August 17, 2011

8:00 PM EST

M&T Bank Stadium

After a tough loss in the preseason opener last week, the Lions are looking to rebound against a Baltimore Ravens team that made a 31-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons look awfully hard last week.

Both teams have been plagued by the injury bug this offseason and both struggled to get their first team offense going early on.

The Ravens and Lions will return several players tonight who missed the opener, and it could mean a more consistent attack on both sides of the ball. Defensive end Cliff Avril, strong safety Amari Spievey, and wide receiver Titus Young are all expected to be active tonight for the Lions, while Baltimore will welcome back veteran center Matt Birk and rookies Courtney Upshaw and Bernard Pierce.

Here are some things to watch for: » Continue reading “Preseason Game 2: Detroit Lions vs. Baltimore Ravens”

In case you missed it yesterday, Calvin Johnson didn’t practice and he had his left index finger taped. Subsequently, everyone lost their damn minds. But fear not, Megatron missed Monday’s practice due merely to what Jim Schwartz called a scheduled day off.

“He wasn’t shut down because of his finger,” Schwartz said. “Just general camp kind of legs and soreness. He needed a day here, too. Calvin doesn’t have a regulator, either.”

When asked about his finger, Johnson said it was injured but that he would be fine. Johnson was also asked about the Madden Curse, to which he replied: “I’m a God fearing man. Curses don’t bother me.”

Well that’s good.

With Schwartz, you never quite know if he’s being honest about injuries, but in this case, I don’t think we have much to worry about (::knocks on wood::). Johnson was at practice today, though his finger was still taped up.

Other notes from training camp: » Continue reading “Calvin Johnson’s Finger and More Notes from Training Camp”

Well here’s something you would have never expected a few years ago. According to local TV ratings, the Detroit Lions preseason opener Friday night against the Cleveland Browns was watched by more people than the Olympics and the Tigers game.

The game was No. 1 among Metro Detroit households with a 11.0 rating. In comparison, the Olympics received a 10.1 rating. The Tigers’ opening game to kick off a weekend series with the Texas Rangers received a 10.4 rating. Each rating point represents 17,000 households tuning in. The Lions game was the No. 1 program among men ages 18-49 (7.0 rating) and men ages 25-54 (9.3 rating).

This was apparently a 10-percent increase over last season’s opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.

There’s always a lot of anticipation and expectations entering preseason and then the regular season. But because last year was the first time in a long time that those expectations were actually met, this year the excitement is apparently even higher.

You can find me on Twitter at twitter.com/MelissaHeyboer and on Facebook at facebook.com/barrysandersmemorialblog.

Dan Miller joined Casey Ford and Bill Blohm on ESPN 970 in Marquette, Mich., to talk about the situation at the running back position and his thoughts on Titus Young having a breakout year.

He also discusses Ryan Grant and Cedric Benson and the possibility of them coming in for a tryout.

Ford was gracious enough to share the interview with Barry Sanders Memorial Blog so we’ve posted it here for your listening pleasure! Enjoy!

You can find me on Twitter at twitter.com/MelissaHeyboer and on Facebook at facebook.com/barrysandersmemorialblog.

If preseason was any indication of how this year is going to go for the Detroit Lions, then last night’s 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns would mean three things:

1. We’d be 0-1,
2. Shaun Hill would be more valuable than Matthew Stafford, and
3. Our running backs more productive than our receivers.

Hello, parallel universe.

Luckily for everyone, preseason — in the grand scheme of things — means nothing. Sure, it’s important. But it in no way is it proof of what will happen for the 16 games of the 2012 regular season. The 2008 Lions are proof positive of that.

I saw positives in last night’s game. Jim Schwartz did not. Fortunately, it’s his job to be overly critical. Also, that’s just the way Schwartz is.

“Let’s be clear: Preseason games, we don’t use them as a barometer,” Detroit coach Jim Schwartz said. “But you want to play well and I don’t think we played well on offense, defense or special teams from the beginning to the very end.” » Continue reading “Lions Drop First Preseason Game 19-17 to the Cleveland Browns”

August 10, 2011

7:30 PM EST

Ford Field

Oh happy day! Football is back. Maybe not officially, officially. But when you go more than six months without the National Football League, preseason may as well be the Super Bowl. And it seems I’m not alone in that sentiment, considering tonight’s game against the Cleveland Browns is sold out.

The Lions are coming off one of the most active (and not in a good way) offseasons in recent memory and  and I imagine are just excited to put those troubles behind them and focus on football. And with the recent injuries for both teams — most notably Louis Delmas and Trent Richardson — I imagine they both will try to avoid further clogging up their injured list.

After a breakthrough, 10-win season last year, the Lions are hoping to build off that success and enter the preseason with the majority of their starting spots figured out. The Browns on the other hand, will be breaking in rookie quarterback, and former minor league pitcher. Brandon Weeden in hopes that he can do what Colt McCoy couldn’t.

Here are some things to watch for: » Continue reading “Preseason Game 1: Cleveland Browns vs. Detroit Lions”

Detroit Lions running back Mikel Leshoure is hopeful he’ll return to practice next week, after missing much of the first two weeks of training camp with a hamstring injury.

As expected, Leshoure will miss tomorrow’s preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns, but says he hopes to be back next week. If that happens, Leshoure will likely be able to participate in the Lions second preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens.

“Hopefully,” Leshoure said. “I’m starting to run now. You never know how these days go, but I hope to get back on the field next week.”

Leshoure’s expectations were high after being drafted prior to the 2011 season, but an Achilles injury sidelined him for the entire year, and off the field issues this offseason have cast a dark shadow over his potential.

But with the future of Jahvid Best still questionable, Leshoure is still expected to make a huge impact this season if he can remain healthy.

Other news: » Continue reading “Mikel Leshoure Could Return to Lions Practice Next Week”

The Lions secondary woes have continued into 2012. Unfortunately, safety Louis Delmas underwent surgery on his left knee yesterday, according to the Detroit Lions. Fortunately, the Lions are hopeful that it’s not quite as bad as it sounds.

Delmas has experienced soreness in his knee since the beginning of training camp last week and , as a result, has practiced very little.

“First it was sore and it was, ‘OK, take a day off,’” Schwartz said. “And then the next day it was still sore and he tried to go again, he tried to get back in and we just weren’t getting anywhere with it. So that was really the only thing that changed.”

Delmas, who was seen by sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews, is expected to be week to week, according to Lions head coach Jim Schwartz, but said they do not have a timetable for his return. » Continue reading “Detroit Lions’ Louis Delmas Undergoes Surgery on Knee”

Yes, it’s true. The Detroit Lions have, in fact, had an offseason. I know that notion might be confusing to all three of my readers who — and I say this with 100 percent confidence — have no doubt checked my page feverishly over the past two months.

Oh, you didn’t? You didn’t even know I was gone? *shows myself to the door*

Regardless of whether you’ve missed me or not, I’m back. And I promise to not ever leave you hanging like that again. So, without further ado, I’m going to try to catch all of you (but mostly myself) up on the big things that have happened in the past two months. Ready? Break!

1. Someone got arrested
2. Someone else got arrested.
3. I think there was an arrest.
4. Yep, there was definitely an arrest.

Oh, I kid. Kind of, but not really. Let’s get caught for real this time, shall we? » Continue reading “The Detroit Lions Have Had an Offseason (Despite My Lack of Telling You About it)”