Jason Hanson is a victim.

He was blessed with a golden leg and the raw talent and ability to break every professional kicking record on the books.

Then he was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1992 and has been there ever since.

Now I love the Detroit Lions, and I always will, but I'm a football fan first, so even I recognize that Hanson's numbers are a shadow of what they would be with another team.

A placekicker isn't like any offensive position. He can't put the team on his back and put up numbers regardless of his team's performance. If the team can't get into field goal range, the kicker can't score, period. There's no such thing as an 80-yard field goal.

So Hanson sits at seventh all-time in scoring when he has the talent to be several spots up. Jason Elam, Matt Stover, and John Carney are all active kickers sitting above him on the all-time scoring list by at least 150 points.

Carney and Stover are both older than Hanson, and Elam is roughly the same age, but all have been with more prolific teams than the Lions.

Yet have they been better kickers than Hanson?

All have comparable career field goal percentages (within about one point of 82 percent, though Stover's is the third-highest of all time at 83.82), but Hanson has maintained and even refined his long-range ability, while the others have become primarily short-range specialists.

To illustrate, Hanson set an NFL record by going 8-for-8 from 50-plus yards in 2008.  Elam, Carney, and Stover are a combined 8-for-15 from that range since 2005.

Now, it is difficult to say what goes into a Hall of Fame placekicker.

Only one, Jan Stenerud, has entered the Hall as a pure placekicker. Stenerud currently ranks 10th on the NFL's all-time scoring list and was admitted to the Hall with a career field goal percentage of just under 67 percent.

At the time of his induction, Stenerud was the second-leading scorer of all time behind George Blanda (who simultaneously played placekicker and quarterback).

If Hanson's production continues as it has recently to the end of his current contract, he will pass Blanda by over 100 points while having 15 percentage points of accuracy on Stenerud.

In addition, he is the highest-ranking player on the all-time scoring list to have only played for one team.

Which, of course, is part of the problem. Stenerud kicked three field goals in Super Bowl IV. Hanson has spent his entire career with a team that has only won one playoff game in the Super Bowl era.

Placekickers earn recognition by making clutch kicks in big games. But when the team is never in a position to win any game, much less a big one, a kicker cannot kick a game-winning field goal.

Regardless, Hanson's current contract with the Detroit Lions will end just before he turns 43, so it seems he intends to finish his career in Detroit.

If that is the case, it is unlikely he will see very many games to show what he can do with the game on the line, and though he may deserve the Hall, his credentials will likely suffer for it.

After all, nobody sees what a player should have achieved on paper. Either they didn't or they did.

Hanson, unfortunately, has as many game-winning kicks in playoff games as I do.

Sure, he holds two NFL records, is the only player still with the same team since the advent of free agency, is almost certainly the last No. 4 ever to play in a Lions uniform, and he could be as high as third on the all-time scoring list by the time he retires.

But will it be enough?

After all, he spent his entire career with the Lions.

Drew Stanton has caught the brunt of the Detroit Lions’ recent woes.

He was a second-round draft choice in 2007 to be to heir-apparent to Jon Kitna in a Mike Martz-led offensive system.

He was shut down his rookie year, both to nurse a minor knee injury (not unlike the one he suffered a few months ago in the preseason) and so Martz could tinker with his throwing motion.

Of course, Martz only lasted one season. Now, in three seasons, Stanton has seen three offensive coordinators, two head coaches, and four starting quarterbacks.

And none of those starting quarterbacks have been Stanton.

Stanton has systematically gotten a vote of  "no confidence" from every coaching staff he has seen.

The Lions with Martz running the offense put him on injured reserve early in 2007, effectively giving him a red-shirt rookie season.

Jim Colletto was offensive coordinator during the quarterback carousel that was the disastrous 2008 season. Jon Kitna was shut down after three games, then second-stringer Dan Orlovsky went down with an injury a few weeks later.

Then, in perhaps the biggest snub job in Stanton’s young career, Colletto said he wouldn’t play Stanton because he didn’t want him to "embarrass himself."

This, mere weeks after Orlovsky ran out the back of the end zone .

The answer, of course, was not to give the only healthy, available quarterback familiar with your offensive system a shot at playing.

After all, Colletto was the offensive line coach during a season where the Lions gave up 54 sacks. So he knows all about embarrassment.

The answer was Daunte Culpepper. After four days with the team, a previously-retired, overweight Culpepper went out with the play book taped to his arm.

Stanton came in during a goal-line situation and in the fourth quarter of Culpepper’s debut and "embarrassed himself" to the tune of 6-for-8 for 96 yards and a touchdown.

He was effectively ignored the rest of the season, and the next game he saw action was last week at Lambeau Field.

Current head coach Jim Schwartz gave Stanton another confidence boost when they drafted new franchise face Matthew Stafford and paid him more money than any rookie in history.

In other words, nobody is going to give Stanton a shot unless they’re completely out of options.

The only good thing for Stanton is that Schwartz hasn’t gone out to sign Jeff Garcia to ensure there’s no chance of Stanton playing against the Rams after the bye.

That being said, nobody knows how long Stafford will be out with his current injury. But Stanton has exactly that long to show that he has worth to an NFL team, be it the Lions or anyone else.

This is assuming, of course, that Stanton would get the start over Culpepper if Stafford can’t go. Because if he doesn’t, it’s time to take Schwartz’s "best players will play" mantra and beat him over the head with it.

Stanton’s contract with the Lions runs through 2010, so he will theoretically be on the roster through next year.

By contrast, Culpepper is in the final year of his contract, which should bring Stanton up to a permanent No. 2 on the depth chart next year (if the last couple of weeks haven’t already done that).

But if Stanton can’t show himself capable of something by the end of this season, who’s to say the Lions don’t sign someone else in the offseason and bump Stanton down to No. 3 again?

Stanton’s career thus far certainly sets that precedent.

Another precedent is that young quarterbacks who never even make the backup job on bad teams tend to disappear when their contract ends.

Once Stafford comes back from his injury, he’s going to be the guy until the end of the season, and any talk about Stanton will cease.

Effectively, he will disappear.

If you ask Stanton about Stafford’s knee, he’ll say he hopes it heals up as soon as possible so he can get back on the field.

But Drew Stanton is a smart man. He knows that the amount of time remaining on Stafford’s injury is the amount of time he has to make a statement.

In the next few weeks, Stanton will hope to show someone he’s good enough to play football for a living.

If he can’t, his next job will be magician, as he vanishes from the NFL.

Does anybody know how bad Matthew Stafford's knee injury is?

Does anybody know when anybody on the Detroit Lions' injury list will be available to play?

Yes. The players, the training staff, and head coach Jim Schwartz.

But nobody else.

What started as a smart tactic of withholding all but the most essential injury information to cloud opponents' gameplanning has become a behemoth of misinformation.

It seems that Schwartz's philosophy with injury is that everybody is either out for the season or day-to-day and a game-time decision.

Of course, that's a lie.

He knew Stafford and Calvin Johnson wouldn't be ready to go against the Packers. He knows what each player's injury is, the severity of it, and how long it will keep them out.

But you'll never hear him say, "It looks like Stafford's injury will keep him out for two or three weeks." At best, he'll rule a guy out of Sunday's game on Thursday or Friday.

That was fine for a while. Lions fans would watch whoever showed up to play, anyway. Anything that might improve the Lions' chance for a win was okay.

But now it has gotten out of hand.

To compensate for Schwartz's lack of information, we are now seeing a flood of misinformation.

Now there are reports about Stafford possibly needing knee surgery.

And rebuttals to said report.

And rampant speculation about the future of Stafford's season.

And even confusion as to whether or not Stafford is practicing because of fake Twitter accounts.

If Stafford doesn't play against the Rams after bye, things only figure to get worse. Next we might see a photoshopped picture of Stafford's severed leg on the turf.

The sad thing is, fans are so in the dark about Stafford's injury, they might believe his leg has actually fallen off.

Keeping opponents off-balance by playing the injury report close to the vest is one thing. It's a good idea.

But this has gotten out of hand. Nobody knows whether Stafford is going to back on the field in a day or a year.

And is it worth it? Is Schwartz getting enough of a leg up on opposing coaches to justify throwing the entirety of the Lions fanbase into purgatory about the players they pay to see play football?

It's not just Stafford. I can buy that Schwartz isn't sure about Stafford's knee just yet.

He had complications, so they're having Dr. James Andrews look at his MRI. I have my doubts as to whether we'll hear anything concrete about the results, but okay, fine.

But Schwartz is playing every single injury like this. Ernie Sims.  Calvin Johnson. Sammie Lee Hill.  Dewayne White. Grady Jackson. Gosder Cherlius.

All of them, the same thing. To paraphrase everything Schwartz has ever said about an injury, "We're going to see if they can practice, and if they're good to go, they'll play. It'll be a game-time decision."

Right. A game-time decision that he has made by Thursday.

At 1-5 and coming off an embarrassing shutout loss, the Lions should have shaken any straggling asylum-dwellers of the notion that the Lions are playing for the playoffs this year.

So at the very least, maybe they can show the fans a dim glimmer of information regarding the guys on the injured list to slow this downward spiral of misinformation?

The future attachment of Matthew Stafford's leg might depend on it.

The Detroit Lions' current injury report reads like a list of Lions impact starters.

Matthew Stafford, Gosder Cherlius, Kevin Smith, Calvin Johnson, Grady Jackson, Sammie Lee Hill, Ernie Sims, and a handful of others populate the team's injured list, with various levels of practice participation between them.

Some will play, some will not.  We likely won't know which until Sunday.

This is the injured list heading into Sunday's game against the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

So why am I not concerned?

Simple.

The Lions are almost certainly going to lose this game anyway. Starters or no starters, it's going to be very difficult to overcome this Steelers team, even though they've struggled thus far in the season.

What this is, instead, is a sort of preseason game.

Yes, I know the game counts, and yes, I know the Lions would have a better chance of winning it with a fully healthy roster.  But winning only really matters if you're trying to get into the playoffs.

And if you've watched the Lions for the first four weeks and you're still thinking playoffs, they make very special padded rooms for people like you.

I've said since before this season started that the 2009 season would be sort of an extended preseason for 2010, and it still rings true.

Sure, you want to win preseason games, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter.  All you really want is to evaluate your roster top to bottom, work on team chemistry, and identify areas of need for the future.

In other words, winning this game is not as important as getting a look at a few depth players.

Don't believe me?

Consider the case of one DeAndre Levy.

Buried on the depth chart for the first two games, Levy got the call to start after an injury to star linebacker Ernie Sims. Almost unanimously, Sims's injury was decried as a terrible blow to the Lions' defense.

But Levy responded to the call, notching 14 total tackles (including two straight on the goal line against Washington) and a forced fumble in the two games since Sims's injury.

Now, we know Levy is a pretty good football player, and we owe it all to Sims's injury.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not happy about injuries to any of these players.  And indeed, seeing rookies like Stafford and Hill go down is a blow, since those players need to develop (though if Stafford misses time, Drew Stanton getting some reps would make it easier to swallow).

But I can't be upset about getting to evaluate players with upside like Aaron Brown, Landon Cohen, and Zach Follett as a result of injuries to Smith, Jackson, and Sims.

We already know the starters are good, and we know more or less what they can do.  They will help the Lions win when they return.

In the meantime, can Brown produce?  Will Cohen's 50 reps translate to on-field impact?  Can Follett unleash the hurt in the NFL like he did in college?

Answering these questions now, in regular season action, only serves to improve the Lions' outlook for the future.

If any one of these players proves capable of performing, even on a second-string level, then that's one less free agent signing needed. One less draft pick needed. One roster spot secured, at a time when the entire roster has been somewhat transient.

Personally, if I had to choose between the starters playing and coming out with a win against Pittsburgh, or losing and finding out one of the Lions' seventh-round picks can play at a starting level in the process, I'd rather fill the roster spot.

The Lions' management spent the entire offseason signing bargain players, hoping some might impress, given the chance. It's time to find out if they can.

Because the difference between the Lions and teams gunning for the playoffs is not wins and losses—it's players.

If the Lions beat the Steelers, would you think the Lions were a better all-around team?

Of course not.  The Steelers have more guys who can play the game, whether they're do-it-all superstars or solid role players.

A good team has its fair share of both. The Lions lack both.

But maybe, after this Sunday, they'll be one or two steps closer.

Alright, that’s enough.

If you’re still hungover from the Detroit Lions’ victory over the Washington Redskins, grab some coffee.

We’re getting back to business. There are 13 more weeks of football to be played, so pay attention.

The Lions played a good game last week, but it was full of holes. Even the most dominant win leaves room for improvement. While they were strong, the Lions were not quite dominant, no matter what I may say.

So, what lessons from their victory over the Redskins can the Lions use against Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears?

1. Keep Matt Forte Down

One of the most disappointing feature backs in football this year is Matt Forte.

Heralded as the Bears’ new star after a sensational rookie campaign, he has rushed for less than 200 yards total in three games this season and spearheads the league’s 28th-ranked rushing attack.

In their last two games, the Lions have been up against two very high-profile backs in Clinton Portis and Adrian Peterson. Peterson was held under 100 yards, Portis under 50.

If they can continue that kind of containment on the already-slumping Forte, it should force the Bears into some 3rd-and-long situations, where the Lions may be able to capitalize on some Cutler turnovers.

2. Keep Pressure Off Matt Stafford

Matt Stafford is flying high after his first NFL victory, which happens to also be the first for the Lions since he was a sophomore at Georgia.

So, what was the difference between the Washington game, as compared to New Orleans and Minnesota?

Reduced pressure.

I’m not just talking about pocket pressure, though it’s important that he stay upright against a strong Bears' defensive line.

I’m talking about game pressure. Stafford played well because he was comfortable.

He played much of the game with a lead, which allowed him to calm down and not force the ball as much as he did in his first two starts. He had less 3rd-and-long situations to contend with, his running game backed him up, and never did the team have to put the ball in his hands to win it.

These factors combined allowed Stafford his strongest—and only turnover-free—start of the season so far. Perhaps it is also a sign of him maturing.

That game was a necessary confidence-builder for him, and he should be able to carry that momentum over to Soldier Field…as long as he doesn’t feel forced to do too much with the ball.

3. Continue to Target Bryant Johnson

Calvin Johnson has had a fairly quiet season thus far, compared to expectations. Granted, expectations were pretty lofty, but in three games, Calvin has yet to notch a 100-yard game.

Much of that is because he’s drawing all the coverage. The perception, when a team gameplans for the Lions, is that Calvin is the only threat. Everyone else in single coverage is okay, as long as everyone else covers Calvin.

In response, Stafford started targeting the other Johnson.

Bryant Johnson had a comeuppance against the Redskins, leading the team in receptions and yardage, including two of the biggest offensive plays of the game: catching the first touchdown pass of the game on a 21-yard lob, then drawing a pass interference call in the end zone for 47 yards.

If Stafford can continue to make defenses pay for leaving other receivers in single coverage, then some double coverage should lift from Calvin Johnson, which will open him up to make more plays.

4. Don’t Let Up

As well as the Lions played against the Redskins, it still ended up a close game that came down to the final play.

How?

Well, after going up by 13 against the Redskins with five minutes to go, and shutting down the offense for most of the game, they let the Redskins sneak back in with a quick score to Santana Moss, then failed to hold onto the ball to run the rest of the clock out.

Consequently, what would have been the Redskins’ game-winning drive ended in Lions territory, a mere 30 yards from a 20th straight loss.

The Lions have been notorious this season for failing to play solid football for 60 minutes.

In week one, the Lions came out flat and allowed the New Orleans Saints an early double-digit lead, which they would keep for most of the game.

In week two, the Lions had a phenomenal game against the Vikings…in the first half. In the second, they looked like a different team, allowing 27 unanswered points.

Last Sunday, of course, the Redskins charged back with five minutes to go, and may have completed the comeback if they had an extra minute on the clock.

If the Lions are able to get ahead of the Bears, it will be imperative that they sustain their efforts.

The Lions’ secondary is average on their best day, and the Jay Cutler-Devin Hester connection has proven capable of putting up numbers in a hurry. They’ll want to make sure their lead is as comfortable as possible.

Of course, if they keep the pedal down, then there won’t be any concerns over a late comeback, will there?

Remember last week?

Remember life before Sept. 27, 2009?

It was a time fraught with anxiety, despair, hopelessness.

It was a time where columnists like myself were predicting that last Sunday’s game against the Washington Redskins was going to be the Detroit Lions’ last chance at a victory until after their Week Seven bye.

Now, suddenly, that seems a bit hasty.

This team has finally won a game, and in somewhat convincing fashion. They didn’t sneak out a win, they—dare I say it—dominated most of the game, and almost let the Redskins sneak away in the final seconds.

That one win changes the complexion of the rest of the season. No longer is the question, "can the Lions win this week," it’s "will they?" The Lions have proven they can win.

It sounds cliche, but it’s an important distinction. The Lions have long existed outside the "any given Sunday" cliche, and slipped into their own variant: "every given Sunday."

It goes like this.

On any given Sunday, any NFL team can beat any other team. But on every given Sunday, one NFL team will beat the Lions.

No more.

Now, games that once looked hopeless have an element of mystery to them.

Does anybody believe the Chicago Bears are an absolute lock to beat the Lions? The struggling Steelers? The schizophrenic Packers?

Will the Lions win all of those games? Of course not. One win does not make the difference between an 0-16 team and playoffs, no matter how much Sunday’s victory felt like a playoff game.

But they can win them. You don’t know. I don’t know, nobody knows. But this is a team capable of winning, and the only remaining question is who, when, and how often.

Don’t mistake me. This is one win. One win is something every team in the league has celebrated at least once a season every year except 2008, 1982 (Baltimore Colts, 0-8-1), 1976 (Tampa Bay Bucs, 0-14), and 1960 (Dallas Cowboys, 0-11-1).

The only thing the Lions have really accomplished on paper is not being historically bad. Again.

Theoretically, they could lose 13 more games this season, lose 36 of their last 38, and their progression over last season will be a single win.

Or they could surprise some people. They could win a few more games, maybe even against teams that should beat them handily.

The point is, Lion fans no longer need that anxious feeling leading up to Sunday. The feeling that occupied every game in recent memory, the deep dread of "how will they blow it this week," (don’t lie, you know you felt it during Washington’s last drive) was turned aside for at least one day.

In the place of that fear and dread, which was so mercifully lifted for one week, Lion fans can make room for a little more optimism for the future.

That starts now. Think the Bears have an easy victory next Sunday with golden boy Jay Cutler at the helm?

Not so fast.

The Lions can win now.

Everyone just calm down.

I’ve heard a whole lot of comparisons to the 2008 Detroit Lions after Sunday’s 45-27 trampling at the hands of  the New Orleans Saints.

It’s understandable; they did lose by 18 points, and they are the 2009 Lions. It’s natural to compare them to last year’s version.

As I remember, though, the 2008 Lions lost to roughly the same Saints 42-7, and that was without an injury to their top cornerback against the league’s most prolific passer.

So let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first.

Yes, the Lions lost. Yes, it was an 18-point loss, and their 18th-straight loss. Yes, they became the first modern-era team to have a losing streak spanning three seasons. No, they didn’t even cover a double-digit spread (13).

Yes, Drew Brees threw six touchdown passes and a second-string running back had a career day. Yes, Matthew Stafford had a bad day, showing his inability to finish drives and a propensity to throw interceptions at the worst possible time (two of his picks were caught inside the 20-yard line).

Kevin Smith was shut down and Calvin Johnson had only three catches, though one was for what should have been a long touchdown.

Heard enough? Good. I know the Lions lost big, and in many ways it looked very bad. Now let me follow that up with two very important words:

So what?

That’s right, I don’t care. Anybody who expected to open the season in New Orleans with a big, statement-making win needs to start up a support group with Joey "Blue Skies" Harrington, Jon "10 Wins" Kitna, and Kevin "20 Touchdowns" Smith.

Temper your expectations, people. If you didn’t believe it before, believe it now. We are not looking at a playoff team. Deal with that. The Lions are going to lose a lot of games this season, and the Saints are one of the toughest games on the schedule, so what’s the problem?

Now, having said that, with as bad as it looked, it wasn’t as bad as it looked.

See, despite the final score, the game wasn’t a blowout. At no point did the Saints pull their starters and start beating down the Lions with second-string players. In fact, it was still a reasonably winnable game (though a long shot) until Stafford’s third interception.

Though they never led, the Lions never trailed by more than the 18 points they lost by. In fact, after falling behind by 14 points early on, they battled back to within four points early in the second quarter.

At any given point, the Lions were one missed opportunity away from making it a much closer game.

Much of that has to do with Stafford. The interceptions he threw were momentum-killers, and he was unable to get touchdowns instead of turnovers or field goals.

But he’s a rookie quarterback, and he’s making rookie quarterback mistakes. This is his first real game against NFL competition, and therefore the first in which he must realize that his gifted right arm is not enough to carry him to success without  good decision-making.

His problems and mistakes are coachable, and he will learn, but expecting him to know it before he steps foot on the field is unrealistic. These are games Stafford has to have before he learns what throws he can make at this level and how.

For that matter, these are games the entire Lions team has to have.

They fought hard, but at the end of the day, they were outgunned. The Saints are a team thinking playoffs, and the Lions are looking to snap an 18-game skid.

I’m not going to say this is a moral victory, because I don’t believe in moral victories. For a team that hasn’t won a game in almost two years, the only moral victory this season will be the numeral "one" on the left side of a hyphen.

That being said, as losses go, this one could have been worse. The Lions were supposed to lose this game, and they did, but they didn’t perform below any reasonable set of expectations.

They will get better, visibly, as the season goes on. More than half of this year’s 53-man roster was not on last year’s 53-man roster, so chemistry is a major issue.

And hey, the Lions have all kinds of issues, all over the field. We know this, but don’t throw them under the bus yet.

The only question right now is whether the Lions are playing better than last year, and if they’re headed in the right direction.

After one game, the answers to both questions are yes. It’s unusual to say that after a 18-point loss, but this is a team under unusual circumstances, who lost to the same team by 35 points last season.

So everyone calm down and enjoy the show. Start a pool at the office for the Lions’ first win. Smile politely at the guy who picks "2010."  But don’t be that guy, don’t throw your hands up in September.

This ride is only beginning, and it will get better soon.

Detroit now knows who will be taking the field against the New Orleans Saints this Sunday.

After the Lions’ cuts, waiver wire acquisitions, and more cuts, the field of 53 is set… for now.

As is the case with every cut list, there are some (mostly) good cuts, some question marks, and a few scrappy players who just drew the short straw.

In case you don’t know which is which, here’s the entire cut list (via NFL.com), broken down into those three categories.

The Good

Brooks Bollinger - Nothing more than a placeholder while Drew Stanton and Daunte Culpepper were on the shelf for the final preseason game…unless Culpepper becomes trade bait later on this season, then he’s a phone call from being No. 3.

Billy Cundiff - Capable, but no Jason Hanson. Hanson is expected back for the New Orleans game, which leaves no room for Cundiff.

Ramzee Robinson - Had a good run for a 255th "Mr. Irrelevant" pick, and his play had actually picked up some since he was drafted. But he had really only gone from atrocious to below average, without much more upside.

Ikaika Alama-Francis - Too weak and small as a tackle. Too big and slow as an end. Never developed into a better player or improved his technique. Another second-round bust for Matt Millen.

Milford Brown - Veteran guard wasn’t expected to make a lot of noise, and didn’t. Nobody will even notice.

Sean Conover - Came into camp as a third-year converted tight end after spending the first two with the Tennessee Titans as a defensive end.  Conversion unsuccessful.

Keary Colbert - Single-handedly made every Lions quarterback look worse than they were.

Dropped passes, tipped passes (turned into interceptions), and falling down on routes (allowing interceptions) were all themes of Colbert’s preseason. Had he avoided the cut list, rabid fans with pitchforks and torches would have gathered outside Ford Field.

Zach Follett - I like the kid, you like the kid, and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham likes the kid. His attitude is right. The physical skills? Not so much.

That being said, he may have some future potential, and the Lions retained him on the practice squad. If they hadn’t, this would have been a "bad" cut.

Calvin Lowry - Quiet signing, quiet performance, quiet release.

Rufus Alexander - Would have gotten a second or third look on last year’s Lions team. This year, couldn’t find his niche with a very good Detroit linebacker corps.

Cletis Gordon - Was cut by the Chargers and Texans before finding his way to Detroit. Didn’t show anything worth keeping around.

Tristan Davis - I went on the record as saying he might have earned himself a look with his long touchdown run in Buffalo. I was right… but that look landed him on the practice squad.

Speed is always a good thing, but Davis isn’t ready yet. The Lions did well to leave him off the 53-man roster, and equally well to retain his rights.

Adam Jennings - Showed a flash or two, but not nearly enough. Three unimpressive catches in preseason is not good enough for a 5′9″ wide receiver.

Lydon Murtha - Seventh-round tackle selection didn’t show well enough to warrant a roster spot above the veteran group of Jeff Backus, Ephraim Salaam, and Jon Jansen.

Will stick around on the practice squad for now, perhaps to work his way up long-term.

The (Potentially) Bad

Dane Looker - Seemed versatile enough to earn a roster spot somewhere.

Was a decent receiver, where the Lions are thin. Was a decent kick/punt returner, where the Lions are undecided. Was an acceptable auxiliary kicker, with Hanson coming off surgery. Didn’t excel in any one area, but was adequate in several.

John Standeford - Came in last season due to injuries and trades as the No.2 receiver, and made some plays. Performed adequately in preseason as a possession guy, but lack of versatility and physical gifts likely spelled his end.

Stuart Schweigert - Was the team’s primary playmaker in the secondary throughout the preseason. Struggled in pass protection, but was an above-average run-blitzer.

With the weak state of the Lions’ safety corps, he deserved a shot. The acquisition of Ko Simpson from Buffalo likely slashed what would have been his roster spot.

Dan Gronkowski - At one point, Gronkowski and Will Heller were the team’s only healthy tight ends. Gronkowski made the most of his time, with four catches for 39 yards and a touchdown, and lots of good blocking.

Gronkowski got caught up in a tight end logjam, with 20th overall pick Brandon Pettigrew, new acquisition Heller, and oft-injured veteran utility man Casey Fitzsimmons ahead of him.

He landed on the practice squad this season, and should replace Fitzsimmons on the roster next season.

The Unexpected

Chuck Darby - Not at all an expected cut, but absolutely a good one. Darby was a Marinelli guy, a smaller Tampa-Two tackle, and increasingly not a very good one as his age sapped his quickness.

Was cut in favor of young 300+ pound space eaters like Sammie Lee Hill, Andre Fluellen, and Orien Harris.

Aveion Cason - A long overdue cut, and one that nobody will mourn except Cason himself.

Surprising because he has seemed unusually adept at avoiding Lions cuts when he should be one of the first. News of Cason being cut set off many a celebration in Detroit.

Keith Smith - There’s no question Smith was a below-average player, but it’s surprising to see him cut for the same reason as Cason: we’re used to seeing him stick around, regardless of bad play.

Fun fact: after this season’s cuts, the number of Millen-era draft picks still with the Lions (not including 2008) is six out of 51. Three of those (Drew Stanton, Manny Ramirez, Calvin Johnson) are from 2007, two (Backus, Dominic Raiola) are from 2001, and the other is Ernie Sims, the only draft pick from 2002-2006 to survive.

Shaun Smith - Perhaps the biggest surprise, as Smith was acquired with a starting role in mind. But head coach Jim Schwartz is from the Bill Belichick school of team management, and Smith’s attitude and unrestrained mouth didn’t mesh well with the coach.

The release of Smith, Darby, and Alama-Francis is a testament to the fast progression of Sammie Lee Hill.

Daunte Culpepper had better not get too comfortable in his honolulu blue jersey this season.

After head coach Jim Schwartz made the call to start Matthew Stafford at quarterback from day one, Culpepper’s presence is suddenly much less valuable to the Lions… except maybe on the trade market.

Of course, what if the Lions are just testing Stafford out? They could pull him and send in the veteran, Matt Leinart-style.

If you follow the cues, Stafford is in for good. According to Schwartz, starting Stafford "isn’t an experiment. He’s our starting quarterback."

But are the Lions interested in shopping Culpepper, instead of keeping him on as a reliable, steady backup to Stafford?

It’s possible that the Lions are interested in keeping him on, but Schwartz seems to think "He’s back," and that "he did everything to win the job."

So, Stafford is "our starting quarterback," and Culpepper "is back?" Who is Schwartz trying to convince? It sounds an awful lot like he’s sending out a press release to the other 31 teams: "If you need a starting quarterback, we have one sitting the bench here, available cheap!"

Under normal circumstances, Culpepper would be a tough sell. After years of injuries, decline, a retirement, and then half of a sub-par season playing about 50 pounds overweight, he came back strong, in great shape and reportedly playing some of his best football in years. Then he lost the starting job to a rookie quarterback, anyway.

But then, Culpepper looked more than adequate in the preseason, which is more than some teams can say about their projected starter (I’m looking at you, Denver Broncos).

The X-factor in all this is Drew Stanton. After he suffered another knee injury, Schwartz avoided putting him on injured reserve. Schwartz has said that Stanton’s injury is minor, and that he should be back within the first half of the season.

If Culpepper is traded, Stanton becomes the backup, which may be well-warranted, since he was arguably the most impressive and most successful quarterback in the preseason.

But whether Culpepper is traded or not may depend on whether Schwartz and Co. are confident with increasing Stanton’s role, which they will be unable to do until he’s healthy again.

The problem with that is money.

If the Lions were to trade Culpepper, they would want to do it before the start of the regular season, when Culpepper is due a large roster bonus.

But beyond the difficulty of convincing another team to effectively pick up his bonus in the next two days, Stanton will not be ready in that time, which will force the Lions to possibly pick up two quarterbacks to back up Stafford while Stanton heals (if he heals).

Still, the question of trading Culpepper is almost certainly when, not if. The Lions have taken care of their quarterback issues with Stafford, for better or worse, but there are still holes to be filled all over the team.

Culpepper now represents a vehicle with which to fill those holes, either with players or picks.

Jim Schwartz must have seen something he liked Thursday night.

One day after playing against him in a Bills uniform, the Detroit Lions engineered a trade to bring safety Ko Simpson to Detroit for an undisclosed 2010 draft pick.

When not watching the quarterback battle, the Lions have been trying to figure out all preseason who they could start at safety. Louis Delmas was one starter, but who was the other?

Gerald Alexander? Traded.

Daniel Bullocks? Injured.

Kalvin Pearson? A decent player, but had a miserable preseason.

Stuart Schweigert? Showing well, but inconsistent and coming off an offseason calf injury.

Marquand Manuel? Had an okay preseason, but nobody cares (apparently).

Simpson just leap-frogged the field by showing up in Detroit. He is entering his fourth season, and has been a solid contributor in Buffalo since his rookie season in 2006.

Better yet, if Simpson performs well, he could, at age 25, be a long-term answer for the Lions at the safety position.

The darker side of this trade is that it means the Lions’ coaching staff didn’t see enough from any of the prospective safeties on the squad to start them comfortably. So any strong preseason performances you thought you saw are irrelevant.

As it stands, the Lions just added a player the day before final cuts, which means an extra safety will be packing his bags. Manuel and Schweigert are the obvious choices (though probably not both), but even former projected starter Kalvin Pearson should be looking over his shoulder.

In fact, everyone should. Even the guys who survive Saturday’s cuts.

For days now, the Lions have been saying they were going to scour the waiver wire for every last shred of talent, using that No. 1 waiver priority to full advantage. Apparently that applies to trades, as well.

It is increasingly obvious that the coaching staff is not really happy with the roster they have in place, even after turning over half of it. They still want to - and frankly, need to - improve.

It’s safe to assume we’ll see a lot of front office activity in the week leading up to the regular season. That may or may not be smart, since at some point they should be able to tell their players to stop worrying about getting sent away and go play football.

The way things look now, that point might be the trade deadline.

There was a whole lot to like about the Detroit Lions' 17-6 handling of the Buffalo Bills Thursday night, if you're a Lions fan.

Almost 250 yards rushing, mostly improved blocking out of the non-Backus section of the offensive line, no offensive touchdowns given up, and the only preseason win that wasn't a come-from-behind shocker via Drew Stanton are all things to get excited about.

Of course, a winning effort in the preseason is more about what players heard their names called the most over the course of the night, and less about the final score.

So what players get a gold star for the final game before cuts, and who wishes they could do it all over again?

Let's observe, by position.

Quarterback

Winners: Brooks Bollinger, Daunte Culpepper

Brooks Bollinger actually looked capable out there.

Given only two days to learn the Lions playbook and personnel (what is it with the Lions and throwing former Vikings QBs into a game after a sudden midweek acquisition?), Bollinger actually had a statistically better night than Stafford, without the benefit of Calvin Johnson to throw to.

Don't read anything into that.

Culpepper comes out a winner because Matthew Stafford failed to deliver a knockout punch, which means Culpepper is still a viable candidate to start the season for the Lions.

Losers: Matthew Stafford, Kevin O'Connell

Stafford could have tied up and gift-wrapped the starting job for himself with a strong performance against the Bills. Instead, he went 5-9 with an interception (possibly not his fault, but "receiver's fault" doesn't show up in the stat sheet), and a lost fumble. The job is still open.

Do you think there's any way in the world Kevin O'Connell knew, in his first snap as a Lion, after handing the ball off to Tristan Davis, that he wasn't going to see that ball again?

O'Connell would have actually gotten some time, but instead, he took three snaps. The handoff to Davis, 79-yard touchdown. Later, two kneel-downs.

If Bollinger and O'Connell were fighting for a roster spot with the Lions, O'Connell just lost it in a shutout.

Running Back

Winner: Tristan Davis

If you're like me, you just said, "who?"

Tristan Davis, an unheralded, undrafted, unknown rookie out of Auburn who joined the team after they cut Kenneth Harris (again, who?), made lots of people learn his name Thursday night, when he ran right by 11 guys untouched for a 79-yard score midway through the fourth quarter. His yards-per-carry average was 30.7.

Two days ago, Davis would have been an easy cut. Now he's going to get a second or third look.

Three carries in the fourth quarter of a preseason game is not enough to call him a gamebreaker, of course. But 92 yards in those three carries just might be worth a roster spot.

Loser: Aveion Cason

Before I say anything about Aveion Cason, let me first say this.

I've never seen the man run harder or better than he did Thursday night. Six carries for 40 yards is a solid performance. He earned my respect.

Unfortunately, he is also 30 years old, has absolutely no upside, is playing for a team looking several years into the future, is no better than the fourth-best back on the team right now (Kevin Smith, Maurice Morris, Aaron Brown, to answer your question), and now has another rookie back with breakaway speed pushing him for that spot.

To make matters worse, the team has finally wised up and taken him out of the return game.

Cason is the loser here, because the Lions likely have no place for him, even though he might finally be playing some solid football.

Wide Receiver

Winner: Calvin Johnson

I'm sure you remember, but Calvin Johnson is still an awe-inspiring player.

Against first-string defenses, he looks like a superstar.

Against the Bills' second-string, he looked like a Hall-of-Famer picking on high schoolers.

In the time that Johnson was on the field, he caught two (three, if you include the touchdown called back for holding) passes, and was responsible for 56 of Stafford's 81 yards passing.

Loser: Keary Colbert

Colbert may have been responsible for both quarterbacks' interceptions Thursday night.

On Stafford's, he fell down on what looked to be a timing-based comeback route.

On Bollinger's, he couldn't get a handle on a pass thrown a bit behind him, and tipped it up in the air for an end zone pick.

Colbert needed a strong performance against the Bills to erase a preseason full or dropped passes and weak performances.

He finished with one reception for nine yards. He'll be looking for a practice squad soon enough.

Offensive Line

Winner: George Yarno

Lions' offensive line coach George Yarno gets the nod here, for one simple reason.

The offensive line looks vastly improved, but aside from a few depth signings, they're exactly the same players as last year. The only thing that's different is Yarno and the new, aggressive blocking philosophy.

Why the change? The "downhill" blocking philosophy does a better job of covering up a lack of talent (which the Lions have) than the zone blocking scheme utilized last year, which requires good footwork and talent across the line.

But regardless of whether or not it's smoke and mirrors from a scheme, it's good to see the line winning the battle at the point of attack for once, isn't it?

Loser: Jeff Backus

He is who we thought he was.

He plays well, as long as he's up against mediocre competition. Put anybody with decent pass rushing abilities on him, and there are instant problems.

Rookie Aaron Maybin made Backus look foolish at least once, shooting right around him to notch a fumble-sack on Stafford.

Even in the preseason, adequate left tackles don't get overwhelmed by rookie defensive ends. Not the way Backus did. That was ugly.

Defensive Line

Winner: Orien Harris

Orien Harris hasn't made much noise since the Lions acquired him in trade with the St. Louis Rams for WR Ronald Curry.

Thursday, however, he led all lineman with four tackles and a sack.

Not a world-beating performance, but the Lions don't see a lot of sacks out of their interior linemen, and the performance should help his stock at a time when neither defensive tackle position is certain.

Loser: Cliff Avril

Cliff Avril has had a very quiet offseason after being one of the team's only bright spots on defense last season.

With only one tackle against the Bills, and very little success getting to the quarterback, Avril is not developing into the all-around player we thought he might after setting the rookie pace for sacks last year.

With a stronger preseason, Avril would have locked up a starting job, especially with Jared DeVries going down with injury.

Now, he may be relegated to a pass-rush specialist or backup position.

Linebacker

Winner: Jordon Dizon

In case you didn't get the memo, Jordon Dizon's "bust" label was a bit premature.

Dizon started on the weak side in place of the resting Ernie Sims. He led the team in tackles with six, five of which came in Buffalo's second drive.

Dizon flew all over the field in the drive, making stops on running and passing plays alike, before capping the drive off by forcing a fumble on a short completion to Derek Schouman.

His performance, coupled with a strong preseason and strong praise from his coaches, should lay to rest any doubt that he can come in and contribute, perhaps sooner rather than later.

Loser: Larry Foote

By no means has Larry Foote had a bad preseason, just a quiet one.

More importantly, the young guys behind him on the depth chart, Dizon and rookie DeAndre Levy, have had fantastic preseasons, and either one can play the middle (both were drafted for it).

The longer Foote plays the vanilla brand of football he has been playing, and the longer Dizon and Levy continue to impress, the less time Foote will spend on the field.

Maybe that one-year contract was a good idea, after all.

Cornerback

Winner: Chris Roberson

Mark my words, Chris Roberson locked down a roster spot.

One tackle on defense, one on special teams, a fumble recovery, and a phenomenal diving interception were the highlights of Roberson's day in Buffalo.

The transitional nature of the Lions' secondary coupled with his strong play should be enough to keep him around, at least for depth.

Loser: Eric King

Another example of a player not making any noise while those around him do.

Eric King's contribution against Buffalo was one defended pass and one illegal contact penalty. Meanwhile, Roberson and Ramzee Robinson are making plays and showing that they belong.

By not making his presence felt, King may have lost himself a job Thursday night.

Safety

Winner: Stuart Schweigert

Stuart Schweigert hasn't seen much action in the first half of games this preseason, but what time he has gotten, he's made count.

Schweigert played seek-and-destroy with the Bills' running backs Thursday night, making five tackles total, three of them at or near the line of scrimmage on running plays.

With performances like that throughout the preseason, Schweigert could be looking at not only a roster spot, but considerable playing in the regular season.

Loser: Louis Delmas

Calm down and listen.

Delmas will still be a great player, and probably sooner rather than later. But he's not going to be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer when he takes the field in New Orleans, so just deal with that.

Delmas is jumpy out there. He's a rookie making rookie mistakes, just as he should be. He is overpursuing and getting caught out of position on most plays he spends in the game.

That can - and will - be coached away. He will adjust his play, settle down, and start playing smarter football. His football IQ is one of his best qualities, so expect him to snap out of it sooner than later.

Still, Delmas was a lock to start the moment Gerald Alexander was shipped out. After two shaky preseason games, they might instead rotate him in.

Special Teams

Winner: Nick Harris

One of the best in the game, though his net average is lacking, primarily because of god-awful coverage teams.

Still, when an average of 43 yards per punt on four punts, with one downed inside the 20 is a sub-par day at the office, you're in pretty good shape.

Loser: Derrick Williams

Williams returned two punts on Thursday.

One was muffed, and fallen on for a zero-yard return.

The other was returned nine yards, on a play where Williams was a half step from being unable to walk off the field.

Somebody needs to teach Williams the "fair catch" signal, because if he pulls another stunt like he did Thursday, trying to return the ball with a gunner bearing down full speed, he's going to get himself killed out there.

On top of that, for a third-round pick drafted primarily for receiving skills, he's... well, he's not that good. Minus all the mistakes, his actual return skills have been average at best.

Just bad, bad, and worse for Williams in Buffalo.

Like what you read? Check out the Lions on NFLTouchdown for more analysis like this!

Brooks Bollinger and Kevin O’ Connell are Detroit Lions, and I’m not quite sure why.

When I first heard the news about Bollinger, I immediately went to my computer to talk about how it was only to get through the final preseason game while Daunte Culpepper and Drew Stanton sit out with injuries.

Then the O’Connell signing came to light. Now I’m beginning to wonder about Culpepper and Stanton.

Stanton has been a distant third and little more than an afterthought on the minds of the Lions’ coaches. Rumors began to float after the New England Patriots released O’Connell, that Stanton might be trade bait in the "Tom Brady’s backup" sweepstakes.

However, Stanton’s knee injury will take weeks to heal, and this is his third season (of three) with an injury severe enough for him to miss considerable time. That drops his stock considerably.

Culpepper has been steady and consistent, and perhaps even a favorite to win the Lions’ starting job. But he is due a roster bonus before the start of the season, and if the coaching staff has decided to go with Matthew Stafford, then Culpepper may also be trade bait.

Either way, the Lions now have five quarterbacks on the roster - again - and it’s unlikely to stay that way when the regular season rolls around.

That means either O’Connell or Bollinger is the odd man out… unless the Lions are going to blow everybody’s minds by dealing off/cutting Stanton and Culpepper.

Let’s just assume that won’t happen.

What has happened here, then, is that Bollinger and O’Connell have created their own quarterback battle. But instead of fighting for the starting job, they’re fighting for a roster spot.

O’Connell I can see hanging around for a while. Bollinger is still a question mark.

Think of Bollinger like an arm cast.

An arm cast is irritating, not terribly useful, limits your abilities, and shouldn’t be around for more than a few weeks. But unfortunately, due to injury, it is a necessary evil.

Chances are, Bollinger won’t see the start of the regular season, and he can go back to his budding UFL gig with the Florida Tuskers. On the other hand, he may find himself the Lions’ 2009 edition of Drew Henson.

Henson last year was a placeholder. His job was to take up space. To call him a stopgap is an insult to stopgaps, and the gaps they’re used for.

Henson actually got a couple of reps in the regular season, when the worst happened and every other quarterback was injured.

Bollinger needed those kinds of odds just to get a call from a team that hasn’t won a regular season football game in 21 months, and he probably won’t be around for week one, but like Henson, if more injuries occur during the season, the Lions just might get him on speed dial.

For the long term, though, Bollinger has had a few years on him in the league, so the idea that he is a "project" the Lions can develop is much less appealing when the guy is turning 30 this year.

O’Connell, however, can be a project. He was drafted in the third round by the New England Patriots last year, but was inexplicably released after being the favorite for the Patriots’ No. 2 spot.

It’s a little concerning picking up players the Patriots have given up on (they’re usually right… what’s Corey Dillon doing these days?), but it’s not like O’Connell is a 33-year-old journeyman looking for one last payoff or a title shot. He’s 24, and still learning the game.

Ultimately, neither of these signings is likely to affect the top battle between Culpepper and Stafford.

Culpepper’s injury is minor enough for him to stillbe questionable for Thursday’s preseason game at Buffalo, which means he could still win the starting job. Stafford, of course, is perfectly healthy, and is the Lions’ future regardless of what other quarterbacks are on the roster.

Stanton, though I like the kid, is developing a reputation for china doll fragility, and is looking at a team that has no real loyalty to him. So If O’Connell (or Bollinger) shows upside, and Stanton can’t stay healthy, his days may be numbered.

One thing is clear, though. With the Lions signing two quarterbacks as the regular season approaches, they are not just looking to fill injury gaps.

They’re auditioning for a roster spot.

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In case you hadn’t heard, Matthew Stafford plays for the Detroit Lions. And there’s a quarterback battle going on involving him and Daunte Culpepper.

There, now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about the less visible stories of the game: everything else.

No, really. Believe it or not, there are other positions on the field aside from "quarterback" and "Calvin Johnson," and some of them are even important.

I know I’m taking a chance here, because according to the major sports outlets, Stafford, Culpepper and Johnson are the only players anybody cares about. But hopefully someone will find one of the other poor pieces of fungi on the team worth reading about, as they wither in the brilliance of the quarterback battle.

Or maybe not. But at least this way somebody will be talking about them.

In Case You Forgot, Kevin Smith is a Beast

The 2009 season is the first in a long time that Lions fans have entered without a deep, unyielding dread about the running game.

Kevin Smith was good last year, even on a team that consistently played from behind and with a sub-par line, so he could only improve, right?

If the Colts game is any indication, that is absolutely right. Smith is hitting holes harder, showing a greater burst off the line, running with improved vision, and getting in touch with his inner Marshall Faulk by becoming a legitimate receiving threat.

Smith was the game’s leading rusher with 50 yards, and the third leading receiver with 33 yards despite only playing two series in the first quarter.

As an added bonus, recall that one of Smith’s greatest physical attributes is his endurance and superior conditioning. He runs best late in the game, when the defense is worn down and he still has his legs under him, but against the Colts, he was playing a fresh, first-string NFL defense.

For one quarter.

Okay, the Offensive Line Really Does Look Better

This is a bittersweet admission for me.

On one hand, I have been criticizing the Lions’ offensive line and asking for more changes along said line since… I guess about 2006. Gosder Cherlius was only a start.

On the other hand, the offensive line looks much improved in its new, more aggressive scheme. Against the Colts, the line consistently pushed the defense back a yard or two at the point of attack, paving the way for over 150 rushing yards and only one sack (partially due to a very badly missed blocking assignment by Aaron Brown).

Cherlius looks much more comfortable at right tackle after starting 13 games there last year.

Dominic Raiola is still a solid center, who can be dominant against smaller defensive lines.

Jeff Backus is still Jeff Backus: average on his best game, and destined to struggle against top pass-rushers… but he shouldn’t be the sole cause of any lost football games. In a perfect world, he’s a guard opposite Steven Peterman in 2010, but he just might be serviceable in 2009.

Guard has been a revolving door with the Lions for years, but it looks like Daniel Loper and Steven Peterman have the inside track to start, and the team could do a lot worse.

Bottom line, the line still needs work, but until the Lions can fix it through the draft, it might not be as bad as we all feared.

Or it might be a preseason fluke. We’ll see.

Defensive Draft Picks Have Been Quiet

After the Lions neglected defense in the first round, there then came a great deal of enthusiasm about Louis Delmas, DeAndre Levy and Sammie Lee Hill, the Lions’ top three defensive draft picks.

Well, the preseason has done little to whet fans’ appetites. Delmas missed some time with a minor injury, and has made little impact with his playing time, other than blowing up a couple of his own team members in practice .

Levy has made the most impact in the preseason games, but with the signing of Larry Foote and the resurgence of Jordon Dizon, his impact is also the least important in the immediate future.

Hill shows good strength and a great push when he bull-rushes, but otherwise, his technique is lacking. He won’t be ready anytime soon.

Now, three preseason games does not, by any means, spell doom for these picks. They’re rookies, and immediate Pro Bowl-caliber impact is an unrealistic expectation. Hopefully the preseason takes some of the pressure off the players, and they can develop normally.

Unknown Player of the Week: Marquand Manuel

Let’s be clear here: Yes, I used Marquand Manuel’s name in a sub-headline.

No, that does not mean I’m relegating him to "next big thing" or "dark horse to start" status.

That being said, I was largely impressed with him against the Colts. He was the only Lion to force a turnover with an interception off Curtis Painter (yes, Peyton Manning would have been more impressive, but take what you can get).

Furthermore, Manuel made a touchdown(and game, as it turned out)-saving open field tackle on Pierre Garcon at the 11-yard line, which ultimately forced the Colts to kick a field goal after a solid red-zone stop to make it a 17-10 game.

That play means nothing in the preseason. It left the door open for the Lions to pull off an 18-17 win, which will be irrelevant in two weeks.

But what if that was a real game? Manuel was the only man between Garcon and the end zone. He cut off Garcon’s momentum, stayed in front of him, and brought him down when he tried to cut inside.

A beautiful, underrated play, especially considering the difficulties Detroit had with tackling against Cleveland.

In the regular season, Manuel is a hero. In the preseason, he still deserves some credit.

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Training camp is under way at Allen Park, and the reports are in.

Matt Stafford is very good.  Daunte Culpepper looks as great as his "back in shape" look would suggest.

Even Drew Stanton, a guy who I said less than two weeks ago is a dark horse to get cut in training camp, has "thrown some darts," to use the words of MLive.com’s Tom Kowalski.

The strong performance of each quarterback all but guarantees a swirling, season-long quarterback controversy.

But fear not! For there is one area, very near to the quarterback position, where there is no controversy whatsoever.

Nobody is arguing the fact that the offensive line is bad. The starters are bad, the reserves are aged, and bright spots are hard to find.

In a "pass rush" drill, a basic offensive line vs. defensive line situation, a red punching bag is suspended where a quarterback would be (roughly), and the offensive line’s sole job is to protect it.

Suffice to say, the punching bag took more shots than Jon Kitna with a 28-point deficit.

"Well," you say, "maybe that’s a good thing! Maybe the defensive line is better than advertised!"

Don’t be naive.

Sure, Julian Peterson thinks Cliff Avril can be a top pass rusher. He’s not there yet, so what does that say for when the offensive line actually has to contain a top pass rusher?

Projected starter Grady Jackson wasn’t even in practice while the offensive line was getting pushed around. So who was dominating them? Landon Cohen? Jared DeVries? Ikaika Alama-Francis?

If that’s all it takes to overpower this group, what’s going to happen when they face the Vikings’ Williams Wall twice a year? Albert Haynesworth and the Redskins? The blitzing Steelers?

In a word, "crunch."

The offensive line’s woes add an interesting dynamic to quarterback competition, as well. Lions quarterbacks have looked sharp in camp, but they are participating in seven-on-seven drills that do not involve a pass rush.

Perhaps the winner of the starting job is the one who shows most capable of handling consistent pressure in the pocket.

Worse yet, maybe it will be the one who survives.

Read more from Dean Holden at http://www.nfltouchdown.com/category/detroit-lions/

It’s not often Detroit Lions fans are treated to a William Clay Ford press conference.

When the Lions owner, generally reclusive in nature, does step into the limelight, no matter how briefly, it’s difficult to determine what to take from it.

He says the right things for the most part.

He wants to win. The fans deserve better. Things are changing for the better. He’s the one accountable for the team.

And so on. He’s mending fences, at one of the two times per year he typically does so: when the season has gone down the tubes and he expresses mild disappointment (akin in severity to the disappointment expressed when one fails to win the lottery, only Ford plays with 1/32 odds every year), and now: the season ticket marketing blitz.

This year is no different. After the Lions started a heart-wrenching 0-3, and his own son, Bill Ford Jr., came out in the media saying Millen should be fired, Ford Sr. did just that within days, addressing the media appropriately. And then? Nothing, until now, the hot time for season ticket sales.

So obviously, Ford’s aim is to come out and inspire confidence in the fans that this team is going to make Detroit proud and win some games, right? Presumably, but many of his comments can be analyzed under different lenses to derive different conclusions.

He may be sincere. He certainly sounds like a nice enough old man, and he is at least verbally committed to keep the Lions in Detroit, despite the possibility of a stronger market elsewhere, particularly one that isn’t on the verge of total municipal collapse.

He could be offering some subterfuge, some clever words to cover up his ineptitude. He says he’s accountable, but what does that mean, exactly? Does it mean he owes the fans an apology after a few more 4-win seasons? Or is he going to do something about it?

Finally, he could just not really know what he’s saying. As fans have suggested for years, he could just be a man whose only qualification to own an NFL franchise is lots and lots of money. As nice of a person as he may be (which I hear all too often), he could just be stupid, ignorant to the ways of NFL ownership.

Honestly, I have no earthly idea which of the above three is the case… so the only thing left to do is to analyze his comments from every angle. You be the judge.

Ford on His Desire to Win

"I want it, I can promise you that."

"I thought it was horrible every time we’d lose. I’d go ‘Oh, geez.’"

"The thing I liked really (about Wednesday’s minicamp) was the player attitude. I mean, they’re going at it like, you know, we can win, which is great."

"Of course, [the fans] want us to win, and so do I — more than anything. But I think if they realize that we’re going to go down with our guns blazing, I think that’s a positive thing to have happen."

How to take this? He says he wants to win, but he doesn’t exactly seethe confidence.

So in this instance, Ford:

A) Really, truly wants to win, and though his "Oh, geez," at Lions losses may pale in comparison to a million fans’ stream of relentless obscenities at the field/TV screen, his commitment is nonetheless solid (albeit with a few bad decisions).

B) Wants everyone to think he cares, because when it’s obvious the owner doesn’t care, the tickets don’t sell. At the same time, he’s tempering expectations while sounding optimistic by effectively saying that he wants to win, but will settle for "going down with guns blazing," which is to say still losing, but competitively, perhaps in high-scoring games.

C) Has absolutely no idea what to expect, but vaguely knows that winning is a good thing, and has decided that’s something he wants to do. He also thinks it’s "great" that the players on the team "feel like, you know, they can win," in kind of the same way a grandparent thinks it’s great that his overweight grandson who can’t hit or catch tries out for the baseball team.

Ford on Lions Fans

"I feel so sorry for the fans of Detroit. I give them full marks for being loyal and showing up and we didn’t perform the way we should’ve performed or the way we could’ve performed. I really felt worse for them than I did for myself."

"For the guys who stuck through it, for the fans who stuck through it, I can’t tell you how great that makes you feel. For those who walked away, I couldn’t blame them. It really wasn’t much fun to watch."

"By and large, you pay attention to [fan criticism]. If there’s a noticeable decline in attendance and the comments are not favorable, you pay attention to it. As I’ve said, the fans are the ones we want to please out here."

Well, this is pretty straightforward stuff, right? Perhaps. Ford here feels like:

A) He has let the fans down, and for all the loyalty they have shown the team, he wants to turn this thing around and start winning again. He is grateful for those who have stuck with the team through both hard times for the Lions and Detroit itself.

B) It’s time to pay attention to fan criticism and act accordingly… but only now, because there’s been a noticeable decline in attendance. Maybe if he comes out and addresses the masses, then he can cure what ills the fanbase, like the Hand of God (of Ticket and Merchandise Sales).

C) The fans don’t seem to like him too much. Why is that? Oh well, the ones still hanging around make him feel warm and squishy inside, and that’s all that really matters.

Ford on Why Things are Different Now

"Well, this is going to sound a little egotistical, and maybe it is, but because [hiring GM Martin Mayhew, President Tom Lewand, and Head Coach Jim Schwartz] was solely my decision."

"It wasn’t … not bicker, but arguments that [Ford and Matt Millen] might have had in the past — if that’s the right word. Maybe it’s a little strong, but it was a difference of opinion that we’d had in the past."

"Everything’s different, including our front office personnel here[...] The head coach is different. The whole thing’s just a new setup."

Ok, then. If you’re like me, the part about him making decisions on his own is frightening. The man has owned the club since 1964, so you mean to tell me he’s never made a decision in 45 years, and now that he is, things are going to get better?

Enough poisoning the well, try to figure out if Ford:

A) Is really serious about this, and his hiring decisions are now solely his own, which could make a huge difference, because he wasn’t really high on hiring Rod Marinelli or Steve Mariucci… or even Millen himself.

B) Is throwing Millen under the bus, by effectively deeming him not only responsible for the Lions’ recent shortcomings, but also a tyrant who made his own decisions without consultation. And he didn’t want to hire him, some serpent’s tongue in his ear told him to. Not a terrible stretch, but it sure sounds like deflection of blame.

C) Thinks that even though he hired Millen, the guys he hired after Millen, who worked under Millen, will be better than Millen, because he picked them all by himself. That’s why, when Commissioner Goodell called and asked if he wanted help restructuring, providing a list of available football execs, Ford’s response was, "no thanks, I’ve already got my guys."

Ford on Accountability

"If Jim Schwartz doesn’t work out, you can blame me 100 percent. I just have confidence in him."

"Starting with Jim and on out, as far as my livelihood goes, I’m going to shoulder the responsibility for any mistakes we made. I don’t mean every play or stuff like that, but if things go sour and the fans turn against us, I’ve got nobody to blame but me, and I’m aware of that. That’s a nice challenge to have. I’m going to try to keep them happy in bad times."

You know what Ford’s saying here, but is he thinking:

A) After Millen painted himself as a scapegoat in the media, the fans need someone to be accountable for their franchise, and I’ll step up and be that guy, so if the team flops this time, they know just who to point to. If they have to deal with a bad football team, they should at least know whose fault it is.

B) The fans are looking for someone to blame? Millen’s acting like a scapegoat? Fine, might as well say it’s my fault. What are they going to do, anyway? It’s not like they can force me to sell the team. Sure, I’m accountable for the team that I own and can do whatever I want with, wonderful.

C) Maybe if I say I’m accountable "from here on out," I can get people to forget the fact that I’m also accountable for the last 45 years I’ve owned the team, too.

Now, let's check your results.

If you said mostly A’s, you think Ford is a sincere old man, who has been misguided in the past, but is making a real effort to right the wrongs now, because that’s what good, loyal Lions fans deserve.

If you said mostly B’s, you think Ford is effectively a sinspawn, brought to this earth for the sole purpose of running car companies and NFL franchises into the ground, embarrassing the state of Michigan in both cases.

If you said mostly C’s, you don’t really think Ford is a bad guy, he’s just not a good owner, and doesn’t quite know what to do with his team.  To the extent that he thinks, he thinks he’s doing right by the fans, but it could also be that he is just spouting off with no idea what he’s actually talking about.

If you think all the answers have a little truth to them, then you think Ford is a guy who sincerely wants the Lions to win, but also… and perhaps even more so… sincerely wants to sell tickets and make money off his franchise. And he has absolutely no clue at all how to address either issue.

And you’re probably right.

Dean Holden is the "Voice of the Lions" on NFLTouchdown.com. Check it out for in-depth analysis on the Lions and all 31 other NFL teams.

I can’t believe I’m saying this.

Neither can you, and I don’t guess your bitterness will be swayed so easily, but this is something that needs to be said.

Matt Millen, for all his shortcomings, for all the damage he did to the Detroit Lions franchise, for all of his stubborn press conferences and personnel decisions, still deserves a pass.

You heard me right.

I think. I’m still not sure I’m actually saying this, but I’m letting it ride.

I’ve been inspired to come to Millen’s defense because of all the backlash he has gotten from Lions fans since starting his recent TV gigs on NFL Network and NBC.

At one time, I would have joined right in, jeering him along with the rest of you. That time was not so long ago (you can measure it in weeks), but having heard the flame-tipped tongue lashings Millen has taken from my fellow Lions fans recently, I must say I do not revel in them one bit.

I’m not going to sit here and try to reason that we should feel sorry for the man. Like any player, coach, or executive, he bears the responsibility for his actions and decisions. Lions fans have developed a distaste for him because of those things, and that’s fine.

But there’s an important element to note here: Millen is no longer with the team. The rallying cry for the futile Lions over the past several seasons, "Fire Millen," has manifested.

The war is over.

So why do Lions fans continue to fight the battle?

From what I can tell, Lions fans feel that Millen has no right to get paid for an "expert" opinion, when his tenure with the Lions removes his credibility as an "expert" at anything but running a franchise into the ground. Does that sound about right?

Well, get over it. Millen was a terrible GM but a top-notch broadcaster, and like it or not he did a good job in the booth. Maybe his talent is breaking down complicated football trends to the average fan, and not leading them to make good personnel and management decisions.

Whatever his talents, getting angry because Millen is reprising his role as a broadcaster is absurd.

Let’s flip the situation.

Let’s say you worked for a major corporation, let’s say in public relations, and you’re good at it. Then someone came to you with an offer to work in an executive position in marketing. You take it, and you’re not very good, but you hold the job for a while—perhaps longer than you should—before finally losing it. Does that mean you’re not good at PR?

No, and Millen’s failure with the Lions doesn’t mean he’s a bad broadcast analyst or a bad person. It just means he’s a bad football executive, nothing more.

To be fair, Millen has done his fair share to draw this ire. He seems to take little responsibility for his actions in Detroit, sarcastically portraying himself as a "fall guy" for all of Detroit’s problems, including the housing market, the auto industry, and Kwame Kilpatrick.

Well, no, Matt, you’re not responsible for those things, but a 31-84 record with a reputation for spectacular draft busts is not inspiring to the good people of Michigan, and belittling the problems of the city of Detroit is not a great way to mend fences.

What you are responsible for is the Detroit Lions, circa 2001-2008, and fans have a right to be angry with you for those years.

But this is 2009. He’s not on the hook anymore. The franchise has moved on, and few can say it’s in the wrong direction. There may already be more talent on the roster now than there has been since Millen took over the franchise, and that’s in a single offseason.

It’s over, ladies and gentlemen. The Millen Years are over, so let them be over. Millen is not evil incarnate and he didn’t sabotage the team on purpose; he’s just a guy who loves football, knows a bit about it, and got in over his head. Anybody who has met him actually thinks he’s a stand-up guy.

Now he’s a broadcast analyst again, where he was once well-liked by both viewers and colleagues. So if you don’t want to hear what he has to say, change the channel. Boycott him, for all I care. Maybe the networks will get the message—probably not.

Regardless, Lions fans don’t need this hate. Not anymore. The 2009 season is supposed to be the first season of the rest of the franchise’s life. This is the time to look forward to the future with hopes and dreams of a winning record, playoffs, and a Super Bowl.

So make this a clean breakup. Being bitter and hateful about an ex-girlfriend never did me a bit of good, no matter how much they hurt me when we were together. What did me good was moving on and starting fresh.

Millen hurt me, too. He hurt all of us, but he’s moving on, he’s better for it, and it’s time we did the same.

Dean Holden is the "Voice of the Lions" on NFLTouchdown.com. Check it out for in-depth analysis on the Lions and all 31 other NFL teams.

I thought this time it was over.

I thought, after drawing the ire of both his once-devoted Green Bay fans for his constant "will he, won’t he" drama, and half the city of New York (or whatever percentage the Jets contingent makes up nowadays) for his late-season collapse, Brett Favre would realize the damage he’s doing to his legacy and stick to his decision to hang up the cleats this time.

Clearly, I underestimated him. Either his stupidity, his competitive spirit, or (most likely) his desire for some juvenile revenge against the Packers knows no bounds. Yet, here he comes again, this time to the Minnesota Vikings.

Admittedly, I rather hate devoting column space to his name, much less a full article, but as a Lions fan, seeing a quarterback continue to delay his induction to the Hall of Fame by returning to the NFC North carries heavy implications.

I’m not going to get into my personal feelings about Favre,  because those are irrelevant, and increasingly mixed. This is about what Favre’s return (and it’s happening, don’t fool yourselves) means in a football sense.

It’s hard to argue that the Vikings don’t get better with Favre. I’ve tried to make that argument myself, but the reality is that the Vikings’ quarterback situation is abysmal.

Tavaris Jackson is an awful quarterback, and won’t get any better. Three years is how long it takes to judge a draft pick, right? Well, in 2006, most experts thought the Vikings reached about two rounds too early for Jackson when they took him as the last pick of the second round. Three years, a 138.7 passing yards per game average, and a 76.5 QB rating later, it looks like they were right.

Sage Rosenfels was to be the answer for the Vikings, joining the team after three years of being deemed less valuable than Matt Schaub and David Carr in Houston. He has shown flashes of brilliance, but has also been marred by inconsistency, and tends to look like a low-tier backup immediately after looking like a stud.

Favre will be an instant starter. Whether it’s warranted or not is irrelevant, because Favre won’t sign otherwise. After all, he’s not some washed-up veteran quarterback who continues to try even though his best days and the majority of his skills are behind him.

Of course, that’s exactly what he is in every mind except his own, but as long as he thinks that way, Favre gets what Favre wants.

And Favre wants to start. He wants to play, and he wants to beat the Packers wearing purple. He may say things about Super Bowls, contributing to the Vikings, making the team better, the community, whatever.  He’s going to lie. What he wants is to perform a Lambeau Leap without a yellow and green helmet.

So what do the Lions want? As a rebuilding organization, the Lions don’t really care about Favre.

There is zero effective organizational memory in Detroit from Favre’s Green Bay days, so head coach Jim Schwartz and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham have no advantage drawing up a plan for one quarterback over another. The only difference is that there is more game film to study on Favre.

In fact, the Lions have something to gain from Favre’s return. The Minnesota Vikings badly need to address their quarterback situation in a long-term sense, and anybody who thinks Favre will accomplish this is delusional (and probably named Brett Favre).

Favre would be nothing more than a stopgap in Minnesota, a guy to take some snaps and win some games for a year or maybe two, while they figure out who is the future.  The ironic thing is, the longer Favre plays, the longer it takes for the Vikings to fix their most glaring problem.

The Lions, on the other hand, don’t really care about 2009. The season has more or less been shot since the team finished with a zero on the wrong end of its record and half the organization was tuned over.

Therefore, whether Brett Favre makes the Vikings better in 2009 or not is an unimportant question to the Lions. Kevin Smith is the only guy in Detroit thinking "playoffs." If Favre drops 10 touchdowns against the Lions this season, it’s not going to mean much in the long run.

On the contrary, if Favre loses to the Lions, it’s a huge boost to the team. The Detroit Lions have not won at Lambeau Field since Brett Favre started playing the professional game, which means the Lions have never beat Brett Favre at home.

With his return, now they have one last chance. If they lose, it’s business as usual. But the possibility of a win at the Metrodome, against Brett Favre, is also a possibility to remove yet another monkey from the Lions’ back and make a statement about the direction of the franchise.

And in 2010, or 2011, or whenever Favre decides to leave the Vikings via retirement, change his mind in the spring, and look for another franchise with a weak QB situation to prey on, the Vikings will be back to square one. The QB situation will still be up in the air, Adrian Peterson will have a few more miles on him, and the Vikings’ window will begin to close.

Meanwhile, the Lions will have Matthew Stafford ready to go, and will have more drafts and offseasons to fill team needs. Regardless of past managerial errors,  the Lions  appear to actually get it this time, so there is some relative confidence for the first time in a while that the team can and will get better.

The Vikings can get better, too. If they wanted to, they could match the Lions step-for step and ascend to a 12-4 record as the Lions ascend to 9-7.

Instead, they want Brett Favre. They want to relegate Rosenfels to a backup role again, and put Jackson’s career in limbo.  Like a baseball team trading prospects for a big-name pitcher with an expiring contract, the Vikings are mortgaging the future to win now.

And maybe they can. Maybe Favre is the long-lost answer, an unforeseen puzzle piece that fits in and makes the Vikings’ offense glow with an unearthly quality. Maybe they win 14 games with him at the helm.

The Detroit Lions could care less, because once Favre’s latest run is done, the Vikings will be right where they are now, with a core that has a year or two less open window space, and another quarterback controversy.

And when that happens, the Lions will be right where they need to be to hit the gas and jet past them.

Dean Holden is the "Voice of the Lions" on NFLTouchdown.com. Check it out for in-depth analysis on the Lions and all 31 other NFL teams.