The Lions announced their 53-man roster today after releasing 20 players and placing 2 on the injured reserve.  The two players placed on the IR were running backs Brian Calhoun and Aveion Cason.  With both Calhoun and Cason done for the year, you would have thought that Artose Pinner would make the team, but he didn't.  That means the Lions will carry only two running backs going into the regular season.

Here is the full list of the players released today by Detroit:

QB Drew Henson
RB Artose Pinner
WR Ron Bellamy
WR Devale Ellis
WR Brandon Middleton
WR Kenneth Moore
WR John Standeford
TE Clark Harris
OT Jonathan Scott
OG Frank Davis
OG Corey Hulsey
DE Victor DeGrate
DE Rudolph Hardie
LB Darnell Bing
LB Buster Davis
LB Leon Joe
CB Dovonte Edwards
CB Kiwaukee Thomas
S Greg Blue
S LaMarcus Hicks

I'll post a full analysis of what all of this means tomorrow.

• Gosder Cherilus did not have an ideal start to his NFL career as he was called for a couple false starts and a holding penalty during last night's game.  Cherilus wasn't alone when it came to getting penalties as there were 6 total called on the Lions, but it's never a good thing when one player accounts for half of them.
• I know Lions coaches want to run the ball more this year, but if the running game this season is going to look like it did last night then I hope Jon Kitna never hands the ball off.  No matter who was in the game at running back, it seemed like even gaining a single yard was like pulling teeth.  For evidence of that, take a look at who the Lions' leading rusher was.  Drum roll please... Drew Stanton.  That's right, in only three plays Drew Stanton was able to rush for more yards than any running back did.  Now that is alarming.
• There were three players that sustained injuries in last night's game: Stanley Wilson, Gilbert Gardner; and Jason Hanson.  If you read the post below that contains quotes from Rod Marinelli then you already know what happened to each, but in case you haven't, I'll bring you up to speed. 
  
  Wilson hurt his Achilles; Gardner sustained a concussion, and Hanson strained his left thigh.  Out of those three, Wilson is the one we should watch the closest as it seems like his injury is the most serious.  Then again, anytime there is an issue with Jason Hanson it is a cause for concern.  I guess stay tuned for further updates on each of these three players.
• All of Detroit's quarterbacks played well for the most part.  Their combined passing totals produced a great stat line, and I saw something I liked from each of them.  Jon Kitna kept his mistakes to a minimum.  Out of all the passes he made, only one was poorly thrown in my opinion (the one that went behind Roy Williams).  Dan Orlovsky looked comfortable in the pocket and was hitting his targets with stellar accuracy.  And Drew Stanton made plays by running when he couldn't find anyone open.
• Going back to Stanton really quickly, I will say that he needs to stay in the pocket longer than he did in yesterday's game.  I'm not going to criticize him too much since this was the first time he even got in an NFL game, but he needs to be more patient before taking off and running downfield.
• The player of the game without a doubt was Calvin Johnson.  He was all over the field making plays and he made it look easy.  I hope this is a sign of things to come, because if it is, he and Roy Williams are going to make for a hell of a wide receiver duo.
• Defensively, the rookies showed a lot of promise.  Jordon Dizon made a couple of nice plays.  Cliff Avril seemed to do a nice job of pass rushing.  And Andre Fluellen came up with a huge sack toward the end of the game that helped put the nail in New York's coffin.
• I have a feeling that this game put cornerback Dovonte Edwards and running back Brian Calhoun one step closer to being cut.  Edwards was being targeted by Giants QBs every time he was on the field and they were abusing him quite a bit.  And Calhoun simply just didn't look very impressive when he was in the game at running back.  Not only is Aveion Cason more versatile with his ability to return kicks, but Artose Pinner looked much better in his limited time on the field at running back.  I'd say that Calhoun is gone for sure at this point.
• Leon Joe surprised me and had an outstanding game.  His name was called quite a bit and in the end he finished with a team-high 6 tackles.  Joe is a linebacker that was recently signed after being released by the Buccaneers, and although his chances of making the team are slim, playing like this certainly won't hurt.
• To view highlights of last night's win or to look through stats from the game, head on over to NFL.com.

• The Lions placed safety Daniel Bullocks, tight end Dan Campbell, wide receiver Shaun McDonald, and offensive guard Edwin Mulitalo on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.  The good news is that Ernie Sims was not on the PUP list, meaning his injury isn't too severe.  Detroit did still limit Sims somewhat as a precaution as you can never be too careful when dealing with your best linebacker.
• The four players mentioned above that are on the PUP list may return to practice full time shortly.  A player on the PUP list can be placed on the active roster at any time.  Once individual workouts are evaluated, if a player is healthy enough to practice, chances are he would be taken off the PUP list quickly.  That may be the case with at least one of the players currently on the PUP list, so stay tuned.
  
• Both of Detroit's two practices were held outside yesterday.  The morning session was conducted in full pads and in the afternoon players were in shells (only shoulder pads and helmets).
• Detroit filled the void created at linebacker by Caleb Campbell's departure by signing Leon Joe.  Joe has played in the NFL for four years.  Three were with Chicago before Joe played with the Bills last season.
• Rod Marinelli was surprised by Jordon Dizon's arrest.  He doesn't want something similar to happen to rookie running back Kevin Smith, so Marinelli is constantly stressing the importance of staying out of trouble to him.
• Speaking of Kevin Smith, aside from being told to stay out of trouble, he is also finding out about the need to run lower.  Although his upright style at UCF put him in the record books, in the NFL running like that is a good way to get injured.
• Takeo Spikes doesn't appear to be interested in signing very quickly, but Detroit has offered him a contract to join the Lions.  It's a waiting game now to see if Spikes takes the deal.
• Offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus has an endorsement deal with Under Armour.
• Center Dominic Raiola and defensive tackle Cory Redding were pumped to get practice started.
• Jamie Samuelsen believes Lions fans will not like what they see this season.  I hope that's not the case, but based on previous seasons I can't disagree.
• MLive has audio of Matt Millen's appearance on WDFN.
• Tom Kowalski ran down a list of tidbits from the Lions' morning practice.
• The Free Press has posted a couple of photo galleries and a short video from the Lions' first day of training camp.
• For more pictures and video, as well as audio, check out the training camp section on DetroitLions.com.