Lions Notes: Sunday's Game Likely Will Be Blacked Out In Tampa Bay

by Sean Yuille on Sep 7, 2011 5:11 AM EDT in Detroit Lions Notes

According to Aaron Wilson, the Lions gave tight end Tory Humphrey a tryout. Also, they apparently hosted offensive guard Chris Stewart for a visit. In all likelihood, the Lions are simply assembling a list of players that could be brought in if injuries happen during the season.
Also according to Wilson, tight end Richard Dickson received an injury settlement and has been released from injured reserve.
One of the big reasons why the Lions have improved so much over the last few years is because there has been a lot of roster turnover. Proof of that comes in this statistic: Detroit has only 10 players left on its roster from the 2008 team that went 0-16.
Although there has been a lot of roster turnover since 2008, there wasn't much this past offseason. John Clayton recently mentioned that the Lions added only 12 new players this year, which is the seventh lowest amount in the league. As Clayton said, finally the Lions have some stability with their roster.
It looks like the Lions-Buccaneers game will be the only one blacked out during Week 1 of the season. Thankfully this game is in Tampa Bay and it's a Buccaneers blackout as opposed to a Lions one.
You can go here to check out a coverage map for the Lions-Bucs game.

Speaking of blackouts, the Jacksonville Jaguars have a running tally of how many tickets they have to sell for each home game to avoid blackouts. It's surprising they are so forthcoming with those numbers, and it would have been nice the last couple of years to know well ahead of time how close the Lions were to selling out each game rather than not finding out until days before the game. Luckily something like that probably wouldn't be too relevant this year with no blackouts expected.
Lions punter Ryan Donahue came close to giving up football. The Free Press has the story of how he continued playing and made it to the pros.
On their day off on Tuesday, Ndamukong Suh and some of his teammates got together to play video games and go fishing.
Former Lions tight end Dan Gronkowski has signed with New England, where he will play with his brother Rob.
SI.com's Richard Deitsch has a guide to the 2011 NFL broadcast teams for all of the different networks.

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Bucs are a good team

That’s pretty surprising to me

The Profiler, International Consultant – Chestal Region

PCP 4 LIFE

by The Profiler on Sep 7, 2011 5:32 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

The game against the Lions last year was not a sell out.

And the Bucs had the #6 wild card spot at the time. I know that area is hurting financially, but this seems something more.

"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."

by NorthLeft12 on Sep 7, 2011 6:09 AM EDT up reply actions

A co worker of mine went to the game in Tampa...

she said there seemed to be more Lions fans then Bucs fans at the game.

LITTLE MAN IN BACKFIELD! LITTLE MAN IN BACKFIELD! GO STEFAN LOGAN!

by BBlades on Sep 7, 2011 8:46 AM EDT up reply actions

Actually

All 8 home games were blacked out for TB last year. Definitely sucks for them.

by Trysdor on Sep 7, 2011 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, I just don't get the blackouts in places like Tampa.

Possible playoff team, great young Quarterback. I don’t get it.

That goddamn Okra and beans got you Oprah in jeans. Seems to me a little lean cuisine, wouldn't hurt much- Agh don't touch! -Obie Trice

by Skylar on Sep 7, 2011 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions

What shoddy fans. They don't even deserve a team if their unable to sell out the first home game of the year.

.Does your momma have a Big Ass like your head?

by delusional on Sep 7, 2011 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed

.. For awhile it looked like there might not be NFL games this season. If you’re lucky enough to live in a city/state with a team, much less a decent one, you should go. I mean Michigan’s had a poor economy for years, so money ain’t an excuse for TB.

That goddamn Okra and beans got you Oprah in jeans. Seems to me a little lean cuisine, wouldn't hurt much- Agh don't touch! -Obie Trice

by Skylar on Sep 7, 2011 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions

I think it has something do with the multiple teams in the state.

Think how far people travel to see Detroit games. Well in Florida there fanbase is split 3 ways. This coupled with the poor economy doesn’t help.

by doctorj on Sep 7, 2011 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions

The weird thing is

ESPN’s page says DET are only two spots up from TB’s attendance in 2010

DET sat at #29 with 56,285 average to TB’s 49,314.

Doesn’t seem right.

That goddamn Okra and beans got you Oprah in jeans. Seems to me a little lean cuisine, wouldn't hurt much- Agh don't touch! -Obie Trice

by Skylar on Sep 7, 2011 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions

I think maybe we forget the black outs we used to have fairly often?im not sure i dont remember exact numbers of blacked out games(trying to forget) but i know it was quite a bit.

by Michael21 on Sep 7, 2011 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions

True.

But we were terrible. None of the Florida teams have really been that bad.

by doctorj on Sep 7, 2011 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh im not saying that we have much better fans than they do.In fact all florida teams in any sport seem to have pretty bad attendance.

by Michael21 on Sep 8, 2011 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Malcom Glazer doesn't inspire a lot of loyalty in TB.

No slogans. Just win!!!

by drgarnett on Sep 7, 2011 6:24 PM EDT up reply actions

I've heard that HOOD is pretty tough

Have you ever noticed the attendance of a Tampa Bay Rays game? They hardly put fans in the seats. I’ve heard a reason Tampa Bay doesn’t have high attendance is because of the area surrounding the stadium is as about as safe as the East side of Detroit.

Like Trysdor mentioned, all 8 home games were blacked out.

by BtotheLT on Sep 7, 2011 7:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Born in the D and (replied in jest:)

and lived there, well the burbs, for 33 years til I moved to the Tampa area 4 years ago. I’ve been to Rays games as well as the Lions-Bucs game last year at RJ stadium. (so awesome) The two stadiums are in Tampa and St. Petersburg Florida respectively and although every downtown area has its seedy blocks…these here are also seeded with palm trees…
IT’S FLORIDA!!!! HAHA I repeat….never compare what we know to be the steam vented funky area of our beloved Lions range to any part of Florida, even the yuckiest parts here are sunny and welcoming compared to the very real hood of Mowtown. Simply put, such a large number of Floridians are from up north that the Lions, Red Wings, Yankees, Tigers. and so on… all match or outdraw the Tampa teams. The locals are turned off by it and don’t seem to be quite as rabid and indoctrinated by generations of loyal following as us yanks, which in turn leads to just enough of them not selling out the stadiums here. Raymond James was beautiful and quite safe to take in a game there, and if I had an extra few hundred to go this week I wouldn’t be a bummed out Lions fan, which is most certainly the biggest factor for empty seats in the NFL. Thanks to my POD bros for posting links on game days, cause as you all know, even the NFL ticket doesn’t save you from missing your beloved team. Frankly, the occupants of “thee hood” would be chaffed at your assumption that YBOR could ever be compared to the world renowned fear and loathing generated by the Motor city.

by Brandon Lordy on Sep 8, 2011 8:05 AM EDT up reply actions

Thank god for Sunday ticket. Spent last year in alot of sports bars and surfing for iffy online streams. Be nice to watch the boys in blue all year in clarity. Go lions

by awayfromthepride on Sep 7, 2011 7:10 AM EDT reply actions

Buddy was doing the same thing.

Transplant to Wyoming who finally is making the purchase. Sunday Ticket will probably be able to thanks Schwartz and Co. for a few new subscribers.

by doctorj on Sep 7, 2011 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions

2 Gronk brothers on 1 team...

WONDER GRONK POWERS UNITE! FORM OF TOUCHDOWN! haha Good luck Gronks!

LITTLE MAN IN BACKFIELD! LITTLE MAN IN BACKFIELD! GO STEFAN LOGAN!

by BBlades on Sep 7, 2011 8:47 AM EDT reply actions

Tampa sell outs /others

I was watching a Tigers Tampa game a while back and there was like no one there ! I mean it you would a thought just our star power and 1st place would a should a drawed a half decent crowd . But then yesterdays Cleveland Tigers game with Verlander pitching Cleveland looked empty . Thou weather was cool duno bout some of these towns .

by ubeensued on Sep 8, 2011 2:38 AM EDT reply actions