SB Nation - Damion Cook

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!

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)

Browse more photos »

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.

Damion Cook Out for Season; Lions Sign Bobby Sippio

Sean Yuille — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:29:22 -0000

Offensive lineman Damion Cook is out for the season due to a torn triceps muscle. The injury happened on the very first day of practice, but Cook simply taped it up and dealt with it. It recently became apparent that it was a more serious injury, however, as Cook will be headed to Alabama to have surgery done by Dr. James Andrews next week. The Lions placed him on the injured reserve today, ending his season.

Losing Cook is definitely a blow to the offensive line. He is a versatile player that was likely going to be in the competition for starting at left guard. Even if he didn't become a starter, Cook would have been a backup at multiple positions, which is always a plus for coaches when they have to make the active roster on game days. The more positions an offensive lineman can play, the better as it relates to depth for games.

To replace Cook's spot on the roster, the Lions signed wide receiver Bobby Sippio, who was with the Chiefs the previous two years. Sippio has played in the Arena Football League for the majority of his career, but in 2007 he ended up on the Chiefs' roster. He originally was on the practice squad, but an injury opened up a spot for him early in the season. In 2008, Sippio was released in the final round of cuts by the Chiefs. Earlier this year he signed with a Continental Indoor Football League Team since the AFL had halted operations (it looks like that move could be permanent).

An unknown player like Sippio who signs after training camp has already started doesn't have a great chance of making the team, but you never know with the wide receiver position. If Sippio comes in and shows he can catch the ball on a consistent basis, I would not be shocked if he got himself in the competition for a roster spot. After all, it's not like he's never been on an NFL team before, and stranger things have happened.

Monday Notes: Brandon Pettigrew Injures Quadriceps

Sean Yuille — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:12:16 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

4 months ago: Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew, right, hauls in a pass in front of cornerback Phillip Buchanon during NFL football training camp Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, in Allen Park, Mich. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Browse more photos »

Brandon Pettigrew suffered a quadriceps injury and left the afternoon session of practice yesterday. The injury doesn't sound too serious, though, so hopefully he will be back soon.
Casey FitzSimmons also suffered an injury, one that appeared to be bad at the time. He apparently was on the ground grabbing his knee, but he returned to practice and later said, "Just one of those bumps and bruises you get in training camp."
Ephraim Salaam didn't practice in the afternoon. He was given the session off, though, which is likely because he isn't one of the younger guys out there. Adam Jennings missed the morning session (he was excused) but returned in the afternoon.
None of the Lions' three quarterbacks were able to lead the offense to a touchdown in the two-minute drill. If Keary Colbert wouldn't have dropped a pass, Stafford's unit would have scored, so it wasn't completely bad. (Colbert did push-ups as a punishment for dropping the pass.)
According to Tom Kowalski, a couple "minor skirmishes" happened on Sunday. One was between John Standeford and Eric King and the other involved Damion Cook and Landon Cohen.
Aaron Brown, Aveion Cason, and Derrick Williams are currently the Lions' kick returners.
The defensive line seems to be having its way with the offensive line. Look at that however you want, but either the D-line has suddenly gotten a lot better or the O-line is really struggling.
Calvin Johnson likes what he sees in Matthew Stafford. I'm sure Stafford feels the same way about Calvin.
The team's first day of practice in full pads is tomorrow.

(More after the jump)

Martin Mayhew is a huge fan of Kevin Smith.
Tom Kowalski relayed a funny encounter Louis Delmas had with a Central Michigan fan after practice. As usual, players went over to the crowd to sign autographs, and one person presented a CMU hat for Delmas to sign. Delmas, as you probably know, is from Western Michigan, and this was his reaction to seeing the hat:

"Oh, hell no,'' Delmas said of signing the hat. "The guy was actually laughing about it. I think he was testing me.''
Delmas signed something else the guy had, so it seems like it was a joke. I'm sure if gave Drew Stanton a Michigan hat to sign, his reaction would be similar or even worse.
Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey attended practice on Sunday.
Referees Ron Winter, Mike Spanier, and Scott Helverson are going to be at practice from August 6-8 to get themselves ready for the preseason as well as help the Lions see any penalties they may be committing.
The FanHouse has video of Matthew Stafford answering questions at the ESPYs.
Travis Fisher has signed with the Seahawks.

Friday Notes: Lions Re-Sign Damion Cook

Sean Yuille — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 06:38:42 -0000

The Lions re-signed offensive lineman Damion Cook. The hope was that they would land Derrick Dockery or Daniel Loper, who visited the Lions earlier this week, but they ended up adding Cook back to the roster. Cook can play multiple positions and started four games at left guard last season. He is more of a backup than anything, as he adds depth by being a utility offensive lineman.
Anthony Henry was "dismayed" when he found out that he was traded to the Lions. That's obviously understandable, but that feeling quickly went away after Henry spoke with Jim Schwartz and Gunther Cunningham. Henry "loved" Schwartz's energy and seems to have bought in to the team's new mindset already.
The Football Burrito mock draft only lasted one round, meaning all of the recent discussion about who to draft with the #33 overall pick was pointless in regards to that specific mock draft. Even so, it was good to gauge everyone's opinion on who I should take. I still don't know the specific player I would have selected, but in all likelihood it would have been an offensive lineman.
Although I don't agree with their top overall pick, the National Football Post's latest mock draft has the Lions selecting Peria Jerry with the 20th selection.
I may not think Matthew Stafford should be the top overall pick, but I at least understand why people have the Lions selecting him. What I don't understand is why the Sporting News' Russ Lande has the Lions drafting Florida State defensive end/outside linebacker Everette Brown with the top pick. That makes zero sense and would be an awful, awful selection. Surprisingly, that may not even be the worst pick. He has the Browns taking Stafford, even though they already have Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. The comments on the post sum up my feelings on this awful mock draft, but all I can really say is WTF. Even Matt Millen isn't that dumb. Well... never mind.
Rudi Johnson thinks the Lions are "years away" from being a competitive NFL team.
The Lions were part of a joke on the Tonight Show recently.
Torry Holt wants out of St. Louis. I don't know what his relationship with Scott Linehan was like, but if he does get released, we'll have to see if the Lions show any interest in him.
The Cowboys released safety Roy Williams.
Bob Bleakley, the father of William Bleakley, spoke to Nick Schuyler, who was rescued on Monday, about what exactly happened to William. Contrary to reports that William Bleakley saw a light and took off his life jacket to swim for help, he actually fought and fought until he couldn't hang on any longer.

Bleakley said Schuyler told him: "Will stayed with me for 36 hours and was in my grasp when he lost consciousness and died." Bleakley, delirious and vomiting, succumbed to hypothermia and dehydration, to the cold and the constant pounding of relentless waves, his father said.

"Nick tried CPR but Will did not respond," Bob Bleakley said. "Then a wave hit and he couldn't hold on to him anymore. That closed it for me."
It was reported a couple days ago that Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper took their life jackets off and let themselves be swept away a few hours after the boat capsized. Whether or not that report is accurate is left to be seen, but I don't think anyone should report anything unless it is directly from Nick Schuyler. He is the only one that can tell us what actually happened, and even he probably needs some time to recover before sharing his story.

Lions Release Six Players, Announce UFAs

Sean Yuille — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:32:15 -0000

The Lions have announced that six players were released today, including the four that were already reported. Here is the full list:

WR Mike Furrey
TE Dan Campbell
OT Jon Dunn
OG Edwin Mulitalo
CB Leigh Bodden
S Dwight Smith

Along with that announcement, the Lions also confirmed that eighteen players will become unrestricted free agents on February 27:

QB Dan Orlovsky
RB Aveion Cason
RB Rudi Johnson
FB Moran Norris
WR Keary Colbert
WR Shaun McDonald
TE John Owens
OT Damion Cook
OT George Foster
OG Stephen Peterman
OG Andy McCollum
DE Corey Smith
DT Shaun Cody
DT Langston Moore
LB Paris Lenon
LB Ryan Nece
CB Stanley Wilson
K Jason Hanson

Week 9 Injury Report

Sean Yuille — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 06:55:28 -0000

DETROIT LIONS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
FB	Jerome Felton	Ankle	Out
TE	Casey FitzSimmons	Ribs	Doubtful
OG	Damion Cook	Knee	Questionable
OG	Andy McCollum	Finger	Questionable
DT	Cory Redding	Groin	Questionable
DT	Chuck Darby	Calf	Questionable
LB	Jordon Dizon	Hamstring	Out
S	Dwight Smith	Foot	Out

CHICAGO BEARS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
WR	Brandon Lloyd	Knee	Questionable
WR	Marty Booker	Knee	Probable
DT	Tommie Harris	Knee	Probable
LB	Hunter Hillenmeyer	Thumb	Questionable
CB	Charles Tillman	Shoulder	Probable
CB	Nathan Vasher	Wrist	Probable
S	Danieal Manning	Hamstring	Questionable

NFL INJURY REPORT GUIDE
Status	Definition
Probable	75% chance that the player will play in the game
Questionable	50% chance that the player will play in the game
Doubtful	25% chance that the player will play in the game
Out	0% chance that the player will play in the game

Sunday Notes: Lions Sign Cannon, Release Gardner

Sean Yuille — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:43:15 -0000

The Lions signed linebacker Anthony Cannon yesterday and released Gilbert Gardner, a linebacker that was on the injury report. Cannon didn't make the team after Gardner essentially beat him out for the last linebacker spot, but the one-time Lion is back to play special teams. He had the fifth-most special teams tackles last season, and with Kalvin Pearson starting in place of the injured Dwight Smith, there was a need for added depth on special teams. (Pearson is a great special teams player.)
Damion Cook will start at left guard on Sunday. He replaced Edwin Mulitalo last week and gets to keep the starting job after a good performance.
As mentioned earlier this week, Gosder Cherilus will likely start at right tackle.
Safety Gerald Alexander, who is already on the IR, will have surgery sometime next week to fix a cracked vertebra and a disc injury.
From the sounds of it, the Lions are going to try to get Calvin Johnson the ball more often.
Instead of the Lions-Redskins game, FOX 2 (out of Detroit) will broadcast the movie Best Laid Plans. As Dave Birkett points out, someone working for FOX 2 has a sense of humor given the name of the movie. The Lions definitely do not have the best laid plans, which is sort of why their game got blacked out.
Roy Williams' contract with the Cowboys actually includes $19.5 million of guaranteed money, which differs from a previous report.

Friday Notes: Cherilus Benched; Orlovsky Named Starter

Sean Yuille — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:29:50 -0000

George Foster is going to start on Sunday at right tackle for the Lions. He replaces Gosder Cherilus, who was benched against the Vikings last week.
Ford Field finished second to last in SI.com's stadium rankings, only ahead of the Rams' Edward Jones Dome. The reason Ford Field ranked so poorly is because of tailgating and team quality. Since the stadium is in downtown Detroit, there really is no place to tailgate, and the rankings reflect that. For team quality, the Lions came in at #32, which is a very deserving ranking.
According to Pro Football Talk, "league insiders" weren't a big fan of the Lions' attempt to trade Jon Kitna since he went right to the IR after the deadline passed. I can understand why they would be upset, as trading an injured player isn't a very cool thing to do. However, Kitna isn't really that hurt, so he likely would have been able to play in the near future for any team that would have traded for him.
You know how the Lions' mantra this year is to "pound the rock"? Well, they're not doing a very good job.

Melf did the math, and Detroit is actually gaining 2.7 yards per game less (77.8 to 80.5) than in 2007.
That is simply pathetic.
Dan Orlovsky took most of the reps at quarterback in practice this week, signifying that he is the Lions' starter.
Damion Cook may start in place of Edwin Mulitalo on Sunday.
The Free Press has a photo gallery of Roy Williams practicing with the Cowboys.
Speaking of Roy, I answered some questions Blogging The Boys had about the Cowboys' newest wide receiver.
Face value for some Super Bowl tickets in 2009 will be $1,000.