is strickly a backup. 3rd round DE Cliff Avril had 5 sacks as a rookie and has been described as one of the three best players on the team. Not a bad haul.

Here's what Detroit found in this April's draft:

1st round (No. 1 overall) - QB Matthew Stafford. I'm not a fan of this pick. He's a combine superstar who doesn't play like it on the field. That said, he's a high risk-high reward pick in a draft without a clear top player. As much as the franchise needs a boost, they can't automatically name him the starter. In recent seasons, I've watched QB Aaron Rodgers and QB Brian Brohm struggle horribly as rookies. They have to wait until he's ready.
1st round - TE Brandon Pettigrew. At first, this seemed like a luxury pick. Few tight ends are drafted in the 1st round and Detroit has so many holes on the roster. But GM Ted Thompson considered drafting Pettigrew with the No. 9 overall selection and he was the best receiver available at that spot.
2nd round - SS Louis Delmas. He's a good tackler, good in coverage, and very aggressive. But at 6'0" and 200 lbs. he's also undersized at safety. I would have liked this pick if Delmas could play cornerback. He's similar to, but a little lighter than, SS Atari Bigby, but I doubt anyone in the NFL would trade a 2nd round pick for Bigby.
3rd round - LB DeAndre Levy. I really want to like the selection of a Wisconsin Badger, but I don't like this pick. Levy is a little too slow and a little to small to play outside linebacker in the NFL. And he rarely stood out when I watched the Badgers play.
3rd round - WR Derrick Williams. As Sean notes, they could really use him as a return man. The Lions depth at WR behind Calvin Johnson is really weak, so they needed to address this position in the draft. But it seems like they drafted him a couple rounds too early.

They might strike gold with one of their later picks, but it's hard to expect anyone drafted outside top 100 players overall to be an impact player.

The more I look at this draft class, the less I like it. If Stafford and Pettigrew are future Pro Bowlers, then it's a good (maybe great) draft. But I'm not high on any of their top 5 picks except Pettigrew.

And as Sean points out, new GM Martin Mayhew doesn't represent a break from the Matt Millen era, but a continuation of it:

I will just say that I am furious with the promotion of Lewand and Mayhew. Both are from the Millen era and need to be relieved of their duties as well. No offense to Mayhew especially, but it's time to get some new faces in the front office.

Maybe it is the beginning of an improved Lions franchise. But it's more of the same; a weak draft class, signing pointless free agents like WR Keary Colbert, and a Millen inspired front office. Now they need to make a horrible trade, like when they gave away DT Shaun Rogers, and it will be like Millen never left. The Lions look like they're still at least one more front office change away from providing the Packers some real competition.

Poll

What draft grade do you give to Detroit's 2009 class?

A

68 votes

B

211 votes

C

164 votes

D

54 votes

F

26 votes

523 votes | Poll has closed

Wednesday Notes: Lions Seem Ready to Wait on Stafford

Sean Yuille — Wed, 06 May 2009 05:54:12 -0000

Based on what Martin Mayhew has said recently, it doesn't seem like we will be seeing Matthew Stafford start until he is absolutely ready. Mayhew understands that although it is good to get your rookie QB experience, it is more important to make sure they are ready first. He documented the epic fail that was the Tim Couch situation with the Browns. They intended to wait until he was truly ready but threw him in there in week 2. We all know how that turned out, and Mayhew definitely doesn't want that to happen to Stafford.
According to Gunther Cunningham, DeAndre Levy was the No. 1 middle linebacker as of yesterday. Of course, this was before Larry Foote was offered a contract, so it's safe to say Levy's stay at the top of the depth chart will be a short one.
Cunningham had quite a few good things to say about Jordon Dizon yesterday. That is unusual considering some of the things that were said about Dizon right after the new coaching staff was hired, as there was no praise whatsoever. The money quote from Cunningham was this: "I'll look at the tape at times and I'll confuse Julian Peterson with Dizon." He meant that their playing styles are very similar, but either way, that is quite the compliment considering it seemed like Dizon wasn't even going to be around for long a few months ago.
Drew Stanton is maintaining a good attitude about how he fits into the quarterback situation now that Matthew Stafford is a Lion. He seems up for the challenge.
In case you missed the FanShot yesterday, the Lions signed defensive end Eric Hicks and offensive guard Toniu Fonoti to one-year deals.
Wide receiver Keary Colbert will work out for the Lions today. He joined the Lions toward the end of last year and became a free agent after the season.
The Lions signed Spenser Smith, an undrafted linebacker from Eastern Michigan that tried out at the rookie camp last weekend.
Undrafted rookie defensive end Ryan Kees from St. Cloud State was also signed after trying out at the camp
Grady Jackson was excused from yesterday's OTA due to "personal problems."
The Browns signed former Lions receiver Mike Furrey.
For those of you that watched the Red Wings game last night, can you believe how bad the officiating was? I cannot believe that goal in the last minute didn't count. There should have been overtime, but instead the Ducks are up in the series 2-1. What an absolute joke.

Friday Notes: Lions Not "Locking In" on Stafford?

Sean Yuille — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:48:05 -0000

Tom Kowalski reports that the Lions have not made a decision about who the top will be just yet. Serious contract talks haven't happened yet, and until they do (expected to begin next week), a clear No. 1 target won't emerge.
Lions players seem impressed with Daunte Culpepper.
Jordan Dizon will likely be a backup at outside linebacker.
George Foster thinks he can contend for a starting spot. I obviously would have to disagree, as Foster has already had a chance to start on multiple occasions and lost his job both times.
Travis Fisher also believes he can secure a starting job, even though the Lions added a couple players to the secondary during the offseason.
SI.com's latest mock draft has the Lions selecting Jason Smith and Robert Ayers.
The 2009 NFL schedule will be announced at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday. I'll keep everyone updated on the Lions' schedule as it comes out.
In case you haven't already, check out SB Nation's new Pistons blog, Motown String Music.