Detroit Lions NFL News - Lions Football Blog http://www.lionslocker.com 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! Wed, 02 May 2012 04:19:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 The Detroit Lions picked CB Dwight Bentley in the 3rd round of the 2012 NFL Draft http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/05/02/the-detroit-lions-picked-cb-dwight-bentley-in-the-3rd-round-of-the-2012-nfl-draft/ http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/05/02/the-detroit-lions-picked-cb-dwight-bentley-in-the-3rd-round-of-the-2012-nfl-draft/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 04:19:45 +0000 admin http://www.lionslocker.com/?p=968 The Detroit Lions selected CB Dwight Bentley out of Louisiana Lafayette with the 85th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2012 NFL Draft.  Bentley is a small guy at 5’9″, 176 pounds and he runs a 4.55 40.  Bentley is not a physical player but he plays hard and it willing to stick his nose in against a RB.  He does make big plays from time to time as he is solid in coverage.  Bentley played in 13 games (all starts) at Louisiana Lafayette last year and he had 71 tackles, broke up six passes, had 3 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles.  He played in 48 games (45 starts) in his four years at Louisiana Lafayette and he had 232 tackles, 20 passes broken up, 7 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.  I like this pick for the Lions as they needed some help at corner.

]]> http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/05/02/the-detroit-lions-picked-cb-dwight-bentley-in-the-3rd-round-of-the-2012-nfl-draft/feed/ 0 The Detroit Lions picked WR Ryan Broyles in the 2nd round of the 2012 NFL Draft http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/29/the-detroit-lions-picked-wr-ryan-broyles-in-the-2nd-round-of-the-2012-nfl-draft/ http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/29/the-detroit-lions-picked-wr-ryan-broyles-in-the-2nd-round-of-the-2012-nfl-draft/#comments Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:04:23 +0000 admin http://www.lionslocker.com/?p=966 The Detroit Lions selected WR Ryan Broyles out of Oklahoma with the 54th overall pick (2nd round) of the 2012 NFL Draft.  Broyles is a rock solid WR as he goes and gets the football despite being 5’10″, 185 pounds.  He isn’t the fastest WR around as he runs a 4.5 40, but he’s very elusive after the catch as he has a wide array of moves.  Broyles isn’t much of a help blocking for the run, so don’t look for him to play a lot on running downs.  Broyles played in 9 games (all starts) for Oklahoma last year and he caught 83 passes for 1,157 yards (13.9 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  He played in 48 games (44 starts) in his four years with the Sooners and he caught 349 passes for 4,586 yards (13.1 avg) with 45 TD grabs.  Broyles might miss some time early in his career as he has still recovering from a torn ACL that caused him to miss the last four games for the Sooners last year.  I really like this pick for the Lions as Broyles has a nice upside.

]]> http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/29/the-detroit-lions-picked-wr-ryan-broyles-in-the-2nd-round-of-the-2012-nfl-draft/feed/ 0 The Detroit Lions take OT Riley Reiff in the 1st round of the 2012 NFL Draft http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/28/the-detroit-lions-take-ot-riley-reiff-in-the-1st-round-of-the-2012-nfl-draft/ http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/28/the-detroit-lions-take-ot-riley-reiff-in-the-1st-round-of-the-2012-nfl-draft/#comments Sat, 28 Apr 2012 19:48:55 +0000 admin http://www.lionslocker.com/?p=964 The Detroit Lions took OT Riley Reiff out of Iowa with the 23rd pick of the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.  Reiff will probably take over as the Lions’ LT when Jeff Backus retires….until then he will likely start on the right side.  Reiff is a good pass blocker but he will need to be coached up run blocking wise at the NFL level.  Reiff played in 13 games (all starts) at Iowa last year.  He played in 39 games (37 starts) in his three years with the Iowa Hawkeyes.  This was a great pick for the Lions who thought they wouldn’t have a chance at an OT like Reiff in the 1st round.

]]> http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/28/the-detroit-lions-take-ot-riley-reiff-in-the-1st-round-of-the-2012-nfl-draft/feed/ 0 Scott Mitchell had his day in the sun for the Detroit Lions http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/24/scott-mitchell-had-his-day-in-the-sun-for-the-detroit-lions/ http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/24/scott-mitchell-had-his-day-in-the-sun-for-the-detroit-lions/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:06:36 +0000 admin http://www.lionslocker.com/?p=961 Lefty slinging QB Scott Mitchell played in 57 games (all starts) in his four years with the Detroit Lions and he completed 1,049 of 1,850 passes (56.7%) for 12,647 yards with 79 TD passes and 57 INTs (79.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 132 times for 324 yards (2.5 ypc) with 10 TD runs in his four years with the Lions.  Mitchell’s best season for the Lions, without a doubt, was  1995.  Mitchell played in 16 games (all starts) for the Lions in 1995 and he completed 346 of 583 passes (59.3%) for 4,338 yards with 32 TD passes and 12 INTs (92.3 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 36 times for 104 yards (2.9 ypc) with 4 TD runs for the Lions.  Mitchell was 27-30 (47.4%) as a starting QB in his four seasons with the Lions.  Mitchell is #2 in Lions’ history in passing yards (12,647) and he is also #3 in TD passes with 79 of them.  The fact that Mitchell is considered one of the best QBs in the history of the Detroit Lions, tells you a lot about the franchise.

]]> http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/24/scott-mitchell-had-his-day-in-the-sun-for-the-detroit-lions/feed/ 0 The Detroit Lions are going to try to fill some needs in next weekend’s NFL Draft http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/18/the-detroit-lions-are-going-to-try-to-fill-some-needs-in-next-weekends-nfl-draft/ http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/18/the-detroit-lions-are-going-to-try-to-fill-some-needs-in-next-weekends-nfl-draft/#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:14:34 +0000 admin http://www.lionslocker.com/?p=959 The Lions know that they have to protect QB Matt Stafford and that is likely going to be one of team’s goals next weekend.  They also could look to get some help in the secondary.  Here is who I saw the Lions picking in my mock 2012 NFL Draft, which can be found on bloglockers.com:

1. (23) Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

2. (54) Alonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska

3. (85) Markelle Martin, FS, Oklahoma State

4. (117) Robert Turbin, RB, Utah State

5. (158) Desmond Wynn, OG, Rutgers

7. (219) Rokevious Watkins, OG, South Carolina

7. (230) Akiem Hicks, DE, Regina (Saskatchewan)

]]> http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/18/the-detroit-lions-are-going-to-try-to-fill-some-needs-in-next-weekends-nfl-draft/feed/ 0 The Detroit Lions re-sign OT Corey Hilliard http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/16/the-detroit-lions-re-sign-ot-corey-hilliard/ http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/16/the-detroit-lions-re-sign-ot-corey-hilliard/#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 23:41:31 +0000 admin http://www.lionslocker.com/?p=957 The Lions have re-signed 26-year old OT Corey Hilliard to a 1-year deal.  Hilliard played in 16 games (1 start) for the Lions last year.  He has now played in 32 games (5 starts) in his first three years with the Lions.  It was smart of the Lions to bring back Hilliard for 2012 as he is a solid backup tackle.

]]> http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/16/the-detroit-lions-re-sign-ot-corey-hilliard/feed/ 0 The Detroit Lions have been busy trying to keep players this off-season http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/13/the-detroit-lions-have-been-busy-trying-to-keep-players-this-off-season/ http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/13/the-detroit-lions-have-been-busy-trying-to-keep-players-this-off-season/#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:02:36 +0000 admin http://www.lionslocker.com/?p=955 The Detroit Lions broke out last year and they have decided to use the early part of free agency trying to re-sign their own players.  They have re-signed nine players and they have signed two free agents on defense.  Here is a look at what the Lions have done so far this off-season:

Offensively:  The Lions had an outstanding offense and they decided to re-sign three key players so far this 0ff-season.  First off, they re-signed starting OT Jeff Backus and that was important as he protects QB Matt Stafford’s blind side.  The Lions also re-signed RB Kevin Smith as he was rock solid for them last year.  They also brought back #2 QB Shaun Hill and that was a good move as he is better than some of the starting QBs in the NFL.

Defensively:  The Lions had some big decisions to make on D.  First they decided to use the franchise tag on starting DE Cliff Avril.  Then they re-signed inside linebacker Stephen Tulloch, who is a tackling machine.  The Lions then signed CB Jacob Lacey to replace Eric Wright (signed with the Bucs) in the starting lineup.  The Lions also brought back LB Ashlee Palmer, S Erik Coleman and DT Ande Fluellen to give the defense some depth.  Finally, the Lions decided to give DE Everette Brown a chance to prove himself in 2012.

Special Teams:  The Lions re-signed punter Ben Graham and long snapper Don Muhlbach.

GRADE FOR THE OFF-SEASON SO FAR:  B

]]> http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/04/13/the-detroit-lions-have-been-busy-trying-to-keep-players-this-off-season/feed/ 0 The Detroit Lions re-sign RB Kevin Smith http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/03/27/the-detroit-lions-re-sign-rb-kevin-smith/ http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/03/27/the-detroit-lions-re-sign-rb-kevin-smith/#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:22:37 +0000 admin http://www.lionslocker.com/?p=952 The Lions have re-signed 25-year old RB Kevin Smith to a 1-year deal.  Smith played in 7 games for the Lions last year and he carried the ball 72 times for 356 yards (4.9 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 22 passes for 179 yards (8.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs last year.  Smith has now played in 42 games in his first four years with the Lions and he has carried the ball 561 times for 2,212 yards (3.9 ypc) with 16 TD runs.  He has also caught 113 passes for 1,003 yards (8.9 avg) with 4 TD runs so far in his career.  This was a smart move for the Lions as Jahvid Best is brittle and Mikel Leshoure missed his rookie year with an Achilles injury.

]]> http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/03/27/the-detroit-lions-re-sign-rb-kevin-smith/feed/ 0 The Detroit Lions sign DE Everette Brown http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/03/23/the-detroit-lions-sign-de-everette-brown/ http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/03/23/the-detroit-lions-sign-de-everette-brown/#comments Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:16:53 +0000 admin http://www.lionslocker.com/?p=950 The Lions have signed 24-year old DE Everette Brown to a 1-year deal.  Brown played in 3 games for the San Diego Chargers last year and he had 2 tackles.  Brown has now played in 31 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 49 tackles, 6 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 3 forced fumbles, 1 interception and 3 passes defensed.  This was a nice low risk signing for the Lions as Brown has a lot of potential as a pass rusher.

]]> http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/03/23/the-detroit-lions-sign-de-everette-brown/feed/ 0 The Detroit Lions re-sign long snapper Don Muhlbach http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/03/21/the-detroit-lions-re-sign-long-snapper-don-muhlbach/ http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/03/21/the-detroit-lions-re-sign-long-snapper-don-muhlbach/#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:51:05 +0000 admin http://www.lionslocker.com/?p=947 The Lions have re-signed 30-year old long snapper Don Muhlbach.  He played in all 16 games (0 starts) for the Lions last year.  He has now played in 116 games (0 starts) in his first 8 years with the Lions.  This was a good move for the Lions as Muhlback has been a solid long snapper so far in his career.

]]> http://www.lionslocker.com/2012/03/21/the-detroit-lions-re-sign-long-snapper-don-muhlbach/feed/ 0