The Detroit Lions won last night despite putting the ball on the ground a lot and generally playing poor defense, but a win is a win.  Matt Stafford looked sharp last night for the Lions as he completed 13 of 17 passes for 141 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Shaun Hill look solid too as he completed 6 of 10 passes for 52 yards in this game.  Jahvid Best only played on the Lions’ first possession but he made a mark as he carried the ball 1 time for 51 yards and he also caught 1 pass for 10 yards.  Fullback Jerome Felton pitched in with 37 yards rushing on 6 carries (6.2 ypc).  Aaron Brown (5 car, 34 yards, 2 TDs) was outstanding late in this game for the Lions helping them win the game.  Kevin Smith carried the ball 8 times for 20 yards (2.5 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 9 yards last night.  But, he also lost a fumble that Browns’ CB Eric Wright returned 44 yards for a TD.  Calvin Johnson (2 rec, 42 yards) and Bryant Johnson (1 rec, 7 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Lions last night.  The Lions rushed for 154 yards (5.9 ypc) and they also passed for 193 yards last night.

The Lions gave up a lot of yards last night to the Browns but they also had some defensive players who made big plays.  Linebacker Julian Peterson led the way for the Lions in this game with 9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  Rookie 3rd round pick (S) Amari Spievy pitched in last night with 6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  CB Chris Houston had 4 tackles and he recovered a fumble that he returned 14 yards for a TD.  Linebacker Landon Johnson only had 2 tackles last night but he also recovered 2 fumbles for the Lions.  The Browns finished up with 109 yards rushing (4.2 ypc) and 305 yards passing last night.  The Lions are now 2-1 on the pre-season.

The Lions have placed 34-year old DE Jared DeVries on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a knee injury.   The Lions won’t miss him too much as he missed all of 2009 due to injury.  DeVries has played in 118 games in his 10 years with the Lions and he has 185 tackles, 8 passes defensed, 16.5 sacks and 6 forced fumbles.  This might be the injury that ends his career as he was contemplating retirement over the off-season.

The Lions have signed 27-year old safety John Wendling.  Wendling played in 16 games for the Bills last season and he finished up with 26 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  He has now played in 46 games in his three years in the NFL and he has 49 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  Wendling will provide the Lions with depth in the secondary while making his money on special teams if he makes the Lions’ final roster.

The Lions have claimed 25-year old OT Tyler Polumbus off waivers from the Broncos.  Polumbus played in 15 games (8 starts) for the Broncos last season and he has now played in 31 games (8 starts) in his two years in the NFL.  This was a good move for the Lions as Polumbus will provide depth on the O-Line if he makes the team.

UPDATE:  (9/1/2010) – The Lions have traded Tyler Polumbus to the Seahawks.  No word yet on what they will get back but this was a solid move for the Lions.  They saw that the Seahawks put in a claim for Polumbus and they got something for him for simply putting in a claim.

The Lions looked pretty solid last Saturday Night in Denver.  Matt Stafford was very good in this game as he completed 13 of 18 passes for 130 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Shaun Hill was solid again as he completed 9 of 14 passes for 93 yards.  Drew Stanton finished up the game by completing 2 of 4 passes for 36 yards.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 31 yards (7.8 ypc) with a TD run.  Rookie Jahvid Best was solid in this game with 8 carries for 49 yards (6.1 ypc) and he caught 2 passes for 10 yards.  De De Dorsey was also busy with 5 carries for 21 yards (4.2 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 41 yards (10.3 avg) in this game.  Calvin Johnson pitched in with 2 grabs for 34 yards (17.0 avg) in this game.  The Lions finished up with 151 yards rushing (5.0 ypc) and 241 yards passing in this game. 

DB Randy Phillips led the way for the Lions in this game with 4 tackles.  The Broncos finished up with 75 yards rushing (3.8 ypc) and 264 yards passing in this game.

The Lions have signed 25-year old kicker Steve Hauschka.  He played in 9 games for the Ravens last season and he made 9 of 13 field goals (69.2%) and 27 of 28 extra points to finish with 54 points.  Hauschka has now played in 17 games in his NFL career and he is 10 of 15 (66.7%) on field goals and 27 of 28 on extra points good for 57 points.  He has bumped Aaron Pettrey off the roster as he has been released.  Pettrey played in the Lions first pre-season game against the Steelers and he missed his only field goal attempt while making his only extra point. 

The Lions have signed 27-year old CB/KR T.J. Rushing.  Rushing played in 16 games for the Colts last season and he had six tackles.  He also returned 7 kickoffs for 127 yards (18.1 avg) and 21 punts for 119 yards (5.7 avg) last season.  Rushing has now played in 35 games in his three years in the NFL and he has 30 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  Rushing has also returned 40 kickoffs for 908 yards (22.7 avg) and 42 punts for 382 yards (9.1 avg) with 1 TD return.  The Lions have had issues with their return game so look for Rushing to get a chance to earn a spot on the Lions’ roster if he plays well in the pre-season.

The Lions have acquired 24-year old DE Lawrence Jackson for an undisclosed 2011 draft pick presumed to be a late rounder.  Jackson played in 16 games (10 starts) for the Seahawks last year and he had 32 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 passes defensed and 2 forced fumbles.  He has now played in 32 games (24 starts) in his first two years in the NFL and he has 61 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 2 passes defensed and 2 forced fumbles.  I love this pickup for the Lions as Jackson was a 1st round pick in 2008 and he has a nice upside.

The Lions have claimed 25-year old safety David Roach off waivers.  Roach played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Rams last season and he had 15 tackles.  Roach played in the Rams’ pre-season opener last week against the Vikings and he had 1 tackle.  The Lions hope that Roach can help them with depth in the secondary while helping out on special teams.

UPDATE:  (8/28/2010) – The Lions have waived  David Roach.

The Lions have waived 26-year old safety Marvin White.  White played in 10 games (6 starts) for the Lions last season and he had 51 tackles and 6 passes defensed.  White has now played in 40 games (19 starts) in his 4-year NFL career and he has 141 tackles, 14 passes defensed and 1 interception.  White had 3 tackles in the pre-season opener against the Steelers.  Look for White to hook on with another team shortly.