• The Lions returned to the practice field on Friday and had one practice in helmets and shoulder pads.  This comes after Thursday's practices were canceled by Rod Marinelli.  Today, the team is having only a walkthrough before traveling to Cincinnati for tomorrow's game against the Bengals.
• Training camp will officially end on Monday as the players have the day off, and when they come back will follow a regular season-like practice schedule.  They will only have a single practice each day instead of two as it is time to start getting into a routine similar to the one they will have during the regular season.
• Roy Williams drafted himself in ESPN's Fantasy Draft Special earlier this week.  He is one of eight owners in the league and is the only active player in it.
• ESPN's Kevin Seifert answered some questions about the Lions.
• Jon Kitna will be moving around more when he is making passes.  We already saw that quite a bit in the first preseason game as he would rollout or do a bootleg before making a pass.
• Former Lion Mike Utley hopes to one day walk off the field under his own power.
• Lions starters will get more playing time during tomorrow night's game against the Bengals.  Rod Marinelli said they will be in the game for around 18-22 snaps, which could be an extra drive or two compared to last week's game.
• Fullback Jon Bradley, safety Daniel Bullocks, tight end Dan Campbell, and kicker Jason Hanson will not play against the Bengals due to injuries, and wide receiver Shaun McDonald might not play.
• Finally, just as I did last week, I will provide live updates of the Bengals game in the comments section of tomorrow's game thread.  Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

• The Lions followed their normal routine on Tuesday by having both practices outside.  The morning session was in full pads and the special teams practice was in helmets and shorts.
• Tuesday was the final day of Lions practices being open to the public.  According to the Lions, over 8,000 fans made their way to the team's facility during the 25 open practices this year.  (That number includes the fan day event)
• If Aveion Cason can handle both kick and punt return duties then there is a good chance the Lions will only keep four wide receivers on their active roster this season.  I'd say it's more likely that there will be five WRs, but if Cason does a good enough job as the returner or if the Lions need to keep a player at another position for depth reasons, then four it is.
• Gosder Cherilus probably will be the Lions' starting right tackle this season, but he recently practiced at left tackle just in case he ever needs to switch positions.
• Offensive lineman Manny Ramirez was told to leave the field by an OL coach for not doing a drill "fast enough" and because the coach was "cranky."
• Linebacker Gilbert Gardner and tight end Michael Gaines missed practice due to injuries.
• Safety Daniel Bullocks finally returned to practice on Monday.  That was his first practice in nearly a year as he has been out since August 25, 2007.
• Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio has the Lions in the 24th spot in his preseason power rankings.

• The Lions went back outside for both practices on Monday and wore full pads in the morning and helmets and shorts in the afternoon.
• In case you missed it, the Lions cleared out their PUP list by moving Shaun McDonald, Dan Campbell, and Daniel Bullocks to the active roster.
• A fan heckling Roy Williams during Monday's morning practice actually was ejected due to his behavior.  Here are the details of what happened:
  

  Mike Lazzara, 42, of Novi stood on the top step of the bleachers amid a sparse, mostly quiet crowd. He repeatedly shouted to Williams about taking plays off.
  
  “I didn’t use any profanity to him,” Lazzara said. “I wanted just to be constructive and tell the guy, ‘You know, I’m not making $20 million a season.’ The guy takes plays off. You guys look at the tape.”
  
  Williams heard Lazzara as he went back to the huddle, then walked over to the fence separating the fans from the field. Williams suggested they switch jobs, as some of his teammates yelled.
  
  “It just came out of nowhere, and I was like, ‘Huh?’ ” Williams said. “And he said it again, and I was just like, ‘What?’ And he said it again.”

  I'm not someone to say that you can't be negative at all, but this fan does seem to be in the wrong.  If you're going to be loud and yell at someone, don't call out Roy Williams for "taking plays off."  Use your frustration to repeatedly yell "Fire Millen" or something like that.  It makes no sense to go after Roy like that, especially in an obnoxious way.
  
• By the way, the final Lions practices open to the public this year are today.  The morning session begins at 8:35 a.m. and in the afternoon there will be a special teams practice at 3:30 p.m.
• Rod Marinelli isn't happy that the Lions lost out on signing Takeo Spikes.
• With Takeo Spikes not joining the Lions, there are many questions that remain regarding who will move to strong side linebacker and who will stay in the middle.  Between Jordon Dizon and Paris Lenon, someone will have to move to strong side linebacker, and the Lions hope it's Lenon.  Problem is, the chances of that happening are slim as Dizon is too inexperienced to be the starting middle linebacker right now, leaving Lions coaches facing quite the conundrum.
• For the first time this training camp, the Lions' entire starting offense practiced together.
• There is a very good chance the Lions could decide to keep five safeties on the 53-man roster, meaning Greg Blue would make the team.
• Stanley Wilson has officially been placed on the injured reserve list.
• The United Football League will welcome Mike Vick out of prison with open arms as it isn't likely he will be able to play in the NFL until 2010 at the earliest.
• Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are reportedly going to play the halftime show at Super Bowl XLIII.

The Lions' PUP list started the day with three players still on it and will finish the day completely empty.  That is because the Lions removed wide receiver Shaun McDonald, tight end Dan Campbell, and safety Daniel Bullocks from the PUP list and moved them to the active roster, meaning all three got to practice for the first time since the start of training camp.

Campbell and McDonald were expected to come off the list today. Bullocks was a little more uncertain. He spent all of last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Once he gets into football shape, he should compete for a starting spot.

Bullocks was on pace to be removed from the PUP list sometime this week, but I am a little surprised he was moved to the active roster today.  It's a good surprise, though, as the sooner he can start getting ready for the season the better.  As the quote above states, he should be in the mix to start at one of the safety positions, so it's great that he is back.

• The Lions returned to their normal routine on Monday with a morning practice in full pads and an afternoon practice in helmets and shorts.  Both practices were held on the outdoor field.
• That return to their normal routine will be short lived as the Lions will only have a single practice today and a single practice tomorrow as they have a game on Thursday.  In fact, Detroit will not revert back to the normal two-a-days format until Sunday, giving the players some time to rest up before and after the preseason opener.
• With the shift to a single practice today, the Lions are also moving indoors for the first time during training camp.  So far the weather has cooperated with the Lions very well, allowing the team to be outside during every session to date.  For whatever reason, though, the Lions will practice inside today.
• By moving their practice indoors, it will not be open to the general public as originally scheduled.  Instead, fans will have to wait until next Monday for their next chance to watch a Lions practice.
• Offensive guard Edwin Mulitalo was removed from the PUP list yesterday and returned to practice as well.  His return means there are only three players remaining on the PUP list, and that number is actually expected to shrink come this time next week.  Wide receiver Shaun McDonald and tight end Dan Campbell are expected to return to practice next Monday, and if everything goes according to plan, safety Daniel Bullocks could be taken off the list as well shortly after that.
• Brian Kelly, Artose Pinner, and Manny Ramirez also returned to practice on Monday.  Buster Davis, Cory Redding, and Langston Moore, on the other hand, did not practice as they are still dealing with injuries.
• Offensive coordinator Jim Colletto thinks that talking about running the ball is much different than actually running the ball.
• Special teams play can decide roster spots.
• Running back Brian Calhoun is finally healthy again.
• Center Dominic Raiola is a big golf fan, so he should enjoy the fact that the PGA Championship is at Oakland Hills this week.
• The Free Press is giving away a pair of Lions season tickets as well as a free limo ride to each game for the lucky winner.

• I was going to have this post up earlier today to talk about yesterday's practice, but my Internet stopped working and I didn't get the post up in time before going to the scrimmage today.  Because of that, this post will discuss the happenings from both Friday and Saturday.
• Beginning with Friday first, the Lions had a full practice in the morning and a special teams session in the afternoon.  Both practices were done in shorts and helmets only, meaning this is the second time this week that Rod Marinelli gave his players a day without pads and hitting.
• Today was "Black and Blue Fan Day" in Allen Park.  The Lions had a practice that incorporated a scrimmage, if you can even call it that.  Although they wore full pads, there was very little hitting going on, which was a disappointment to many of the 1,561 fans that showed up (that number was provided by the Lions, so take it for what it's worth).
  
• There still have been no changes to the PUP list, meaning Daniel Bullocks, Dan Campbell, Shaun McDonald, and Edwin Mulitalo all were unable to practice yet again.  Defensive tackle Langston Moore also didn't practice today, along with Cory Redding, Teddy Lehman, and Artose Pinner.  Moore spent most of the practice working with a coach off to the side and jogging around.  Also, going back to Friday, Tatum Bell missed practice due to personal reasons.
• Buster Davis left practice after getting hit in the head, but is expected to be fine.
• Bill Ford Jr. seems to get it as he knows the Lions have to start winning now.  He also is someone that doesn't seem to care for Matt Millen, so that's a plus in my book.
• Kevin Smith revealed that he desperately wanted to wear the #24 as that was his college number, but it would have costed him too much.  Instead, he is wearing Kevin Jones' former #34.
• Jon Kitna has an understanding of why the second half of last season was so bad.
• Devale Ellis realized that to make the team he would have to improve his returning skills, so he did just that.
• Yardbarker provided some history on how each NFL franchise got its name. (HT: Highlight Reel)
• Some writer picked the Lions to win the NFC North.  Uhh, why?
• Tickets for Thursday's preseason opener against the Giants are still available.  If all the tickets aren't sold by Monday, then the Lions will have to request an extension in hopes of preventing the game from being blacked out.  It is very likely the game will be blacked out, though, meaning it would air on tape delay rather than be shown live on CBS Detroit.
• Both practices on Monday will be open to the public.  The morning session begins at 8:35 a.m. and the afternoon one at 4:30 p.m.
• There is no practice at all tomorrow, which is a first since training camp began.
• The Patriots signed former Lions offensive lineman Barry Stokes.
• I'll post some pictures and my observations from today's fan day event on Sunday.

• The Lions got back to their normal routine on Thursday as they practiced in pads in the morning and shells in the afternoon.  This comes a day after Rod Marinelli had them in shells during both practices as he felt the team needed a day without full contact.
• Two centers, Andy McCollum and Nick Jones, were signed to one-year deals by the Lions on Thursday.  To make room on the roster, guard Matt Butler and tackle Chris Patrick were released.  McCollum and Jones were brought in as Dominic Raiola isn't 100% healthy, so added depth is needed.  On top of that, whichever players filled in for Raiola when he missed practice earlier this week did a horrendous job at center, prompting the Lions to go find some true centers.
• Don't forget that the Lions are hosting "Black & Blue Fan Day" tomorrow, which includes an open scrimmage.  I plan on being in attendance, so expect a full report on what I saw as well as a ton of pictures and some video to be posted on Sunday.  As it turns out, the Lions reportedly will not have practice at all on Sunday, so I will fill the void with a look at Saturday's scrimmage.
• The Broncos released safety John Lynch today in what is being called a mutual split.  There was some early speculation that the Lions might be interested in bringing Lynch in since he is a former Buccaneer, but Detroit has no interest in him.  That makes sense since they have enough safeties already.
• Daniel Bullocks' injury is progressing, but the Lions don't want to rush him back too soon.
• Roy Williams is glad the Lions are going to run the ball more as he believes defenders will concentrate less on him and Calvin Johnson.
• New Lions cornerback Brian Kelly knows the Tampa-2 pretty well considering he's played in that system basically his entire career.
• Kevin Smith did a nice job in a blocking drill.  Also, he actually tried to check the Lions' depth chart on their website but didn't realize each position is listed in alphabetical order.
  
• Tom Kowalski believes the Lions could have as many as 10 defensive linemen on the active roster when the season starts.  I agree with him, as shown in my first roster prediction.
• The Steelers signed former Lions returner/receiver Eddie Drummond.
• The Brett Favre saga is getting more and more entertaining every day that goes by, but it should be known the Lions have zero interest in him.  I don't think that's an issue anyways since Favre probably has zero interest in playing for the Lions.

• Both of the Lions' two practices yesterday were held outdoors and in helmets and shorts (shells).  To some people in Michigan, the fact that the morning practice was outdoors comes as a surprise as a nasty storm system went through the lower thumb area around 7:00 a.m. yesterday.  It was north of the Allen Park area (I think), though, so that's why the practice was outdoors.
• The Lions signed kicker/punter Eddie Johnson to add depth to both positions.  As I said earlier this week, any kickers and punters not named Jason Hanson or Nick Harris strictly are in training camp for depth purposes and will be gone by the end of August.
  
• To make room for Johnson, the Lions released wide receiver Eric Fowler.  Fowler, who is from the state of Michigan and played football at Grand Valley State, was just signed on Sunday.
• Rod Marinelli explained why the Lions didn't practice in pads at all on Wednesday.
  

  "I'm conscious of the 80, really it's not even 80 when you get down with PUP's, we're down to about 70, I'll let you ask Dean (Kleinschmidt) exactly the numbers-71 or 72. But we just got bumped up in the offensive line a little bit yesterday. Hey, I'd like to get back in them tomorrow, I just have to space it out a little bit more right now. I don't like getting out of them. I think if you're trying to run the football, that's something important to have. We've got to be smart, too. We've got a game in a week, too, that we've got to be able to finish with second and third groups."

• Defensive tackle Langston Moore sprained his right shoulder on Monday and is basically day-to-day. 
  
• Ernie Sims' injury isn't improving a whole lot, and he will miss the Lions first preseason game.  Also, Dominic Raiola missed his first Lions practice in eight years due to a sprained ankle.
• Speaking of Detroit's first preseason game, it is a week from today, which is hard to believe.  Then again, it's hard to believe it's nearly August already.
• Tom Kowalski wonders why Daniel Bullocks is still on the PUP list and believes Calvin Johnson is going to have a big season.
• Rookie linebacker Jordon Dizon picked off a Jon Kitna pass thanks to being in the wrong place at the right time.
• Offensive linemen Manny Ramirez and Chris Patrick missed practice due to injuries.  Ramirez could be out as long as a week or so, and Patrick may be done for the entire preseason.
• Receivers Devale Ellis and Mike Furrey collided during a punt return.

• The Lions' fourth day of practice followed the same basic routine as the previous three days.  Both sessions were outside and in the morning the Lions were in full pads, and in the afternoon they were in shells.
• As expected, wide receiver Reggie Ball was placed on the reserve/injured list.  The knee injury he suffered during Friday's morning practice was serious enough to shelve him for an extended period of time, which is why the Lions just went ahead and put him on the reserve list.
• To fill the void created by Ball's injury, the Lions have signed former Grand Valley State wide receiver Eric Fowler.  Fowler is actually from New Haven, Michigan, and had an outstanding career at GVSU.  He signed with the Steelers after last year's draft before being cut after the preseason ended.  Eventually Fowler was signed to the Rams' practice squad last December, but was cut just last week, giving the Lions a chance to bring him back home.
• Just as usual, no changes have been made to the PUP list.
• The Lions' new offensive philosophy that focuses on balance will greatly help Jon Kitna this season.  Compared to the past two years with Mike Martz calling the shots, Kitna will be sacked far less since there will be less passing.  That's good news for the Lions as Kitna isn't getting any younger, and getting hit as much as he has in the past two years didn't help.
• Bill Ford Jr. has faith in Rod Marinelli but declined to comment on Matt Millen.  Also, Tom Lewand claimed that the Lions are actually ahead in season-ticket sales compared to last year despite some rumblings that they were having trouble selling tickets.
• Daniel Bullocks feels he is ready to start practicing, but the Lions don't want to take any chances of him getting injured again due to being rushed back too soon.
• Teddy Lehman was traveling quite a bit before ending up back in Detroit.
• Calvin Johnson's back thankfully didn't give him problems after he made a catch that was similar to the one that hurt him in the first place.
• Center Dominic Raiola crushed a trash can before practice yesterday instead of a tackling dummy.
• Rod Marinelli is likely going to utilize a new rule change that gives teams the option to defer if they win the opening coin toss.  That new option means teams can send their defense out first and start the second half on offense, but still have a say in which end of the field they want to defend.
• The Lions' 12th annual kickoff luncheon will be held at Cobo Center on August 27.  For more information, including how to order tickets, click here.
• Brett Favre did not report to Packers training camp yesterday.  Originally he was planning on showing up, but he decided against it as it would only cause more problems.

• The Lions' third day of training camp (on Saturday) featured a full pads practice in the morning and a special teams session in the afternoon in shells.
• Wide receiver Reggie Ball is likely done for the season after suffering a knee injury in practice on Friday.

  On WR Reggie Ball's injury: "He's out, no question about that. It's a knee (injury). I can't say exactly what it all is. The (doctor) I know came in this morning to look at it, but he's out."
  
  On whether Ball is out for the season: "He could be out - done."
  
  On whether Ball will need surgery: "Once the (doctor) sees - I want to see what he says today. But it doesn't look good."

  Ball was a long shot to make the team, but it's still disappointing to see any player get hurt, especially that seriously.  Ball was able to walk off the practice field on his own after lying on the ground for a bit, but it's obvious that he hurt his knee pretty badly based on Rod Marinelli's above comments.
  
• The first pair of practices open to the general public are on Tuesday.  Practice times for that day are 8:35 a.m., and either 3:30 p.m. or 4:30 p.m.  I've seen both listed and will see if the Lions can clarify the exact time.  Gates open a half hour before each practice and only the first 700 fans there will be allowed in.  Here is some more info on all open practices:

  Re-entry is not permitted and children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Personal belongings are subject to inspection upon entry and items not permitted into open practices include: professional cameras (lenses over five inches long and/or 50mm or above), any video camera, food, beverage, coolers, lawn chairs, blankets, umbrellas, backpacks or large bags. The fan viewing area features: bleacher seating areas, additional standing areas, a shaded tent area, The Roar & More team store, offering items such as official 2008 Training Camp and Sideline apparel, and concessions. Though autographs are not guaranteed, it was common in 2007 for Lions' players and coaches to meet fans following practice sessions.

• Teddy Lehman's contract is for one year.
• After three days of being able to evaluate injured players, there are surprisingly still zero changes to the PUP list.  S Daniel Bullocks, TE Dan Campbell, WR Shaun McDonald, and OG Edwin Mulitalo are all still stuck on the PUP list, meaning they are not able to practice.  It was initially expected that at least one of the four would be back on the active roster by now, but obviously the Lions don't want to rush anyone back to practice too soon.
• Zero Lions were fined this year for being overweight.  That is a nice thing to hear for a change after having players like Mike Williams and Shaun Rogers face weight issues in the past.
• Jim Colletto has already installed most of the Lions' base offense in only three days of practice.
• According to Colletto, Dan Orlovsky is ahead of Drew Stanton so far when it comes to who will be Jon Kitna's backup.
• Jared DeVries is hungry for the left defensive end starting spot.
• Mike O'Hara caught up with Cory Redding.
• The Lions are learning about having discipline quickly as an officiating crew has been in attendance the last three days.
• Tom Kowalski has quite a few tidbits posted from yesterday.
• The Free Press has a photo gallery up of Friday's afternoon practice.
• MLive has audio of Caleb Campbell's interview on the Dan Patrick Show.
• Browns defensive tackle Shaun Rogers picked off a pass in practice that was similar to his INT he had that went back for a TD against Denver last year.