Day 7 update: Henry moonlighting, players fighting, Saturday preview
The injured list grew to a dozen players Friday, with receiver Dennis Northcutt skipping the morning practice and only participating in indvidual drills in the afternoon, while rookie offensive tackle Lydon Murtha missed both sessions.
The injuries in the secondary -- Louis Delmas and Daniel Bullocks both are out with knee issues -- also nudged a change that we've speculated about through the offseason. Cornerback Anthony Henry, whom the Dallas Cowboys were at least considering moving to safety before trading him, practiced at safety for the first time Friday afternoon.
Henry, who also picked off a Matthew Stafford pass in 1-on-1 receiving drills, said he doesn't think it's a precursor to a position switch, though.
"You never know how it's going to shake out," he said. "But right now, corner is the position, unless they tell me something different."
The afternoon practiced featured a brief -- and minor -- tussle during team drills, with center Dominic Raiola and defensive end Jason Hunter wrestling each other to the ground.
Owner William Clay Ford Sr. again was out on the field watching practice Friday. He has been a regular observer all week.
Saturday, the Lions will hold their lone practice -- in full pads -- at Ford Field, and the event, including a 45-minute autograph session before practice, is open to the public. Doors open at noon, and the players will sign autographs until 12:45. Practice starts at 1 p.m.
"It'll be a normal practice," coach Jim Schwartz said. "We'll get after it a little bit, the juices will be flowing a little bit. Fans will be there, the players will be excited about that. It'll be a change in atmosphere. Rather than coming out to the same practice field, we'll be down there, so that will bring some excitement to it. You have a lot of the same drills; you see a lot of the same situations. We're going to end with a 'move the ball' period, which will be a little bit more like game situations. Maybe we'll do a couple of plays live here and there just to get calm. It's more like a regular practice, just with full pads."
