Around this time a year ago, the Detroit Lions made the decision to not bring back running back Kevin Smith. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent, but the Lions declined to tender him an offer, meaning he became an unrestricted free agent.

Smith was out of football until the Lions brought him back in the middle of the 2011 season. Finally healthy, he resumed his career with a few carries against the Chicago Bears and then put together an amazing game against the Carolina Panthers. Unfortunately, he dealt with injuries again later in the season, but when healthy he provided a nice boost to the Lions' running game.

With Smith set to become a free agent again this offseason, it's unclear if he will be back with the Lions in 2012. If it were up to him, though, he wouldn't be going anywhere.

"In every interview that I've done, even though I'm a free agent, I've referred to the team and me as us," Smith said. "I'm on the Lions roster in my opinion until I'm not on the Lions roster. That says it all."

If the Lions do decide to bring him back, they could have a backfield that consists of Smith, Jahvid Best and Mikel Leshoure next season. Injuries have been an issue with all three of them, but on paper, that is a pretty solid combination of running backs.

ESPN gets a lot of well-deserved criticism for some of the ways it covers sports, but one area where it receives a lot of well-deserved praise is in the commercial department. ESPN's "This Is SportsCenter" commercials have always been hilarious, mainly because they work athletes into comical situations in the offices of ESPN.

I'm not quite sure what the premise of ESPN's newest "This Is SportsCenter" commercial is, but it's going to feature Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, as well as Hairy Dawg, the mascot for Stafford's alma mater, the University of Georgia.

Flight tonight to @espn headquarters in Bristol to shoot the "This is @SportsCenter" commercial with @Staff_9. #GoDawgs

— Hairy Dawg (@UGAHairyDawg) February 9, 2012

I don't think a Lions player has been in a "This Is SportsCenter" commercial before. Actually, upon taking a quick look at the list of commercials over the years, I don't think a single Detroit athlete has been in one before. I know Sparty, Michigan State's mascot, has made a few appearances, but as far as I can tell, a Detroit athlete has not until now.

UPDATE: As pointed out by BtotheLT, Gordie Howe was in a "This Is SportsCenter" commercial.

(Ed. note: Bumped to the front page.)

In 2010, Ndamukong Suh became the centerpiece of a defensive front that after one year warranted a city-wide nicknaming craze that included the head coach. He exploded onto the scene with 5 sacks in his first 6 games, ended the season with 11 sacks, ranked 1st at his position in total QB pressures (41 of his 545 passing snaps), and added flare with an interception and fumble recovery for TD, not to mention he was the first ever rookie defensive tackle to be tagged All-Pro.

In 2011, Suh did not make the All-Pro team. He didn't even make the Pro Bowl. Instead he was voted the dirtiest player in the NFL by his peers, was criticized for his lack of splash plays, and his once advocate, Warren Sapp, went as far as to blame his offseason shoulder surgery for his "lack of production."

But what exactly happened to the House of Spears and his production? Did he indeed lose strength? Lose his competitive edge? Did he spend too much time driving cars in Europe? Or is the popular perception that Suh is struggling all in our heads? Let's let the numbers speak before we do.

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When the Detroit Lions' list of free agents for 2012 was released, one name on there was a blast from the past. I'm referring to linebacker Cody Brown, who hadn't been heard from since he was claimed off waivers from the New York Jets last summer by the Lions. The reason for this is because he was placed on the did not report list after, well, not reporting.

With free agency set to begin in another month and some change, the Lions were in line to retain Brown's rights. He was going to be an exclusive-rights free agent, but the Lions cut him free this week, according to Dave Birkett.

The Lions officially cut LB Cody Brown earlier this week. He never reported after being claimed off waivers from Jets earlier this year

— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) February 8, 2012

With Brown being cut, he is now an unrestricted free agent.

On Tuesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent out an email with a letter to fans. The purpose of the letter was to thank fans for their support during the 2011 season, as well as to look ahead to the future of the sport. The letter included a link to the website based around the "NFL Evolution" campaign, so I think you can draw your own conclusions about the purpose of the letter.

You can check it out after the jump.

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It turns out quarterback Matthew Stafford isn't the only Detroit Lions player who received an increase in his base salary for 2012. Offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus and safety Louis Delmas also triggered escalators that will give them a higher salary next season, according to Dave Birkett.

Specifically, Cherilus will have a base salary of $2.31 million in 2012. This is up from $1.56 million, meaning his salary went up by $750,000. As for Delmas, his salary went up about $115,000. Originally he was set to make $822,000 in 2012, but now he will get a salary of "just over" $937,000.

Last month, we found out that Stafford's salary went up by $1 million because he hit certain performance incentives in 2011. He will make $11.5 million in 2012 as a result, bringing his cap number up to slightly more than $17 million.

Calvin Johnson is also scheduled to be paid more next season based on what he did this past season. He didn't increase his base salary for 2012, but he did trigger a $4.5 million contract bonus by finishing at the top of several receiving categories. Of course, this is based on the assumption that he doesn't get a new deal. If he does, then all of the bonuses and stuff like that will be reworked.

To many, the effort put forth by the players in the 2012 NFL Pro Bowl was insulting. To others, it was yet another example of why the game should either be dramatically changed or simply done away with. The game, if you can even call it that, was really nothing more than 60 minutes of flag football, and it seemed like a waste of everybody's time.

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