Friday Notes: Lions Sign Hill, Williams; One Unsigned Rookie Left

by Sean Yuille on Jul 31, 2009 3:13 PM EDT in Notes Comment 18 comments

In a photo provided by Georgetown University, Jim Schwartz is shown in a 1985 football team photo. Schwartz has faced challenges his whole life. Leading the Detroit Lions, coming off the NFL's first 0-16 season, is just the latest for a man who has an interesting story to tell and isn't afraid of sharing it. (AP Photo/Georgetown University)

6 months ago: In a photo provided by Georgetown University, Jim Schwartz is shown in a 1985 football team photo. Schwartz has faced challenges his whole life. Leading the Detroit Lions, coming off the NFL's first 0-16 season, is just the latest for a man who has an interesting story to tell and isn't afraid of sharing it. (AP Photo/Georgetown University)

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In case you haven't checked out the FanShots being posted lately, let me get you up to speed on the Lions' rookie signings.

Sammie Hill and Derrick Williams have both signed three-year deals in the last 24 hours, meaning that nine of the Lions' rookies are now under contract. The only one without a deal is first-round pick Brandon Pettigrew, which is probably mainly due to the fact that quite a few first-rounders are still unsigned. Even if Pettigrew isn't signed today, he wouldn't miss any practice if a deal is done by tomorrow morning. Players are simply reporting to Allen Park today, with practice actually starting early in the morning on Saturday. Even so, according to Jim Schwartz, Pettigrew is close to a deal, so I'd expect all rookies to be ready to go for practice.
Jim Schwartz spoke to the Associated Press for a profile being done on him, and this was by far the most interesting quote from the article:

"If I find an author — David Morrell, Mario Puzo, John Grisham or any guy I hear is good — I'll read everything he did," Schwartz said. "I don't read books by women. I've tried to, but their perspective is different, so I stick with what I like."
The context for that quote is that Schwartz was talking about how he is an avid reader and used to go through 500 pages a day before he was married and had kids. He also went on to talk about how he has a "flame-filled" tattoo around his right leg as a memory of his mother, who passed away in 1994.

More than anything, I wanted to mention this so I had an excuse to use the picture of Schwartz from his Georgetown days.
The specific time for players to report to Allen Park is 6 p.m. today. The players' curfew is 11 p.m., and then tomorrow before practice even begins their strength and conditioning will be tested.
Louis Delmas now has a Twitter page.
Speaking of Twitter, Jim Schwartz doesn't want his players to be "Twittering during business hours."
97.1 The Ticket interviewed Schwartz yesterday.
Tom Kowalski thinks the reason behind Kevin Carter not signing with the Lions is money. Carter wants too much of it, and right now the Lions are willing to wait and see if his asking price will go down.
The anti-Vick list is growing, as it now includes Oakland, Tennessee, and Chicago.
Matthew Stafford appears to be quite the ladies man, as evidenced by the picture after the jump, which is just one of the many examples of that.

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Aside from the $42MM guaranteed money...

I now have another reason to be jealous of Stafford. Good Lord!

by DrewsLions on Jul 31, 2009 4:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Honestly, thats what I like in a QB...

But they always say, beware of the celebrity QB…

But, look at Broadway Joe!

http://cmufootball.blogspot.com/

by CapitolLions on Jul 31, 2009 5:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

That’s what you need in a personality of a qb. He’s confident on and off the field. Work hard play hard. He won’t get another break for a long time.

When the LEGAL side-effects of a substance, cause more harm to the person, than the side effect of the substance its self, we have an injustice.
- Jimmy Carter

by BIGWalt2990 on Jul 31, 2009 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

go stafford!!!

by big smoove on Jul 31, 2009 5:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

kowalski's reporting Pettigrew is signed

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/07/theyre_all_in_brandon_pettigre.html

Oooh, the smell of football is nice.

by simscity on Jul 31, 2009 6:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm pretty sure that...

Stafford is double fisted in that picture. That-a-way, boy!

by DrewsLions on Jul 31, 2009 7:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

He was probably double fisted later that night, too!

by DrewsLions on Jul 31, 2009 7:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He was two fisting or getting double fisted??

It makes a big difference!! LOL!!

by KDawg on Aug 1, 2009 12:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I probably should have worded...

that a little differently! LOL

by DrewsLions on Aug 1, 2009 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Something else that struck me as funny.....

His face is a bit covered up by his arm in the pic….if I didn’t know it was Stafford, I might think it was Tom Selleck without the mustache……lol.

by KDawg on Aug 1, 2009 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hmmm

“There’s no longer an easing-in process to training camp,” Schwartz said. “You’ve got to be full-speed the first day. You go back 30 years in the NFL, maybe even more, guys were working at the bank or laying concrete or working in the shoe store in the off-season. These guys are professionals 12 months a year. They’re paid well enough that they’re paid to keep themselves in shape.”

http://roarreport.blogspot.com/2009/08/no-nonsense-schwartz-opens-camp-with.html

by KDawg on Aug 1, 2009 7:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs