DETROIT LIONS SELECT T RILEY REIFF (23rd overall) WITH THEIR FIRST ROUND PICK OF 2012 NFL DRAFT

LIONS EXECUTIVE VP OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS AND GENERAL MANAGER MARTIN MAYHEW OPENING STATEMENT.
“Riley Reiff – big, smart, tough guy; versatile. We think he can play four positions; Jim can talk a little bit about that. But the guy is a three-year starter in a good program. He’s a good, solid offensive lineman.

“We came into this draft thinking that we needed to try to add some young players to that group and Riley certainly fits that mold.”

LIONS HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ OPENING STATEMENT.
“Last year, (when) we drafted Nick Fairley, we needed a lot of things to happen in front of us with all of the quarterbacks that went last year to push a guy like that to us. We felt very fortunate that was able to happen this year. It was a very similar situation.

“It’s not very often that the second offensive lineman off the board goes off at No. 23 overall. You’ve seen historically there (are) usually about four guys off the board by then. So we were very fortunate to be able to sit at 23 and still end up with a player that we liked.

“Riley is a left tackle; he fits the criteria for that position: athletic, former tight end, the guy was a three-time state-champ wrestler. Went to Iowa as a tight end, they moved him. He comes from a great tradition of offensive linemen at Iowa. He’s a good run-blocker and he’s a good pass-blocker.

“Even though he’s still a young player, he’ll still improve and take other steps. We’re not drafting a guy that’s a developmental player. He’s a very experienced player; he’s played at a high level in the Big Ten and we were very fortunate to be able to get him where we were.”

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LIONS 2012 SCHEDULE HERE

Lions set to play in five nationally televised games, including four on prime time television

Allen Park, Mich. – The Detroit Lions announced their full 2012 season schedule today. For the first time since the 1998 season, Detroit will appear in five nationally televised games with four prime time appearances.

Since the launch of Monday Night Football in 1970, this marks just the fourth time (1990, 1994 and 1998) the Lions will play in five nationally televised games during a season. It is only the second time (1998) that Detroit will have four prime time games in a season.

Detroit’s first prime time game occurs in Week 2 when the Lions travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers, who claimed the NFC West last season, on NBC’s Sunday Night Football (9/16; 8:30 p.m.; NBC). The Lions return to SNF after appearing on NBC’s prime time game for the first time last season when the NFL flexed the team’s game at New Orleans (12/4/11) into the Sunday night prime time slot. The Lions also played in prime time on NBC during last year’s playoff game at New Orleans (1/7/12).

The Lions prime time game in Week 2 is the club’s earliest prime time game in any season since it opened the 1991 season at Washington during a Sunday night TNT telecast.

In 2011, the Lions returned to MNF for the first time in 10 years when they defeated Chicago at Ford Field (10/10/11) in front of a record crowd. This year, ESPN will once again feature the Lions on MNF.

In Week 7, the Lions travel to Chicago to play the Bears on MNF (10/22; 8:30 p.m.; ESPN). It is the Lions’ first-ever prime time game at Soldier Field. Detroit has previously played Chicago five times on MNF and twice on SNF, but all seven prime time games occurred at home.

The schedule features the Lions’ 73rd Thanksgiving Day Classic (11/22; 12:30 p.m.; CBS) vs. the Houston Texans, who won the AFC South division last season. This year’s game marks the first time the Lions will play the Texans on Thanksgiving and the third time in the series. The teams have split the first two games with each home team claiming victories.

Their next prime time game is set for Week 14 when they face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on SNF (12/9/12; 8:30 p.m.; NBC). This year’s meeting is the sixth prime time game between the two clubs since 1970 and first since they played on Sunday night December 11, 2005. The Lions have played three previous games (11/1/71, 11/2/97 and 12/11/05) at Green Bay on prime time television.

Detroit’s fourth prime time game features an ESPN MNF broadcast on Saturday night as the Lions host the Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field in Week 16 (12/22/12; 8:30 p.m.; ESPN). The Lions have played the Falcons only one previous time in prime time, which dates back to the team’s meeting October 1, 1973.

In Week 1, Detroit will kick off the regular season at home for the first time since 2006 when they host the St. Louis Rams at Ford Field (9/9/12; 1 p.m.; FOX).

The Lions Bye Week occurs during Week 5 (Sunday, October 7) of the NFL season.

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