Camp break: Roy, Calvin, Kevin Jones, Projection
1. Calvin Johnson: The Lions had their last organized team workout of the offseason, and Calvin Johnson was in good spirits. He didn't mind explaining why he missed a few practices.
Johnson returned home to Atlanta to be with his family while his father, Calvin Sr., underwent heart surgery. His father is recovering, Calvin said Thursday.
"He's doing fine," Calvin said.
Johnson was a regular in the offseason workouts. He will work out on his own in preparation for the start of training camp next month. My prediction for Johnson: he will be a superstar and consistent Pro Bowl player.
2. Roy Williams: He enjoys life and has fun in the give and take with the media. Williams is serious about one thing: he is not joining the club of receivers who are complaining about their contracts.
Williams will be on the last year of his contract this season, and he has no intention to boycott camp to help negotiate a better deal.
"Don't put me in that mix," Williams said when asked if he would be one of the receivers making contract demands. "I've always cooperated with the Lions, done my part trying to help this team win. I'll continue to do that."
3. I wouldn't be surprised if the Chicago Bears contact Kevin Jones, the former Lions' halfback. The Bears need a runner after waiving Cedric Benson earlier in the week. Jones is recovering from surgery on his right knee. He has a workout scheduled for June 28 for the scouts. By all accounts, Jones is progressing well. However, his immediate future will be tied to his time in the 40-yard dash. He has to show the scouts that he has his speed back.
Mini-camp matters
1. Ernie Sims is the kind of player that Tigers manager Jim Leyland likes -- a hitter who doesn't complain.
Sims played most of the second half of last season with an injured right shoulder. He kept it quiet, didn't miss practice or games, and had surgery after the season. Sims is still reluctant to discuss the injury in any detail, but he's looking forward to the start of training camp.
Sims is a spectator during mini-camp drills. Next season, he'll be an active participant -- a hitter.
2. The more I see Calvin Johnson, the more impressive he is. He has great physical skills, and he works. Receivers are at the mercy of the offense. If Jon Kitna gets protection this year, Johnson will have a break-out year.
3. Roy Williams is at mini-camp and looks good, but there is a question about his future. He is on the last year of his contract. I made the odds 1 in 53 that Williams will be a Lion in 2009. That's no better than any of the 53 players on the active roster when the regular season starts. The Lions are certain to put the franchise tag on Williams and listen to trade offers.
4. Whenever the coaches are asked about QB Drew Stanton, the answer is the same -- a variation of "he's improving." The real test for Stanton will be in live action, not drills. He can make plays with his legs. Accuracy will be an issue for a long time. I don't think Mike Martz helped him last year. The season was a step back for Stanton.
5. Speaking of Martz, if you gave every player on offense a shot of truth serum, the overwhelming feeling would be that they're glad he's gone. Too often, the offense looked confused and unprepared on game day. Having said that, Jim Colletto has to get it in a groove -- and fast.
6. Kevin Smith looks like a natural runner, with one serious concern. He runs upright. Tacklers will try to punish him. The Lions may have gotten role players with two fifth-round picks -- wide receiver Kenneth Moore and fullback Jerome Felton. Felton has a natural body lean, gets low and is comfortable catching the ball. Moore caught punts with ease in the wind on Tuesday.
Goodell Needs to Hit Patriots Again -- and Harder
Commissioner Roger Goodell didn't give the New England Patriots a love tap when he penalized them for illegally taping signals of opposing teams. The sanctions were substantial: loss of a 2008 first-round draft pick (31st overall) and fines of $500,000 for coach Bill Belichick and $250,000 for the organization.
Those penalties are not inconsequential, but they left the Patriots with some wiggle room. Goodell met with former Patriots video assitant Matt Walsh on Tuesday. Regardless of what has come from those meetings, and the other tapes Walsh provided, Goodell should find some wiggle room of his own and hit the Patriots again where it hurts.
Docking the Patriots the draft pick didn't hurt that much because they still kept the salary-cap money and were able to use it to buy free agents.
To hurt the Patriots where it hurst most -- commpeting against other teams -- he should hit them in the salary cap. For their Spygate transgressions, Goodell should reduce the Patriots' salary cap by the amount of money their draft pick would have gotten on his rookie contract.
Last year's 31st pick, tight end Greg Olsen, got a five-year, $10.696 million deal from the Bears. That works out to about $2.14 million per year for five years. Factoring in an increase of about 10 percent would make the 2008 rookie contract worth about $2.4 million a year for five years.
That would hurt the Patriots more than losing a draft pick. Without the cap money, they can't go out and sign one, two or three low-cost veterans. Such a penalty would be one way of tilting the playing field on the Patriots.
Weekend Worrier: Thoughts on Lions' Workouts
1. Calvin Johnson looked terrific in the one full practice that was open to the media. He looked that way last year, too, before his lower back was injured. He's a potential superstar.
2. The continuing reaction to Jon Kitna's 10-win comment is tiresome. He said in March that the Lions will be disapopinted if they don't win 10 games because it means they won't make the playoffs. That isn't a prediction. The people who weren't there to interview Kitna in March are asking him now what he meant. It's stale and recycled. What's he supposed to say? That he really didn't mean it? If I had the chance, I'd probably ask Moses if he really meant "thou shalt not steal," because I'd love to have my neighbor's Escalade.
3. Ernie Sims is taking it easy in the offseason team drills. He's resting a shoulder injury sustained late last season. Sims never dwelled on the injury. He continued to play, and it bothered him.
4. Brian Calhoun looked quick and agile. He was rushed back too soon last year from a knee injury that ended his rookie season in 2006. This is an important year for Calhoun. He could fill the role that Kevin Faulk has for the Patriots -- relief runner, third-down receiver.
5. Maybe Drew Stanton was bothered by the wind in Wednesday's practice. It affected his accuracy. The key for him will be how well he plays in games, not drills. He'll have to make plays with his legs.
6. It's been a long time since I've seen such widespread relief among players that an assistant coach has departed, but that's the general feeling on the Lions about Mike Martz. He had supporters -- Kitna in particular -- but nobody's begging to rejoin him in San Francisco. The other side of this is, there's even more pressure on the players this year to make it work with Martz gone.
Caleb Campbell: Closer to the Front Line in the Lions' D
Caleb Campbell, the Lions' rookie from Army, is making a transition. He's closer to front-line duty on defense. Campbell played safety at Army. He's been at linebacker in mini-camp, and it's a different game being nearer the line.
"Definitely," Campbell said Saturday. "In college, I was 10 to 12 yards off the ball every play for the most part. I dropped down sometimes as a safety, but I never really had inside gap responsibilities. So transitioning to having inside gap respnsibility and using my hands to get the linemen off me is a big change. But I think it's gradually coming along."
A big change is the potential to face linemen on every play. Campbell weighs 229 pounds. Rookie offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus outweighs him by almost 100 pounds.
"They get up on you fast," Campbell said. "You've got to react fast. You've got to use your speed to get around and avoid these guys. If they get a great shot on you, you're going to the ground."
First Impressions of Rookie Camp
These are my observations on some of the Lions' rookies after one morning practice in minicamp:
Gosder Cherilus is powerful. Jordon Dizon is quick, fast and has good instincts. He seems to move in the right direction. Kevin Smith -- he's wearing No. 34, Kevin Jones' old number -- will push for a starting job. Andre Fluellen is quick off the ball. So is Cliff Avril. Caleb Campell has speed. He's also an interview magnet. Everybody wants to interview the cadet from West Point.
A word of caution: I've said the same things about a lot of draft picks. Wait till training camp, and again when they start playing for real.
Monday Morning GM: Draft Thoughts
1. There are various opinions on Caleb Campbell's decision to try a pro career instead of reporting for active duty in the army. He will graduate from West Point on May 31 with a comission as a second lieutenant. I have my opinions, but I'm interested in yours -- and it doesn't matter if you've been in the service or not. There is no wrong answer.
2. The Dallas Morning News gave the Lions draft an A. Somebody on AOL gave it an F. So much for all of us experts seeing it the same way.
3. One reason I won't root for Caleb Campbell is the same reason I won't root for any player. They all make it at the expense of someone else. It will work itself out, without any cheerleading.
4. Of all the players who slid in the draft, Mike Hart of Michigan might have been the saddest. The kid never did anything wrong. He carried the ball more than 1,000 times, and he was the heartbeat of the Michigan team. He has one flaw that he can't correct. He lacks speed.
5. Wide receiver Devin Thomas of Michigan State dropping into the second round was the biggest slide of the draft. The receiver position was deep, and teams -- Buffalo included -- felt they could get quality in the second round. And they did. But it cost players like Thomas millions of dollars in signing bonus money.
6. The NFL held up the announcement of Campbell going to the Lions until ESPN and the NFL Network both were out of commercial and back with live coverage.
7. The first round lasted three hours and 30 minutesw, compared to six hours and a few minutes last year. Something tells me the NFL will tweak the speed-up format slightly and put the first round on prime time within the next few years -- maybe next year.
8. I think NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should take over the PGA Tour for a year. Make the guys play faster. It's ridiculous for pros to mark their ball for a two-inch putt, clean the ball, replace the ball and putt out.
9. It doesn't matter of Kevin Smith starts on opening day for the Lions. What is important is where he is in the rotation. If the Lions get 20-30 carries a game, Smith should get at least a dozen carries.
10. Anyone still think the Lions will trade Roy Williams to Dallas? That they'll trade up to draft Matt Ryan? That they're trading Shaun McDonald to San Francisco?
11. Sometimes -- make that most of the time -- there is no logic to draft analysis. The Lions were roasted by some people last year for not drafting offensive tackle Joe Thomasl, under the theory that you win up front. This year, they drafted offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus -- and they should have taken a running back.
Lions on third round again: DE Cliff Avril, Purdue
The Lions made another trade on the third round, moving up to No. 92 in a trade with Dallas, and took defensive end Cliff Avril of Purdue.
The Lions gave the Cowboys their fourth-round pick this year and a fourth-round pick next year.
Lions on the third round: Fluellen for Rogers
The Lions second pick on the third round proved to be a trade of defensive tackles -- Shaun Rogers for Andre Fluellen.
Fluellen is a defensive tackle from Florida State. The pick, 87th overall, was acquired in a trade with Cleveland that sent Shaun Rogers to the Browns. The Lions also got cornerback Leigh Bodden in the deal.
The Lions need more depth at defensive tackle because of the trade. Fluellen, 6-2 and 296 pounds, was a teammate of linebacker Ernie Sims at FSU.
Kevin Smith -- from his website
Kevin Smith, the running back from Central Florida drafted on the third round by the Lions, doesn't lack confidence. Here is what he says about himself on his website: "Welcome to my exclusive website. I'm Kevin Smith. I was born in Miami, Florida and attended the University of Central Florida for three years of college. After finishing 61 yds shy of breaking Barry Sanders single season rushing record and scoring 30 TD's last season, I decided to turn pro. For those who are reading this and don't understand a thing about football, I was this year what Lil Wayne is to rap, or what Denzel Washington is to the movie business. Yes, I was that good... but it's still a long hard road. Follow me off the field now until I get drafted in April to one of the 32 NFL teams."
