• After following their usual routine on Wednesday, the Lions will not have practice today as Rod Marinelli canceled the two originally scheduled sessions.  They will be back on the practice field tomorrow before traveling to Cincinnati on Saturday to get ready for their second preseason game on Sunday.
• ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert visited the Lions on Wednesday to take in their two practices, and he shared some of his observations on his blog.
• Seifert also posted the most detailed version of what caused Jon Kitna to lose his temper during yesterday's morning practice.  Basically, the practice had already been very fierce and the defense was not holding back at all.  Dwight Smith was talking smack to Casey FitzSimmons, Ernie Sims put a big hit on Mike Furrey, and Buster Davis laid out Dan Campbell right after a Kitna pass came in.  And then Davis did the same thing to John Owens, causing Kitna to lose it.
  

  "Do something, Buster! Do something!" Kitna screamed, over and over, after the play. (We're guessing he meant, "Do something in this league before you start throwing players around in practice.") Getting angrier with each yell, Kitna started walking toward Davis before a few coaches got in his way. Fists never came close to flying, but rarely do you so much as see a quarterback advance in a threatening manner.

  I can understand where Kitna is coming from as I doubt he likes to see his receivers getting hit so hard in practice, but he's got to understand where Buster Davis is coming from.  Davis is fighting for a spot on the roster with other linebackers, and he's got to show the coaches that he deserves to make the team.  Letting up and gently running into offensive players is not that way to do that, so what does Kitna expect?
  
  After practice, Kitna spoke to the media and basically blamed the little temper tantrum on the entire team being a little cranky as they don't get to play their next preseason game until Sunday, which comes 10 days after their first one.
  

  "I'm not going to get into specifics, that's how competitors are,'' Kitna said. "Today's really the last day and we're ready to start seeing other people on a weekly basis. You usually don't go more than seven days without a game in preseason and this is our seventh day -- and we've still got three more days until we play. The guys are just ready to hit somebody else.''

  In the grand scheme of things this little conflict means nothing, but I do like the aggressiveness Buster Davis showed in practice.  He knows that he has to do everything possible to try and make the team, and if that means popping a couple of tight ends then so be it.
• One final thing to mention from Kevin Seifert's account of what caused Kitna's outburst is that Roy Williams did not practice.  I have no idea why he didn't, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.
• Madden NFL 09 came out earlier this week, and I'll post a review of it sometime soon.  Overall, the game seems pretty good, although the Lions do sort of suck.  Their offensive line and running game in Madden are sadly just about as bad as they are in real life.  Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams are dominant, but rarely did it seem like I had very much time to get the ball to them as the blitz gets to Kitna quickly.
• Could Chad Johnson someday legally be known as Chad Ocho Cinco?  The answer to that question is yes, and no, I'm not joking.

• The Lions once again were indoors on Wednesday and only practiced once in their final day of preparation before their game against the Giants.
• Just a quick reminder: I'll be providing live updates of the game in the comments section of the game thread that will be posted later today.  Although the game starts at 7:00 p.m. ET, it will not be shown on TV until 9 p.m., so that's when the live updates will start.
• The starters will only be in the game for about 10 plays, which is normal for the preseason opener.  Once Jon Kitna leaves the game, Dan Orlovsky will come in for a quarter and a half and then Drew Stanton will finish out the last quarter and a half according to Rod Marinelli.
• As expected, Ernie Sims has been ruled out of today's game.
• In a bit of a surprise, Buster Davis has been cleared to play.
• With Mike Martz gone, Casey FitzSimmons is glad to be back at tight end.  FitzSimmons played fullback when Martz was the offensive coordinator.
• J.T. O'Sullivan, a quarterback that spent last season with the Lions before following Mike Martz to San Francisco, is going to start for the 49ers in their preseason opener on Friday.
• This isn't really relevant information at all, but the Lions are really ripping the media off.  I was browsing through their daily press release and found a couple of astounding bits of information regarding Internet use at Ford Field. 
  
  For a member of the media that wants to use wireless Internet, there is a $30 per game charge.  And for someone that wants to connect to the Internet via an Ethernet cord, get this, it'll cost them a whopping $300 a game.  300 freaking dollars.  Are the Lions really hurting for money that badly?  It's bad enough that those members of the media have to cover the Lions in the first place, but now they have to pay either $30 or $300 just to get on the Internet.  That's just wrong.
  

• The Lions practiced only once on Tuesday and did so indoors and in shells.  I still haven't been able to figure out why the Lions decided to move inside for the first time during training camp, but I imagine it has something to do with just changing the scenery as every practice up until yesterday had been outside.
• There were no changes to the PUP list as the remaining three players on it aren't expected to be taken off until next week at the earliest.
• Even though Kalvin Pearson had some serious charges against him dropped, the NFL is still keeping tabs on what happens with the misdemeanor charge that remains.  Also, the alleged victim in this whole situation is not happy with the serious charges being dropped.
  

  "It's not what I wanted," the alleged victim told The Oakland Press. "It's basically (bull). He has money and he has lawyers. He's doing what he has to do to keep his job."

• Along with the three players on the PUP list, Cory Redding, Edwin Mulitalo, and Langston Moore will not play in tomorrow's game against the Giants.  Ernie Sims has already said that he will not play, either, and it is unlikely that Brian Kelly and Buster Davis see any action due to injuries.
• Tom Kowalski thinks the Lions should consider moving Jordon Dizon outside if it is evident that he isn't ready to play middle linebacker.
• Rookie running back Kevin Smith believes the Lions will win a playoff game this year.
• The Sports Network has a preview of tomorrow's game up.
• Although Brett Favre has returned to the Packers officially on paper, his physical return to the team is unlikely.  It appears that there is too much animosity between Favre and the Packers for how his return was handled, meaning that a trade is very likely as it is becoming increasingly evident that the two sides will never be able to fully agree on what exactly Favre's role with the team is.  If a trade does happen, based on who Favre has talked to, it is looking like he will be headed to the Jets or Buccaneers at this point.
• Finally, in an unrelated note, is it too much to ask for the Tigers to hold on to a lead for a full game?  I have never seen a team play so badly with the lead before.  One day Todd Jones can't close out a game, the next it's Fernando Rodney, then Kyle Farnsworth comes back and plays like complete s**t in every freaking appearance, and finally, Joel Zumaya showed that he isn't qualified to be the team's closer. 
  
  Go back in the last 10 games and just change the outcome of a few of them and the Tigers would still have a chance to win the AL Central.  Since that's not possible, though, this season is officially over as far as I'm concerned.

Lions linebacker Ernie Sims returned to practice on Monday as his bone bruise evidently is no longer bothering him very much.  Sims had missed practice recently after landing awkwardly following an attempt at a pass deflection.  When the injury first happened there was a brief moment where everyone was worried about how seriously Sims was injured, but he thankfully got up quickly and left the field under his own power.  As an MRI would reveal the following day, Sims had a bone bruise that wasn't too severe as he is now able to practice again.

He popped a couple of people. On one play, he smacked running back Tatum Bell and stopped him cold. The crunch could be heard across the field, to the fans’ delight.

“I got a little stress out of me,” Sims said.

Sims said he still would not play in the exhibition opener Thursday night against the New York Giants.

There is absolutely no reason for Sims to play on Thursday, so I'm glad he'll be sitting that game out.  With only a few days of practice to get ready for the game, there is no point to risk further injury with Detroit's best linebacker.

• 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.

• On their sixth day of training camp (yesterday), the Lions practiced in full pads in the morning and were in shells for a special teams session in the afternoon.
• Yesterday's two practices were open to the public, and there was a good showing of fans at the Lions' practice facility (around 500 for the morning practice).  Players and coaches stuck around after each practice to sign autographs and chat with fans, so it had to be a fun experience for those that went.  The next pair of open practices will be on Friday.  The morning session begins at 8:35 a.m., and the afternoon special teams practice starts at 3:30 p.m.
• Center Dominic Raiola sprained his ankle and missed Tuesday's morning practice.  Raiola has started 96 consecutive games, so it was a rarity that we saw the Lions' backup centers on the field for an entire practice.  Raiola's absence was evident, by the way, as the backup centers combined for six fumbled snaps during the practice.
• Ernie Sims is not likely going to play in the Lions' first preseason game against the Super Bowl-champion New York Giants.
• Defensive tackle Langston Moore, who has looked good in practice as of late, sprained his shoulder and had an MRI yesterday.
• Rookie fullback Jerome Felton put a huge hit on linebacker Buster Davis.
• No changes have been made to the PUP list.
• Lions cornerback Leigh Bodden will make more money in 2008 than Browns defensive tackle Shaun Rogers.
• Defensive tackle Chuck Darby is glad to be on a team that Rod Marinelli coaches.
• Kicker/punter Paul Ernster was waived by the Lions.  He signed with Detroit back in April to only be a training camp body.  Every year there are kickers and punters that are on the Lions' roster during camp, but only Jason Hanson and Nick Harris are left by the time the season starts.
• Rookies Jordon Dizon and Kevin Smith are writing training camp diaries on the Lions' official website.
• Below is some info on the players being honored during the Lions' 12th annual kickoff luncheon that will take place on August 27.

  The entire team annually attends the luncheon and awards from the 2007 season will be presented. Players receiving awards will include: Most Valuable Players Dominic Raiola (offense), Ernie Sims (defense) and Alex Lewis (special teams). Other awards will go to Gerald Alexander, Jared DeVries, Mike Furrey, Stephen Peterman, Cory Redding and Keith Smith.

• MLive, the Free Press, and the News all have photo galleries up from Tuesday.
• Emmitt Smith has been replaced on ESPN's NFL Countdown by Cris Carter.  The move is long overdue as Smith was terrible on the show, but it will be sad to see him go as he unintentionally provided so many laughs on Sunday mornings.  The former Cowboys running back will still be on Monday Night Countdown.
• Brett Favre has officially filed for reinstatement, meaning he is now un-retired.  As Terrell Owens would say, get ya popcorn ready, because things are about to get very interesting in Packers country.

After landing awkwardly during Sunday's morning practice, linebacker Ernie Sims fell to the ground and scared everyone watching.  After a short period of time Sims got up, but there were still questions about the health of his knee.  Although it was assumed that the injury was no big deal, questions remained about what happened until yesterday.

Sims had an MRI done on Monday and the results were very relieving.

The injury to Detroit Lions linebacker Ernie Sims' right knee has been diagnosed as a bone bruise, with no damage to the ligaments or cartilage.

Sims, who was injured Sunday morning when he jumped and landed awkwardly, could be out of practice anywhere from two days to 10 days, head Lions trainer Dean Kleinschmidt said Monday.

It's never nice to see a player hurt his knee, especially when it's your team's best linebacker, but this news is good to hear.  A bone bruise can heal quickly and allow Sims to return to practice fairly soon.  Anything more serious would not only have been a concern in the short term, but it would always be something in the back of our minds down the road, so it's great to find out that Sims only suffered a bone bruise and nothing more.

Lions linebacker Ernie Sims landed wrong after going up to knock down a pass yesterday, and as a result, hurt his knee.  Sims was on the ground for a bit, giving every fan and coach a scare as he is Detroit's best linebacker.  Thankfully, though, Sims got up and seemed to be fine.

"It scared me a little bit," Sims said. "Thank God, it's just a little sore. You saw me. I ran back out there."

He felt pain shoot through the knee joint when he landed on the turf, Sims said.

"I came down on my knee wrong," Sims said. "I just felt it shoot through my knee. More than anything, it scared me. From my standpoint, I'm fine."

Just to be safe, the Lions apparently took a closer look at the injury in between practices, but Sims was back out on the field, so I'm not worried about the injury too much.

• Saturday?  Although I rarely post on the weekends in the offseason, I felt there was a need to today since so much is going on right now with the start of training camp.  I can't tell you for sure if there will be another post tomorrow or if weekend posts will continue in the future, but as long as there is a lot to talk about, I will keep you all updated regardless of the time of the week.
• Anyways, getting to the important stuff, the Lions' second day of practice was held outside for both sessions.  In the morning the Lions wore full pads and in the afternoon were in shells.
• Jordon Dizon was able to get out on the practice field in the afternoon after missing the morning session.  He also said that he regrets not telling the Lions about his drunk driving arrest that happened just days before the draft.  He only came clean with Rod Marinelli once the arrest became public knowledge, but at least he did admit his mistake.
  
• Cornerback Leigh Bodden has officially signed his four-year, $27 million contract extension.  Back on Thursday, Bodden picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown.  That was before he found out about his contract extension, too.  I bet he was pretty happy how his first day of Lions training camp went.
• On Friday, Bodden got another interception, and linebackers Paris Lenon and Buster Davis also got a couple of picks, although Davis was stripped by Calvin Johnson after the INT.  Is it just me, or are there way too many interceptions being thrown?  I know the Lions don't have the best QBs around, but man, it seems like a lot of passes are being picked off.
  
• Ernie Sims participated in team drills on Friday after not being a part of them on Thursday.  That's good news as it obviously means his injury isn't too big of a concern right now.
• There have been no changes to the PUP list despite some speculation that a player or two would be taken off and put on the active roster.
• Rookie running back Kevin Smith was treated like the rookie he is by a couple of veterans after his first practice.  He had to carry the shoulder pads and helmets of Tatum Bell and Aveion Cason.
• College quarterback turned NFL receiver Reggie Ball injured his knee yesterday in practice.
• An Army graduate and one-time Tigers draft pick thinks that Caleb Campbell would better serve the Army by playing for the Lions rather than possibly going to Iraq in the future.
• Speaking of Campbell, somebody needs to tell CNN he was a seventh-round pick, not a first-rounder.
• The Free Press has a partial transcript up of Matt Millen's recent interview on WDFN.
• MLive has a photo gallery of the Lions' second day of camp up.
• NBC will stream its Sunday night football games on the Internet for free.  This is the first time NFL games will be live on the Internet for free, and as expected, other networks aren't exactly thrilled about this development.
• Finally, in an unrelated note, I f***ing hate Todd Jones.  The Tigers went from being 4.5 games back to 6.5 as Jones served up a home run with only 1 more out needed for the win.  They don't call him Roller Coaster for nothing.

• 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.