The Lions have waived 25-year old fullback Jerome Felton.  Felton played in 16 games (2 starts) for the Lions last year and he carried the ball 22 times for 76 yards (3.5 ypc).  He also caught 8 passes for 54 yards (6.8 avg) last year.  Felton played in 42 games (16 starts) in his three years with the Lions and he carried the ball 39 times for 126 yards (3.2 ypc).  He also caught 30 passes for 240 yards (8.0 avg) in Detroit.  The Lions are going to more of a 1 RB system, which pretty much eliminated Felton’s position at fullback.  Don’t feel too sorry for him as he is almost certain to find a new team before the 2011 season starts.

The Lions have released 28-year old kicker Dave Rayner.  Rayner played in 8 games for the Lions last year and he made 13 of 16 (81.3%) field goals.  He also made all 16 of his extra point attempts as he finished up with 55 points last year.  Rayner was beaten out for the kicking job by 41-year old Jason Hanson.

The Lions completely dismantled the Patriots last night in Detroit.  Matt Stafford was razor sharp last night as he completed 12 of 14 passes for 200 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Shaun Hill followed him into the game and he was pretty good too as he completed 5 of 9 passes for 80 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Drew Stanton was also solid for the Lions last night as he completed 9 of 14 passes for 93 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 18 yards (9.0 ypc) last night.  Zac Robinson only threw 1 pass last night and it fell incomplete.  Ian Johnson led the way on the ground for the Lions in this game with 32 yards rushing on 11 carries (2.9 ypc).  Aaron Brown was also busy last night with 9 carries for 30 yards (3.3 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 48 yards (12.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Jerome Harrison pitched in with 24 yards rushing on 8 carries (3.0 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 51 yards (17.0 avg) last night.  WR Tim Toone led the way for the Lions’ passing game last night with 3 grabs for 47 yards (15.7 avg).  WR Nate Burleson (2 rec, 46 yards, TD), TE Tony Scheffler (3 rec, 38 yards, TD) and WR Derrick Williams (3 rec, 32 yards, TD) also had big games for the Lions in the passing game last night.  The Lions rushed for 114 yards rushing on 33 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 38 passes (68.4%) for 354 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:08.

LB Bobby Carpenter (7 tackles) and DE Cliff Avril (2 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits) led the way for the Lions on D last night.  Safety Ricardo Silva pitched in with a interception that he returned 11 yards.  The Patriots finished up with 61 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 48 passes (56.3%) for 292 yards last night.  The Lions are now a very impressive 3-0 on the preseason.

22-year old RB Jahvid Best struggled last season due to turf toe, but he’s healthy now and he is going to be the Lions’ main back once again in 2011.  Best played in 16 games (9 starts) for the Lions last year and he carried the ball 171 times for 555 yards (3.2 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 58 passes for 487 yards (8.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs last year.  Bell’s game is speed, so the Lions can’t afford him to get banged up again in 2011.

31-year old Maurice Morris will have to battle Jerome Harrison if he wants to remain the #2 back in 2011.  Morris played in 14 games (7 starts) for the Lions last year and he carried the ball 90 times for 336 yards (3.7 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 25 passes for 170 yards (6.8 avg) last year.  Morris has never been a true main man in the running game in his career, so he would likely share carries with other backs even if Best gets injured.  Morris has now played in 129 games (32 starts) in his first 9 years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 787 times for 3,332 yards (4.2 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  He has also caught 125 passes for 933 yards (7.5 avg) with 4 TD grabs in his career.

28-year old Jerome Harrison is a pretty solid player whenever he gets the opportunity to prove it.  Harrison played in 12 games (2 starts) for the Eagles & Browns last year and he carried the ball 71 times for 330 yards (4.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 12 passes for 85 yards (7.1 avg) last year.  Harrison is on the small side but he runs much bigger and can handle a heavy workload if needed.  Harrison has now played in 59 games (10 starts) in his first 5 years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 342 times for 1,640 yards (4.8 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  Harrison has also caught 69 passes for 487 yards (7.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs so far in his NFL career.

25-year old Aaron Brown will have to fight for a roster spot.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) for the Lions last year and he carried the ball 17 times for 58 yards (3.4 ypc).  He also caught 8 passes for 45 yards (5.6 avg) last year.  Brown has now played in 21 games (2 starts) in his first two years for the Lions and he has carried the ball 44 times for 189 yards (4.3 ypc).  He has also caught 17 passes for 129 yards (7.6 avg) with 1 TD grab in his career.

28-year old Mike Bell is a power back.  He played in 16 games (1 start) for the Eagles & Browns last year in which he carried the ball 47 times for 99 yards (2.1 ypc).  He also caught 7 passes for 67 yards (9.6 avg) last year.  Bell will have to beat out Aaron Brown for a roster spot if he wants to make the team.  Bell has played in 53 games (7 starts) in his first five years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 395 times for 1,475 yards (3.7 ypc) with 14 TD carries.  He also has caught 33 passes for 258 yards (7.8 avg) so far in his NFL career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LIONS RBS IN 2011:  C

The Lions have signed 28-year center Chris Morris.  Morris played in 4 games (0 starts) for the Panthers last year.  He has now played in 51 games (11 starts) in his first 5 years in the NFL.  The Lions are smart to bring in more depth for the interior of the offensive line, so I like the pickup of Morris.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Lions have waived Chris Morris.

The Detroit Lions have signed 26-year old TE Gijon Robinson.  Robinson played in 11 games for the Colts last year and he caught 3 passes for 12 yards (4.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 39 games in his first 3 years in the NFL and he has caught 31 passes for 240 yards (7.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Robinson will be used mostly as a run blocker as that is his strength.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Lions have released Gijon Robinson.

The Lions really played well offensively and that is the reason they won last night.  Matt Stafford looked really sharp last night as he completed 6 of 10 passes for 85 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Shaun Hill followed and he was so-so in completing 5 of 8 passes for 53 yards.  Drew Stanton followed Hill into the game at QB and he was awesome.  Stanton completed 6 of 8 passes for 80 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Zac Robinson finished out the game at QB by completing 2 of 3 passes for 17 yards.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 10 yards (1.7 ypc) last night.  RBs Ian Johnson (7 carries, 34 yards, 4.9 ypc), Mike Bell (11 carries, 33 yards, 3.0 ypc) and Jerome Harrison (6 carries, 27 yards, 4.5 ypc) all pitched in for the Lions in the running game last night.  WR Maurice Stovall led the way for the Lions last night with 4 grabs for 67 yards (16.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  WR Nate Burleson was very effective both catching the ball (2 rec, 34 yards, TD) and running it (1 carry for 26 yards) last night.  TE J.J. Finley pitched in with 2 grabs for 27 yards (13.5 avg) with a TD grab last night.  The Lions finished up with 176 yards rushing on 45 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 29 passes (65.5%) for 231 yards last night as they had possession of the ball for 36:51.

The defense was pretty solid after QB Colt McCoy left the game for the Browns.  LB Bobby Carpenter led the way for the Lions’ D last night with 5 tackles.  CB Prince Miller (3 tackles and 1 fumble recovery) and safety Erik Coleman (2 tackles and 1 fumble recovery) also made huge plays last night as the Lions scored TDs after each of the fumble recoveries.  The Browns rushed for 135 yards on 22 carries (6.1 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 30 passes (53.3%) for 136 yards last night.  The Lions are now 2-0 on the pre-season.

The Lions have signed 28-year old safety Aaron Francisco.  Francisco played in 12 games for the Colts last year and he had 59 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 3 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  He has now played in 75 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has 218 tackles, 7 passes defensed, 4 interceptions, 1 forced fumble and 8 tackles for a loss.  Francisco is a solid backup but the Lions will be in trouble if he’s forced into the starting lineup.  Francisco can also help the Lions on special teams, so I like his addition to the team.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Lions have released Aaron Francisco.

The Lions have signed 29-year old CB Anthony Madison to a 1-year deal.  Madison played in all 16 games for the Steelers last year and he had 24 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 66 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has 78 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception and 1 pass defensed.  Madison’s main role will be on special teams for the Lions but he will also provide some depth at corner in 2011.  The Lions have also released OT Tony Ugoh.

The Detroit Lions looked awesome on both sides of the football last night against the Bengals.  Matt Stafford got the start at QB and he was razor sharp in completing 6 of 7 passes for 71 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Shaun Hill followed Stafford and he was just as sharp as he completed 8 of 9 passes for 63 yards.  Hill also carried the ball 1 time for 7 yards and he scored a TD on that play.  Drew Stanton was #3 into the game at QB and he completed 7 of 15 passes for 110 yards.  #4 QB Zac Robinson also looked good as he completed both of his pass attempts, good for 36 yards and 1 TD pass.  RB Aaron Brown was very busy for the Lions last night with 21 yards rushing on 4 carries (5.3 ypc).  He also caught 5 passes for 49 yards (9.8 avg) last night.  Ian Johnson rushed for only 21 yards on 9 carries (2.3 ypc) in this game.  Jahvid Best looked decent in a brief appearance as he rushed for 12 yards on 4 carries (3.0 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 avg) in this game.  WRs Calvin Johnson (2 rec, 37 yards), Nate Hughes (1 rec, 28 yards) and Nate Burleson (2 rec, 17 yards) each caught 1 TD pass apiece in this game.  The Lions rushed for 70 yards on 33 carries (2.1 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 33 passes (69.7%) for 280 yards in this game.

The defense was outstading for the Lions last night.  CB Brandon McDonald (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and LB Bobby Carpenter (6 tackles) led the way for the Lions’ D last night.  Safety Ricardo Silva (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and CB Chris Houston (interception) also pitched in for the Lions last night.  The Bengals finished up with 70 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 31 passes (61.3%) for 135 yards in this game.