The back and forth between the Detroit Lions and defensive end Cliff Avril has actually become quite comical and perhaps a bit immature.

The Lions are set to start a mandatory minicamp next week, but it doesn’t look like Avril will be there. Avril has yet to sign his franchise tender and contract negotiations appear to be getting worse, not better.

To make matters more interesting, president Tom Lewand was asked about the negotiations between the two sides and his response was not in the least bit comforting:

“We obviously have the tender out on Cliff and he’s welcome to sign that anytime he wants,” Lions president Tom Lewand said at the team’s charity golf outing today. “We’ve continued discussions on whether we can convert that into something on a longer-term basis but, really, in many ways, in terms of the tender, the ball’s in his court.”

On Saturday, Avril countered that with a response of his own. When asked about what Lewand had to say, Avril said: » Continue reading “Cliff Avril, Detroit Lions Still in Contract Negotiations”

So, I haven’t don’t a news roundup in quite some time. Mostly because it’s the off-season and there isn’t a whole heck of a lot of news to actually round up. But today I’m feeling wild and crazy. So let’s get to it.

• The draft is Thursday. Which means two things: 1.) We’ll have some news players soon. 2.) Draft partaaaaaays! The Lions will host two NFL Draft parties. The first will be Thursday, which coincides with the first round and will be held at the Fillmore Theatre in Detroit. The second will be Friday, which coincides with the second and third round and will take place at the Hard Rock Cafe in Detroit. For more details on each event, click here.

• Calvin Johnson visited ESPN last week to take place in what they call the “Car Wash,” where he made appearances on several shows and had interviews throughout the day. In addition, he visited SportsNation where he was challenged to catch as many balls (and hold on to them) as he could in 1:30. Johnson broke the previous record of catching 12 balls, by catching 16. You can see the video of the event, here.  For a full breakdown of Johnson’s day at ESPN, click here. » Continue reading “Lions’ Droppings: News, Notes and Nonsense”

In a radio interview Monday, Detroit Lions president Tom Lewand said that Johnny Culbreath, Nick Fairley, and Mikel Leshoure would all get a second chance after being busted for marijuana possession this off-season.

He also said he expects them to participate in the Lions voluntary workouts scheduled to start next Monday.

“We expressed disappointment last week, and I continue to express disappointment that guys put themselves in the position where they have to have an unpleasant interaction with law enforcement,” Lewand said. “That is something that should be avoided. But as we all know from life’s experiences, it happens, people make mistakes, and you want to give guys opportunities to correct those mistakes, learn from them and move forward.”

Lewand expressed disappointment in the three Lions players, but said it’s ultimately up to them to earn back the trust of the organization.

“In the case of all of our guys, they are good guys, and we still have to remember at times — and this is not to excuse anyone’s behavior — but guys are young,” Lewand said. “I think when all of us were in our early 20s, the feeling of invincibility was a lot higher than maybe it is today. » Continue reading “Lions: Culbreath, Fairley, Leshoure Will Get ‘Second Chance’”

With voluntary workouts almost underway, defensive end Cliff Avril and the Detroit Lions don’t seem to be any closer to a long-term contract. Nevertheless, Avril says he will be in town next Monday should a deal be reached during that time.

“I think we’re going to continue to try and get something done hopefully and we’ll see how it goes,” Avril said.

Only players who are under contract can participate in the off-season conditioning program, and since Avril has yet to reach a deal with the Lions or sign his one-year tender, he cannot take part in the workouts.

Avril has until July 15 to sign a deal or he’ll play under the one-year franchise tender worth $10.6 million.

Avril said he hopes talks get re-kindled this week. » Continue reading “Detroit Lions, Cliff Avril Still Negotiating Contract”

With great power comes great responsibility. Or in this case … with some success comes a hike in ticket prices.

After finishing the 2011 season 10-6, The Detroit Lions announced today that they will be raising ticket prices next year an average of a little less than 8 percent.

Yep. Anyone who didn’t see this coming, raise your hand. OK, if you raised your hand, you’re a liar.

The highest non-premium seat package will increase from $90 to $99 dollars, and the lowest will go from $30 to $35.

Club seats will not be affected.

According to team president Tom Lewand, ticket prices are expected to be 23rd or 24th lowest in the league. So in other words, stop you’re whining. » Continue reading “Detroit Lions to Raise Ticket Prices Next Year”

With the end of the lockout yesterday, you can imagine the media frenzy that has followed. Press conferences, owner’s statements, players’ tweets. You name it, it happened.

So, in case you missed any of it, here’s a wrap-up of lockout reactions in Detroit Lions’ world.

Lions president Tom Lewand released the following statement via DetroitLions.com.

“First and foremost, we are happy for our fans because all they ever wanted was for us to play football and, thankfully, that’s what we are getting ready to do. This agreement is a big win for NFL football and for all NFL fans because it helps secure the long-term health of our game.

“It is a fair deal for players and teams. We will be able to grow the game and appropriately share that growth with our players as partners. It is a deal that places a high priority on player safety and on the integrity of our game.

“Both sides worked extremely hard throughout this process. All involved are to be commended on getting a deal done in time to avoid any disruption to the 2011 regular season. » Continue reading “Lions React to End of Lockout”

So, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know everything about Twitter. I only just joined Twitterverse a little more than a month ago. But, seriously it’s addictive. And it makes me kind of hate Facebook.

I feel like Twitter serves a direct purpose. No, it doesn’t have to. But it does for most people. Facebook is just shameless, self-indulgence and it gets really old, really quick. Where am I going with this, you might ask? I have no idea. I like to ramble a lot.

The other reason I like Twitter? Because you actually feel like you are communicating with stars and athletes. And it’s a much faster way to get news and updates than Facebook — and even the media sometimes.

So, you’ll probably notice that I post on here a lot about Lions players and the latest important, stupid, or hilarious thing they said on Twitter. For me, it’s a nice break to otherwise very straightforward and newsy posts. For you, I hope they are fun to read.

So, I found out yesterday that Matthew Stafford and Tom Lewand recently joined Twitter. This makes me happy. Maybe because I can get a little insight into their worlds, or maybe because I’m a stalker. I haven’t figured that part out yet. But either way, it’s good times.

Stafford has been posting a lot about his rehab, and Lewand has been posting a lot about — well nothing yet. He hasn’t actually made a post. But I’m sure he’ll have something insightful to say at some point. Or not. Now who’s a stalker?

You can find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Aerys_Lions or www.twitter.com/thecornerblog and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barrysandersmemorialblog.

The Detroit Free Press reported today that the Lions did in fact appeal the tampering case involving the Kansas City Chiefs. I wrote an entry a few days ago about how quiet the Lions — and more specifically Tom Lewand — have been about the whole situation. I’m glad they finally decided to go forward with the appeal.

If the Lions win their appeal, their seventh-round choice would be reinstated, and they would have six picks in April’s draft.

I think the Lions took the right approach in staying quiet about the situation, while they were still deciding which route to take. It might not have been ideal to media and fans wanting to know what was going on, but in a lot of respects it was the “professional” thing to do.

The Lions have maintained since the beginning that they weren’t guilty of any tampering issues, so hopefully the NFL and Roger Goodell make the same conclusion. We’ll see how this plays out.

You can find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Aerys_Lions or www.twitter.com/thecornerblog and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barrysandersmemorialblog.

I think so. But that’s just me. Unfortunately, it’s looking more and more likely that they either haven’t filed an appeal or they won’t. The Detroit Free Press reported a few days ago, that Lions president Tom Lewand has been especially quiet about the situation, saying they want to put it behind them.

Maybe it’s because they don’t think they have a fight, but after saying for so long that they were not guilty of tampering, why back down now? Is it possible that they just wanted to wait it out until a new CBA was decided upon? Maybe. But at this point,

Here’s what Lewand had to say:

“I don’t think we really need to get into that,” Lewand said in a teleconference with reporters to discuss the NFL lockout. “I think we’ve said what we needed to say on that. Both Martin (Mayhew) and Jim (Schwartz) addressed it down in Indianapolis and we’ll let the process play itself out with the league. And again no matter what happened, I said this when it was filed a long time ago, no matter what happens we’ll be prepared to move forward and we are.”

I understand things have been a little busy in NFL world. And certainly owners, players, and front office personnel are probably pretty focused on making sure there’s even a 2011 season to play, but we’re talking about a draft pick here. Why not fight for it? Last time I checked, you’re still the Detroit Lions, and despite a positive end to the 2010 season, you still need all the help you can get. And if they have filed an appeal, why stay mum about it?

Personally, any news that doesn’t involve the CBA death match is exciting to me. I imagine most fans feel the same way. If the Lions choose not to appeal, they forfeit a seventh-round draft pick and must swap places with the Chiefs in the fifth round. That leaves the Lions with just five draft picks, which is the lowest number they’ve had since 1996 and 1998, when they also had five.

You can find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Aerys_Lions or www.twitter.com/thecornerblog and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barrysandersmemorialblog.

Wow, was that too much alliteration? Sorry. These posts about the lockout are getting boring so I’ve got to find some way to spice it up a bit. So there’s that.

And here’s this: Lions president Tom Lewand sent a letter to season ticket holders yesterday addressing the lockout. Apparently, the Lions think only fans with season tickets get an explanation, but whatever. Regardless, here’s what it said (with a little bit of commentary from yours truly mixed in):

In the interest of communicating openly with our most valued customers, we wanted to write to keep you updated on how the expiration of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement may impact the 2011 season. (This bothers me. Many other teams wrote a letter to “fans.” Why are the Lions only concerned with season ticket holders. I’m seriously irritated by this.)

As you probably know, the Collective Bargaining Agreement —the contract between the league and the labor union representing the players — has expired. The NFL is working hard to reach a new agreement with the players, and we hope the negotiation process does not disrupt this football season. You should know that it is no way disrupting our preparation for a great 2011 season. (If “working hard” means being “uncooperative,” then yes, yes you are NFL. Good for you. You should get a raise. Wait … )

In the event any games are cancelled, be assured we will provide you with a full refund, with simple interest, for any cancelled preseason or regular-season home games. We will provide you with the details of the refund program at the appropriate time should it become necessary. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the refund policy, or any other matter, please contact your account representative or any sales representative at (313) 262-2011. (I sense fine print here. They won’t forfeit a season without taking at least some of their fans money for no reason. OK, now I just sound bitter.)

We are sorry the CBA expiration has created some uncertainty during this offseason. We understand and respect that what is most important to you and to all of our fans is that we play football in 2011. (Well, duh! Shouldn’t that be the most important thing for you you, too?)

We share your passion for NFL football and your excitement for the upcoming season. Our coaches and personnel department continue to work diligently to prepare for the NFL Draft in April and to be ready as soon as the teams and the players are able to come to a fair agreement for both sides. (So in other words, once the players can no longer stand to not get a paycheck.)

Thank you for your patience and understanding. We greatly appreciate your support of the Detroit Lions and will continue to keep you informed of our plans for the 2011 season. (I’m remarkably patient about the situation. Understanding? Yeah, not so much.)

Sincerely,

Tom Lewand

While I appreciate the letter, fans are smart enough to understand that this is public relations 101. Obligatory letters don’t make up for the fact that there may not be a football season in six months. And it doesn’t make up for the fact that the NFL and players are fighting about nickels and dimes — or should I say millions and billions. Still, I don’t doubt for a second that they do empathize with us a little. I just think we a football season for completely different reasons.

Here’s what some of the Lions players had to say via Twitter about the situation following decertification and the lockout:

Ndamukong Suh:

"Unfortunate" is just one of the more mild terms I could use to describe the lockout.

Bryant Johnson:

For all you non-12-year-old girls, "smh" means "shaking my head," or something to that effect.

Caleb Campbell:

This one made me giggle.

You can find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aerys_Lions or www.twitter.com/thecornerblog and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barrysandersmemorialblog.