Press release from the Detroit Lions:

The Detroit Lions will unveil the team’s Pride of the Lions, a permanent stadium display honoring the greatest players in team history, during a celebration at halftime of the Lions’ November 22 home game at Ford Field against the Cleveland Browns. The Pride of the Lions includes a 12-member charter class.

"The players who will be honored represent the very best of the best to ever play for the Lions," said Lions President Tom Lewand. "It is an honor to induct them as our Pride of the Lions charter class. The names of other Lions’ greats will be added to the Pride in the future but we could select no better representatives for our first class than these 12 standouts."

The Pride of the Lions will be a very visible feature on the old Hudson’s warehouse of Ford Field (south suite levels) that will include the players’ jersey number, name and years played with the Lions.

The charter class is a collection of the most outstanding Lions’ of all-time. All 12 players are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and they represent virtually every generation of Detroit Lions Football.

During the halftime ceremony, members of the Pride of the Lions charter class will be announced accompanied by photos and highlights of their careers. Upon the conclusion of the introduction, the names of the charter class will be simultaneously unveiled.

The Lions have 13 Hall of Famers to choose from for the 12 spots, so I wonder who will be part of the first "Pride of the Lions" class.  The 13 Hall of Famers are Charlie Sanders, Barry Sanders, Lou Creekmur, Lem Barney, Doak Walker, Yale Larry, Dick Lane, Joe Schmidt, Jack Christiansen, Alex Wojciechowicz, Bobby Layne, Bill Dudley, and Earl Clark.

A quick note to returners who play the Lions in the future: keep your head on a swivel and make sure you keep an eye on where Zack Follett is at all times.  If you don't, this could happen:

Follett's hit was one of this week's Sprint Can't-Miss Plays, and it has led to the discovery of this hilarious picture from 97.1 The Ticket:

There's actually an entire page dedicated to Follett on Karsch and Anderson's section of the website, and it is definitely worth checking out.  As we quickly found out after he was drafted by the Lions, Follett is something else.

As expected, Sunday's game against the Rams will be blacked out locally because the Lions were unable to reach a sellout.  There were 10,000 tickets left on Wednesday, meaning it would have taken a miracle simply for the NFL to grant a 24-hour extension on the deadline to sell out the game.  Extensions are only granted when teams are close to reaching a sellout, and the Lions obviously were nowhere near that happening.

This is the second time the Lions have been blacked out this season.  Two home games have been sellouts so far, and the blacked out game that has already been played was the win against Washington.  I won't have a problem with blackouts if it means the Lions win, but hopefully by the end of the season people in the blackout zone will get to watch a victory live on television.

Looking ahead at the rest of the schedule, I think there will only be a maximum of two more blackouts this season.  The Packers game on Thanksgiving will be a sellout based on the fact that it's on Thanksgiving and there will be quite a few Packers fans in attendance.  I also think the season finale against the Bears will be a sellout because it's the last game of the season and there will again be quite a few opposing fans at Ford Field.  The other home games against the Browns and Cardinals aren't likely to be sellouts, but they're not likely to be blacked out, either.  Yes, the Browns suck, but with it being a short drive from Cleveland to Detroit, I could see this game being a sellout.  As for the Cardinals game, whether or not that sells out really will depend on how the Lions are playing.  If things are going well, it could be a sellout based on the fact that it is after two away games.  If fans are anxious for the Lions' return to Ford Field, a sellout is certainly possible.

More photos » by Kiichiro Sato - AP

about 1 month ago: Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) goes up over Chicago Bears cornerback Zackary Bowman (35) to make a catch during the first quarter of an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

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For the second day in a row, Matthew Stafford fully practiced, meaning the chances of him starting on Sunday are looking better and better.  The big concern was how his knee would respond after going through a full practice, and considering he has now done that two days in a row, it must have responded well.  There's always the chance of a setback as the week goes on, but for now, at least, it seems like his chances of playing are probable.

I'm not so sure what Calvin Johnson's chances of playing are, but I have to think they are questionable at best after he missed practice again on Wednesday.  The same goes for Jason Hunter, who also missed practice.  Jerome Felton did return, but apparently on a limited basis.

Whether or not we see some of these injured players on Sunday remains to be seen, but it appears that people in the blackout zone won't get to see them even if they do play.  There are 10,000 tickets left for Sunday's game, meaning a blackout is basically all but official at this point.  The team has until 1 p.m. on Thursday to reach a sellout or at least get close enough to one for the NFL will grant a 24-hour extension.  Neither of those things seems likely, so it looks like those of us in the blackout zone will have to go stream hunting on Sunday.  Pride of Detroit will still provide live updates, so make sure to check out the site during the game.

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

about 1 month ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford smiles at a teammate late in the fourth quarter of their 19-14 win over the Washington Redskins in an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009 in Detroit. Stafford passed for 241 yards and a touchdown to help end the Lions 19-game losing streak. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

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The Lions returned to practice on Tuesday after having the weekend off, and a few injured players who sat out on Friday were back on the field, joining their teammates for what probably was the practice with the most participation in at least the last few weeks.

The most notable player to return to practice was Matthew Stafford, who took approximately half of the reps on Tuesday.  He seemed to be happy with how his knee held up, though he didn't feel comfortable giving a percentage on how healthy he is.  Even if he had shared one, it wouldn't really mean anything until Wednesday's practice.  I say that because no one will really know how healthy Stafford is until his knee has a day to recover from Tuesday's practice.  If it swells up again, then chances are we will have to wait at least another week for Stafford's return to game action.  If it is fine and looks/feels like nothing happened on Tuesday, then the odds of him playing on Sunday greatly increase.  I don't want to get my hopes up just yet, but Tuesday brought more positive news on Stafford than I expected.

One of the other notable injured players, Calvin Johnson, did not return to practice on Tuesday.  He did do some running on the sideline, but that was about it for Megatron.  Calvin did say that he is "optimistic," but he also admitted that he's "not positive about what's going to happen."  The best thing to do with Calvin is take a wait and see approach.  If he suddenly feels well enough to practice sometime this week, he could also return to game action on Sunday against the Rams.

Staying on the topic of injuries, Dewayne White, Sammie Hill, and Ko Simpson all returned to practice on Tuesday as well.  Jerome Felton and Jason Hunter didn't get back on the field, but even so, it's nice to see so many of the injured players start to participate in practice again.  Hopefully that means that the Lions will be almost at full strength on Sunday, and as the season continues, hopefully it means that I will have to spend less time typing up the injury report each week.

One other thing I want to mention is unrelated to injuries, but it does involve a change to the starting lineup.  According to John Niyo, Jon Jansen "appears to be the new starting left guard," and Daniel Loper has shifted to right tackle to be Gosder Cherilus' backup.  It's obvious that the Lions want to find an offensive line combination that will work, so here's to hoping that Jansen is the answer at left guard, even though he has never started at a position other than right tackle in his career.

The NFL has partnered with Van Heusen and JCPenny to give fans a chance to vote for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  The fan vote doesn't officially count toward the next Hall of Fame Class, but it will be interesting to compare the actual vote to one done by fans.  Some of the differences could be quite drastic because certain players were fan favorites or not well-liked by the media, or because one fan base decides to really load up the ballots for their team's former players.  In the case of the six former Lions on the ballot, that is what I hope will happen.

The six former Lions who are nominees include one former coach, three long-tenured, well-known ex-players, and two other players who spent only a few seasons or so in Detroit.  Here is the full list:

Buddy Parker (Played for Lions from 1935-36; Coached for Lions from 1950-1956)
Al "Bubba" Baker (1978-82)
Lomas Brown (1985-95)
Chris Spielman (1988-95)
Herman Moore (1991-01)
Pat Swilling (1993-94)

The three names on that list that jump out the most are probably Lomas Brown, Chris Spielman, and Herman Moore, as each spent a good amount of time playing for the Lions.  Al Baker and Pat Swilling spent far less time in Detroit, but each was an outstanding player while on the Lions.  Baker was the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1978 and made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons in the league.  Swilling was traded to the Lions in 1993 and made the Pro Bowl that season.  The Lions also made the playoffs that year as well as in Swilling's second and final season in Detroit.

To vote for one or all of these former Lions, click here.  The results of the vote will be officially announced on NFL Network in 38 days, but you can see what place each player is currently in right now.  Spielman and Swilling are the only two former Lions in the top 100, and even then they are only #46 and #55, respectively.  You can vote once a day, so head over there and move these former Lions up in the rankings.

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

26 days ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford looks on from the sideline against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter of an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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Although he practiced on a limited basis yesterday, Matthew Stafford did not practice at all today.  Stafford is still recovering from the knee injury he suffered against the Bears, and as it stands right now, it doesn't look like he will play on Sunday against the Packers.  The same goes for Calvin Johnson, who missed practice both today and yesterday.  The chances of him playing at this point seem unlikely, though I suppose he could miraculously recover between now and Sunday.

There are a few different theories out there as to why Stafford practiced on Wednesday but not today, including a slightly paranoid one from Tom Kowalski, who seems to be freaking out a little bit over the fact that the Lions are now a secretive team that will play some mind games.  Kowalski thinks that Stafford was sent out to take some snaps with the media watching but didn't do anything else, leading to the media saying he practiced when he really didn't. 

Could that be the case?  It wouldn't surprise me one bit.  Let's remember that Jim Schwartz, as he once said, has a degree in football from the University of Bill Belichick.  Even so, I don't see it as a big deal at all.  We aren't going to find out if Stafford is the starter until before the game on Sunday, and you can bet that Schwartz and company will say as little as possible about his status in the mean time.  If throwing Stafford out there for a few minutes on Wednesday throws even a little curve ball at the Packers' preparation for Sunday, then it's worth it.  I don't necessarily think it will change anything, but I like that the Lions may be trying to play mind games, and I certainly don't think it's worth freaking out over.

Staying on the topic of injuries, it looks like the Lions' injury report will once again be quite large headed into Sunday's game.

Safety Ko Simpson (hamstring), running back Maurice Morris (hip) and defensive linemen Dewayne White (hamstring), Jason Hunter (ankle) and Sammie Hill (ankle) also missed practice for a second straight day, though Simpson at least did some work in the portion of practice open to reporters.

Fullback Jerome Felton (shoulder) and tight end Casey Fitzsimmons (thigh) were listed as limited after missing practice Wednesday. Linebackers Ernie Sims (shoulder) and Jordon Dizon (foot) were listed as limited for the second straight day.

All I can say is that I'm glad the Lions have a bye next week.

Quite a few new injuries happened during Sunday's game against the Steelers, one of which turned out to be pretty serious.  Cornerback Eric King first had an interception nullified because of a roughing the passer penalty, and his day went from bad to worse when he hurt his shoulder.  The injury is so severe that the Lions placed him on injured reserve, which is a big blow to an already struggling secondary.  King hasn't been particularly bad, so losing him isn't good when there are already depth issues.

One piece of good news is that Calvin Johnson's injury isn't too bad.  This is what Jim Schwartz said about it:

"I wouldn't label his as significant right now," Schwartz said. "He had some tests done and we'll know more Wednesday."

By now we all know that Schwartz loves to use the word "significant" when describing injuries, which doesn't really provide us with a ton of information.  I imagine that's intentional and something he gets from Bill Belichick, but it makes it tough to get a good read on injuries.  Although we do know that Calvin Johnson has a short-term injury, who knows if he will be back this week or not until after the bye.

The same can be said for Matthew Stafford, whose status for the Packers game on Sunday is also extremely up in the air.  We didn't really learn anything new about his injury, but Schwartz did make it clear that the upcoming bye week will not change how decisions are made.  That means that if Stafford is healthy enough to play, he will play.  Schwartz said they want to win this game, so being at as close to full strength as possible will be important.  If that means that Stafford will have to play at less than 100%, it looks like Schwartz will consider doing that.

In other injury news, Jerome Felton, Casey FitzSimmons, and Jason Hunter all got hurt against Pittsburgh.  Felton injured his shoulder and ankle; FitzSimmons hurt his thigh; and Hunter suffered an ankle injury as well.  Schwartz characterized their injuries as "either day-to-day or week-to-week," so it looks like if they don't play on Sunday against Green Bay, they should be back for the Rams game after the bye.