• Although Daniel Bullocks was placed on the waived/injured list, that doesn't necessarily mean he will become a free agent.  I have always wondered what being put on the waived/injured list meant, but thankfully Tom Kowalski outlined it in a story today.
  
  Assuming Bullocks clears waivers, the Lions can agree to an injury settlement with him and then waive him or re-sign him in approximately four to six weeks, or they can put him on the injured reserve.  If they decide to do the latter, which seems to be the most logical move, Bullocks would become a restricted free agent after the 2009 season.  The Lions would still be able to re-sign him and match any offer he receives from another team if they want to bring him back.
  
  The one thing I don't understand about all of this is why Bullocks wasn't simply put on the IR in the first place.  It's not like every player who has gone on the IR had to be put on the waived/injured list first, at least not as far as I know.  Maybe it is because Bullocks is entering the final year of his contract.  I'm not really sure, so if anyone knows or looks up the details of going on the IR and all that, leave a comment sharing what you know/found.  I will do some research today and see what I can find.
  
  UPDATE: I missed this at first, but John Niyo explained it in his blog yesterday, saying that before the first round of roster cuts happens, players who have been in the league for less than four years have to be put on waivers prior to going on the injured reserve.
• Brandon Pettigrew and Calvin Johnson for sure won't play against Cleveland on Saturday.  The same likely goes for Casey FitzSimmons, who just returned to practice this week.
• Jim Schwartz is going to announce the starting quarterback for the Cleveland game tomorrow.  I expect Matthew Stafford to get the start.  The hope is that the Lions will have a better idea of who should be the permanent starter before the third preseason game, which is usually the closest thing to a simulation of a regular season game.
• There were two fights during practice this morning.
• Keith Smith has returned to practice.
• What was supposed to be the Lions' final open practice has been closed to the public since it was moved indoors due to bad weather.
• The AP's Larry Lage wrote an in-depth piece on Ramzee Robinson.
• Pride of Detroit passed 2,000,000 page views this week!

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

3 months ago: FILE -- This is a June 24, 2009, file photo showing Detroit Lions safety Louis Delmas watches during NFL football minicamp, in Allen Park, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

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• Calvin Johnson and Louis Delmas returned to practice on Tuesday.  Johnson was without his cast, but he didn't have any passes thrown to him just to be safe.  Delmas made his presence felt by destroying Aaron Brown with a ferocious hit during today's practice.  Jim Schwartz made sure to tell Delmas to be a bit more careful when jacking up teammates, but he seemed to enjoy the hit.  Gunther Cunningham, as expected, seemed to like what he saw as well.
• Casey FitzSimmons and John Standeford returned to practice today.  FitzSimmons was limited, but the fact that he simply returned is good news, as I didn't expect him to be back so soon.  Standeford fully participated in practice.
  
• Wide receiver Kenneth Harris was carted off the field because of an ankle injury.
• Daniel Loper didn't practice today and was replaced by Manny Ramirez at left guard.
• Running back Allen Ervin was wearing a boot at practice because of an ankle injury.  Jim Schwartz said it was more serious than a day-to-day issue, which is too bad.  Ervin played well against the Falcons and certainly looked better than Aveion Cason.  Ervin and Aaron Brown pulled ahead in the competition for the third running back spot for sure.  Obviously Brown has the upper hand (and will continue to have it with Ervin out), but losing a player means less competition, which is never a good thing.

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More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

3 months ago: Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson kicks a 47-yard field goal, held by punter Nick Harris, with three seconds remaining to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 27-26 in an exhibition NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

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• Linebacker Cody Spencer has been placed on the injured reserve after tearing his ACL during a kickoff in the Falcons game.
  
• Kicker Swayze Waters has been re-signed, filling Spencer's spot on the roster.  The reason the Lions need a kicker is because Jason Hanson had "minor" knee surgery this morning.  Jim Schwartz made it sound like the surgery was nothing major, but anytime a kicker has something done to his knee, concern is only natural, especially when that kicker is Hanson.  Hopefully he will be able to return sooner rather than later, as it would hurt to lose Hanson for an extended period of time.
• Yesterday, the Lions released wide receiver Bobby Sippio and put offensive tackle Kirk Barton on the waived/injured list.  To fill those two spots on the roster, the Lions signed wide receiver Dane Looker and offensive guard Terrence Metcalf.  Looker played for the Rams for the last seven years, so he has a connection to Scott Linehan.  Metcalf was on the Bears for the past seven seasons.
• Jim Schwartz is shutting Brandon Pettigrew down, as his quad injury isn't healing very quickly.
• A group of local high school football players attended the Lions' practice this morning.
• Peter King thinks Matthew Stafford has an "A-minus NFL arm."
• The Lions benefited from a bad call in the Falcons game.
• John Niyo has a list of the Lions' injuries going into this past Saturday's Falcons game.
• The full Outside The Lines piece on Charles Rogers is now on the Internet.
• Tom Kowalski thinks the Lions will go 3-13 this coming season.

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

3 months ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper (11) throws during an NFL football training camp in Allen Park, Mich., Friday, Aug. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

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• Daunte Culpepper has been named the Lions' starting quarterback for their preseason opener against the Falcons tomorrow afternoon.  Matthew Stafford and Drew Stanton will still get an equal amount of playing time, but Culpepper will get to play first, with Stafford expected to come in during the second quarter and Stanton some time in the second half.  Knowing that, this move really isn't too big of a deal.  It's only the first preseason game, and for me, it was expected that Culpepper would be the starter initially.
• Casey FitzSimmons, Keith Smith, and Daniel Bullocks were ruled out of the Falcons game by Jim Schwartz.  That doesn't mean they are the only ones who won't play, however, as the injury list will probably reach double digits.  Those three players are just the ones that are out for sure.  Other injured players will participate in the pregame warm-ups before a decision on their status is made.  I would be surprised if a player who is injured gets a significant amount of playing time.  There is simply no point in risking further injury at the very start of the preseason.
• The Lions' depth chart has been posted on the team's official website.  It accounted for some injured players, as their names are italicized and dropped to the end of their position.
• Decals honoring Corey Smith and Ricky Sandoval will be on the Lions' helmets this season.
• NFL teams are allowed to have a sponsor on their practice jerseys, and the Lions are going to put the Ronald McDonald House of Detroit's logo on theirs.
  
• Drew Stanton did a good job of running the scout team in preparation for the Falcons.
• Members of Michigan's Air National Guard attended practice yesterday and got to be a part of the Lions' circle after practice.
• Louis Delmas had a rough childhood.
• Brian Billick is a fan of Jim Schwartz.
• Grady Jackson is the slowest player in Madden 10, coming in with a speed rating of 34.  That's pretty bad, but at least he isn't 34 overall like cornerback B.J. Sams.
• In case you hadn't already heard, the Eagles signed Mike Vick.

• Individual game tickets for the Lions go on sale at 10 a.m. on August 27.  For more information, check out the Lions' official website.
• The Lions have signed offensive guard Milford Brown and safety Calvin Lowry.  To make room on the roster for the two new players, the Lions released defensive tackle John Gill, who was the first undrafted free agent to sign with Detroit earlier this year, and tight end Jake Nordin.
  
  Brown started four games for the Jaguars last season and is generally considered to be a guard.  He has been in the league since 2002, when he was selected by the Texans in the supplemental draft.
  
  Lowry was a fourth-round pick in 2006 by the Titans, where he played for Jim Schwartz for a couple seasons.  He started three games for the Broncos last season.  His signing could be a hint that Daniel Bullocks isn't going to return anytime soon.  We learned yesterday that Bullocks was out indefinitely, but Schwartz didn't really provide a timetable for his return.
• No players were actually ruled out yet, but Tom Kowalski speculates that the list of injuries for Saturday's game against the Falcons will be pretty big.
• Usually rookies experience hazing at the hands of veteran players, but that was not the case with the Lions, as Jim Schwartz made sure that didn't happen from the start.  He thinks players should be professional and worry more about teaching rookies than messing with them.  I like that attitude, as these players are here to do a job, and while hazing can be fun, winning is even better.
• Bryant Johnson was able to return to practice sooner than expected thanks to an experimental treatment.
• If you're in the main or overflow #1 fantasy football leagues, check your inboxes, as invites have been sent.  I will try to get the other two leagues up and running later today, so if you're in one of those leagues, keep on the lookout for it.  (Note: The current draft date/time is not set in stone by any means.  It is just what the site had when I created the league, as both the date and time will be discussed on here at another time before it is finalized.)
• Madden 10 officially comes out at 12:01 a.m. tonight.  I probably won't pick it up until tomorrow afternoon, but once I do, expect me to be missing from the site for a few hours.  Based on everything I've heard, the game is amazing, so here's to hoping it lives up to its expectations.
  

• The Lions signed wide receiver Billy McMullen and released offensive guard Toniu Fonoti on Tuesday.  McMullen was just released by the Seahawks, and with the Lions' wide receivers having a bad case of the injury bug, the team felt it was necessary to add depth to that position.
• Bryant Johnson finally practiced for the first time in training camp.  He only took part in individual drills for the most part, but that seems to be the Lions' protocol when injured players return to practice.  Jordon Dizon, who also returned to practice today, only participated in individual drills as well.
• In case you need to get caught up on the current list of injuries, here is what it looks like, as compiled by Tom Kowalski:
  

  Others still sidelined include receivers Calvin Johnson (thumb), Dennis Northcutt (hand) and John Standeford (hamstring), tight end Brandon Pettigrew (thigh), cornerback Keith Smith (groin), tight end Casey FitzSimmons (ankle), linebacker Zack Follett (shoulder), safety Daniel Bullocks (knee), tackle Lydon Murtha (undisclosed), safety Marquand Manuel (calf) and running back Maurice Morris (hamstring).

  Hopefully they won't be added to the list, but Anthony Henry and Dewayne White both left practice today when they had "thigh bruises tighten up."
• Calvin Johnson's thumb injury is only a sprain, thankfully.
• Jim Schwartz already has an idea of who will start in the Lions' preseason opener on Saturday, but he probably won't announce that piece of news until later in the week. 
• Safety Daniel Bullocks is out indefinitely with a sore knee.  He was checked out by Dr. James Andrews recently and nothing new appears to be wrong with Bullocks' knee.  The fact that it is still sore, however, has caused Schwartz to "shut him down for a little while."  Hopefully Bullocks' knee eventually gets better, allowing him to return before the regular season, but things don't look all that promising right now.
• There were quite a few mental lapses during practice today.
• Lloyd Carr and Jeff Daniels were at practice today.

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• The Lions placed Curtis Gatewood on the waived/injured list and re-signed linebacker Spenser Smith.  Smith is a rookie linebacker from Eastern Michigan who was released at the end of last month.
• Brandon Pettigrew returned to practice on Sunday after missing quite a few days of action.  He only took part in individual drills and wasn't going at full-speed, but the fact that he returned is good news.  The same goes for Louis Delmas, who sort of returned to practice on Monday.  Maurice Morris was also back in practice yesterday.
• Kevin Smith left practice momentarily yesterday due to a knee injury but returned shortly after.  Marquand Manuel also left practice, as he had to ice his calf.
• Dennis Northcutt hasn't practiced a lot lately due to an injured thumb.
• Bryant Johnson is starting to run again.
• Jason Hanson missed practice yesterday due to the flu.
• Casey FitzSimmons is now wearing a boot to protect his ankle.
• The Lions' offense plays well when it knows what play the defense is going to run.
• The heat index on Sunday was over 100 degrees during practice.  It was by far the hottest day of the summer so far.

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More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

3 months ago: Detroit Lions linebacker Julian Peterson makes a catch during NFL football training camp Monday, Aug. 3, 2009 in Allen Park, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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Yesterday, I took a look at how the offense performed during the Lions' practice at Ford Field.  Today, I will look at the defense and special teams.

Defense

The defensive line doesn't have a ton of depth (especially with Jared DeVries now out for the season), but they looked pretty good on Saturday.  In these situations it's always tough to judge if the defensive line is getting better or if the offensive line is struggling, but I think it's probably a combination of both.  The D-line got good penetration on running plays and put pressure on the quarterbacks when they dropped back to pass.  Even when there wasn't a ton of penetration, Grady Jackson and his fellow defensive tackles plugged a lot of holes.  Calvin Johnson looks taller than everyone on offense, but on defense I think Jackson is quite a bit wider than most.  He probably equals 2 Dennis Northcutts.

The linebackers seemed to work a lot on going after the ball.  One of the drills they spent a good amount of time on was catching the ball on what looked like a deflected pass, getting them ready to make interceptions once the season begins.  Aside from that, there's not much I can tell you about the linebackers since no contact was allowed for all but one part of practice.  Similar to the running backs, it's tough to judge the linebackers since you don't know when a tackle would have actually been made.

Moving on to the secondary, the cornerback position has definitely been upgraded with Phillip Buchanon, Anthony Henry, and Eric King.  One DB got burned by Matthew Stafford on a pump fake, leading to a long TD in a 1-on-1 drill, but that was the only critical mistake that stuck out to me.  (I don't really count Culpepper's long TD pass since he was sacked and it seemed like the DB gave up on covering Calvin Johnson.)  Both Louis Delmas and Daniel Bullocks were out, which was a blow to the depth at safety.  It gave the rest of the safeties a chance to show coaches what they are made of, though.

Special Teams

I can't say enough about how good Jason Hanson is.  I don't remember seeing him miss a single field goal during practice, and he was nailing them from 50+ yards with ease.  Some of his kicks would have probably been good from 60 yards, which shows you that some players just get better with age in the NFL.

The team didn't practice kick returns at all, and the only punt-related drill they did involved downing the ball near the end zone.  For the most part, the returners called for a fair catch.  Once the ball was downed by Ramzee Robinson right at the goal line, and then another time the ball bounced by everyone for a touchback.  Derrick Williams acted like he was catching the ball, but it actually sailed over his head and into the end zone.  The players trying to down the ball completely lost sight of it, resulting in the touchback.