Daily Blog for Detroit Lions. If the Detroit Lions are your cup of tea, you're going to love what we've got to offer on LionsLocker.com, the blog that covers everything having to do with the Lions, from the news and scores to the ammunition you need to play your fantasy games or bet on the Lions, like up-to-date stats, rankings, standings, player profiles and more. Deliver your own "expert" commentary or check out what others have to say. We can't deliver you to Ford Field, but we can you as close as possible. Wait – come to think of it, we CAN deliver you to Ford Field, because we can point you in the right direction to get the best ticket deals. It's not easy to stay on top of things, but that's why we do all that for you – even when it comes to purchasing premium Lions merchandise and apparel. Make sure you drop by LionsLocker.com, where we have restored the roar!
The Lions have waived 26-year old RB Aaron Brown. Brown played in 1 game for the Lions this year in which he carried the ball 1 time for 0 yards and he also caught 1 pass for 9 yards. Brown played in 22 games in parts of three years with the Lions and he carried the ball 45 times for 189 yards (4.2 ypc). He also caught 18 passes for 138 yards (7.7 avg) with 1 TD grab for the Lions. The Lions won’t miss Brown too much going forward.
The Lions have waived 26-year old CB Brandon McDonald. McDonald played in 11 games for the Lions this year and he had 17 tackles and 1 pass defensed. He played in 17 games in his two years with the Lions and he had 36 tackles, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed. This says a lot about what the Lions think about McDonald as they have had a lot of injuries in the secondary lately.
UPDATE: (12/22/2011) – The Lions have re-signed Brandon McDonald.
The Lions have signed 38-year old punter Ben Graham. Graham played in 1 game for the Cardinals earlier this year and he has punted the ball 5 times for 212 yards (42.4 avg). He pinned the opposition inside their own 20-yard line 2 times (40%) in his game with the Cardinals earlier this year. Graham has now played in 89 games in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has punted the ball 434 times for 19,178 yards (44.2 avg). He has also pinned the opposing team inside their own 20-yard line 150 games (34.6%) and he has 36 touchbacks (8.3%) so far in his NFL career. The Lions have released punter Robert Malone, who was awful against the Bears last weekend. This is a clear upgrade for the Lions.
The Lions have waived 25-year old RB Aaron Brown. Brown 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 played in 21 games (2 starts) in his two years with the Lions and he carried the ball 44 times for 189 yards (4.3 ypc). He also caught 17 passes for 129 yards (7.6 avg) with 1 TD grab for the Lions. Brown also returned 42 kickoffs for 951 yards (22.6 avg) for the Lions. This isn’t much of a loss for the Lions, but I think Brown will get a shot with another team at some point in 2011.
The Detroit Lions have released 25-year old WR Derrick Williams. Williams played in 7 games (1 start) for the Lions last season and he caught 3 passes for 30 yards (10.0 avg). He played in 18 games (1 start) in his two years with the Lions and he caught 9 passes for 82 yards (9.1 avg). He also had 1 carry for 4 yards. Williams did help out a little bit on special teams though as he returned 42 kickoffs for 931 yards (22.2 avg) for the Lions. Some team will give Williams another shot in 2011, but this is a good sign for the Lions WRs going forward.
The Lions have waived 25-year old safety Caleb Campbell. Campbell played in 3 games as a rookie for the Lions last year and he had 3 tackles. With all of the improvements the Lions have made to the roster in the offseason, a player like Campbell just didn’t fit in anymore. Hopefully another team will give Campbell a chance as he is from Army.
The Lions have released 25-year old OG Donald Thomas. Thomas didn’t get into any games for the Lions last year. He has played in 17 games (13 starts) in his first three years in the NFL. The Lions didn’t want Thomas clogging up a roster spot, which is what led to his release. This is no loss.
The Lions have released 29-year old CB Nathan Vasher. Vasher played in 14 games for the Lions last year and he finished up with 19 tackles, 1 interception, 5 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss. He has now played in 87 games in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has 183 tackles, 49 passes defensed, 20 interceptions (2 returned for TDs), 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 1 tackle for a loss. The Lions have improved the secondary for 2011, so Vasher wasn’t need anymore.
The Lions have released 33-year old punter Nick Harris. Harris played in all 16 games for the Lions last year. He punted the ball 90 times for 4,018 yards (44.6 avg) last year. He only had 8 touchbacks (8.9%) and he pinned the opposition inside their own 20-yard line 24 times (26.7%). Harris played in 123 games in his 8 years with the Lions in which he punted the ball 627 times for 27,073 yards (43.2 avg). He had 47 touchbacks (7.5%) and he pinned the opposing team inside their own 20-yard line 189 times (30.1%). Harris was beaten out for the punter job on the Lions by undrafted rookie Ryan Donahue.
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.