• The Lions released wide receiver Brandon Middleton and re-signed Aveion Cason on Tuesday.  Wide receiver John Standeford was also re-signed after fullback Darian Barnes was released.  Barnes was on the roster for depth purposes while Jerome Felton was injured.  Now that Felton is healthy again, Barnes was no longer needed.
• Apparently the Jaguars were making jokes about the Lions during Sunday's game.  Kevin Smith tried to defend his team by saying that Jacksonville also sucks, but the Jaguars simply came back by saying, "Well, not as bad as (you)."  Smith then agreed with whoever said that since no one sucks as bad as the Lions.
• Some Lions players aren't acting like they are on an 0-9 team.
• Rod Marinelli shared an interesting metaphor at his press conference earlier this week.
  

  “You’re in this dark tunnel and you’ve got no way out,” he said. “You’re waiting for light, and you see that light, what do you do? What do you do? You start digging and getting out. … I’ve always believed you stay in the tunnel and you keep digging when you expect no light.
  
  “You have the same faith when you expect no light. You have the same belief in what you’re doing when you expect no light. … It’s dark and I’m going to dig through. My shovel is sharp and my pick is sharp and my will is outstanding.”

  I was following what Rod was saying initially, but why would you dig your way out of a tunnel?  If it's dark and you suddenly see a light, wouldn't you go to it?  And if there was something to dig out of, how was the light showing through in the first place?  I'm so confused.
• Pro Football Talk has the details on how Daunte Culpepper can get his $1 million incentive.  He has to participate in 5% of the Lions' offensive plays before anything else, and then he can become eligible to make the incentive.
• Speaking of Culpepper, he reportedly weighed 280 pounds at his physical with the Lions.
• How desperate were the injury-riddled Denver Broncos for a healthy running back?  Well, they signed Tatum Bell on Wednesday.  I never thought Bell would play in the NFL again after allegedly stealing Rudi Johnson's bags, but then again, Denver is where he played before he was traded to the Lions in 2007.
• The Steelers signed former Lions cornerback Fernando Bryant on Monday.
• I was a guest on the Pigskin Podcast last Friday.  You can listen to my interview here.

• Drew Stanton isn't going to start at quarterback this season barring an injury to Dan Orlovsky or something drastically changing talent-wise.  Rod Marinelli is not going to start Stanton simply to evaluate him for the future, which is just dumb in my opinion.  Getting him some playing time is good for the future, yet Marinelli doesn't seem like he is going to change his mind on this topic.
• Here's your weekly injury update from Marinelli:
  

  “Just a quick update on the injuries. Jordon (Dizon) is still nursing a hamstring. Felton has a high ankle sprain so we’re still looking at that right now and he could miss this week and maybe one more but that’s—we’ll find out a little bit more Wednesday. Casey (FitzSimmons) had some ribs; I think he’ll be okay. And Dwight Smith with the foot, (it’s) still somewhat questionable and we’ll find out during the week.”

  Marinelli also mentioned that Damion Cook may be able to play on Sunday against the Bears.
• There were tons of Redskins fans at the game on Sunday, helping make up for some of the empty seats.  I emphasize the word "some" since there were still lots of empty seats.
• Apparently Peter King guaranteed the Lions won't go 0-16.
• I agree with the FanHouse's Ryan Wilson, the Lions signing Mike Vick when he gets out of prison would be the worst idea ever.  If he were on the team I would refuse to root for them.
• Some people should just not be on TV.
• Many NFL players reportedly tested positive for water pills, which may result in suspensions since they are illegal.  Water pills can apparently mask a positive steroid test, though most the players involved in this situation seem to have used water pills for weight loss reasons.

• Just a heads up, I didn't catch much of the Lions-Bills game yesterday, so the game recap will not be as detailed as usual.
• As expected, many Lions starters did not play at all, and a few of the ones that did were not in the game for very long.  The same can be said for Buffalo as only one regular starter played.
• Brian Calhoun was injured during the game.  He got the start for the Lions but only had 2 carries.  Aveion Cason and Tatum Bell were held out of the game, so Artose Pinner played nearly the entire game at running back.  He had 23 carries for 78 yards when all was said and done.
• Dan Campbell was held out of the game because of his hamstring injury.  He missed all four preseason games and only returned to practice this past week.
• Dan Orlovsky played most of the game and did quite well.  He went 12-21 for 114 yards and 1 touchdown.  That 1 touchdown was the only time either team got into the end zone, and Jerome Felton was actually on the receiving end of the TD pass.
• Drew Henson completed the only pass he threw in this game for 11 yards.  Henson tried to get a second pass off, but got sacked before he could make the throw.  Mainly he was in the game to hand the ball off as he only knows 10 plays right now.
• WWJTV's broadcast of the game really stunk.  Matt Shepard did a decent job of filling in for Gus Johnson, and Charlie Sanders was alright as a color commentator to complement Desmond Howard.  However, who the hell was working the cameras?  Have you ever heard of zooming out once in a while?  Watching football when the camera is zoomed in so you only see a few players in one shot is not fun.
• Tom Kowalski thinks the Lions will keep five receivers, five cornerbacks, and six linebackers on the 53-man roster.  Surprisingly, he believes Buster Davis won't make the team as he isn't versatile enough at linebacker.  Also, Tatum Bell seems to have wrapped up a spot on the roster as he was held out of last night's game, signaling that the Lions need him to be healthy.
• We will find out what the 53-man roster looks like by 4 p.m. ET tomorrow.  That is when the deadline is to trim the roster down to 53 players.  I'll be at the Michigan-Utah game when the cuts are made, but I'll try to put up a post as soon as I get back from the game updating who made the team and who didn't.
• Originally I planned to make a final roster prediction today, but that is up in the air right now.  I am having Internet issues at my place in Ann Arbor (I'm not there right now), so a roster prediction will depend on if I can even access the Internet.
• The Lions are offering a "Pepsi Pack" for the Packers game on September 14.  The "Pepsi Pack" will get you two upper-deck tickets, two soft drinks, and two hot dogs for $99.
• Lions safety Dwight Smith will be going to his old high school on their first day of class next week.
• ESPN's so-called experts predicted the Lions to finish last in the NFC North.  I don't necessarily think they'll go and win the division, but I don't think they will finish last, either.
• Click here for a recap of the Lions' kickoff luncheon.
• The Saints may be forced to temporarily relocate to Indianapolis next week as Hurricane Gustav appears to be headed straight for New Orleans.
• Chad Johnson reportedly has legally changed his name to Chad Ocho Cinco.  Seriously.  How awesome would it be if the Bengals changed his number?
• Adam "Pacman" Jones was reinstated by Roger Goodell yesterday.  Guess where he was when he found out the news.  No, it wasn't a strip club.  It was actually Hooters.
  

• The Lions practiced in full pads yesterday afternoon on the outdoor field.
• Wide receiver Taye Biddle, who was on the injured reserve, has been released by the Lions.
• All NFL teams must cut their roster down to 75 players by 4 p.m. ET today.  The Lions currently have the maximum amount of players on their team, so 5 players will be released sometime today.  This round of cuts comes before the rosters are trimmed down to 53 players on Saturday.
  
• Jordon Dizon is going to be Paris Lenon's backup at middle linebacker when the regular season begins.
• Tom Kowalski believes Tatum Bell is likely going to be the Lions' #2 running back despite a poor preseason.
• Jerome Felton will probably be the Lions' starting fullback this season.
• Dan Campbell is still nursing a hamstring injury that has prevented him from practicing at all this summer.  He is "working out" with the team, but it doesn't appear that he has taken part in a full practice yet.
  
• Sean McHugh is questionable for Thursday's game due to an ankle injury.
• Aveion Cason will not play on Thursday as he is also suffering from an ankle injury.

• The Lions practiced in shells on the outdoor field yesterday.
• Tatum Bell really hates Mike Martz and loves the Lions' new commitment to running the ball.  He better start having more success when running the ball or he won't get a chance to be part of that commitment come the regular season.
  
• Five of the Lions' seven sacks this preseason have been by rookie defensive linemen.
• Fullback Jerome Felton is impressing players and coaches on the field, and off it he is very, very intelligent.
  
• According to Rod Marinelli, Jason Hanson has been limited to stretching in practice.  Marinelli went on to say that he is "getting a little work," and that his target return is this week.  I certainly hope that's the case.
• Rod Marinelli isn't sharing his starting linebacker plans with anyone just yet.
  
• As long as the Lions win, Roy Williams has no problem with Calvin Johnson catching more passes than him.
• I wholeheartedly agree with Philip Zaroo from MLive; I'll gladly drink to Kyle Orton being the Bears' starting quarterback.
• Brian Kelly and Rod Marinelli get along quite well.
  
• Game On, a blog on the USA Today's website, thinks the Lions are one of five teams that were under .500 last year that will "take a leap forward in 2008."
• Along with Derek Anderson, these five Cleveland Browns are not expected to play against the Lions on Saturday:
  

  Running back Jamal Lewis (hamstring), receiver Braylon Edwards (foot), kick returner Josh Cribbs (ankle), safety Brodney Pool (concussion) and linebacker Willie McGinest (groin) also didn't practice.

  If Anderson doesn't play that means we'll get to see a lot of Brady Quinn.  That means I'll have to get ready to boo until I can't boo anymore because I hate Brady Quinn.  My hate for him stems from his days at Notre Dame, and I'll just leave it at that.
• The Pride of Detroit overflow fantasy football league still has two spots open, so if you want to be in it leave a comment and I'll send you details of how to sign up.
  
  UPDATE: The league is now full.

The Lions put fullback Jon Bradley on the injured reserve today.  Bradley missed the last preseason game due to a shoulder injury, but it was never thought to be anything serious.  Obviously that's not the case as Bradley is now out for the season.

In another move made today, wide receiver Taye Biddle was released by the Lions, opening up a second spot on the roster.  The first open spot went to free agent tight end Clark Harris.  The second went to wide receiver Eric Fowler, who was on the Lions for a few days back in July.

With Bradley out for the season, Jerome Felton will make the 53-man roster for sure.  I would imagine Sean McHugh makes the roster as well.  Back when Teddy Lehman got shelved for the year I said that injuries would make decisions for me on my roster predictions, and that is exactly what has happened at the fullback position.