• Off the top of my head, Ernie Sims, Paris Lenon, and Dan Campbell left yesterday's game with injuries.  Sims was actually carted off the field with an ankle injury right before halftime and was listed as questionable to return.  He was really the only defensive player that wasn't having problems making tackles, so his loss definitely hurt.
  
  Lenon hurt his knee and had it heavily wrapped on the bench and Campbell went out after re-injuring his hamstring.  Campbell has been limited due to the hamstring injury and hurt it again after only one catch.  I think Michael Gaines may have also been hurt, but I have not heard any details about what happened to him.
  
  We should have an update on all of the injuries from the Atlanta game later today.
• Jon Kitna was very, very frustrated in the first half of yesterday's game.  He not only was yelling at teammates but actually started to get in the face of a couple offensive coaches.  On two separate occasions he called a timeout and quickly went over to the sideline and started yelling at a coach.  The first time it was passing coordinator Kippy Brown that felt Kitna's wrath, and the second time it was running backs coach Sam Gash.
  
  Kitna did calm down once the Lions started to score some points, but it was pretty discouraging to see him that angry.  I like that he was showing passion, but there's a fine line between being fiery and being out of line.  I tend to think the latter was where Kitna was as he really had no right to get in the faces of his coaches like that.
• Calvin Johnson is this team's new #1 receiver as far as I'm concerned.  He caught 7 passes for 107 yards and was clearly Kitna's go-to guy.  Roy Williams hauled in 3 passes for 47 yards and a touchdown and made a couple nice plays, but Johnson is the Lions' premier receiver now.
• Jon Kitna shouldn't be blamed for the interception he threw at the start of the second half as it apparently was Roy Williams' fault.  Roy ran the wrong route and left Lawyer Milloy by himself to make the diving interception.
• Despite their improvements during the preseason, the defense was absolutely pathetic.  I don't know if I've ever seen a game with more missed tackles.  That was a big reason why the Falcons ended up with 318 rushing yards.  Michael Turner set a single-game franchise record for rushing yards with 220 of his own.  He also scored a pair of touchdowns and would have had three had it not been for a holding penalty.  Even their backup, Jerious Norwood, ran for 93 yards and a touchdown.
• The passing defense wasn't any better.  Matt Ryan went 9/13 for 161 yards and 1 touchdown.  That touchdown came on his first NFL pass as he hit Michael Jenkins for a 62-yard score.  Travis Fisher looked terrible on multiple occasions and Leigh Bodden didn't look much better at times. 
  
  To make matters worse, the dominant defensive line we saw in the preseason was rarely dominant in yesterday's game.  The Lions only had a single sack and never got much pressure on Matt Ryan, resulting in his nearly 70% completion rating.
• Detroit did seem to get closer to becoming a balanced team offensively.  They ran the ball 21 times and had 33 passing attempts.  Keep in mind, if the Lions weren't playing from behind during the entire game the amount of passing attempts would have been lower.  Since they were trailing, though, they had to air it out more to give themselves a chance to win.
• Kevin Smith only rushed for 48 yards on 16 carries in his NFL debut, but he didn't look bad by any means.  There were more than a few plays where the offensive line was blown up and Smith had literally nowhere to run.  Once or twice he was able to actually gain yards despite the terrible blocking, and on plays when there was a hole open he made a play.  Plus, he did score a touchdown, which is great for any rookie in their first game.
  
• Rudi Johnson only had 3 carries for 14 yards in this game.  It's not surprising he didn't get more carries as he still is learning the playbook.  The announcers said he barely knew any blocking assignments for passing plays, which is probably why he went in motion to the outside on the passing plays he was in the game for.
• As mentioned when discussing Kevin Smith, the offensive line did not play well.  Smith was tackled right when he got the handoff a few times, and Kitna's protection wasn't that great, either.
• The Lions' inactives against Atlanta were as follows: QB Drew Stanton, OG Manny Ramirez, DE Ikaika Alama-Francis, DT Andre Fluellen, DT Landon Cohen, LB Gilbert Gardner, and CB Ramzee Robinson.  Alama-Francis was bumped to the inactive list by DE Cliff Avril.
• Even though there are still two games tonight that will affect the opening week of fantasy football, I am in good enough shape to start bragging about how sweet of an owner I am.  In all three of my leagues I am not only ahead but am destroying my opponents.  In the official POD League I am currently up on Maize 'n' Blue Jays 109.70-77.16.  In the POD Overflow League I control a lead of 117.88-57.40.  And finally, in the league that involves bloggers from both SB Nation and the AOL FanHouse, I am up 97.00-37.90.
  
  I wasn't expecting to have all three of my teams turn out to be this good already, but I'm pleasantly surprised.  Even my poorly drafted team in the official league put up 100+ points, although the big reason for that was that I had Michael Turner starting.  We all got an up close look at how great of a game he had.
• As far as fantasy football goes, I plan on posting an update on the official league every Tuesday.  The update will include scores from each game and a quick recap of how each team did.  I will also keep you guys updated on how I do in the overflow league as well as the SBN-AOL one.
• Regarding my general posting schedule for the week that I will follow throughout the season, on top of the fantasy football update, I will also do a week whatever recap every Tuesday.  I haven't decided on the exact format just yet, but I will try to briefly provide a recap of each game and/or will direct you to other SBN blogs for more information.
  
  In general, what I expect my posting schedule or routine to look like is this: On Sunday nights/Mondays, I will recap the Lions game and discuss general things from it.  On Tuesday, I will update fantasy football and the NFL.  Moving on to Wednesday, I will wrap up coverage on the Lions' last game and begin to look ahead to their next one.  Then Thursday will be spent really looking at the Lions' next opponent, and Friday and Saturday will get you ready for Sunday.  I'll still have notes every day and keep you updated on any Lions news, but that will be in addition to what I listed above.
• Ex-Lions tight end Sean McHugh was signed by the Steelers.
• Chad Johnson, err, Chad Ocho Cinco, wasn't allowed to wear his new last name on his jersey this week due to a dispute with Reebok over unsold merchandise.  I'm sure Ocho Cinco will have no problem buying his old unsold jerseys considering his new one will have little trouble selling.
• The Jets were left in a predicament against Miami after kicker Mike Nugent got hurt in the first quarter of yesterday's game.  Backup QB Kellen Clemens and safety Kerry Rhodes were actually attempting kickoffs before the second half in warm-ups.  Thankfully for the Jets' sake neither was needed as Nugent returned in the third quarter.

• The first game week of the season is finally here!  It's been a long offseason and you can bet the Lions can't wait to get back on the field or a real football game.  Last season started out better than we all expected as the Lions were 6-2, but things quickly came crashing down with a 1-7 finish.  That bad taste lingered into the offseason and only now can we really start to put it in the rear view mirror.
• The Lions' opponent on Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons, present a great opportunity for Detroit to start the season 1-0.  The Falcons are coming off a rough season and will be starting rookie Matt Ryan at quarterback.  This game isn't a lock at all or anything of the sort, but it is a game the Lions should win.
• Speaking of the Falcons, they cut Joey Harrington on Saturday.
• Drew Stanton has a blog and he talked about his thumb injury a week ago.  The blog entry discusses how the injury happened and what he did right after he hurt his thumb.  Also, there was this tidbit about using the bathroom that I'll classify as being too much information:
  

  But honestly, having my thumb in a cast makes everyday things seem difficult. Besides the obvious of not being able to throw a football, I didn’t realize how important my right hand was. Like trying to eat dinner, get my cell phone out of my pocket, and, of course, the worst, wiping my butt. I know that is gross, but honestly, it sucks. Also, trying to take notes in meetings is next to impossible. Lucky for me, or unlucky depending on how you look at it, I will only have this cast on for about a month.

  Some of the more relevant information from the post is that Stanton won't be going on the injured reserve and that this really was a freak accident.  Stanton stated that he hurt his thumb on what probably was the last throw of the day, showing you just how unlucky he was.
  
  (HT: Free Press)
• Caleb Campbell is going to be featured on a show about rookies on ESPN2.  The show will air at 8 p.m. ET tomorrow.
• As Terry Foster pointed out, it looks like Rod Marinelli finally has a football team with nothing but his players.
• ESPN The Magazine featured an answer of mine to one of their fact/fiction statements recently.  The statement involved whether or not the Colts' "best days are behind them."  I disagreed and said they'd win another Super Bowl with Peyton Manning at QB, and that answer was included with answers from Jay Mariotti and Drew Sharp.  How did I get so lucky to have my answer next to those two guys?  From all accounts Mariotti is, well I'll let Roger Ebert tell you, and every article Sharp writes is negative to draw attention.
• My thoughts and prayers go out to anybody feeling the effects of Hurricane Gustav.  I know Gonzo of the Daily Norseman and Dave of Canal Street Chronicles both were in the line of the hurricane, so here's to them and anybody else staying safe.

• First, a couple of reminders: If you're in the official Pride of Detroit Fantasy Football League, don't forget that your draft is at 8 p.m. ET tomorrow.  If you're in the overflow league, your draft is at the same time on Wednesday.
• Although it would be nice to see the Lions go undefeated this preseason, the coaches are more worried about keeping everyone healthy.  With only one game left in the preseason it would be devastating for any player to suffer an injury, and that especially can be said about the starters.  Jon Kitna isn't expected to even be in uniform as he already has had a couple mishaps that involved him being kicked.  How he managed to get kicked on two separate occasions is beyond me, but it shows that accidents can happen, so I don't want Kitna anywhere but the bench on Thursday.
• Assuming Kitna won't play at all against Buffalo, we should expect to see Dan Orlovsky for most of the first half.  The Lions need to be careful with him as well considering their depth at QB is already thin, so the hope is that Drew Henson will play quite a bit. 
  
  Just how long Orlovsky and Henson will play depends on how much of the offense Henson can learn in the coming days.  He only knows six plays right now, so he'll have to study up.  My hope is that Henson plays most of the game as Orlovsky really shouldn't be in there more than he has to.  An injury to him could really screw the Lions if Kitna were to go down during the first part of the regular season.
• Kitna won't be the only starter that doesn't dress for Thursday's game.  I wouldn't expect players like Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson to be in uniform at all, and then there are many other starters that will probably see little to no playing time.
• All of this talk of not playing the starters is because allowing injuries to potentially happen at this point in the preseason is simply irresponsible.  Injuries do happen, and to take that risk in the final preseason game is just dumb. 
  
• The Giants know firsthand how bad it feels to watch a star player get injured in the preseason as Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora is out for the season due to a torn lateral meniscus.  I bet Michael Strahan's phone is exploding right now with calls about him coming out of retirement.  Lord knows the Giants need him now more than ever.
• Detroit's first opponent of the regular season, the Atlanta Falcons, have named rookie Matt Ryan their starting quarterback.
• A select group of Lions fans got to watch part of the Browns game on the sideline.

Over the next week or so I will preview the Lions' entire 2008 schedule.  Below is the first part of this series, which previews the month of September.

September 7 - at Atlanta Falcons

Out of all the times to play the Falcons, the first game of the season certainly is the best.  Atlanta's QB situation should be interesting to watch as rookie Matt Ryan likely will be the starter.  With no regular season snaps under his belt coming into this game, that lack of experience hopefully will give Detroit an advantage.

Outside of the QB position, the Falcons just aren't a very good team.  They had one of the worst records in the NFL last season, and although they should be better in 2008, early on they are expected to struggle, at least by me anyways.

On paper: Advantage Lions

Prediction: It would take an awful game for Detroit to come out on the losing end.  I'm not saying that's not possible as it is the Lions we're talking about, but Atlanta's lack of experience at quarterback should be enough for Detroit to start the season 1-0.

September 14 - vs. Green Bay Packers

Similar to the Falcons, the Packers' quarterback situation will be interesting to watch.  With Brett Favre now retired, Aaron Rodgers will finally get his chance to step in as the starting QB.  He did look good when he filled in for an injured Favre for part of the Cowboys game last season, but being the starting QB is a completely different thing then playing part of a game.

Even with a lack of experience at QB, the Packers are still a very good team.  After all, they did make it to the NFC Championship Game last season, and if it weren't for a careless interception in overtime by Favre, who knows what would have happened in that game. 

Green Bay's strength is without a doubt their defense.  Aaron Rodgers will have to play well for them to win, but it is the defense that should carry this team.  For that reason, I have to give the Packers a very slim advantage on paper.  That doesn't mean I think they will win the game, though.

On paper: Advantage Packers

Prediction: I have a feeling the Lions will come away with a close victory in this game.  Despite having a better defense, the Packers do have an inexperienced Aaron Rodgers at QB.  If he plays a great game then GB wins, but in only the second game of the season, I don't see that happening.  For that reason, I predict the Lions will start off the year 2-0.

September 21 - at San Francisco 49ers

The Lions wrap up the month of September (they have a bye on the 28th) by heading out west to play the 49ers.  The storyline surrounding this game likely will be Mike Martz facing his former team for the first time, and I'm sure Martz will contribute to it with some outrageous comment.  He has been bashing the Lions ever since taking the offensive coordinator job with the 49ers, so this is the Lions' chance for some revenge.

Although SF doesn't have an inexperienced quarterback, their offense will be in only its third regular season game under Martz's complicated new system.  They should have it down for the most part by then, but I imagine there still will be some kinks to work out.

Defensively, I already am envisioning 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis having a big game.  He is a beast and will thrive against a weak Lions offensive line.  Jon Kitna will need to keep his eyes peeled for Willis.  Then again, it won't be hard to do that when he is bringing you to the ground over and over.

On paper: Advantage Lions (Willis can only do so much)

Prediction: I don't know if this is the Kool-Aid talking or what, but believe it or not, I have the Lions starting off the season 3-0.  Out of the first three games this one worries me the most as being a possible letdown, but the 49ers aren't very good.  Look for a low-scoring affair hopefully resulting in a Lions victory.  This is one of those games where Jason Hanson will be a busy man, and in a battle of kickers he will lead Detroit to victory.

Recap: As I said, I have the Lions starting the year 3-0.  If they want any shot at making the playoffs, a 3-0 start will almost have to happen as the rest of the schedule is brutal.  The worst-case scenario for September is 1-2 in my opinion as there is no way the Lions should start out their first month without a victory.  At the same time, the best-case scenario is what I laid out to you as 3-0 is definitely a realistic possibility.

Any thoughts on what Detroit will do in September?  Leave a comment with your own prediction.