The Lions released Ross Verba today.  He started 7 games for the Lions last season, but the Lions need someone better on the outside as Verba’s play has started to slip.

The Lions are going to allow Marcus Pollard to walk because Mike Martz’ offense doesn’t utilize the tight end much.  Pollard played in 15 games (5 starts) and he caught 12 passes for 100 yards (8.3 avg).

The Lions have franchised DT Corey Redding and he’s not too happy about it.  Redding was looking to cash in on his good season and make the big bucks in free agency.  He played in all 16 games and made 47 tackles, had 8 sacks, forced to fumbles and recovered a fumble.

The Lions used a lot of 4 WR sets, so the TE was not a major part of the offense.  The Lions TEs caught 43 passes for 504 yards and 4 TDs.  Dan Campbell played in 16 games (11 starts) and he caught 21 passes for 308 yards (14.7 avg) and 4 TDs.  For his career, Campbell played in 111 games (74 starts) and he has caught 89 passes for 912 yards (10.2 avg) with 11 TD grabs.

Marcus Pollard played in 15 games (5 starts) and he has caught 12 passes for 100 yards (8.3 avg).  For his career, Pollard has played in 177 games (125 starts) and he has caught 321 passes for 4,007 yards (12.5 avg) with 38 TD grabs.

Casey Fitzsimmons played in 11 games (2 starts) and he caught 7 passes for 71 yards (10.1 avg).  For his career, Fitzsimmons has played in 57 games (18 starts) and he has caught 50 passes for 379 yards (7.6 avg) with 3 TD grabs.

Sean McHugh played in 6 games (2 starts) and he caught 3 passes for 25 yards (8.3 avg).  He has played in 10 games over his career (2 starts) and he’s caught 3 passes for 25 yards (8.3 avg).

The Lions didn’t get much out of the draft after their first two picks…..but boy were those two good ones.  The Lions could use more impact players like the ones they drafted for this season.   Here is a breakdown:

In the first round the Lions selected the dynamic OLB Ernie Sims.  Sims played in all 16 games and made 124 tackles, had 1/2 a sack, defensed a pass, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.  The only thing with Sims is he hits so hard that he hurts himself a lot.  But the Lions will just have to deal with that because he’s the best player on their defense already!

In the second round the Lions drafted SS Daniel Bullocks and he was great for them.  He played in 15 games and made 74 tackles, had a sack, defensed 3 passes and forced a fumble.  Bullocks is a run enforcer from the safety spot and he’ll get better on coverage with experience.  Another fine pick for the Lions.

In the 3rd round the Lions selected RB Brian Calhoun.  Calhoun had his season cut short due to a major injury.  He only played in 7 games and carried the ball 7 times for 20 yards (2.9 ypc) and he caught 2 passes for 20 yards.  He has the potential to be a decent player for the Lions if he comes back healthy.

In the 5th round the Lions drafted OT Jonathan Scott.  Scott played in 13 games as a rookie and started 4 of them.  He could be a future starter for the Lions, but it more likely to be a reserve.

In the 6th round the Lions selected CB Dee McCann who didn’t play a down in his rookie season.

The Lions first 7th round pick, OG Fred Matua didn’t make the team.  Their second 7th rounder was OLB Anthony Cannon who played in 12 games and made 8 tackles….mostly on special teams.