Tuesday Notes: Grady Jackson Finally Practices

• Grady Jackson practiced today after missing the first few days of camp with an illness.  He spent most of the offseason recovering from knee surgery, so it's good that he is finally practicing again, though he only participated in individual workouts and line drills.
• Other injury updates: Brandon Pettigrew, Casey FitzSimmons, Keith Smith, and Eric King all missed practice on Monday.  King was back on the field today, but the other three missed practice for the second day in a row.  Pettigrew and Smith seem to be day-to-day, but FitzSimmons reportedly has a high-ankle sprain, which probably means he is week-to-week.
• Today was the first day of practice in pads, and the players responded well to that, wanting to get more physical.  Jim Schwartz liked what he saw, noting that this was probably the hottest day of practice so far.
  
• In yesterday's two-minute drill, Matthew Stafford and Drew Stanton led their units into field goal range, whereas Daunte Culpepper's unit turned the ball over on downs at the 40-yard line.
• It seems like the Lions' receivers are dropping a ton of passes, especially in the 7-on-7 drill.  Tom Kowalski pointed this out, saying that outside of Calvin Johnson and Dennis Northcutt, the receivers are struggling to catch the ball on a consistent basis.  I guess this explains why the Lions made a trade for Northcutt, as the other receivers certainly aren't cutting it.  The loss of Bryant Johnson is also a bigger blow than I originally anticipated.  Having him back will be nice for the quarterbacks, especially if this case of butterfingers keeps up.
• Adam Jennings did make a nice catch yesterday, snagging a pass from Drew Stanton by diving in the end zone for a TD.
  

(More after the jump)

• Phillip Buchanon likes practicing against Calvin Johnson, as lining up against one of the top receivers in football on a daily basis will only make him better.
• Julian Peterson thinks Cliff Avril can be one of the league's top pass-rushers.
• Scott Linehan doesn't feel like Matthew Stafford is a rookie when he coaches him.
• Louis Delmas has already showed off enough skill that he is expected to be a starter.
• Yesterday was Landon Cohen's birthday.  He is really starting to make a name for himself, from his impressive bench press performance to making plays in practice.
• The Lions are expecting Sammie Hill to become NFL-ready pretty quickly.
• Offensive line coach George Yarno already seems like an upgrade over Jim Colletto.
• Lions linebackers like the 4-3 defense, especially the ones that played in the Tampa-2 under Rod Marinelli.
• Jim Schwartz likes to practice different situations rather than just go out there and practice.
• Roar of the Lions recapped his visit to practice.
• It looks like Vikings receiver Aundrae Allison will soon be on waivers.  He is a great returner, and Kevin Seifert wonders if the Lions will claim him.
• The Patriots now are reportedly showing interest in Kevin Carter.  If they give him an offer, I think we can officially give up any hope of him signing with the Lions.
• Don't forget, tomorrow practice opens up to the public for the first time.  If you go to Allen Park and check it out, write a FanPost and share your observations with us.