Wednesday Notes: Trade with Jaguars Finalized

by Sean Yuille on Jul 1, 2009 3:21 PM EDT in Detroit Lions Notes

My prayers go out to Ricky Sandoval, the Lions director of security who just celebrated his 49th birthday yesterday. Unfortunately Ricky is in the hospital and is "beginning to slip away." He has battled with pancreatic cancer for the last three years.
The Gerald Alexander-Dennis Northcutt trade was finalized on Tuesday. Alexander was surprised by the trade, as were most Lions fans. I'm really only surprised that the Lions dealt him for Northcutt, as him being moved isn't too shocking. As Tom Kowalski explains, the chances of Alexander making the roster weren't all that great, so the team obviously figured it would get something out of him rather than just cut him after training camp.
Patrick Hayes of It's Just Sports recently spoke with Otis Wiley, getting an update on the former Spartan's status with the Lions.

Now, where are you at right now, you're with the Lions right?

Yeah, with the Lions. In July I go back and tryout again and if I get on the roster, it'll be a nice little smooth sail after that.
Wiley would have been on the Lions after the draft if he hadn't failed his physical, so it sounds like he will get another shot at joining the team when training camp begins. Considering he hasn't been able to spend any time on the team so far, I would put his chances of making it past the first round of cuts fairly low. The safety position, as we learned from the above-mentioned trade, is pretty much set in stone barring an injury.
The NFL Network caught up with Matthew Stafford and Brandon Pettigrew at the rookie symposium.
Thousands of people, including Jared DeVries, attended the funeral of Iowa high school coach Ed Thomas.

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Failed Physicals

Can anyone enlighten me on what it means when a player fails his physical? Or more importantly, how they fail? Does it have to do with previous injuries that reappear, or do they test positive for drugs? I’ve always wondered what’s included in an NFL physical and how players seem to fail them on a regular basis.

That may be a dumb question but I’m being completely serious. I have no clue, and if you fellow Lions fans could help me out, I’d appreciate it. Thanks.

by giggy09 on Jul 1, 2009 3:34 PM EDT reply actions

It could be number of things

Something might have come up on his ECG (if they do a stress test)…..he might not be physically able to perform because of a past injury…..he might have high blood pressure…..it could be a multitude of things. However, it is very unlikely that a physical examination would turn up a failed drug test, considering it is rare for any blood work or urinalysis to be done for the purpose of a physical. I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure a physical and a drug test are two separate things. I know about the things I just told you, from my own experience and from my educational background as a prior pre-med student. I was interested in your question, so I did a little research. This website might help answer your question:

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/diagnosis/doctor-physical-examination.htm

by KDawg on Jul 1, 2009 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Thanks

That helps. I’m also curious if it’s up to individual teams and their doctors to decide whether or not a player passes his physical, or if the NFL requires each team to abide by preset parameters. Interesting nonetheless.

by giggy09 on Jul 1, 2009 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions