Monday Notes: Detroit Named TitleTown Finalist; Kevin Jones to Chicago?

by Sean Yuille on Jun 16, 2008 10:15 AM EDT in Notes Comment 0 comments

The city of Detroit is a finalist for ESPN's TitleTown USA. The whole thing is a filler segment on SportsCenter since there aren't as many highlights to show with baseball being the only major sport going on, but it does give credence to the type of sports city Detroit is. Of course, the Motor City is a finalist in spite of the Lions, but thankfully we do have the Red Wings, Tigers (six in a row!), and Pistons to make us feel better. Ann Arbor is also a finalist.
With Cedric Benson recently being released from the Bears, ex-Lion Kevin Jones is putting his name out there as a possible replacement in Chicago. Jones hasn't signed with a team yet since leaving the Lions in March, and you can bet Chicago will be looking for some added depth at the running back position. It'll take time to see if things work out for the Bears, but Jones definitely sounds like he would want to play there.

I don't blame him one bit. After all, he could get revenge on the Lions twice a season since he would continue to play in the NFC North. And former Lions always seem to do well when making return trips to Detroit. Just ask Artose Pinner or Joey Harrington. Could Jones be the next one to do that to the Lions? I wouldn't be very surprised.
Roy Williams doesn't want to be included in the conversation of players complaining about their contracts or team situations. It hasn't been uncommon for players, especially receivers, to call for a trade (I'm looking at you, Ocho Cinco) or complain about their contract (hola, Plaxico Burress) lately, but Williams is saying all the right things. Mind you, what he is saying may not be sincere, but hey, I'll take that over someone like Ocho Cinco any day.
Calvin Johnson missed some practices recently as he was in his hometown of Atlanta for a heart surgery his father had.
On a lighter note, Johnson scored a 243 in the Lions' annual bowling tournament, the highest of any game during the tourney.
Rookie defensive tackle Landon Cohen finally was able to practice now that he is done with college.
Former Lion Shaun Rogers is looking impressive at nose tackle for the Browns.
Rod Marinelli invited 10 southeastern Michigan high schools to Allen Park to take in a day with the Lions.
Lomas Brown worked with and will continue to work with rookie right tackle Gosder Cherilus. Brown was honest in his current assessment of Cherilus, saying, "I don't think he's very far." Obviously it takes time to learn the ropes of the NFL, but I think Cherilus will look better once he is able to hit some people.
Compared to previous years, this team appears to have a more confident atmosphere surrounding them with more experienced players on defense and more control on offense.
Rookie linebacker Jordon Dizon feels the Lions' defensive system is built for someone like him.
Unlike Army rookie Caleb Campbell, a Navy pitcher just drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals will not get a chance to pursue his professional sports career in the near future.