Pride of the Lions: A dozen to be honored Sunday
The Lions will unveil the 12-member charter class in their new "Pride of the Lions" stadium display, which will be on the side of the old Hudson's warehouse inside Ford Field.
The first dozen players honored today are all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame: CB Lem Barney (1967-77), S Jack Christiansen (1951-58), QB Dutch Clark (1934-38), OL Lou Creekmur (1950-59), CB Dick "Night Train" Lane (1960-65), S Yale Lary (1952-53, 1956-64), QB Bobby Layne (1950-58), RB Barry Sanders (1989-98), TE Charlie Sanders (1968-77), LB Joe Schmidt (1953-65), RB Doak Walker (1950-55) and OL Alex Wojciechowicz (1938-46).
All but a handful of those players are deceased, but Barney, Charlie Sanders, Schmidt and Lary are expected to be on hand today for a halftime ceremony honoring the class.
Ex-Lions WR Furrey back home in Ohio, still headed for a fall
Receiver Mike Furrey left Detroit with some choice words for Lions management, put on IR either at his wish or their command, depending on whom you believe. And suffice to say, the hard feelings were somewhat mutual, though Furrey had a career-best year in a Lions uniform in 2006 and was actively involved in charity work in the community.
But like Shaun Rogers, Furrey will get a chance to face his former team Sunday when the Cleveland Browns pay a visit to Ford Field. The Ohio native leads the punchless Browns with 21 catches this season, and he's also getting some playing time on defense at safety, something he did earlier in his career as well.
"What a great guy," Mangini said. "He's unbelievable. He's such a good example, especially for us where we have young receivers, of what it means to be a pro and what it means to take advantage of opportunities that you have.
"He's played offense for us. He's played defense for us. He's selfless. He's a great person in the locker room. He's committed to the community. You couldn't have a better guy in your building as an example of what you're looking for from a pro athlete."
On the field, though, Furrey still looks like the receiver he was at the end of his stint in Detroit. Yards after the catch haven't exactly been plentiful, and that didn't go unnoticed in Monday night's loss to Baltimore.
"There were a couple where he got tripped up or fell a little bit, but that's something he's historically been pretty decent at," offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said Friday, when asked about Furrey stopping short. "Some of those were on the ... they were runs that we just threw out there real quick. He just tried to get going a little bit and maybe lost his footing."
DE White, S Pearson still out Friday
The Lions are back on the outdoor practice field today, still missing a few key players. Defensive end Dewayne White (toe) and safety Kalvin Pearson (hamstring), as well as linebacker Ernie Sims (hamstring) and guard Stephen Peterman (ankle), all were sitting out the open-media portion of practice. Linebacker Zach Follett (neck) returned to the field Friday after sitting out Thursday.
Punt, Pass & Cry: Browns have injury problems of their own
Anything the Lions can do, the Browns can do better. Or worse, depending on how you want to look at it. The Lions put two more players on injured reserve this week, with safety Marquand Manuel (torn pectoral) joining cornerback Jack Williams (torn ACL).
But fresh off Monday night's embarrassing 16-0 loss to Baltimore, the Browns on Wednesday put two players on IR as well. Veteran punter Dave Zastudil, a Pro Bowl-caliber player, and tight end Steve Heiden, who has one of the Browns' five offensive TDs this season, both are lost for what's left of this dismal season in Cleveland.
Receiver/returner Josh Cribbs, carried off on a stretcher after that ridiculous final play Monday night, didn't practice Wednesday. But coach Eric Mangini said on a conference call with the Detroit media this morning that he's "confident that he'll practice and play this week."
Wednesday injury update: Five sit, Loper at RG, D. Williams out
Quick injury update from practice: Guard Stephen Peterman (ankle), linebacker Ernie Sims (hamstring), defensive end Dewayne White (toe), safety Kalvin Pearson (hamstring) and receiver Derrick Williams (hip) all are sitting out today.
Of that group, I'd expect White to play Sunday. Not sure what Williams' status is. The rest are likely out, though we'll see what they have to say after practice today.
Daniel Loper will replace Peterman at right guard, with Dylan Gandy and newly-acquired Melvin Fowler as the backup guards. Gandy and Jon Jansen should remain the active backup OL guys against the Browns.
Rookie Aaron Brown, benched last week at Minnesota, could return to the lineup as the primary kick returner if Williams can't play.
The Toledo War II: Lions-Browns hardly must-see TV
It's a matchup of floundering 1-8 teams. It'll be blacked out on local TV. There'll be fewer than 40,000 fans in the stadium, more than likely. And the loser might have the inside track on the No. 1 overall pick in next April's draft.
No surprise, then, that the Lions-Browns tilt Sunday at Ford Field already has become a punchline. Take a look:
Lions sign OL Melvin Fowler; CB Jack Williams to IR
The Lions made at least one roster move today, signing center Melvin Fowler and, as previously reported, placing cornerback Jack Williams on injured reserve. Williams suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on his first -- and only -- defensive snap in his first game Sunday after getting claimed off waviers from Denver last week.
Fowler, who flew in from Phoenix Monday night and will begin practicing with the Lions on Wednesday, was among the Arizona Cardinals' final roster cuts in September. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound interior lineman spent the last three seasons with Buffalo, starting every game in 2006 and '07 and five games a year ago.
Fowler, 30, an eight-year pro who got his start in Cleveland, adds depth on the offensive line with starting right guard Stephen Peterman sidelined by a right ankle injury. Daniel Loper, Dylan Gandy or Jon Jansen will replace Peterman in the starting lineup for now.
Browns' Cribbs out of hospital, status for Lions game in doubt
The best news is Cleveland Browns receiver/returner Josh Cribbs appears to be OK after getting carted off the field on a stretcher at the end of Monday night's loss to Baltimore. Cribbs was injured when he was blindsided by a hit as the Browns lateraled the ball twice on a pass play as time expired. He spent the night at a local hopspital being treated for concussion-like symptoms, but was released this morning, according to FoxSports.com.
But for the Lions, this might be a rare break. Cribbs' status for this week's Lions-Browns showdown (sarcasm intended) isn't known. But with a short week of recovery, the league's top return man -- and a guy who torched the Lions in the preseason -- isn't likely to play.
And as if things weren't bad enough already for the Browns, now they've got to explain this stupid decision: Getting your best player hurt on a throwaway play at the end of a game? The NFLPA already was looking into post-practice injuries with Eric Mangini's team.
Megatron: The LeBron James of football?
Vikings cornerback Benny Sapp, who started in place of Antoine Winfield against the Lions on Sunday, had high praise afteward for No. 81.
"Calvin Johnson is the best receiver in the league, hands down," Sapp told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "He's the complete package."
Johnson had eight catches for 84 yards in Sunday's 27-10 loss, but most of that (49 yards) came on the 2-minute drill to end the first half. Still, it was a positive sign. The week before, in his return to the lineup from a knee injury that's still bothering him, Johnson had just two catches for 27 yards.
"It was big for us as a group," Sapp said. "We just went out and played hard. That's it. Just try to be physical. He's the best in the league, just because you can't pretty much do anything with that dude. He's like the LeBron James of football because of his size, speed and his knowledge of the game."
Added Sapp: "He could have been a safety. A corner. An outside linebacker. He could have been anything. ... I'm not saying he's the best route runner, but overall, he's the whole package."
Right guard? Peterman's out, so who's in?
No official word yet on the extent of Stephen Peterman's ankle injury, but it didn't look good Sunday. And it didn't sound particularly good Monday.
Expect a free agent signing on the offensive line Tuesday. And then we'll see Wednesday when they resume practice what they're planning to do Sunday in terms of replacing Peterman in the starting lineup. Dylan Gandy was the backup who played Sunday, but don't read too much into that -- Daniel Loper wasn't active and Jon Jansen was busy subbing for Gosder Cherilus at tackle.
Regardless, it's a loss for already iffy offensive line. Peterman wasn't having one of his better days Sunday -- few do when facing the Williams Wall -- but he has been a consistent run blocker and doesn't give up a lot of sacks.
"Toughness, effort, a guy that's assignment sound," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said of Peterman. "He's not a 10-year vet, but he's a veteran player and he's been very, very solid for us. When we re-signed him this offseason, we had in mind the way he would play this year and he hadn't disappointed us."
