DETROIT LIONS DAILY UPDATE

TODAY'S NEWS

• The Lions practiced on the indoor field in helmets and shorts today at the team headquarters and training facility in Allen Park.
• The following players have been listed on the Detroit Lions' injury report: G Frank Davis (neck), S Kenoy Kennedy (foot) and LB Alex Lewis (knee) are out. T Rex Tucker (knee) and G Ross Verba (hamstring) are questionable. S Terrence Holt (back) is probable. Davis, Kennedy, Lewis, Tucker and Verba missed the team portion of practice today. Detroit removed CB Dré Bly (illness) from the injury report today.
• The following players have been listed on the Minnesota Vikings' injury report: QB Tarvaris Jackson (knee), LB Ben Leber (knee), S Darren Sharper (quadriceps) and CB Antoine Winfield (thigh) are questionable. TE Jermaine Wiggins (hamstring) is probable. Jackson missed the team portion of practice today. The Vikings removed K Ryan Longwell (illness) from their injury report today and upgraded Wiggins to probable.
• The Lions (0-4) will travel to Minneapolis this weekend to face the Vikings (2-2). Detroit will look to get their first win after a heartbreaking 34-41 loss to St. Louis and Minnesota will be trying to rebound from a close 12-17 loss at Buffalo.
• This week's game is scheduled to be televised live in Metro Detroit on WJBK-TV FOX Channel 2 with Sam Rosen handling play-by-play and Tim Ryan adding color commentary. Due to the MLB Playoffs, the game may be moved to Monday, October 9 (8:30 p.m. ET), in which case it would be televised locally on broadcast television. 
• The game will also be broadcast on the Lions Radio Network (WKRK 97.1 FM) with announcer Dan Miller handling play-by-play, Jim Brandstatter adding color commentary and Tony Ortiz reporting from the sideline.

LIONS HEAD COACH ROD MARINELLI
Opening Statement: "In terms of the injuries - everything is exactly the same. Nothing's changed since (yesterday)."

On the legal issue regarding S Kenoy Kennedy: "Yeah, I'm aware of it. I talked to the player and (now) we'll let the legal parts take care of the process."

On if he feels any differently going into this game than he has with the others: "I'm really more excited - I can't wait. I thought we had some great energy this week - I'm cranked up. I want to see our front come off the block; I'm interested in seeing that now. (We want to) set the pace and set the tempo and I believe they're going to do that. I'm just - I'm tingling, I'm ready to go."

On how the Vikings have been getting rid of the ball very quickly, and how the Lions front will deal with that: "What I want to do is take internal pressure right up the pipe - boom. I want to come up that pipe. If he (Brad Johnson) gets rid of it, he's going to be backing up. We got to come off the ball, that's what we've got to be able to do, and that's what we're going to do and that's the plan."

On if the players have reacted well to what he did this week and if he's seen improvement: "We'll find out Sunday. I'm excited. I can't wait; I got my track shoes on and I'm ready to go. I'm excited and I'm really looking forward to this whole thing, and I'm just as positive as I've ever been. We had a great meeting this morning - the things I see, the encouraging things. We just clean up a couple things on our pass defense and we're going to rock and we're going to go - just going to keep pushing them and driving them."

On what he's cleaned up on the coverage end: "Well, like I was telling you, we just started tightening some things up. We went back in and we just re-taught everything again. In the meeting, re-teach the fine points and show where we've messed up and teach it and go through it again. I want that front helmet. I want to turn grass off the ground."

On if CB Fernando Bryant will start: "Probably not - well, give me one more day. What is today, Friday? Oh, ok. I'll call you (laughing).But, no - we need to talk one more day and see how everybody's feeling."

On if G Barry Stokes will start: "Yeah I think we'll start 'Stoksie' - see how he feels. He's feeling pretty good right now. I told him: 'don't be sprinting down the field on me now, just jog down the field.'"

On how T Jonathan Scott seemed to play and if there's any chance they'll keep him in to let him roll: "I think a veteran would be nice right now. He's done a great job under all of this and now this is a chance for him to really continue to grow right now, and we're developing another tackle. He's taking up some position flexibility for us, because he can play left tackle too, you know what I'm saying? You get yourself a little bit more leeway and we're developing a young player right now that I'm excited about."

On if Scott was a little overwhelmed as things were going on, on Sunday: "Under pressure some of the fundamental stuff kind of went haywire a little bit, but he competed. That was the thing. He went a little - that (Leonard Little) was a heck of a ball player. Those inside moves, he was wheeling and coming down with them and he's competing - I like it. I like the guy, and he's just a young pup. But, he competed and that's what you're looking for."

On how he would see having an extra day either helping or hurting the team: "Doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. We've got a schedule and when everyone shows, we're going. We've got about five scenarios: A, B, C, D and E. I've got them all set-up, and the first scenario is we're going to go play Sunday. First scenario we wait and watch the game tonight, then after we see the score we'll know what we do tomorrow. If they win, they (the players) come in early; if they don't win they come in later. Then we watch the game, then if this game wins we take off that night, and if that one doesn't we go home that night. Then we treat Sunday like a Saturday and we'll go play Monday and we'll have a ball."

On if he's a fan of the Oakland A's now: "Oh yeah - yeah. I want the A's, they got to go - hey, line-up and play. Then we'll line-up and we'll play, and we've just got to get better."

On if it's fair to say that this is the most excited he's been this season: "No. I just don't tell you. I'm just having fun, I really am - that's just me."

On who will start if it's not Bryant and will it not necessarily be CB Jamar Fletcher: "We kind of want to evaluate the week. Could be (Fletcher), we just want to look at it. We put some guys inside in nickel and all those things. Safety-wise we're a little thin right now. So, we've got to be able to use our corners more and spread the corners around a little bit. So, those are some of the things we're looking at. This is all fun."

COURTESY OF THE LIONS