The Detroit Lions

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LIONS AT TEXANS PREVIEW

The Lions, coming off a tough loss vs. the Vikings, look to bounce back against the Houston Texans this Sunday.

The Lions will be without starting quarterback Brian Griese, as his shoulder injury looks to keep him out anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks. Drew Stanton will try to put his terrible game last week behind him in his first career start. Hopefully the Lions defense will be able to perform as well as last week, and the season-debut of last year's team sack leader Jared DeVries will hopefully give the team an added boost to the pass rush.

The Texans, led by Matt Schaub, have a rejuvenated passing attack thanks to the duo of Andre Johnson and prized free-agent wide receiver Bernard Berrian. The veteran Andre Davis and speedster Jacoby Jones add to the potent combo. Sledgehammer back Michael Pittman starts, with rookie star Felix Jones as the backup. The Texans also took running back Jamaal Charles, though with a running back corps as deep as Houston's, he's hardly been able to see the field.

The Texans also spent some money on the defense, signing Antonio Smith to rush the passer opposite Mario Williams. Monster rookie defensive tackle Red Bryant starts alongside Amobi Okoye; and rookie OLB Marcus Howard shares time with Boss Bailey. The final big $$$ contract spent by the Texans was on CB Asante Samuel - and teaming him with Fred Bennett and Dunta Robinson, gives the Texans one of the best cornerback groups in the league. Certainly NOT what a struggling young quarterback in his first start wants to see.

Can the Lions powerful run game and strong defense do enough to get the victory?

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Just a couple quick hits:

Approval is at 51 going into the game today!

I re-signed Jarret Johnson and will start him at MLB, and have Angelo Craig start at LOLB. I think having Johnson starting at MLB for his former coach will go a long way to solidifying the defense. Paris Lenon will be the reserve and won't be re-signed this year.

Also, 2 year, team-friendly deals were given to DT Shaun Cody, Rookie RT James Blair, and C Nick Cole. It takes some pressure off my GM while he figures out some of the bigger contracts coming up.

I gave myself the speed and strength special skills - I'm a 16 now.

Finally, I took a look at some of the names on Injured Reserve:
The Jets have L. Coles and D. Harris on IR
Vikes WR Sidney Rice
Ravens MLB Ray Lewis!
Saints rookie WR Donnie Avery

tough breaks!

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SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY!
TEXANS DESTROY LIONS, 55-28

Detroit Lions at Houston Texans
Oct 19, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Detroit Lions (3-2)	7	7	0	14	28
Houston Texans (3-3)	7	20	14	14	55

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		DET	HOU
10:54	(HOU) Schaub 5yd pass to Michael Pittman (Brown PAT)	0	7
02:54	(DET) Shaun Alexander 3yd run (Hanson PAT)	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		DET	HOU
12:24	(HOU) Kris Brown 41yd FG	7	10
04:49	(HOU) Michael Pittman 2yd run (Brown PAT)	7	17
04:36	(DET) Eddie Drummond 100yd KO return (Hanson PAT)	14	17
01:58	(HOU) Kris Brown 33yd FG	14	20
01:05	(HOU) DeMeco Ryans 49yd INT return (Brown PAT)	14	27
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		DET	HOU
10:25	(HOU) Michael Pittman 27yd run (Brown PAT)	14	34
03:50	(HOU) Schaub pass to Owen Daniels 13yds (Brown PAT)	14	41
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		DET	HOU
12:07	(DET) Shaun Alexander 4yd run (Hanson PAT)	21	41
11:54	(HOU) Asante Samuel 90yd KO return (Brown PAT)	21	48
09:02	(DET) Shaun Alexander 56yd run (Hanson PAT)	28	48
01:16	(HOU) Michael Pittman 23yd run (Brown PAT)	28	55

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Drew Stanton 4/9 88 0 2 Chris Leak 2/5 29 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Shaun Alexander 14 103 3 Ryan Torain 7 42 0 Garrett Wolfe 4 -1 0 Chris Leak 3 18 0 Brian Calhoun 2 2 0 Jerome Felton 1 -2 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD James Hardy 2 29 0 Quinn Sypniewski 1 44 0 Shaun Alexander 1 26 0 Scott Chandler 1 15 0 Roy Williams 1 3 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Angelo Craig 7-3 1 0 0 Ernie Sims 8-2 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Hanson 0/0 4/4 4 0

Houston Texans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Matt Schaub 16/21 189 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Michael Pittman 35 229 3 Matt Schaub 1 -2 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Owen Daniels 4 69 1 Andre Johnson 3 16 0 Bernard Berrian 2 35 0 Jacoby Jones 2 28 0 Andre Davis 2 23 0 Damon Chambers 2 13 0 Michael Pittman 1 5 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Mario Wililams 5-2 2 0 0 Antonio Smith 5-2 1 0 0 Marcus Howard 6-2 1 0 0 Josh Bullocks 2-0 0 1 0 DeMeco Ryans 5-0 0 1 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Kris Brown 2/3 7/7 13 41

Houston had little trouble dispatching the struggling Lions this Sunday, pressuring quarterback Drew Stanton into numerous mistakes, and getting big plays from their defense and special teams during their 55-28 rout.

Drew Stanton was a dismal 4 out of 9 passing before getting benched in the 4th quarter for Chris Leak. The Lions barely had the ball, losing the time of possession battle more than 2:1.

The Texans had almost no trouble moving the ball, led by Michael Pittman's brutal 229 yards rushing. Matt Schaub was solid, but not spectacular, hitting his open receivers and playing it safe.

Detroit suffered a few notable injuries: Jared DeVries, in his first game back, was quickly sent back to the trainer's table. As was LB Jarrett Johnson and WR/KR Eddie Drummond. Both of the latter players should be back in a matter of days, however.

The Lions, now with back to back losses, must quickly right the ship or watch their season start to slip away... Up next, the Washington Redskins come to MOTOWN!

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WEEK SEVEN MILESTONES:
MAKING THEIR MARK ON HISTORY

(DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS, I WILL HAVE TO GO TO A MORE QUICK SUMMARY IN THIS SECTION SO I CAN CATCH UP FASTER. I'M ALSO TOYING WITH A NEW FORMAT FOR THIS SECTION, WHICH, WHILE IT IS ONE OF THE MOST FUN FOR ME, IS ALSO TIME-CONSUMING AS HECK)

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TERRELL OWENS HAS PASSED ART MONK (picture above) FOR 7TH PLACE ALL-TIME IN RECEPTIONS. HE HAS ALSO PASSED CRIS CARTER FOR 6TH PLACE ALL-TIME IN RECEIVING YARDS - AND HAS ALSO BECOME JUST THE 6TH PERSON TO SURPASS 14,000 YARDS RECEIVING!


SHAUN ALEXANDER HAS PASSED JOHN RIGGINS (104) AND JIM BROWN (107) FOR 5TH PLACE ALL-TIME IN RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
SHAUN HAS ALSO SURPASSED 10,000 RUSHING YARDS FOR HIS CAREER.


TORRY HOLT HAS PASSED STEVE LARGENT FOR 15TH MOST RECEPTIONS ALL-TIME!

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DETROIT LIONS VS WASHINGTON REDSKINS PREVIEW

The 2008 season is quickly turning ugly for the Detroit Lions, as injuries and miscues have them on a two game losing streak. With the loss, Coach Billick (approval 42) is feeling some pressure to right the ship fast.

Coach Billick met with his coaching staff and reminded them they have to be the ones to put these players in the right positions to win games.

DB coach Jimmy Lake got DB Physical development 3, rating 9
OC Jim Coletto got pass block discipline, rating 33
RB coach Kippy Brown got improved ball carrier moves, rating 69
WR coach Shawn Jefferson got WR Learning 3, rating 15
OL coach Mike Barry got OL Intangible 3, rating 29

The Detroit Lions also announced a few roster moves made Tuesday morning:

- Jared DeVries injured his elbow and has a 6-8 week recovery. He was placed on injured reserve; but then released when the team signed Lance Johnstone to a veteran minimum contract to try to spark the pass rush. At 35 years old, Lance is not a full time player, but it's hoped he could spell one of the defensive ends in dime packages and maybe help build pressure.

- ROLB Anthony Cannon was released. He was an adequate reserve, but we have a little depth there, and he was the least accomplished of the group. He's still very young, so he has a chance to latch on somewhere down line.

- The Detroit Lions have announced the signing of quarterback Byron Leftwich! Byron has been a great competitor throughout his career, and has been able to step in and help a team before, as he did with Atlanta last season. Drew Stanton was completely overmatched vs the Texans last week, even with a whole week of practice; and Chris Leak is still developing. With Brian Griese out another week or two, we need someone with the game experience to try to right the ship until Brian comes back. We'll have to scale back the game plan a bit, but I think Byron gives us a great chance to win the game.

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As we get ready to face Washington, here's some quick hits for you:

The Lions (3-3) and the Redskins (2-5) both desperately need a win this week or risk falling a few games behind their division leaders.

The Redskins key rookies have been productive so far, with running back Chris Johnson spelling All-Pro Clinton Portis; and wide recievers LaVelle Hawkins, Josh Morgan, and Scotty Kingston helping build an exciting receiving group behind starters Santana Moss and Antwan Randle-El.

I have removed 6 plays from my playbook from my I-Formation and added three pro-set runs to keep my playbook fresh.

And with that, it's GAME TIME!!!!!

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"SALVAGE QUARTERBACK" LEADS LIONS OUT OF THE JUNKYARD

Washington Redskins at Detroit Lions
Oct 26, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Washington Redskins (2-5)	3	0	7	0	10
Detroit Lions (3-3)	3	7	7	0	17

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		WAS	DET
05:56	(WAS) Shaun Suisham 49yd FG	3	0
02:00	(DET) Jason Hanson 52yd FG	3	3
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		WAS	DET
07:22	(DET) B. Leftwich 11yd pass to R Williams (Hanson PAT)	3	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		WAS	DET
13:32	(DET) Shaun Alexander 5yd run (Hanson PAT)	3	17
09:11	(WAS) Cliton Portis 17yd run (Suisham PAT)	10	17

Washington Redskins PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jason Campbell 9/24 118 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Clinton Portis 13 50 1 Chris Johnson 12 46 0 Jason Campell 3 18 0 Kyle Brady 1 6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Antwan Randle-El 6 75 0 LaVelle Hawkins 2 26 0 Santana Moss 1 17 0 Steve Guy 1 1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Marcus Washington 10-0 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Shaun Suisham 1/3 1/1 4 49

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Byron Leftwich 6/14 70 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Shaun Alexander 25 117 1 Garrett Wolfe 9 30 0 Bryon Leftwich 5 -1 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Bryant Johnson 3 40 0 Roy Williams 2 16 1 James Hardy 1 14 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Mike Patterson 4-4 1 0 0 Matt Roth 2-1 1 0 0 Angelo Craig 3-0 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Hanson 1/1 2/2 5 51

Just a week ago, quarterback Byron Leftwich was sitting at home pondering his fate. Still a young quarterback with loads of talent and experience, a rough fill-in last season with Atlanta really cooled off his job market. That is, until the Lions came calling. Starting in place of an injured Brian Griese, and ineffective Drew Stanton, Leftwich played reasonably well and helped the Lions get a crucial victory.

Leftwich (6/14 for 70 yards, with one td and one int), misfired early on his opening drive interception, but settled down after that, hitting 4 in a row on a later drive, culminating in a touchdown pass to Roy Williams.

The defense and rushing offense helped set the tone for the Lions, and they were able to control the field, and most importantly, time of possession. Washington was unable to maintain any drives when it needed to, and turnovers and missed field goals kept the Redskins constantly out of sync.

Wearing their rare black jerseys to help give the fans a little extra motivation, the Lions got the win; and get ready to face the Bears for the second part of the divisional series next week!

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WEEK EIGHT MILESTONES:
MAKING THEIR MARK ON HISTORY

(DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS, I WILL HAVE TO GO TO A MORE QUICK SUMMARY IN THIS SECTION SO I CAN CATCH UP FASTER. I'M ALSO TOYING WITH A NEW FORMAT FOR THIS SECTION, WHICH, WHILE IT IS ONE OF THE MOST FUN FOR ME, IS ALSO TIME-CONSUMING AS HECK)

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LaDANIAN TOMLINSON HAS PASSED OJ SIMPSON (11,236) (picured above) and COREY DILLON (11,241) FOR 15TH ALL TIME IN RUSHING YARDS.

EDGERRIN JAMES HAS PASSED FRANCO HARRIS (12,120) FOR 11TH PLACE ALL-TIME IN RUSHING YARDS.

TERRELL OWENS HAS PASSED ANDRE REED (951) FOR 6TH PLACE ALL-TIME IN RECEPTIONS. HE HAS ALSO PASSED JAMES LOFTON FOR 5TH PLACE ALL-TIME IN RECEIVING YARDS, BECOMING JUST THE 6TH PLAYER TO BREAK 14,000 RECEIVING YARDS!

TONY GONZALEZ HAS PASSED JIMMY SMITH (862) FOR 10TH PLACE ALL-TIME IN RECEPTIONS.

ISAAC BRUCE (86) HAS PASSED LANCE ALWORTH AND PAUL WARFIELD (BOTH WITH 85) FOR 11TH PLACE IN RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS.

JOEY GALLOWAY HAS PASSED GARY CLARK FOR 21ST PLACE ALL-TIME IN RECEIVING YARDS.

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DETROIT LIONS VS CHICAGO BEARS PREVIEW

The rematch of Detroit and Chicago looks to be a hard hitting affair, something we've come to expect and embrace about these NFC North battles. It's pouring and cold in Chicago this November Sunday; and Detroit has a chance to push Chicago completely out of contention for the NFC North title with a victory. The Bears, at 1-6, can kiss the postseason goodbye with one more loss - and Coach Lovie Smith has to know the vultures are circling around his office.

Chicago is still going with Jim Sorgi at quarterback, although it's painfully obvious he's not getting the job done in Coach Smith's offense. One thing the Bears have going for them that they didn't last time these two faced is that starting running back TJ Duckett is back, and looks to continue his bulldozing ways against a Lions defense that's been a little soft in the middle.

Brian Griese is back under center against his former team, and Byron Leftwich will back him up. Last week Shaun Alexander carried the load, and in the rain against a division rival he might REALLY have a heavy workload. The passing game has been struggling, primarily due to poor line play; but Coach Billick has said he wants to get the offense moving better through the air. We'll have to see if this is the week he tries it or not...

It's almost game time here in Chicago, time to see if the Lions are ready for the battle!