DETROIT LIONS DAILY UPDATE
TODAY'S NEWS
- The Lions practiced on the indoor field today at the team headquarters and training facility in Allen Park. The team practiced in pads for the first half of practice and then finished the workout in helmets and shorts.
- The following players have been listed on the Detroit Lions' injury report: WR Shaun Bodiford (knee), S Kenoy Kennedy (foot) and LB Alex Lewis (knee) are out. T Barry Stokes (hamstring), T Rex Tucker (knee) and G Ross Verba (hamstring) are questionable. DE Cory Redding (ankle) and DT Shaun Rogers (knee) are probable. Bodiford, Kennedy, Lewis, Stokes, Tucker, Redding and Rogers each missed the team portion of practice today.
- The following players have been listed on the Green Bay Packers' injury report: T Junius Coston (knee) is doubtful. CB Will Blackmon (foot), CB Al Harris (shoulder), TE David Martin (knee) and G Jason Spitz (thigh) are questionable. Blackmon, Coston, Martin and Spitz each missed the team portion of practice today.
- The Lions will host the Packers Sunday in a NFC North division match-up at Ford Field. This week, Detroit will look to get their first win after a difficult 34-7 loss to the defending NFC North division-winning Chicago Bears while Green Bay looks to rebound from a heartbreaking 34-27 home loss to the New Orleans Saints.
LIONS HEAD COACH ROD MARINELLI
Opening statement: "We have a couple injury updates for you: Shaun Bodiford is still out; Kenoy Kennedy, foot, will be out; Alex Lewis is out; Barry Stokes, hamstring, is questionable, Rex Tucker, knee, is questionable; Verba's hamstring, questionable - he practiced today; Shaun Rogers is probable, he had a little swelling on his knee and we took him out of some of the drills today. Other than that it was a good day. We started off in pads and halfway through it, just to get more guys to practice, we took them off. Other than that it was a good practice and we're ready to move on."
On if TE Casey FitzSimmons is off the injury list: "Yes, he was up in practice today."
On what will determine if FitzSimmons will play: "I believe he will be (active). Right now (he's) practicing and everything looked pretty good. He got some padded work and some non-padded work, so he was working. Jonathan Scott worked at the right tackle position; he's the next guy in line to come up. Daniel Bullocks was working at the safety; Paris Lenon was at 'Sam' backer; Boss (Bailey) was at 'Mike' and Ernie (Sims) at the 'Will.'"
On S Kenoy Kennedy's knee: "It's going to be week-to-week right now - I don't know. I know he's out this week for sure and we'll check him next week."
On LB Alex Lewis: "Alex Lewis will be about 2-3 weeks."
On if you can't guess Kennedy's weeks: "Right, we'll update more next week - but we're in good shape. We have some of these young guys who are practicing well and they get the opportunity, it's their time."
On if this is a big opportunity for S Daniel Bullocks: "Great opportunity, he's going to get up and go out there. He's been practicing as a Lion since mini camp, so he's ready to go."
On if Packers QB Brett Favre throwing the ball presents a great challenge for Bullocks: "Oh I would think so. Anytime anybody's back there it's a challenge. Brett's a great quarterback… a great quarterback. We just have to be on our game and get going."
On if LB Boss Bailey is ready to go: "I think so. He's been getting about 38-40 reps right about now - he's getting the reps right now. I thought he looked sharper last week, especially towards the end of the game. He's gotten plenty of work. We'll give Anthony Cannon a chance this week at middle linebacker-a good fast young player. We have some good young players and (we'll) get ready to roll."
On how he addressed the focus issues: "Well, we hit it Monday hard and then hit it again today. We talked about it: these are things that are beating us. Saw it on tape. Got it corrected and we've just got to stay on the details - the penalties, execution, all those areas. So fundamentals just all over and just have to grind the details."
On if it should be called a must-win: "It's a game that's in front of us. We've got to go out every game, every snap and we've just got to go play well and win. You can label it what you want, we've just got to go out and win this thing this week. We've just got to go out and improve and get better and do what we do and if those things happen, we'll win. If we go out and do the things we're supposed to do or are capable of doing - I believe in this team and the heart and hustle and that we're capable of controlling and the opponent can't - but we've got to make sure we're doing those things. Communication at home has to be great. We just need to be ready to max out. That's what we've got to do every week. We're just that far off, and we've got to close that distance."
On what he thinks about Green Bay's two rookie guards: "They've been starting, so obviously they feel good about them. They're good, young players. They're aggressive and very quick and have good movement. We have two very good veteran tackles and when you have match-ups, you've got to win your match-ups. It's not just going to be a one-on-one match-up, they'll be chipping and helping them do those things. When that happens, someone's going to get into a one-on-one and we've got to come out and win those things."
On what he sees in his running game that it might be coming around: "You see it; a block here, a helmet on the wrong side. Things are kind of set up a little bit - doing just the littlest things right now. We've just got to stay with it. We got behind and weren't able to stay with it (against Chicago). We had a couple of breakout runs early and then we didn't get as many attempts after that and we got behind 24-0."
On how important it is to get the whole thing going in the trenches in accomplishing what he wants to do: "It's everything. We focused in our draft, one, to get a couple of young offensive linemen and we did that. We've got good depth at defensive line - that has to happen. We're doing a nice job with the defensive front with the front seven in terms of playing the run. I'm pleased where we're at right there, but we've got to run the ball better."
On fans seeing the 0-2 start and naturally feeling the 'same old story' and why they should see any different: "They shouldn't until we put it on tape. We have to go out on the field and we have to go out and do it. We have to go out there and we have to perform and then they'll say, 'Oh. Hey, they're better.' We have to go out and do that as a football team. What we're doing right here is working at it and now let's get another opportunity to prove ourself and improve as a football team."
On if S Jon McGraw is on the injury report with a concussion: "No, he's fine. He didn't make the list."
On the report that the Lions inquired about Oakland WR Jerry Porter: "On those things - any player that's available throughout the league, we're always going to be in search of. Any player at any place at any position that we think has a chance to make this team. We're always going to look."
CONFERENCE CALL WITH PACKERS HEAD COACH MIKE MCCARTHY
On how he's approaching this game with both teams being 0-2: "Well, we're taking the same approach that we do every week. It's a football game, we feel very good about the division (it's a division game) and we're just trying to clean up our mistakes from the past two weeks and learn from them and then come up to Detroit and try to win on the road."
On playing another team that is struggling, does he look at it as a better opportunity than his first couple of weeks: "I wouldn't say that. The Chicago game was a challenge. Last week's game was a game we had plenty of opportunities to be successful and we did not take advantage of that. This is a game that we feel very confident that we can win and we've approached it that way since we started meeting on these guys."
On the status of G (Jason) Spitz: "He's questionable."
On if T/G (Daryn) Colledge will start in place of Spitz if he doesn't play: "Yes, that's correct."
On his concern of the match-up with DT Shaun Rogers: "I mean we're not just going to play one-on-one with Shaun Rogers, I mean I think that's a safe bet there. It's really the interior of our lines. Shaun is an outstanding football player and we have acknowledged that and that will be part of our plan as we come into Sunday's game."
On if he's getting anxious to see what it feels like to win a game as a head coach in the NFL: "Am I anxious? Yeah. I think we're all anxious to win here - yes."
On if he came close to being the offensive coordinator here with head coach Steve Mariucci: "Yes, I did interview for the offensive coordinator when Steve was there, yes."
On if he knows how close he was to getting the job: "How close I was to getting the job? I don't know who came in second place or third if that's what you're asking."
On how QB Brett Favre looks right now: "Looks good. He's kept his body in good shape, he's practicing hard, he has a clear understanding of what we're asking him to do and we're very pleased with Brett to this point."
On how he handles the issues of people wondering how much longer Favre will play and if or when he should play QB Aaron Rodgers: "I deal with it like you deal with everything else in this business - you take it for the information that you have at hand. I had a prior relationship with Brett from being his position coach in 1999, so we were in direct contact the whole time, you know. I established a good relationship with (Aaron Rodgers) and even before I came here I had the opportunity to be around Aaron through the draft process when he came out as a quarterback. When you deal with these things on a professional level you have to sometimes rely on your personal relationships, and I feel I have very good relationships with both quarterbacks."
On if having an icon quarterback in the later stages of his (Favre's) career adds another element: "I mean it's part of the makeup of our football team, it's part of the makeup of our organization, so I think with my experiences of working with Brett in the past I haven't felt like it's been a big distraction or problem at all - I haven't looked at it that way at all."
On if there's anything that limits Brett at all in this stage of his career: "Anything that limits him? I mean he is thirty-six years old, he doesn't run as well as he used to and he doesn't throw the ball through the wall like he used to - he puts a dent in it though - I mean he can still throw it to just about anybody. I mean, he has plenty of gas left in his gas tank. To say he's limited, I don't think that would be accurate. I think he's a guy that has a lot of ability, but for so long he was very gifted - he has a lot left in his tank."
On if he (Favre) has to be more patient this year to avoid the amount of interceptions he has last season: "I would think you have to be patient period, as a quarterback. I think sometimes when you play the quarterback position guys will get in trouble - in my opinion - when you get into a football game where you're chasing the game and you don't let the game come to you. He is an aggressive player - that could be a tendency that happens to aggressive players - but I think he's done a very good job of understanding our scheme and the new offenses that are different that he's had in the past and in managing the offense and so forth and gaining timing with the new players. I'm very pleased with his process, of the way he goes above his business and where he's at in his performance."
On how he's dealing with some of his younger players such as LB (A.J.) Hawk and WR (Greg) Jennings: "I'll tell you, they're very mature young players. Greg Jennings, Jason Spitz, A.J. Hawk - they're all very mature guys for being rookies. I'm very pleased with the way they go about it. They come to work everyday, they're here early, they stay late, they put in the extra time and they're starters on our football team, so, I'm very happy with them at this point."
On as a second round pick is Jennings ahead of schedule than what some other people might have seen for him: "I can't judge by what other people think of him. As far as the draft, we were excited when we drafted him, and I'll just say since the day he arrived here in the spring he seemed just very comfortable in everything we've asked of him. He's picked the scheme up mentally quickly, he's an excellent route runner for a young man and I just have not had the experience of a receiver stepping into the league as fast as he has and played with the level of consistency and confidence that he has."
CONFERENCE CALL WITH PACKERS CB CHARLES WOODSON
On if he watched the Michigan game last week: "Oh yeah. That's a big game, got to watch that."
On if the game reminded him of the 1997 game: "I think they're a lot bigger and faster than we were up front - that defense."
On how much he thinks Brett Favre has left: "I think given time, he has a lot left - give him time to get back there and throw the ball."
On how this team and this season feels similar/different to what he went through with Oakland when they were struggling: "I think right now we've lost the first two games, but after last game we felt a little bit more positive about the team. It just seems like last year in Oakland, you know, we weren't going anywhere or going anywhere fast, but this team definitely has an upside to it."
On if he feels more confident going into a game like this where he can or should win: "Somebody's got to win - I sure hope so. We're going in 0-2; we're going in definitely confident. I think we played well last week, we just didn't finish it out, so we definitely feel good about our chances this week."
On if after leaving Oakland had he imagined he would be in a similar situation at Green Bay: "No, not at all. I'm kind of disappointed so far. But, like I said, we take a lot of positives from the New Orleans Saints game and had a good practice today and just look forward to coming in and playing against the Lions on Sunday."
On the key to keep the Lions from getting on track offensively against the Packers: "Hopefully we can keep them struggling. On our end, as far as our defense, we have to eliminate big plays and I think that's what teams have been doing to Detroit so far - eliminate big plays. We've been giving up the big plays, so in our area we have to stay sound, eliminate those mistakes and eliminate those big plays."
On if Lions receivers could present "trouble" for him: "No, I mean, they have a good group of guys (young guys) with Roy being their starter, making big plays for them. Other than that, I've been in the league a long time, so I don't think they have anything over there I never seen before."
On what he thinks about RB Reggie Bush: "I think he's going to be a star. I think New Orleans is doing a good job of getting him the ball, getting him into space against linebackers and that type of thing. I don't think he's one of those guys that you want to just sit him back there and hand the ball to him 30 times a game. I think the way they utilize him is good and healthy for his career."
On if he's still playing Jeopardy: "Man, I haven't played or watched it in a long time."
Courtesy of the Lions
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