SB Nation User Blog: Sean Yuille

Week 1 Injury Report

Sean Yuille — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:27:12 -0000

DETROIT LIONS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
QB	Drew Stanton	Right Thumb	Probable
TE	Dan Campbell	Hamstring	Probable

ATLANTA FALCONS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
C	Alex Stepanovich	Back	Doubtful
LB	Coy Wire	Ankle	Questionable
S	Thomas DeCoud	Ankle	Questionable

NFL INJURY REPORT GUIDE
Status	Definition
Probable	80% 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

Saturday Notes: Smith Denied Number Change Request

Sean Yuille — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 06:54:38 -0000

And now for your daily Tatum Bell "bag-gate" update... Bell went on The Dan Patrick Show yesterday to defend himself and really didn't come out looking any less guilty. His story seems like it could be true at some points, but as Patrick said, there are too many loose ends. Bell easily could have grabbed Rudi Johnson's bags thinking they were Victor DeGrate's, but that doesn't explain what happened to everything in the bags. If Johnson's stuff turned up then this story could be put to rest, but that doesn't exactly seem like it's going to happen anytime soon.
One other note from the Tatum Bell interview is that The DP Show tried to get Rudi Johnson to come on, but he wasn't available according to the Lions. I don't doubt that the Lions likely want Johnson to keep quiet regarding this entire situation so it doesn't become a bigger distraction than it already is, but even if they don't care Johnson is probably spending his free time studying the playbook anyways.
Kevin Smith wasn't allowed to change his number to 24 after the league denied his request. Smith is #34 right now and asked safety Dwight Smith if he could take over the #24 jersey, but the NFL wouldn't let him as Smith's rookie cards and jersey sold to the public read #34.

After Greg Blue, who was #24, was cut a week ago, there have been a few number changes. Dwight Smith apparently took Blue's old number before switching back to #26, and Kalvin Pearson then took #24 over to leave #32 open for Rudi Johnson.
Drew Stanton's cast was "reconfigured" to allow him to at least hand the ball off should he absolutely have to come into a game. That would mean that both Jon Kitna and Dan Orlovsky went down with injuries, so let's hope Stanton doesn't have to play in a situation like that.
Barry Sanders is still getting asked questions about why he retired when he did.

Lions' Week 1 Depth Chart

Sean Yuille — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:26:41 -0000

OFFENSE
Pos.	First String		Second String		Third String
QB	8	Jon Kitna	6	Dan Orlovsky	5	Drew Stanton
HB	34	Kevin Smith	32	Rudi Johnson	33	Marcus Thomas
FB	45	Jerome Felton
WR	11	Roy Williams	84	Shaun McDonald
WR	81	Calvin Johnson	87	Mike Furrey
TE	89	Dan Campbell	86	Michael Gaines	82	Casey FitzSimmons
LT	76	Jeff Backus	74	Damion Cook
LG	64	Edwin Mulitalo
C	51	Dominic Raiola	67	Andy McCollum
RG	66	Stephen Peterman	63	Manny Ramirez
RT	72	George Foster	77	Gosder Cherilus
DEFENSE
Pos.	First String		Second String		Third String
LE	95	Jared DeVries	97	Ikaika Alama-Francis
NT	91	Chuck Darby	75	Shaun Cody	98	Landon Cohen
UT	78	Cory Redding	79	Langston Moore	96	Andre Fluellen
RE	99	Dewayne White	93	Corey Smith	92	Cliff Avril
WLB	50	Ernie Sims	54	Gilbert Gardner
MLB	53	Paris Lenon	57	Jordon Dizon
SLB	59	Alex Lewis	55	Ryan Nece
LCB	25	Brian Kelly	23	Keith Smith
RCB	21	Travis Fisher	28	Leigh Bodden	38	Ramzee Robinson
FS	42	Gerald Alexander	24	Kalvin Pearson
SS	26	Dwight Smith	29	Daniel Bullocks
SPECIAL TEAMS
Pos.	First String		Second String		Third String
K	4	Jason Hanson
P	2	Nick Harris
H	2	Nick Harris
LS	48	Don Muhlbach
PR	84	Shaun McDonald
KR	87	Mike Furrey

(John Owens is the fourth tight end on the depth chart)

Friday Notes: Tatum Bell to Go on Dan Patrick Show

Sean Yuille — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:52:47 -0000

Tatum Bell will be on the Dan Patrick Show this morning to defend himself in "bag-gate." Rumor has it that the DP Show is trying to get Rudi Johnson to come on as well, which would result in some interesting radio. If those two were on the air together you can bet there would be fireworks.
Pro Football Talk has another picture mocking "bag-gate."
There were no changes made to the initial injury report listed earlier this week. A final one will be released on Saturday and I'll post it on Pride of Detroit.
Rod Marinelli "fully expects" new Lions running back Rudi Johnson to play on Sunday.
The Lions are 21st in FOX Sports' pre-kickoff power rankings.
The NFL is acknowledging Chad Johnson Ocho Cinco by his new name. Ocho Cinco is what the back of Chad's jersey will read on Sunday, and you can bet his new jersey will sell like hotcakes when it goes on sale.
Daunte Culpepper has retired from the NFL.
Atlanta Falcons sponsors bought the remaining tickets available to get Sunday's game against Detroit to sellout status. That prevents a local blackout from happening, which is good news for Falcons fans. I'm sure we'll be in a similar situation a few times this season as the Lions aren't exactly selling out games all that quickly. In fact, there are still tickets available for the Lions' home opener against Green Bay, and an all-out marketing blitz is currently taking place to get rid of the remaining tickets.

Five Questions With The Falcholic

Sean Yuille — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:42:55 -0000

In order to get ready for Sunday's game against Atlanta, I exchanged five questions with Dave from The Falcoholic, SB Nation's Falcons blog. You can find my answers to Dave's questions over at The Falcoholic, and Dave's answers to my questions can be found below.

1. Is Matt Ryan really ready to start? I know some rookie QBs are able to come in and be successful that early on in their careers, but does Ryan have what it takes?

The Falcoholic: The coaching staff feels he's ready. Ryan has shown a good arm and most importantly has not panicked, which is all you can ask for with a rookie quarterback. I think the offensive line is going to have a direct effect on his success, but I don't think something like 16 to 20 TDs and the same number of interceptions is out of the question this season. He looks like the real deal early on.

2. Sticking with Matt Ryan, is the Atlanta offensive line going to be able to provide him with enough protection to lead the Falcons to a win [on Sunday]?

TF: That's the question we've all been asking ourselves. The line is young and has what our beat writers insist on calling a "nasty attitude," but that alone has never propelled anyone to great heights. I think Ryan is definitely going to get knocked around this season, but if they can limit the damage to 20 to 30 sacks I think we'll have a lot to be thankful for. There's about a 50/50 shot that they can.

3. I see that Joey Harrington was cut on Saturday. Was that move expected? Also, just how bad was Harrington in his short-lived career in Atlanta?

TF: It wasn't completely expected, but D.J. Shockley outplayed him in the last pre-season game. Harrington wasn't awful for the Falcons, but he was no better than mediocre and fell victim to quality starts from Chris Redman. At this stage in his career, nobody should think of him as more than a backup or third stringer. I'd be surprised if the Packers didn't take a shot at him with Brian Brohm sucking like a black hole each week this pre-season.

4. Michael Turner was signed in the offseason to become Atlanta's starting running back. I personally liked the move a lot as Turner has great upside. I liked it enough to draft him in one of my fantasy leagues actually, so what kind of production can I expect out of Turner this season?

TF: I'd say you can expect about 250-300 carries, which is what Turner himself is boasting he'll get. If he stays healthy the whole season, I'd say he's virtually a lock to end up with 1,000 yards and should get plenty of goal line opportunities. As much as everyone's focusing on Matt Ryan's rookie season, it's useful to remember that Turner is definitely going to be the centerpiece of the Falcons' offense. Because he's never held up to a full season of getting pounded, health is really the only concern.

5. Recently on ESPN there was a segment asking questions about the win totals for certain teams in 2008. One of those teams was the Falcons and their over/under for wins in '08 was set at 3. I believe one of the analysts said Atlanta will push and win 3 games, whereas the other analyst said under. Are the Falcons really capable of winning only 2 games this season?

TF: I think that's a load of crap from experts who don't really pay attention to teams supposedly as bad as the Falcons. Despite a defense that looked very talented this pre-season and a better than expected set of players on offense, they're still predicting the same old thing. I really think the Falcons could top out at 6 or 7 wins, and I'd actually be pretty amazed if they only won 2 or 3. They may win ugly, but they're going to win more than people think.

Thanks to Dave for answering my questions, and as stated already, my answers to his questions can be found over at The Falcoholic.

Week 1 NFL Schedule

Sean Yuille — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:12:35 -0000

The NFL is back! The season starts tonight when the Washington Redskins take on the Super Bowl-champion New York Giants. Focus then shifts to Sunday when all but four teams kickoff their season, and finally, those remaining four teams get things going in a Monday Night Football doubleheader.

Out of all the games, the one I consider the most intriguing during Week 1 is when the Jets head to Miami to play the Dolphins. This game is intriguing just because it's Brett Favre's debut, but add in the fact that Chad Pennington is starting against his former team and that adds even more intrigue to the game. The runner-up would have to be Minnesota at Green Bay as it the Packers' first game with Aaron Rodgers starting and it is a divisional rivalry.

The entire schedule can be found below, and as usual, my picks are in bold.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4			TIME (ET)	TV
Washington	@	NY Giants	7:00 PM	NBC
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7			TIME (ET)	TV
Detroit	@	Atlanta	1:00 PM	FOX
Seattle	@	Buffalo	1:00 PM	FOX
Jacksonville	@	Tennessee	1:00 PM	CBS
NY Jets	@	Miami	1:00 PM	CBS
Kansas City	@	New England	1:00 PM	CBS
Tampa Bay	@	New Orleans	1:00 PM	FOX
St. Louis	@	Philadelphia	1:00 PM	FOX
Houston	@	Pittsburgh	1:00 PM	CBS
Cincinnati	@	Baltimore	1:00 PM	CBS
Carolina	@	San Diego	4:15 PM	FOX
Arizona	@	San Francisco	4:15 PM	FOX
Dallas	@	Cleveland	4:15 PM	FOX
Chicago	@	Indianapolis	8:15 PM	NBC
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8			TIME (ET)	TV
Minnesota	@	Green Bay	7:00 PM	ESPN
Denver	@	Oakland	10:15 PM	ESPN

Thursday Notes: Even More on "Bag-Gate"

Sean Yuille — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:19:02 -0000

Tatum Bell attempted to get in contact with Rudi Johnson yesterday to "talk to him man-to-man," but didn't have any success in doing so. Bell has taken an aggressive approach in trying to clear his name as he is currently a laughing stock all across the country.

The story of him stealing Johnson's bags spread like wildfire after Pro Football Talk first broke the news Tuesday night. In a matter of hours it began to spread across the Internet, and by the morning it hit the mainstream media. By then it was only a matter of time until ESPN and other major outlets picked up the story, putting Bell in a very tough spot.

Bell continues to call this one big misunderstanding and maintains that he thought the bags belonged to his friend and recently released Lion Victor DeGrate. However, that doesn't explain why they were returned to the Lions without Johnson's stuff. The blame could be put on the mysterious woman that somehow got the bags, but no one really cares about her as Bell is without a doubt the focus of this story, and it doesn't seem like it's going away anytime soon.
Only tight end Dan Campbell and quarterback Drew Stanton are currently listed on the Lions' week 1 injury report. Campbell is still dealing with a nagging hamstring injury that just seems like it will never go away (he did fully practice the last two days, though), and Stanton, as we all know, has a hurt right thumb.
Three Falcons players -- center Alex Stepanovich, linebacker Coy Wire, and safety Thomas DeCoud -- are listed on the Atlanta's injury report.
Rudi Johnson will play on Sunday and Rod Marinelli said that Johnson's hamstring didn't appear to be bothering him. (Johnson recently had a hamstring injury)
ESPN's Kevin Seifert wrote a great piece on Calvin Johnson and how he should have an amazing season this year.
The director of security for the Lions, Ricky Sandoval, is going to be featured on a show called "Stand Up To Cancer" that will air on NBC, ABC, and CBS this Friday at 8 p.m. 27 months ago Sandoval was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, and he and Rod Marinelli were interviewed for the show.
On a side note, Sandoval was the one that showed Rudi Johnson the surveillance video of Tatum Bell taking his bags.
Tickets are still available for the Lions' home opener on September 14 against the Packers.
The Free Press has a photo gallery from yesterday's Lions pet calendar photo shoot. The gallery opens with a picture of Ernie Sims and his two pit bulls, and honestly I'm a bit surprised he didn't bring any of his reptiles to the shoot. I guess they didn't want those kinds of pets roaming around Ford Field. Then again, go to picture #9 and take a look at what one of Mike Furrey's dogs appears to be doing right on the 50-yard line.
Along with wearing a patch, the NFL will honor Gene Upshaw by stenciling his initials and number on the fields of all 16 week 1 games.
Redskins tight end Chris Cooley had to explain how to play fantasy football to many of his teammates.

Roy Williams Alone With Rome

Sean Yuille — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 02:41:45 -0000

Roy Williams Alone With Rome

Rudi Johnson Confirms Theft; Tatum Bell Tells His Side of the Story

Sean Yuille — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:08:39 -0000

Rudi Johnson talked with reporters after practice today and confirmed that Tatum Bell (or Tatum Bellhop as some are calling him) did take his bags on Monday. Although Johnson did get the bags back, he's still missing what was in them.

"Underwear, socks, credit cards and money. He left my money clip with no money in it,'' said Johnson, adding that about $200 was missing. "He should've taken the clip, too. It's quite stupid if you ask me.''

What makes this whole story even more interesting is that Johnson and Bell had a conversation earlier in the day about what it would be like to play for the Lions. Apparently sometime after that is when Bell figured out what was going on and decided to seek revenge.

“All this happened once he got released,” Johnson said Wednesday as he came off the practice field. “He came here to get some stuff out of his locker. That’s when he scooped the bags up. Some real shyster, conniving stuff, man.”

The exact details of how everything unfolded differ depending on who you talk to. Rudi Johnson's story is that he was meeting with Matt Millen and left his two Gucci bags in the Lions' locker room. When they came out of the meeting the bags had disappeared, and nobody had any idea what happened to them until Johnson was shown a video from the Lions' surveillance system. That video showed Tatum Bell taking the bags in what Johnson called a "suspect" way.

Johnson did get his bags back when a woman returned them to the Lions' headquarters, but as stated already, the bags were almost completely empty. The woman that returned the bags does factor into this story. Her role in the story changes based on who you talk to, but the constant is that the bags ended up at her house one way or another.

The Detroit Free Press got a hold of Tatum Bell today and he called the situation a "misunderstanding" and said that he "ain't know thief." He went on to tell his side of the story, and what a story it is.

Knowing he was going to be released, Bell went to clean out his locker. Former teammate Victor DeGrate, a fellow Oklahoma State product who had been cut Saturday, asked him to grab his backpack. He grabbed two bags by the computer area, thinking they were DeGrate’s.

“I didn’t have a clue,” Bell said. “I wasn’t thinking or nothing at the time. I just grabbed the backpack and grabbed the other bag. It wasn’t in nobody’s locker or nothing like that. It was just sitting right there by the computers. … So I grabbed them and put them in the car.”

Bell said he took the bags to a friend of DeGrate’s, as DeGrate had asked him, too. Messages have been left for the woman and DeGrate.

Ahh, I see. Tatum Bell just happened to grab two of the wrong bags and then just happened to drop them off at some woman's house. Mind you, this was all done for Victor DeGrate, who was released on Saturday. And to top it all off, the woman returned the bag to the Lions even though she was, according to Bell, a friend of DeGrate's. Yeah, that's quite the story, Tatum.

When Johnson confronted Bell about the situation, Johnson wasn't buying the story Bell was telling him at all.

"He tried to make up an excuse. He said some girl had got it and took it to somebody's house,'' Johnson said. "The story didn't make any sense so I didn't pay it any attention.

"He knows how I feel about it, trust me. He knows how I feel about it and it's nothing positive. He said it was a mixup. It is what it is.''

Johnson isn't going to involve the police in this situation, stating that he "can handle it." I hope he gets his stuff back, but I don't really expect that to happen considering that would likely involve Bell coming clean. And if it turns out that Bell is surprisingly telling the truth (99.9% chance he isn't), then that woman better start coming up with a good story of her own.

Bell really better hope he is telling the truth and something comes out that clears his name, otherwise, according to PFT, there's a good chance that no team will sign Bell in the future. Although he already has worked out for the Texans, that was before this whole story broke. I would assume that this story certainly would change Houston's interest in Bell unless he can get them to believe the tale he's telling.

UPDATE: Pro Football Talk reports that not only are the Texans not interested in Tatum Bell, but they were never interested in him in the first place.

Pride of Detroit Interviews Ramzee Robinson

Sean Yuille — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:05:10 -0000

Pride of Detroit Interviews Ramzee Robinson

Ramzee Robinson, a cornerback for the Detroit Lions, took some time to chat with Pride of Detroit a few days after finding out he made the active roster.