Lions Poll - How Many Wins This Season?

DETROIT LIONS VS. ATLANTA FALCONS: POSTGAME NOTES

The following are postgame notes and quotes from the Detroit Lions' 23-16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field, October 23, 2011.

WR CALVIN JOHNSON

• Lions WR Calvin Johnson caught his 10th touchdown pass on the season with a 57-yard TD reception in the third quarter. Johnson is now the first player in Lions history with 10 touchdown catches in three different seasons. He also caught 12 touchdowns in 2008 and 2010.
• Johnson joins WR Herman Moore as the only players in team history with 10 touchdown catches in back-to-back seasons. Moore had 11 TDs in 1994 and 14 in 1995.
• He is now the sixth player in NFL history with 10 touchdown receptions through the first 7 games of the season and first since WR Randy Moss had 10 through 7 games for New England in 2007.
• Johnson finished the game with 5 receptions for 115 yards. His 115-yard outing today moved him into fifth place on the Lions all-time receiving yards list surpassing Hall of Fame TE Charlie Sanders (4,817, 1968-77).
• By recording 115 receiving yards today, Johnson now has 17 career 100-yard games. He has gone over 100 receiving yards in each of the past three games and four of the seven games the Lions have played this year.
• Johnson becomes the first Lions receiving with three-straight 100-yard games since WR German Crowell in 1999.
• It is the first time in Johnson’s career that he has registered 100 receiving yards in three-straight games.
• Johnson has scored a touchdown in six of the Lions seven games thus far in 2011.

K JASON HANSON

• Lions K Jason Hanson has now played in 302 career games. He is now tied with QB Brett Favre and K Matt Stover for sixth place on the NFL’s career games played list.
• Hanson finished the game with 10 points (3 FG, 1 PAT) and now has scored 68 points on the season. He has scored 10 points in four of the team’s seven games this season.

T JEFF BACKUS

• Today’s game marked T Jeff Backus’ 167th consecutive start. He currently has the most consecutive starts by any lineman (offense or defense) in the NFL and the most among offensive players. He has the eighth-most consecutive starts by an offensive lineman since 1970.

LIONS INTERCEPTIONS

• The Lions defense intercepted two passes today to move their season total to 10 in the season’s first seven games.
• CB Eric Wright picked off his second pass of the season on the Falcons’ opening drive and returned it 22 yards to the Atlanta 15-yard line, setting up a Lions field goal.
• S Amari Spievey recorded his third interception of the season on the first play of the fourth quarter. Three interceptions on the season is a career high for the second-year safety.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

CITY OF DETROIT MUNICIPAL PARKING DEPARTMENT OFFERS PARKING FOR DETROIT LIONS GAME SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23

The following City of Detroit Municipal Parking Department facilities will be open for the Detroit Lions football game on Sunday, October 23:

  Hours                                                                  Rate

 Cadillac Farmer Lot 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.                       $10
 1025 Farmer

 Eastern Market Garage 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.                    $15
 2727 Riopelle

 Grand Circus Park Garage 10 a.m. – close*              $20
 1600-01 Woodward Avenue

 

 Premier Underground Garage              24 hours        $10
 1206-08 Woodward Avenue

 

*Grand Circus Park Garage closes two hours after the Detroit Lions football game ends.

 

For more information, call the department at (313) 221-2500 or go online to the City’s Web site at http://www.detroitmi.gov/, click on Departments, and then go to Municipal Parking.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

Lions Injuries/Health Concerns May Take a Toll

LIONS HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ FROM TODAY'S PRACTICE

Opening Statement: “You guys obviously know that the trade didn’t go through. Anytime you make a trade in the NFL, there’s a lot of different conditions; everywhere from physical to contracts to reporting and everything else. And this one ended up not being executed. Both players revert back to the teams; draft pick comes back. I think that’s about all I’ll say on it.”

 

On the media reports of Lions RB Jerome Harrison having a brain tumor:  “Well, first it’s a privacy issue and I’m not going to comment on it. He’s back on our 53 man roster and we’ll have an injury report at 4 o’clock. We’ll have the information presented then.”

 

On if Harrison is expected to contribute again at some point this year: “I think I’ll take (the same stance) with every (injured) player that we have: they’ll work hard to get back on the field and when they’re ready they will be.”

 

On Jahvid Best’s family remarks regarding ending his season: “Well anytime you talk about concussions, the way we’ve talked about before, it’s not a situation you can tough out. I think the NFL has been very proactive in what they’re, you know, what we’re doing with concussions. We’ve had some players that have had them, some guys that have missed time and some guys that have gotten back. I think we’ll just take that same approach with Jahvid. As soon as he gets clearance, he’ll be back.”

 

On how many concussions is too many in a short period of time: “That’s not up for me to decide. That’s the reason that the NFL has put people that know what they’re doing in those things. Like I said, it’s not a situation where a player can will his way back; it’s not a situation where a coach or anybody else can put a player back before, you know, the independent doctors say he’s able to be able to do those things.” 

 

On under what circumstances would he recommend a player sitting out for the season due to a concussion: “I wouldn’t recommend that (because) it’s not my area to recommend.”

 

On if Best has expressed concern to him: “Any conversations I have with players are not for media.”

 

On if Stefan Logan is the third back this week: “He’s a guy that can carry the ball for us, but you know, he’s always done multi-dimensional roles for us.”

 

On getting TE Tony Scheffler back on the practice field: “He was a guy coming back from a concussion and did a good job sort of, you know, staying active and doing those things and like I said before: when they’re ready, they come back. Obviously (he) passed enough to be back.”

 

On if it’s the same with LB Justin Durant: “Pretty much the same, yeah.”

 

On how much Schefflers’s absence hurt in the red zone last week: “Well, he’s a guy that doesn’t have a lot of catches for us, but he has touchdown catches and he’s got great size, and he has a great length to be able to make a lot of plays. Anytime that you have a player that’s missing, you’re going to miss him in some regard on the field, but I think that is an area that Tony excels in and we look forward to having him back.”

 

On if there is an additional concussion test those players need to pass to get on the game field: “Well, I don’t want to talk anything about their game status for Sunday. I’ll just leave all that stuff to the injury report.”

 

On if there is a progression in testing: “Yeah, there’s different ways. I mean, you’re cleared for activity, you’re cleared for non-contact (and then) you’re cleared for contact. So there’s different steps along the way for sure.”

 

On the lack of explosiveness if Best is out: “Well, that remains to be seen. It’s too hypothetical of a situation to comment that way on. I’ll just say this: all our backs are a little bit different, all of them bring a little something different to the offense. We’ll use anybody that we have available on Sunday to the best of their abilities, not necessarily what another player can do and things like that.”

 

On whether he has spoken with RB Jerome Harrison since the trade was voided: “Yeah again, any conversations I have with players I’m just going to keep to myself.”

 

On if his conversation with Harrison was awkward: “Any conversation I have with a player, I’m going to keep to myself.”

Read In Play! Magazine Here

Schwartz Talks Upcoming Trade Deadline and Jahvid Best Injury

LIONS HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ PRESS CONFERENCE

Opening statement: “Hard fought game yesterday. We are now 5-1; getting ready for Atlanta. I think that it is unfortunate that the events after the game have overshadowed the fact that it was one of the better games played yesterday between two teams that are both right now 5-1 in the NFC and both young and improving teams.”

 

On his postgame reaction to 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh: “Well, like I said, it was unfortunate. The games are played by the players on the field and we certainly don’t want things like that to occur, but there are competitive people in the League and I think we need to do a better job of just leaving it to the players on the field.”

 

On if he has had any contact with Harbaugh about the incident: “Well, I have had contact with a lot of people today, but afterwards in the tunnel, I got a brief chance to speak with (Harbaugh) sort of. Everything had died down a little bit. I am sure we will talk again or will talk again soon.”

 

On if he has had any contact with the NFL: “Yeah, I have talked to the League this morning. Just told them what had happened and that was the last I have thought about it to tell you the truth before this.”

 

On he had a strained relationship with 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh before Sunday’s game: “It was fine. I was a lowly quality control coach (in Baltimore). I mean I was the quality control guy on defense and he was the quarterback. I haven’t exactly stayed in touch. When he coached with the Raiders, I talked to him. He was the quarterback coach and I think I was the defensive coordinator with the Titans. But, there is nothing and there is nothing now. There was nothing then and there is nothing now. It is something that happened at the end of the game and, like I said, it sort of took away from the fact that it was a tough, hard fought game and congratulations to them. They came on the road, very, very difficult place – our fans made it a difficult place to play again – and they came away with win. We have talked before about how important road wins are, particularly NFC road wins.”

 

On if he expects to hear about any discipline from the NFL: “Oh I don’t know. I just told my point of view and I think we will just leave it to everybody else.”

 

On what exactly got him so angry: “Yeah, I mean I have shaken hands, I don’t know, 40-50 times over the last two and half years or so and never had anything come up. Obviously something did, but I think I hit that yesterday. I will just revert back to what I said yesterday and just leave it there. I think it is what it is. It happened. It was very regrettable and it is something that there is nothing going forward between us personally or the two teams. Like I said, it was a tough, hard fought game in Ford Field. We need to play better and come out with a win the next time.”

 

On Stafford’s performance: “Yeah it’s not one of Matt’s better games for sure. (It was) a combination of a lot of things. We’ve got to do a better job of getting open for him. We’ve got to do a better job of protection, but yeah, there are some things that we need to clean up. You know, just the tempo of getting rid of the ball and you know, being able to step up. There were times in that game that he had to bail away and you know, make throws—and those happen in every single game and that means you can’t make plays. There were a lot of plays to be made, but there were also times that he didn’t really need to (bail out), that we needed to step up to the pocket and make some throws. But yeah, it wasn’t one of his better games.”

 

 

On RB Jahvid Best’s heath: “Yeah, we’ll see where he is. After the game he started experiencing some concussion-like symptoms. You know, we started getting him tested out and everything else. We never lost his availability during the game, even though we were using a little different package, trying to get more protection and had Maurice Morris in there to try to, you know, help chip and do things like that and trying, I don’t want to say de-emphasize, but (it) wasn’t as important running the route as it was either running the ball or doing those things. But he was in the game and everything else, and when the game was over, pretty long after the game was over, we started getting some of those.

 

“That’s not unusual—that’s happened a bunch of times. We’ve had some of those that they’re not even on the radar until 10 o’clock the next morning and we’ll have them show up on the injury report and show up here and say ‘hey, I didn’t sleep at all last night’ or ‘I’m feeling nauseous this morning’ or ‘the light was driving me crazy when I came into work’—and they’re all signs of concussions symptoms.

 

“You know, similar situation with Jahvid. He has a protocol to go through and we’ll see where he is with it.”

 

On RB Maurice Morris being the primary back on the last two offensive possessions as opposed to Best: “Jahvid? Yeah, I mean, he had been effective in the pass game, but Mo’s also been effective in the pass game. I think that we were working a lot of different combinations and things like that. It really had nothing to do with anything other than that. We’re sitting there saying, ‘Hey, look we can get Matt some more time, going a lot to Calvin down the field, and things like that, trying to push some of those balls down the field. They were playing a little bit different coverage rather than two-man they were playing a three cloud. You know, all game decisions.” 

 

On how cautious he has to be with Best given that this is his second concussion in less than three months: “I don’t know if it makes us more cautious, but there is a protocol to go through. We’re going to make sure that we clear all those hurdles before he’s cleared to be back on the field. There is a whole protocol that we follow in those situations, but there is a little bit of a concern with the second one, but it doesn’t change the process when it comes to him being cleared. He’ll be cleared when his symptoms diminish and he gets cleared for physical activity and then get cleared for practice and then get cleared for contact.”

 

On if after watching film he thinks that the offense should have thrown to WR Calvin Johnson a little more in the redzone: “We tried the one down the sideline. Matthew (Stafford) didn’t get the ball in bounds. I thought we had a good opportunity on that one, but there were a lot of other ones where there was probably a better place to go with the ball and we’ve seen that before and other guys need to make plays. We got a touchdown to (Brandon) Pettigrew and we got a touchdown to Nate Burleson. We also had no turnovers in the game. That was one of our things going in to that game was that we needed to win the turnover battle. I think that’s the reason that we’re able to say, ‘we played poorly, but we were also one play away from winning that game,’ is the fact that we did get two turnovers and we didn’t turn the ball over. Even though we didn’t play our best, we were still in it to the very end, mainly because of that. Maybe, if we try to force that in, maybe we get a turnover and all of a sudden we don’t get one of those scores and that change. We want to get the ball to Calvin; we were moving him around a lot. A couple of those passes where he was getting glances inside of a corner, he’s playing a position that he normally doesn’t play. Scott (Linehan) was moving him around a lot to try and get him open. We said before, we all need to do a better job. We all need to do a better job of getting open and winning one-on-ones when teams take that approach with Calvin.”

 

On if the Lions will be a little more aggressive to make a trade before the deadline with the injury to RB Jahvid Best: “I think we’ve always taken the approach and I think Martin (Mayhew) has done a great job and one of his signature sayings is, ‘The draft isn’t the finish line,’ and the beginning of training camp isn’t the finish line and so the trading deadline isn’t the finish line. There are waivers, there are free agents and things like that. I think I’ll just answer that saying that, any chance that we have to improve the team, we’ve proven that we’re willing to do.”

 

Read In Play! Magazine Here

Schwartz Says He Was Shoved

LIONS HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ

Opening statement: “We’re not going to go 16-0. We didn’t play our best in any of the three phases: offense, defense, or special teams. (It) still came down to one play at the end on defense and we fell just short. We have to do a better job in all three phases. We have to protect the quarterback better, have to run the ball better, make more plays down the field; we have to stop the run better. We have to cover our kicks better, we have to convert field goals. Like I said, we didn’t’ play our best in all three phases, and came up short.”

 

On what happened at the end of the game with Jim Harbaugh: “I don’t know. (I) went to congratulate Coach Harbaugh and got shoved out of the way. (I) didn’t expect an obscenity at that point, so it was a surprise to me at the end of the game.”

 

On who shoved who and who shouted the obscenity: “I’ll just leave it right there. I’m sure it’s on video.”

 

On his relationship with Harbaugh over the years: “Like I said, I didn’t expect…After the game, went to shake an opponent coach’s hand. Obviously you win a game like that, you’re excited and things like that, but I think there’s a protocol that goes with this league.”

 

On if he was upset with the timeout (49ers) on fourth down: “No, not at all; that’s basketball timeout. I’d do the same thing.”

 

On the long punt return that put the 49ers in position to score the game-winning touchdown: “We’ve haven’t covered kicks our best. We’ve had them hemmed up too many times. We haven’t been able to get off blocks and we’ve fallen off too many tackles. We have to do a better job there.”

 

On whether QB Matthew Stafford didn’t throw the ball well or didn’t have receivers getting open: “Well, I think it was a combination of both. I mean, when we would get guys free, never really got great run after the catch, which you need to do when you’re playing those kinds of things. And then, the other part of it was Matt didn’t have a whole lot of time today. We had a hard time getting the run game going. When it’s one-dimensional that way, and I think it was, you’re going to have a difficult time, and we did today.”

 

On the missed field goal at the end of the first half: “It was just a little bit off. It was within Jason’s range and we have a lot of confidence in him making those plays. But, that’s (a) 6-point turnaround right there, us miss, and that set up them up for field goal and they were able to get it.”

 

On if a loss is part of the process: “I think the biggest thing is we just need to play better in all three phases and if we do that, then we’ll get on the winning side. It has been a long time—December of last year is the last time that we’ve lost a football game. So it hurts right now, but there’s a lot to correct. Like I said, we didn’t play our best in any three phases and (it) still came down to one play.”

 

On Harbaugh blaming Schwartz: “Well, I mean, I’ll just say this, I’ll just say that, you know, it was a big win for them, and they were excited about it and I think I’ll just leave it there.”

 

On WR Nate Burleson’s touchdown and whether he completed the process: “I think they got the call right. He caught the ball and gets (his feet) down and he’s not going to the ground as part of the catch and I think that in the end, we got it right. Otherwise, we got to pick up nets and move walls back fifteen yards and things like that if we’re going to include stuff like that into the process of (the catch). I think Nate made a good catch, got his feet down, and we got the right call in that situation.”

Read In Play! Magazine Here

LIONS FANS SET RECORDS AT FORD FIELD AND AT HOME

Allen Park, Mich.— The Detroit Lions’ Monday Night Football game vs. the Chicago Bears not only set a Lions’ attendance record at Ford Field (67,861), but it also earned a 36.4 HH rating, according to The Nielson Company, making it the most-watched Lions’ regular season game ever in the Detroit television market. The game was aired on ESPN nationally and also locally on WXYZ-TV ABC 7.

 

The 36.4 HH rating was a combined viewership of the Detroit market for ESPN (10.7 rating) and WXYZ-TV ABC 7 (25.7 rating).

 

“The fact that our fans set a Ford Field attendance record Monday Night and also established an all-time regular-season TV ratings mark is incredible,” said Lions President Tom Lewand. “Add on the nine false start penalties they caused and they make the definitive case for being the best fans in the NFL. It is another reminder in a week full of them that there is not a better sports city in America than Detroit.”

 

In Detroit, there was a 55% increase in viewership in Week 5 compared to Week 5 of the 2010 season.

 

Thus far in 2011, ratings are up 25% in Detroit for Lions’ games compared to last season, the second-highest growth among all NFL markets.

 

Nationally, the telecast helped ESPN earn the highest ratings among all networks, broadcast or cable, in all key male and adult demographics, and it was second in households (average: 11,765,000) and viewers (average 16,378,000).

 

The Lions-Bears game at Ford Field ranks as the fifth-largest audience on cable television in calendar year 2011 in both households and viewers (behind four other ESPN telecasts: two BCS bowl games, the final MNF telecast of 2010, and this season’s Redskins-Cowboys MNF game).

 

For the fall, the Lions-Bears game was the second-most watched cable television program with 16.4 million viewers.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

LIONS MNF POSTGAME NUGGETS

LIONS 5-0 START

• With the 24-13 win over the Chicago Bears, the Lions have now opened the 2011 season 5-0. It is the team’s first 5-0 start since 1956 and only the third in team history (1956, 1934).
• The Lions current 9-game win streak dating back to last season (4 wins to end 2010) is the team’s longest since 1953-54.
• It is the Lions first 5-game win streak in one season since the team had a 7-game win streak in 1995.

ATTENDANCE RECORD

• The crowd of 67,861 for the Lions Monday Night Football game set a new Ford Field record for a Lions game since the team opened the stadium in 2002. The previous record was 63,257 vs. Green Bay November 11, 2007.
• Monday night’s crowd was only 345 fans shy of the attendance for Super Bowl XL (68,206). 

K JASON HANSON

• Detroit Lions K Jason Hanson has become the first player in NFL history to player 300 career games with one team. In Week 2, he set the NFL record (297) for the most games played with one team in NFL history.
• Hanson is the eighth player in NFL history to play 300 career games.

CALVIN JOHNSON HISTORY

• WR Calvin Johnson gave the Lions a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter on a 73-yard pass from QB Matthew Stafford. It was Johnson’s ninth touchdown reception of the season. He became the first player in NFL history with nine touchdown receptions through the first five games of the season.
• The 73-yard pass play was the longest of the season for the Lions.
• Johnson’s 73-yard touchdown reception was his fifth career reception of 70+ yards. He ties WR Leonard Thomson (5) for the most 70+-yard receptions in team history.
• Johnson caught 5 passes for 130 yards with one touchdown, and he surpassed 100 yards for the 15th time in his career. He now is tied with WR Terry Barr (15, 1957-65) for the third-most 100-yard receiving games in Lions history.
• In the first half, he caught three passes for 100 yards.

BEST RUNS TO DAYLIGHT

• Lions RB Jahvid Best gave the Lions a 21-10 lead in the third quarter by running off an 88-yard touchdown run. It was the second-longest run in team history and longest since RB Bob Hoernschmeyer ran a 96-yard touchdown vs. the New York Yanks November 23, 1950.
• He finished the game with 12 carries for 163 yards (13.6 avg) and 1 touchdown. It was a career high and his first career 100-yard rushing game.
• Best’s 163 yards vs. Chicago is the most by a Lions back since RB Kevin Jones registered 196 yards vs. Arizona December 5, 2004.
• In addition to his 88-yard touchdown run, he set up the Lions final score of the game (Hanson 31-yard FG) by starting off a fourth quarter drive with a 43-yard run.
• Best became just the second player in Lions history to register an 80+-yard run (88-yard TD run vs. Chi 10/10/11) and a 75+-yard reception (75-yard TD vs. Phi 9/19/10). He joins RB Billy Sims (81-yard run at SD 9/30/84; 87-yard TD reception at GB 9/14/80; 81-yard TD reception vs. Dal 11/15/81) as the only players in team history to accomplish this feat.

SECOND HALF SHUTDOWN

• In all five games this year, the Lions have yielded less than 10 points in the second half. The three points allowed in the second half tonight marks the third time this season they gave up 3 points or less.
• Entering this weekend’s games, the Lions had the League’s best scoring margin (+72 points) in the second half with 92 points scored and 20 points allowed. Following tonight’s win, the Lions have now scored 109 points and allowed just 23 points for a +86 scoring margin (17.2/game in second half).

T JEFF BACKUS

• Today’s game marked T Jeff Backus’ 165th consecutive start. He currently has the most consecutive starts by any lineman (offense or defense) in the NFL and the most among offensive players.
• With 165 consecutive starts, he has tied Hall of Fame G Gene Upshaw for the eighth-most consecutive games started by an offensive lineman since 1970. Upshaw actually started 207-staright games dating back to 1967.

70-YARD PASS AND 80-YARD RUN

• Johnson and Best put together a pair of big plays in today’s game, including a 73-yard touchdown receptions and an 88-yard touchdown run. It marks only the second time in team history that the Lions have registered a 70+-yard reception and an 80+-yard run in the same game. The previous time was WR Herman Moore (79-yard reception) and RB Barry Sanders (82-yard TD and 80-yard TD) at Tampa Bay December 12, 1997.
• It’s the first time in team history that the Lions have scored on both a 70-yard pass play and an 80-yard rushing play. Moore’s 79-yard reception did not result in a touchdown.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

STATEMENTS FROM THE DETROIT LIONS ON RAIDERS OWNER AL DAVIS

LIONS PRESIDENT TOM LEWAND ON THE PASSING OF RAIDERS OWNER AL DAVIS
"On behalf of the William Clay Ford family and the entire Detroit Lions organization, we would like to offer our most sincere condolences to the family of Al Davis and to the Oakland Raiders organization. Mr. Davis' contributions to the game of football since the days of the American Football League have been transformational and profound. His impact and his legacy will be felt in perpetuity."

HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ

 “When you talk about important people in the history of professional football – I don’t want to say NFL, because it’s also the AFL – he’s got to be included in that group. It’s a sad day for the NFL (and) for football fans when Al Davis isn’t with us anymore. He did everything: personnel scout, general manager, assistant coach, head coach, team owner; I don’t know if there’s anybody else that can state claim to have done all those things and he knew every aspect of the game.”

LIONS ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR GUNTHER CUNNINGHAM
Cunningham was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1991-94“I learned a lot from Al Davis. I think I kind of became the coach I became in the League, demanding and detailed-oriented, because of what I learned all that from Al.

“He put a mark on the League early on with his great Raiders teams. Al did the league a favor by being so competitive. He was so instrumental in making the NFL into what it is today. He was a great man and will be dearly missed.”

Read In Play! Magazine Here

BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF MICHIGAN'S "GO PINK" CAMPAIGN INCLUDES PARTNERSHIP WITH DETROIT LIONS TO "PINK OUT" THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

Blues engage crowd in fighting breast cancer with "Believing It's Curable" towel


DETROIT - Ford Field will be awash in pink at the Monday Night Football Game Oct. 10th. Blue Cross is supplying 50,000 bright pink towels as part of a partnership between the Lions and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to promote a cause both are passionate about - raising awareness about breast cancer and the importance of screening during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Lions and BCBSM will honor breast cancer survivors and make financial contributions at the game to fight the disease.

"We're proud to team with the Detroit Lions to get the word out about the life-saving importance of early breast cancer detection," said Daniel J. Loepp, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. "By wearing pink and waving our pink towels at Ford Field during Monday Night Football, Lions fans can send a message to the nation that we want to beat breast cancer, even more than we want to beat the Chicago Bears."

In support of the sell-out game against the Chicago Bears and the battle against breast cancer, the Blues are planning the following activities:

- Blue Cross will give 50,000 fans "The Curable Towel" in bright pink that they can wave during the game to show their support for breast cancer awareness. The Curable Towel available in different colors to support various causes, was developed by Jim Deliz, the husband of a breast cancer survivor.

- Blue Cross will present $10,000 to the American Cancer Society during an on-field ceremony.

- In partnership with the American Cancer Society, the Blues are telling stories of five breast cancer survivors on aHealthierMichigan.org in the days leading up to the game. Each day from Oct. 3-7, the site will feature a new "tale of cure-age," culminating with a ceremony at Ford Field on game day.

- Blue Cross asks Detroit to participate in a "pink out" Monday, October 10, asking Detroit businesses to "paint the town pink." The Blues encourages businesses to have employees wear pink and to decorate their buildings on Oct. 10 in support of creating more awareness for breast cancer while supporting our Detroit Lions.

The Lions' commitment to breast cancer awareness is part of the NFL's "A Crucial Catch" campaign, conducted in partnership with the American Cancer Society. The campaign is focused on the importance of annual screenings, especially for women who are 40 and older. 

"The Lions have a longstanding commitment to helping our community in a number of charitable ways, and we are inspired by the NFL's campaign to support the fight against this disease," Loepp said. "Together we can help make a difference in prevention and treatment, saving lives in the process."

Read In Play! Magazine Here

DETROIT LIONS DAILY UPDATE FOR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2011

Lions begin preparation for division rival Bears.

NOTEBOOK

• The Lions began their preparation for their Monday Night Football game against the Bears today with a practice in helmets and shorts on the outdoor fields at the team’s headquarters and practice facility in Allen Park.
• Detroit Lions games have experienced the second-highest ratings increase (17-percent) of any NFL market from the end of the first quarter in 2010 to the end of the first quarter in 2011. Lions’ games are averaging a 25.8 rating in Detroit, up from 22.1 at this point in 2010.
• Through the first four games of the season, Lions QB Matthew Stafford has been at his best in the fourth quarter. He has completed 24-of-36 passes (66.7) for 220 yards and four touchdowns (0 interceptions). Stafford’s QB rating in the fourth quarter (120.9) is the third best in the NFL (second in the NFC).
• With two more touchdown receptions at Dallas (10/2), WR Calvin Johnson joined former Vikings WR Cris Carter (1995) as the only receivers in NFL history to record two touchdowns catches in four-straight games. Johnson is the first player to accomplish this feat in the season’s first four games.
• The Lions’ are the only team in the NFL ranked in the Top-8 in points scored and points allowed. The team ranks second in scoring (135 points) and is eighth in points allowed (76 points). Detroit’s 59-point scoring margin through four games is also the second-best in the NFL.
• The Detroit Lions host the Chicago Bears in Week 5 for the first Monday Night Football game (regular season) at Ford Field. The Lions will be looking for their first 5-0 start since 1956 after a come-from-behind, 34-30 victory at Dallas while Chicago will be aiming to build on the momentum of a 34-29 win against Carolina. This week’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN (WXYZ-TV ABC 7 in Metro Detroit)

Read In Play! Magazine Here

DETROIT LIONS DAILY UPDATE FOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

NOTEBOOK

• The team met today and reviewed film from Sunday’s win at Dallas. The players are off Tuesday and will return to the practice field Wednesday.
• The Lions win at Dallas moved their record to 4-0 on the season, their first 4-0 start since 1980. It is the fifth 4-0 start in team history, previously accomplished in 1934, 1939, 1956 and 1980.
• It marks the team’s first 4-0 start in team history that includes three road wins.
• The win also extended the Lions current win streak to 8 games. It is the longest win streak by the Lions since they won nine in a row in 1953-54 seasons.
• The Detroit Lions host the Chicago Bears in Week 5 for the first Monday Night Football game (regular season) at Ford Field. The Lions will be looking for their first 5-0 start since 1956 after a come-from-behind, 34-30 victory at Dallas while Chicago will be aiming to build on the momentum of a 34-29 win against Carolina.
• This week’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN (WXYZ-TV ABC 7 in Metro Detroit)

COACH SCHWARTZ ON THOSE OFFSIDE CALLS.
“One of them, their offensive lineman slightly moved and he saw that and was trying to react to get it called. The officials never saw their guy (move). He moved, but it wasn’t very much. Sometimes they’re not going to see all of those. For the other (two), the way we play up front, we’re going to have some. We need to have less, but we’re going to have some. I would rather have a couple more offsides and a couple more sacks than less sacks and less offsides, but there’s a balancing act there. We need to make sure that the situation isn’t hurting the team. All penalties hurt the team, but particularly there are some situations where offsides are inexcusable.”

Read In Play! Magazine Here

DETROIT LIONS DAILY UPDATE FOR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

The NFL announced today that K Jason Hanson has been named the NFC Special Team Player of the Month for September. Hanson led NFC kickers with 35 points, converting all eight field-goal attempts and 11 PATs. In Week 2 against Kansas City, he set an NFL record by playing in his 297th game for the Lions, the most games played by a player for one team. Hanson also became the seventh player in NFL history to reach 1,900 career points (1,925).

In his 20th season from Washington State, this is his fifth career Player of the Month Award and first since November 2003. Hanson is tied with John Carney (five) for the most Special Teams Player of the Month Awards since its inception in 1986.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

DETROIT LIONS DAILY UPDATE FOR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2011

The NFL announced today that QB Matthew Stafford has been voted the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week for Week 2. Stafford completed 23-of-39 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns (1 interception) in the Lions’ 48-3 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. The 45-point margin of victory is the largest in Detroit team history. Combined with his three Week 1 touchdown passes, Stafford’s four-score performance helped him tie a 1962 Lions team record for most touchdown passes (7) in the season’s first two games.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

DETROIT LIONS DAILY UPDATE FOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

Lions K Jason Hanson named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 2.

 

TRANSACTIONS

The Detroit Lions signed WR Tim Toone to the practice squad and released DB Donovan Warren from the practice squad.

 

NOTEBOOK

• The Lions began on-field preparation for their game against the Vikings today with a practice in shells (helmets and shoulder pads) on the outdoor fields at the team’s headquarters and practice facility in Allen Park.
• The NFL announced today that Lions K Jason Hanson is the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for games played in Week 2 (September 18-19). Hanson scored 12 points in the Lions’ 48-3 win over Kansas City and set an NFL record by playing in his 297th game for Detroit, the most games played by a player for one team. He surpassed Pro Football Hall of Fame center Bruce Matthews, who played 296 games for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans. Hanson also became the seventh player in NFL history to reach 1,900 career points (1,911) and had a long field goal of 51 yards. He holds the NFL record for the most 50-yard field goals all-time with 46. In his 20th season from Washington State, this is Hanson’s 11th career Player of the Week Award and first since 2007 (Week 8).
• Hanson’s 11 career Special Teams Player of the Week Awards rank third all-time, trailing John Carney (13) and Adam Vinatieri (13). Hanson was the first ever NFC Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 1, 1993).
• The Detroit Lions will travel to Minnesota this week for their first NFC North divisional game of 2011 against the Vikings. Kickoff at Mall of America Field is set for 1 PM EST. Detroit will be looking for their first 3-0 start since 1980 after a home-opening 48-3 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs while Minnesota seeks to get on track after a 24-20 home loss to the Buccaneers.
• The game will be televised live on WJBK-TV FOX 2 in Metro Detroit with Dick Stockton handling play-by-play and John Lynch adding color commentary. 

Read In Play! Magazine Here

DETROIT LIONS DAILY UPDATE FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

In Play Magazine

NOTEBOOK

• The team met today and reviewed film from Sunday’s win against the Kansas City Chiefs. The players are off Tuesday and will return to the practice field Wednesday.
• The Detroit Lions will travel to Minnesota this week for their first NFC North divisional game of 2011 against the Vikings. Kickoff at Mall of America Field is set for 1 PM EST. Detroit will be looking for their first 3-0 start since 1980 after a home-opening 48-3 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs while Minnesota seeks to get on track after a 24-20 home loss to the Buccaneers.
• The game will be televised live on WJBK-TV FOX 2 in Metro Detroit with Dick Stockton handling play-by-play and John Lynch adding color commentary.
• The game will also air live on the Lions Radio Network (WXYT 97.1 FM) with announcer Dan Miller handling play-by-play, Jim Brandstatter adding color commentary and Tony Ortiz reporting from the sideline.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

DETROIT LIONS VS KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: POSTGAME NOTES

In Play Magazine


Notables from the Detroit Lions' 48-3 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs today at Ford Field.

LIONS RECORD MARGIN

• The Lions 48-3 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs registers as the team’s largest margin of victory (45 points) in the history of the team for regular season games.
• In all games (regular season and postseason), the 45-point margin ties the franchise record that was set in 1957 when the Lions claimed the NFL Championship with a 59-14 win over the Cleveland Browns (12/29/57).

2-0 START

• With the win today over the Chiefs, the Lions start 2-0 on the season, which is the first time since the 2007 season the team has won their first two games.  

Read In Play! Magazine Here

HANSON SETS NFL RECORD FOR MOST GAMES PLAYED WITH ONE TEAM

In Play Magazine

20-Year Veteran has now played 297 career games with the Lions, his only NFL team

Allen Park, Mich.—Detroit Lions K Jason Hanson set an all-time NFL record today by playing in his 297th career game for the Lions, which marks the most games played by one player for one team. He surpassed Hall of Fame C Bruce Matthews who played 296 games for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans.

 

“On behalf of the William Clay Ford Family and our entire organization, I would like to congratulate Jason on this momentous accomplishment,” Lions President Tom Lewand said.
 

“To have played more games with one team than any other player in the 92-year history of the National Football League is truly a remarkable achievement and one record that I honestly believe will never be broken.
 

“Jason is the embodiment of everything that is right about our game. Since the day we drafted him in 1992, he has always represented our organization with an unparalleled combination of integrity, character, competitiveness and excellence both on and off the field.”

 

Last Sunday in the Lions 27-20 win at Tampa Bay, Hanson tied the NFL mark for the most seasons (20) played with the team that originally drafted them. Hanson is currently tied with Hall of Famers T Jackie Slater (Los Angeles Rams) and CB Darrell Green (Washington Redskins) who each played 20 seasons for their respective clubs.

 

Hanson is also the NFL’s all-time leader in career 50-yard field goals. He entered today’s game with 45.

 

Read In Play! Magazine Here

DETROIT LIONS DAILY UPDATE FOR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

In Play Magazine

Fans are encouraged to arrive early and prepared for enhanced security procedures.

 

We encourage fans to arrive early and be patient when entering Ford Field. The enhanced security procedures at the stadium gates recommended by the NFL last week will increase the comfort and safety of fans at the game, but will require additional time for inspections at the gates. We hope fans will come early and enter the stadium earlier than they have in the past.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

JASON MCINTYRE OF MOUNT PLEASANT NAMED LIONS COACH OF THE WEEK

In Play Magazine

Michigan Army National Guard is Presenting Sponsor of High School Coach of the Week Program


Allen Park, Mich. - The Detroit Lions have named Jason McIntyre of Mount Pleasant as the 2011 week three recipient of the High School Coach of the Week Program Presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.

McIntyre and his Oilers defeated Flint Northern 56-28 on Friday (Sept. 9) to improve to 3-0 on the season and claim their 26th-straight Saginaw Valley League victory. They are currently ranked No. 1 in Division 3 by the Detroit Free Press.

McIntyre is in his 15th season as a coach, including six seasons as head coach at Mount Pleasant. His career record stands at 50-11.

This week McIntyre and the Oilers host Midland Dow (1-2).

Read In Play! Magazine Here

ED GREENMAN OF HARPER CREEK NAMED LIONS COACH OF THE WEEK

In Play Magazine


Michigan Army National Guard on Board as Presenting Sponsor of High School Coach of the Week Program

Allen Park, Mich. — The Detroit Lionshave named Ed Greenman of Battle Creek Harper Creek as the 2011 week two recipient of the High School Coach of the Week Program Presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.

Greenman guided his Beavers to a 39-37 victory over Stevensville Lakeshore on Friday (Sept. 2) to improve to 2-0 of the season. Harper Creek is currently ranked No. 2 in Division 3 by the Detroit Free Press.

Greenman is in his 27th season as head coach at Harper Creek and has led the school to 11 league championships and 14 state playoff appearances. His career record stands at 170-96.

This week Greenman is preparing his squad to take on Sturgis (1-1).

Read In Play! Magazine Here

CHARLES SPANN OF DETROIT PERSHING NAMED LIONS FIRST COACH OF THE WEEK FOR 2011

In Play Magazine

Allen Park, Mich. - The Detroit Lions have named Charles Spann of Detroit Pershing as the 2011 week one recipient of the High School Coach of the Week Program Presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.

Spann led his Doughboys to an 18-12 victory over Detroit Renaissance on Friday (August 26) to claim his first victory of the 2011 season. Spann is in his second season as head coach at Pershing and 41st season as a coach. He coached at Detroit Chadsey from 1974-99 and led the Explorers to 11 state playoff appearances and two Public School League championships. His career record stands at 143-95.
This week Spann and Pershing host Detroit Frederick Douglass (1-0).

COACH OF THE WEEK PROGRAMEach week throughout the 2011 nine-week high school regular season, one coach that best develops his players' character, discipline and football skill will be recognized for his commitment to the team, school and community. The winner is selected by a panel of three newspaper writers -- Mick McCabe (Detroit Free Press), Jane Bos (Grand Rapids Press) and Hugh Bernreuter (Saginaw News).

This season's program will award $22,000 to aid in the development and promotion of high school football in the state of Michigan thanks to contributions from the Detroit Lions and the National Football League and presenting sponsor the Michigan Army National Guard.

Each winning coach throughout the regular season will receive a $2,000 donation to his school's football program. All weekly winners will be honored at an awards ceremony during the Lions-Vikings game at Ford Field on December 11. During the ceremony, the Lions will also introduce the High School Coach of the Year. This year's Coach of the Year will receive a $4,000 donation to his team's football program.

In addition to the monetary award, all winners receive a framed certificate signed by Lions' head coach Jim Schwartz and National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell. Winning coaches also receive a personalized game ball, and a Detroit Lions "Coach of the Week" hat.

In its 15th year, the Detroit Lions High School Coach of the Week program will have awarded $290,000 to high school football programs throughout the state of Michigan. For more information on the Detroit Lions High School Coach of the Week program, contact Chad Walker at (313) 216-4000.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

Jim Schwartz Talks About the Passing of Tom Kowalski

In Play Magazine

The Lions practiced in shorts on the outdoor fields today at the team’s headquarters and practice facility in Allen Park.


The atmosphere at the Lions practice facility in Allen Park was somber today as the organization mourned the loss of long-time beat reporter Tom Kowalski. Though Tom never read the Detroit Lions Daily Update, he will be missed.

Today Lions Head Coach Jim Schwartz spoke about the untimely passing of Tom "Killer" Kowalski.
“I got the word on the practice field a while ago about Tom’s news and we just brought the team up and had a moment of silence and a prayer. Obviously, our condolences go out to his friends and his family, of which we consider ourselves both here. I’ll just say this about Tom—the one thing he always tried to do was get it right. He knew football and he always wanted to get it right and we had a lot of respect for that. I think what we’ll do is let the first question go unasked today and when we’re ready we’ll go second question.”

Read In Play! Magazine Here

LIONS REACH SELLOUT FOR FINAL HOME PRESEASON GAME

In Play Magazine

Allen Park, Mich.— The Detroit Lions announced this evening that they have reached a sellout for their final home preseason game against the New England Patriots Saturday, August 27 (kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET). By reaching a sellout, the nationally televised CBS broadcast will also air in the local television markets (Metro Detroit, Lansing, Saginaw/Flint and Toledo), including WWJ-TV CBS 62.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

SATURDAY DESIGNATED AS “KIDS DAY AT LIONS CAMP"

In Play Magazine

Allen Park, Mich.—The Detroit Lions will host “Kids Day at Lions Camp” during their training camp practice Saturday, August 6 that will begin at 9:15 a.m. Saturday’s practice is open to the general public. Gates will open at 8 a.m. and access is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

In addition to watching the 2011 Detroit Lions prepare for the upcoming season at the team’s training facility in Allen Park, there will be additional festivities geared for young Lions fans.

Among the activities and events tentatively scheduled are:

• Appearance by Roary, the team’s mascot
• Facepainters for the kids
• Lions Interactive Inflatables: the popular Giant Lions Head, Quarterback Challenge and Lions Helmet House
• Team’s autograph tent will be designated for Kids Only (14 years of age and under)
• Free Lions mini footballs for the first 300 kids in attendance and other Lions giveaways.
• Special autographed raffle items for Detroit Lions Kids Club members or for new members who sign up on Saturday. Winners will be drawn and notified Monday, August 8.

Practice sessions at Allen Park are open for outdoor practices only and are subject to change. In the case of inclement weather, practices will be moved indoors and therefore closed to the public. Rain Dates are available as necessary and will be announced for selected sessions that close due to inclement weather.

Parking, Entry and Fan Viewing Areas

• Parking is available in designated lots on Republic Drive near the Lions Headquarters and Training Facility.
• Re-entry is not permitted and children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Personal belongings are subject to inspection upon entry and items not permitted into open practices include: professional cameras (lenses over five inches long and/or 50mm or above), any video camera, food, beverage, coolers, lawn chairs, blankets, umbrellas, backpacks or large bags.
• • All cell phones should be turned off or placed on silent or vibrating mode. The fan viewing area features: bleacher seating areas, additional standing areas and a shaded tent area. Concessions are also available.

Autographs at Allen ParkThough autographs are not guaranteed, it is common for Lions’ players to meet fans following practice sessions.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

DETROIT LIONS STATEMENT ON DT NICK FAIRLEY

In Play Magazine

MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011
5 P.M. ET
“The examination of Nick Fairley's foot today by Dr. Bob Anderson resulted in a diagnosis consistent with that of Lions’ team physicians that surgical correction was required. Accordingly, surgery was successfully performed this afternoon in Charlotte, N.C., by Dr. Anderson. Nick is expected to miss a significant portion of training camp.”

Read In Play! Magazine Here

DETROIT LIONS DAILY UPDATE FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2011

In Play Magazine

Team signs WR Maurice Stovall and releases WR Jared Jenkins.

 

TRANSACTIONS

The Detroit Lions announced today the contract signings for the following players:

 

Unrestricted Free Agents: WR Maurice Stovall (one-year deal).

 

In other roster moves, the team has released WR Jared Jenkins.

 

Read In Play! Magazine Here

DETROIT LIONS DAILY UPDATE FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 2011

In Play Magazine

Team signs LB Stephen Tulloch.

TRANSACTIONSThe Detroit Lions announced today the contract signings for the following players:

Unrestricted Free Agents: LB Stephen Tulloch (one-year deal).

In other roster moves, the team has released CB Marquis Liverpool.

 

NOTEBOOK

• The team completed their third training camp practice today at the team’s practice facility in Allen Park (MI) with a morning workout in shells (shoulder pads and helmets) on the outdoor fields in front of a crowd of 1,281 fans.
• T Jeff Backus and CB Alphonso Smith did not participate in practice today and remain on the Active/Non-Football Injury list.
• The following Lions players are not permitted to practice until ratification of the new CBA (expected August 4): LB Korey Bosworth, LB Caleb Campbell, WR Rashied Davis, LB Justin Durant, FB Jerome Felton, DT Andre Fluellen, C Dylan Gandy, T Corey Hilliard, CB Maurice Leggett, WR Stefan Logan, CB Brandon McDonald, CB Prince Miller, LB Ashlee Palmer, S Randy Phillips, DT Quinn Pitcock, CB Paul Pratt, K Dave Rayner, LB Stephen Tulloch, T Tony Ugoh, QB Drew Stanton, S John Wendling and CB Eric Wright.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

DETROIT LIONS DAILY UPDATE FOR FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2011

In Play Magazine

Team announces first free agent transactions of new league year.

TRANSACTIONS

The Detroit Lions announced today the contract signings for the following players:

• Unrestricted Free Agents: WR Rashied Davis, LB Justin Durant, C Dylan Gandy, K Dave Rayner, QB Drew Stanton, and S John Wendling.
• Free Agents: CB Maurice Leggett and DT Quinn Pitcock.
• Restricted Free Agents: FB Jerome Felton and DT Andre Fluellen.
• Exclusive Rights Players: LB Korey Bosworth, LB Caleb Campbell, T Corey Hilliard, WR Stefan Logan, CB Prince Miller, LB Ashlee Palmer, S Randy Phillips, CB Paul Pratt.

In other roster moves, Detroit released LB Jordon Dizon and WR Bryant Johnson and placed T Jeff Backus and CB Alphonso Smith on the Active/Non-Football Injury list.

 

Read In Play! Magazine Here

STATEMENT FROM LIONS PRESIDENT TOM LEWAND

In Play Magazine

“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.

 

“I want to especially thank our player representative, Kyle Vanden Bosch, and all Lions players who conducted themselves so professionally over the past several months. We are excited to see them again beginning tomorrow.”

Read In Play! Magazine Here

LIONS HALL OF FAME TE CHARLIE SANDERS ON PASSING OF HALL OF FAME TE JOHN MACKEY

In Play Magazine

“His loss is a tremendous loss, not only for the NFL and what he stood for, but it’s also a reminder of what this game is all about.

 

“Even after his career was over with, he remained a hero for a lot of other reasons than just playing football. The primary reason being some of the things that he brought to the forefront of football in terms of injuries and so forth.

 

"He was a tremendous ball player, and he was a great person and a role model too. When I came into the league as a rookie, he was the premier tight end of the NFL. He really set the standard for the prototype tight end.

 

“I didn’t have a hero or idolize anybody growing up, so he was the one player that I idolized and tried to copy more than anyone else throughout my career. I took pride in trying to get to the top where he was.

 

“He’s going to be sorely missed.”

Read In Play! Magazine Here

HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ ADDS BRANDON FISHER TO DEFENSIVE STAFF

In Play Magazine

Allen Park, Mich.—The Detroit Lions announced today that they have added Brandon Fisher as an assistant to the defensive coaching staff. Fisher spent part of the 2010 season helping the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coaching staff.

 

Fisher was a standout linebacker at the University of Montana where he played in 54 games (30 starts) and finished with 169 career tackles. As a senior, he was a second team All-Big Sky Conference pick and helped lead the Grizzlies to a 14-1 record with their only loss being to Villanova (23-21) in the Football Championship Subdivision title game. Fisher began his collegiate career as a safety, but began the transition to linebacker in 2008.

 

As a business marketing major at Montana, Fisher was named to the All-District 7 academic squad with a 3.9 GPA as well the FCS Athletic Director Association’s Academic All-Star team. He was also a three-time all-league academic team selection.

 

Fisher’s father, Jeff, was head coach of the Tennessee Titans for 16-plus seasons (1994-2010).

Read In Play! Magazine Here

Detroit Lions #1 Draft Pick NICK FAIRLEY - Stats

In Play Magazine

NICK FAIRLEY

Defensive Tackle/Defensive End

University of Auburn Tigers

#90

6:04.1-298

Mobile, Alabama

Copiah-Lincoln Community College

Lillie B Williamson High School

OVERVIEW

Auburn relied heavily on two junior college transfers during its run to a BCS Champion-ship title in 2010. While Cam Newton garnered most of the media’s attention for his production on offense, it was Nick Fairley who provided the Tigers with a disruptive interior force on the defensive side of the ball. Fairley’s effort didn’t go unnoticed, as he was presented with the Rotary Lombardi Trophy, awarded annually to college football’s top lineman.

Fairley earned consensus All-American recognition and was named the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the year after placing third in the NCAA in tackles for loss (1.71 tpg) and 12th in sacks (.82 spg). The junior broke Auburn’s single-season record with 11.5 sacks for minus 74 yards, topping the previous mark of 11 reached by Gary Walker (1994),

Kevin Greene (1984) and Craig Ogletree (1989). It was nearly impossible to keep the defensive tackle out of the backfield, as he posted an impressive 24.0 tackles for losses totaling 106 yards and 21 quarterback hurries.

Fairley has had a profound impact on the Tigers’ front four. Before his arrival, the Auburn run defense ranked 54th

nationally, allowing 138.92 yards per game on the ground in 2008. Fairley played in all 13 games in 2009 but started just two contests while his team finished a lowly 78th vs. the run (156.08 ypg). He started all 14 games of the 2010 season and emerged as a dominant presence along the Tigers’ front wall, leading a unit that boasted the NCAA’s ninth-ranked rushing defense, allowing just 109.07 yards per game.

Fairley was a standout on both sides of the trenches at Lillie B. Williamson High School (Mobile, Ala.). His blocking raded out at 97 percent on offense while he tallied over 90 tackles on defense. He was a finalist for the 5A Lineman of the Year Award and was a 5A All-State selection by the ASWA.

Recruiting services viewed Fairley more as an offensive line prospect coming out of high school. He was given a threestar rating by Rivals.com, who listed him as the 28th-best offensive guard in the nation and the 15th overall prospect from the state of Alabama. Scout.com also rated him a three-star prospect and ranked him as the 27th-best offensive guard in the country. He was also listed as the 32nd offensive tackle recruit by ESPN.com.

He was offered scholarships from several universities, including Auburn, Alabama, Kansas State, Louisville, Southern

Mississippi and West Virginia. Auburn recruited Fairley as a defensive end and he elected to commit to the Tigers on signing day.

Fairley improved his grades first in Wesson, Mississippi, where he signed with Copiah-Lincoln Community College in 2007. He enrolled late and was allowed to redshirt his first year to retain eligibility. In 2008, he earned an All-Region XII selection after collecting 63 tackles with seven sacks and nine stops for loss in seven games.

Fairley was rated a four-star defensive tackle according to Scout’s junior college rankings, while Rivals listed him as a three-star prospect. A few schools tried to make a run at the standout defensive lineman, but Fairley never wavered on his commitment to Auburn.

Fairley finally enrolled at the University of Auburn in 2009 and played in all 13 games during his first season at the FBS level. He started the season opener vs. Louisiana Tech and the Outback Bowl vs. Northwestern, finishing the year with 28 tackles (36 solos), including 1.5 sacks for minus 15 yards and 3.5 stops for losses totaling 20 yards. He added seven quarterback pressures, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick.

In 2010, Fairley enjoyed a breakout campaign that saw him earn SEC Defensive Lineman or Defensive Player of the Week honors on five occasions. He appeared unblockable at times and finished the year ranking fifth on the team with 60 tackles (36 solos), including 11.5 sacks for minus 74 yards and 24.0 stops for losses totaling 106 yards. He added 21 quarterback hurries, two forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and an interception.

Auburn was pitted against the Oregon Ducks in the BCS Championship game and the two team’s high-powered offensive attacks garnered all of the talk leading into the matchup. However, it was Fairley and the Auburn defense that stole the show, holding a Ducks unit that had averaged 49.33 points per game to just 19 points in a close victory. Fairley earned Defensive Most Valuable Player honors after registering five solo tackles with one sack for minus seven yards, three stops for losses of 14 yards and one forced fumble to put a fitting end to a stellar junior season.

CAREER NOTES

Fairley started 16-of-27 games for Auburn, recording 88 tackles (50 solos) with 13.0 sacks for minus 89 and 27.5 stops for losses totaling 126 yards

…Delivered a total of 32 tackles-for-loss (solos/assists), as he posted 28 quarterback pressures

…Forced two fumbles and recovered three others

…Intercepted one pass and added a blocked kick

…Fairley set a school record with 11.5 sacks in 2010, topping the previous mark of 11 reached by Gary Walker (1994), Kevin Greene (1984) and Craig Olgetree (1989).

2010 SEASON

Consensus All-American first-team selection (AP, Walter Camp and FWAA)

…All-SEC first-team choice…Recipient of the Rotary Lombardi Trophy, awarded annually to the nation’s top collegiate lineman

…Finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award (Top Defender)

…Honored as the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year

…Defensive MVP of the BCS Championship game

…Earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors vs. Mississippi State, and Defensive Lineman of the Week honors vs. Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas, Louisiana State and Alabama

…Started the entire year at defensive tackle, ranking fifth on the team with 60 tackles (36 solos)

…Had 11.5 sacks for minus 74 yards, as he led the SEC and placed 12th nationally with 0.82 sacks per game

…Posted 24.0 stops for losses of 106 yards, as he led the conference and ranked third in the NCAA with 1.71 tackles for loss per game

… Led a unit that was tops in the SEC and ranked ninth in the nation, allowing just 109.07 yards per game on the ground

…Paced a unit that placed 24th in the NCAA in sacks (2.50 spg) and 16th in tackles for loss (7.07 tpg)

…Forced two fumbles and recovered two others

…Made 58 plays vs. the ground game, holding those ball carriers to minus 25 yards (-0.43 ypc), as the defender limited those runners to just three first downs while producing 12 third-down stops

…Delivered four of those tackles inside the red zone, including one on a goal-line play, as he posted 27 total stops (solos/assists) for loss and six tackles that brought down ball carriers at the line

of scrimmage for no gain

…Made two stops vs. the aerial attack, holding receivers to 17 yards (8.5 ypc) and one first on

those receptions

…Had 21 quarterback pressures, including two on third-down and two more on fourth-down

…Intercepted one third-down pass attempt, returning it for minus one yard

…Set a school record with 11.5 sacks, topping the previous mark of 11 reached by Gary Walker (1994), Kevin Greene (1984) and Craig Ogletree (1989).

2009 SEASON

Played in all 13 games with two starts and finished 13th on the team with 28 tackles (14 solos), including 1.5 sacks for minus 15 yards and 3.5 stops for losses totaling 20 yards

…Added seven quarterback pressures…Also recovered one fumble and blocked a kick.

JUNIOR COLLEGE

Attended Copiah-Lincoln Community College (Wesson, Mississippi) from 2007-08, playing football for head coach Glen Davis

…All-Region XII selection in 2008

…Played in seven games and delivered 63 tackles with seven sacks and nine stops for loss

…Rated a four-star defensive tackle prospect according to Scout.com’s junior college rankings

…Given a three-star rating by Rivals.com…Redshirted his first season in 2007 after enrolling late.

CAMPUS AGILITY TESTS

4.83 in the 40-yard dash.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Lillie B. Williamson High School (Mobile, AL), playing football for head coach Bobby Parrish

…5A All-State selection by the ASWA

…Finalist for the 5A Lineman of the Year Award

…Graded out a 97 percent on the offensive line and added five receptions for 150 yards as a tight end in 2007

…Posted more than 90 tackles on defense while his Lions squad registered a 6-5 record

…Participated in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic as a senior and the AHSAA North/South All-Star game as a junior

…Given a three-star rating by Rivals.com, who listed him as the 28th-best offensive guard prospect in the nation and the 15th-best recruit from the state of Alabama

…Also given a three-star rating by Scout.com, as that recruiting service ranked him as the 27th-best offensive guard in the country

…Rated the 32nd-best offensive tackle recruit according to ESPN.com…Offered scholarships from Alabama, Kansas State, Louisville, Southern Mississippi and West Virginia before committing to Auburn.

PERSONAL

Undeclared major…Son of Paula Rogers and Herbert Rogers…One of nine siblings…Born 1/23/88…Resides in Mobile,Alabama.

PLAYER STATISTICS

DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

STATS GP GS TK SO AS FR FC INT TFL PBU SACK PRES

2009 13 02 28 14 14 1 0 0 3.5-20 0 1.5-15 7

2010 14 14 60 36 24 2 2 1 24.0-106 0 11.5-74 21

TOTAL 27 16 88 50 38 3 2 1 27.5-126 0 13.0-89 28

INTERCEPTION RETURNS

STATS NO YARDS AVG TD LONG

2010 1 -1 -1.00 0 0

ADDITIONAL STATISTICS…Had 63 tackles with seven sacks and nine stops for loss at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in

2008…Blocked a kick vs. Tennessee in 2009.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

DETROIT LIONS GM MARTIN MAYHEW TALKS ABOUT DRAFT DAY

In Play Magazine

April 21, 2011

Detroit Lions GM Martin Mayhew spoke to the media today about the upcoming 2011 NFL Draft.

Opening statement

"We finished up our draft meetings on Tuesday and now we're in the process of going through some scenarios and talking about some players and breaking some ties and that kind of thing. We'll be doing that up until next week. I feel great about the process. I can't say enough about the great job that our coaches and our scouts did in the process. I guess we're pretty much ready to go."

On if he will draft more for fit than best on the board since there are fewer needs

"I think we have a lot more needs than people realize. There are a lot of places we can get better and there are a lot of good players in this draft. Our philosophy has been to take the best player – I don't think that's going to change."

On the differences in how this draft will fall without free agency or teams' ability to re-sign players

"It actually fits in great with our philosophy because it allows us to just be true to our board. We know there's going to be some form of free agency coming forward – we believe that. So it allows us to kind of stick with our board and take the best player and fill in whatever gaps we have to fill in later with a better, quality player."

On prospect of trades during the draft this year and whether they've discussed them with other teams

"I think the great thing about the draft is you don't know how it's going to go – you really have no idea how it's going to all play out. I think the fact that there are a lot of teams that seem to have a need at quarterback could cause there to be more trades in the first round – the first, second round. But you really just never know. "It's still pretty early in the process, but we have contact with a couple of teams. We can keep our options open; we could go up, we could go back. It could go either way for us, but we make calls on both ends of that."

On if he's confident he can get an impactful player at 13

"We think there's going to be a good player there at 13. To say impactful… players have various levels of impact. I think we'll get a quality player that should be here for a long time. "Our philosophy – going back to what we were talking about the last couple years – we're not drafting to get ready for the first game of the season. We're drafting for the future of the franchise. We also don't view the draft as a finish line; we're not going to get done with the draft and say, 'Hey, we're all good.' I thought our pro scouts did a great job last year finding players after the draft. Guys like Stefan Logan, John Wendling; two pro bowl alternates that we found after the draft. Young guys like Alphonso Smith, Lawrence Jackson. So we'll keep looking after this process. We don't think that we'll fill all of our needs or take care of all of our personnel problems in this draft; it'll be an ongoing process this year going into next year and years following that. It's a long-term process for us."

On having two first round picks in each of the past two drafts and if moving up is part of his philosophy

"The last two years were unique situations. Obviously we went into 2009 with two first-round picks. Last year there was a player who we felt was an early first-round talent who was dropping down in the draft and we had a very early pick in the second round, which made it a little bit easier. We were able to move into the first round without giving up a pick – just flopping picks in the fourth round and giving up a seventh. Those situations were kind of different and it will be a bit more expensive to get back in the first round this year. "If you go back to 2009 I think we started off with eight (selections) and ended up with 10. Last year we started off, I think, with eight, ended up with six. We have six now. I don't know if we'll end up with more or less than that, but I think it's a safe bet that we probably won't have the same six when it's all said and done."

On the team having a home Monday Night Football game

"I think it's great. It's great for our franchise, I think it's great for our players who haven't played in some of those games – I know how exciting it is when your whole family can see you play and people you went to grade school with and all that can see you play. The entire league watches that game; it's a showcase for us as a football team and we can show our brand of football to the rest of the NFL. I'm excited about that – it's a great opportunity for us to show off what the Lions are."

On whether there are any updates on QB Matthew Stafford

"He's coming along well. I guess he was in the halftime show at the Georgia spring game; got good reports on that. Obviously we can't talk directly to him, but from what I understand, his rehab is going very well."

On how important player character is

"It's very important. Obviously character and football character and how guys carry themselves, how they prepare, what their work ethic is like, what they do off the field, those guys represent our franchise; so the character aspect of our decision making progress is very important."

On how extensive the process is to evaluate character

"It's very extensive. Our college scouts do a whole lot of work on these guys. We do some work at the pro days; we make phone calls, we'll talk to high school coaches, college coaches, position coaches, people who know the player. We do a lot of research and a lot of work on these players. We spend a lot of time talking to people who know them and who knew them. You can get a lot of good information by following those leads."

On Colorado CB Jimmy Smith

"I had a great talk with Jimmy. After meeting him I felt much better about him as a player. I spoke with his position coach, Ashley Ambrose, who is now coaching at CAL, and he had nothing but great things to say about him. We've done a lot of work on Jimmy and I feel better about him than I did before I met him."

On being aggressive on draft day and whether it's part of the job to take risks

"I think so. I think some calculated risk makes sense. When you feel strong enough and have a strong enough opinion and when you feel confident enough, I think it makes sense to make some calculated risks. I don't think you want to blindly take risks; that's always something to be cautious about. "For example, Jahvid Best; we really liked Jahvid Best as a player. He was available late, we didn't want to lose a pick to get him and we had discussed that scenario prior to and we contacted some teams and we were looking for a team that was willing to flip with us in the fourth round and not give up the fourth round pick. Several of the teams we talked to wanted us to give up a fourth round pick, we didn't want to do that, and we were finally able to find a team we could agree to make a trade with. That's probably a good example of a calculated risk we think is going to work out great for us."

On the key to handling the chaos on draft day

"I think everything you do before the draft to avoid chaos and you do a lot of planning and a lot of discussion before. It's very rare that we're on the clock and we don't have an idea of who we plan to take and that comes from the preparation prior to from our meetings, from the meetings that we'll have this week, and early next week. We try to get a lot of those questions answered before our draft starts. I think that's the way you can avoid that problem."

On whether the organization is on the same page with which player they want

"I think that's something that's going to come. That's why it's always interesting to me – and funny – when I read that somebody said that we're not going to take an offensive player or we're not going to take a certain player or whatever, because I don't' even know who we're going to take right now, so I'm not sure how somebody else could know. "It's a process and we're' working through the process right now. We'll have a lot of discussion about those players. There are probably a little bit more than a handful of players who were talking about (at 13) and we'll continue to talk about those players until we make a final decision."

On how far the franchise has come over the past few years

"We've made a lot of progress here I think. Obviously we hired the right coach; I think our scouts are doing an outstanding job; we've improved our personnel; we've got some good, young players and a good young core to work with, but we have a long way to go to get to where we really want to get to. "I can recall over the last 10 years there being times when we've felt like, 'Hey, we're 6-2 now,' or 'Hey, you know, we beat the Giants in New York and now were...' We're not in that game anymore. We're looking to improve this team every day, every week, every month until we get to our ultimate goal which is to win a championship. We have a long way to go."

On whether the lack of an offseason will factor in to any of their draft decisions

"I think that's something you've got to take into consideration. When you talk about players, you've got to weigh the players with whom you feel very comfortable with not seeing for some period of time and the players whom you don't feel comfortable with in that situation. Whether its character issues, weight issues, learning issues, it certainly is a factor."

On whether it has been strange not having the offseason program begin and free agency take place before the draft

"It is a little awkward because you don't see the players working out and that kind of thing, but honestly for me, I have really been working hard on this draft. Not having free agents visit… It's sort of a distraction when you're in draft meetings and you've got to go spend 15-20 minutes with a guy and you don't know if you're going to get the guy and that kind of thing. I've really been focused on the draft and I've been excited about being able to just focus on this process. It's awkward but it hasn't really effected (me)."

On not having been able to address any needs with free agency before the draft

"As I've said before, with our belief that the best thing to do is to take the best player available, it actually, in a counterintuitive sort of way benefits us. Because I think there will be some form of free agency at some point this year and rather than fill in holes with players who've been passed over for several months, you'll be able to enter that period of free agency and fill holes with a better quality player."

On the excitement of preparing for the NFL Draft

"You know going into this process that you have a certain type of team; and you know when you get done with (the draft) you're going to be a better football team. You have an opportunity to sort of address whatever objective you want to address; if you want to get faster, if you want to get bigger – obviously you would get younger – if you want to get healthier; you're able to make yourself a better football team over a period of days. It's really an exciting time for us as an organization. Our scouts enjoy it; I think everybody in the building is excited about the NFL Draft."

On how he views the four-game winning streak at the end of last season

"I think it was good. I think it was very good for our players; I think it promoted some optimism around our franchise. I think it gave our players some confidence, to be able to beat some of our division opponents late in the season. It was very good I think for our franchise as a whole and I view it sort of as a stepping stone to what's to come."

Read In Play! Magazine Here

LIONS PRESIDENT TOM LEWAND ON THE NFL LOCKOUT

In Play Magazine

The following is from Detroit Lions Team President Tom Lewand’s media session today with Lions beat writers regarding the NFL labor situation.

On how the organization will move forward with NFL work stoppage:
 "From our perspective, what's most important is to get ready to play football in 2011. Everything that we've done since 2010 has been geared towards that, with things like preparing for free agency – which obviously isn't taking place right now; preparing for the draft, which will take place and getting ready for that. Our coaching staff has spent a considerable amount of time recapping the 2010 season, going through the cut-up process, going through the playbook with as much as they have following every season. Our preparations continue. Nothing that has happened in the last couple of weeks, nothing that has happened in the last couple of days is going to change that. Our focus continues to be on the 2011 season and our hope and our expectation is that we're playing football this year."

On how the organization is approaching the uncertain free agency process:
"In an environment of uncertainty we have to be ready for everything. The things we've been doing the past several months – and certainly the past couple of weeks – have been geared towards planning for various contingencies. I mentioned a little while ago that we prepared for free agency as if it were going to start in early March as it normally has and the reports that we did, the scouting reports, the synchronization of our information, of our scouting information, the coaches’ opinions - all of that work is done. So, we have that ready to go, much like we have a lot of other things ready to go from a coaching standpoint, from a player personnel standpoint as well as a lot of other areas of our organization that will be impacted by rules that change polices that may involve various contingencies that can take place over the course of the common days, weeks and months."

On if the team will be able to talk to injured players during the work stoppage:
"We have mechanisms in place where we can monitor the rehabilitation of any injured players who were injured playing football last year. The guys that we know we have set up at rehabilitation facilities around the country. We have lines of communication open to those rehabilitation facilities and we'll be able to monitor the progress of those injured players as they progress."

On the team’s mindset with the uncertain timing of free agency:
"Our focus is to get ready to play football for the 2011 season and putting ourselves in the best position to be as successful as possible for the 2011 season. Those plans haven't changed; they are modified and adapted to suit the rules as they exist and the possible anticipation of things that might happen. Everything that we do is geared to put us in the best position possible to be successful in 2011 and beyond."

On whether there's any concern that the work stoppage could negatively impact the team’s relationships with its players:
"I think that we have a lot of respect for our players. I personally have a lot of respect for the guys who are in our locker room and what they've done to build our program over the last couple of years. That level of respect isn't going to change one bit. I know those guys want to play football and I have both personal and professional relationships with a lot of the guys in that locker room. More importantly, organizationally we have a lot of respect for them and they are obviously critical to what we're trying to accomplish as an organization and as a football team. That goes without saying. The focus needs to be on getting a deal done as quickly as possible and as we have said, as the league has said, as the commissioner has said, as Jeff Pash articulated pretty eloquently yesterday, this deal will get done at the negotiating table and the faster we get back to that table to get a deal done, the faster we can minimize the consequences that could occur the longer this were to go and the more contingent to the environments that are beyond the control of both sides, like the court room."

On the impact the work stoppage could have on the team’s general business operations:
"I think, again, our focus is again to get ready for the season. We have a good relationship with our season ticket base. We sent them a letter today that went out electronically and will also go out by US Mail. We'll be communicating through email blasts with them. I think it's important to maintain direct communication with them, but the bottom-line is they want us to play football. They're not interested in hearing which side says what at the negotiating table or in the court room. They're interested in watching Lions football. We understand that. We get it and that's what we're focused on as well, we want to play football. We want to build on the last four game (winning streak to end) last year, build on the things that we've been doing as an organization for the last two years and that's where the focus needs to be. To the extent that there's some uncertainty in the business environment, uncertainty in changes in the rules or how we operate, we'll adapt, we'll adjust and we'll be prepared for it. That's our job, that's what we're supposed to do, but we'll do it in a way that minimizes any disruptions and maintains the focus on preparations for the 2011 season."

Read In Play! Magazine Here