Monday Notes: Game Week Is Here

by Sean Yuille on Sep 1, 2008 9:56 AM EDT in Detroit Lions Notes

The first game week of the season is finally here! It's been a long offseason and you can bet the Lions can't wait to get back on the field or a real football game. Last season started out better than we all expected as the Lions were 6-2, but things quickly came crashing down with a 1-7 finish. That bad taste lingered into the offseason and only now can we really start to put it in the rear view mirror.
The Lions' opponent on Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons, present a great opportunity for Detroit to start the season 1-0. The Falcons are coming off a rough season and will be starting rookie Matt Ryan at quarterback. This game isn't a lock at all or anything of the sort, but it is a game the Lions should win.
Speaking of the Falcons, they cut Joey Harrington on Saturday.
Drew Stanton has a blog and he talked about his thumb injury a week ago. The blog entry discusses how the injury happened and what he did right after he hurt his thumb. Also, there was this tidbit about using the bathroom that I'll classify as being too much information:

But honestly, having my thumb in a cast makes everyday things seem difficult. Besides the obvious of not being able to throw a football, I didn’t realize how important my right hand was. Like trying to eat dinner, get my cell phone out of my pocket, and, of course, the worst, wiping my butt. I know that is gross, but honestly, it sucks. Also, trying to take notes in meetings is next to impossible. Lucky for me, or unlucky depending on how you look at it, I will only have this cast on for about a month.
Some of the more relevant information from the post is that Stanton won't be going on the injured reserve and that this really was a freak accident. Stanton stated that he hurt his thumb on what probably was the last throw of the day, showing you just how unlucky he was.

(HT: Free Press)
Caleb Campbell is going to be featured on a show about rookies on ESPN2. The show will air at 8 p.m. ET tomorrow.
As Terry Foster pointed out, it looks like Rod Marinelli finally has a football team with nothing but his players.
ESPN The Magazine featured an answer of mine to one of their fact/fiction statements recently. The statement involved whether or not the Colts' "best days are behind them." I disagreed and said they'd win another Super Bowl with Peyton Manning at QB, and that answer was included with answers from Jay Mariotti and Drew Sharp. How did I get so lucky to have my answer next to those two guys? From all accounts Mariotti is, well I'll let Roger Ebert tell you, and every article Sharp writes is negative to draw attention.
My thoughts and prayers go out to anybody feeling the effects of Hurricane Gustav. I know Gonzo of the Daily Norseman and Dave of Canal Street Chronicles both were in the line of the hurricane, so here's to them and anybody else staying safe.