More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

2 months ago: Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson (81), is congratulated by teammate guard Stephen Peterman (66) after his touchdown in the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field in Detroit, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Browse more photos »

• My thoughts go out to Chris Spielman and his family, as his wife, Stefanie, passed away yesterday after a long and courageous fight with breast cancer.
• I was a bit surprised that Stephen Peterman wasn't one of the players placed on injured reserve earlier this week, because the ankle injury he suffered during the Vikings game looked pretty serious.  Peterman was in an immense amount of pain and though he managed to walk off the field without any help, he had to be carted off to the locker room from the sideline.  It was apparent the injury was serious, but nobody was really sure just how serious until today.  I say that because the Lions have now placed Peterman on IR, ending his season.  He will probably have to undergo ankle surgery, which is why the Lions went ahead and ended his season.
• Replacing Peterman on the roster is wide receiver Eric Fowler, who was activated from the practice squad.  A replacement for Peterman was really already signed earlier this week when Melvin Fowler joined the team, so the Lions decided to promote Fowler to fill the latest open spot on the active roster.
• Kalvin Pearson and Ernie Sims are out this week.
• It was thought that Cleveland's Joshua Cribbs might be out as well, but now it looks like he will play on Sunday against the Lions.
• The reason Louis Delmas' absence from last Sunday's game was so unexpected was because Delmas himself thought he was going to play despite having a root canal and dental surgery on the Friday before the game.  All was fine up until kickoff was approaching, which is when he realized he was in too much pain and couldn't play.  It happened so soon before kickoff that he wasn't even on the inactive list, which actually ended up hurting the Lions' depth because so many other players got hurt during the game.
• Jim Schwartz made some adjustments to the team's schedule this week in order to get ready for playing two games in five days.
• The fate of the Silverdome will be decided by a judge by Monday at the latest.
• Ernie Sims and a few of his snakes visited a class of fourth-graders earlier this week to talk about reptiles.
• Shaun Rogers talked about his time in Detroit earlier this week.

• According to John Niyo, the players listed below missed practiced today for the Lions.
  

  Quick injury update from practice: Guard Stephen Peterman (ankle), linebacker Ernie Sims (hamstring), defensive end Dewayne White (toe), safety Kalvin Pearson (hamstring) and receiver Derrick Williams (hip) all are sitting out today.

  Also according to Niyo, Daniel Loper has stepped in for Peterman at right guard.
• Louis Delmas, who didn't end up playing against Minnesota because of an infected tooth, did practice, as did Larry Foote and Phillip Buchanon, who are both recovering from injuries. 
• According to Jim Schwartz, Anthony Henry is going to be active this Sunday and will be "in a lot of different roles."  Schwartz specifically mentioned that Henry can play at outside cornerback, nickel cornerback, and safety.
  
• Joshua Cribbs, perhaps the Browns' best player, missed practice today because of an injury that happened on the last play of Monday's game against the Ravens.  The game was basically over, but Cribbs was still out there playing and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher after receiving a big hit.  Why you would have a player like that out there when the game has already been decided is beyond me, but this is Eric Mangini we are talking about.  He may be one of the most incompetent coaches I've ever seen (the NFLPA is reportedly going to Cleveland to investigate his practice methods for crying out loud), and if you don't already think that, wait until you read the next bullet.  As for Cribbs, he merely hopes to play on Sunday.  For the Lions' sake, I hope he takes this game off, because he owned Detroit in the preseason.
  
• Vikings cornerback Benny Sapp talked up Calvin Johnson yesterday, calling him the "best receiver in the league, hands down."  He also said this about Megatron:
  

  "He's like the LeBron James of football because of his size, speed and his knowledge of the game."

  What's funny is that if Eric Mangini had it his way, LeBron James would be the LeBron James of football.  James talked on Tuesday about how he could become a football player if he was committed to it, and Mangini said this about the possibility of him playing for a different Cleveland team:
  

  "I think he should come on down," Mangini said.

  Shaun Rogers was a bit more skeptical, but for marketing reasons alone I wouldn't hesitate to sign LeBron James if he truly wanted to become an NFL player.  Still, Mangini must be pretty desperate if he has no qualms about an NBA player joining the team.  Then again, without Joshua Cribbs, the Browns' top receiver is Mohamed Massaquoi, who was one of Matthew Stafford's targets at Georgia last year.  Maybe signing James wouldn't be such a bad idea considering how little talent the Browns currently have, especially since Mangini thinks that the Cleveland Cavalier could play outside linebacker, wide receiver, and tight end.
  
• The Lions have already been eliminated from contending for the NFC North title. 
  

Continue reading this post »

• We are going to be seeing a lot more of DeAndre Levy, because Ernie Sims is likely going to miss 1-2 months of action with a Grade 2 tear in his hamstring.  The original hope was that Sims would only miss a couple weeks with his hamstring injury, but according to the Free Press, a tear like this takes 1-2 months to heal.  Levy will step in as the starter to replace Sims, which will be a great opportunity for the rookie from Wisconsin.  Levy has played great this season, and by having an extended period of time to be the starter, he will gain quite a bit of experience and get a chance to show the coaches that he deserves to stay in the starting lineup even after Sims returns.
• Although Larry Foote missed practice again on Thursday with what we now know is a knee injury, according to him, he will play against the Vikings on Sunday.  Jordon Dizon said Foote is missing practice just to rest his injury, so it doesn't appear to be something serious enough to keep him out of the lineup in a game situation.
• Gunther Cunningham sort of called Foote out for his recent play.
• Dewayne White was back on the practice field yesterday.
• Detroit4Lyfe put together a Detroit Lions all-time fantasy football team, and the findings are pretty interesting.
• Two Seahawks players were each fined $5,000 for late hits on the same Lions kickoff return.

• Ernie Sims missed practice on Wednesday because of what Jim Schwartz called a "fairly significant" hamstring injury.  Sims left the Seahawks game in noticeable pain, and he said yesterday that it doesn't look like he will play against the Vikings on Sunday.  Usually when Schwartz uses the word "significant" to describe an injury it means the player will miss around a couple weeks at the least, so I personally wouldn't expect Sims to be back until Thanksgiving at the earliest.
• Also missing practice yesterday were Larry Foote and Dewayne White.  Foote has a banged up wrist and White is dealing with an ongoing hamstring injury.  There's no word yet on their status for Sunday, but I would expect a listing of probable or questionable on this week's injury report.
• One piece of good news on the injury front is that Louis Delmas practiced on Wednesday.  There was some concern over his health after he left the Seahawks game with a right knee injury, but based on the fact that he was on the practice field yesterday, it doesn't appear to be bothering him too much.
• Gunther Cunningham is a big fan of the way DeAndre Levy plays and the way he leads on the field.
• The reason for Matthew Stafford's recent struggles could be that his knee injury is still bothering him a little bit.
• Brett Favre was limited in practice yesterday with what the Vikings are calling a hip injury.  It's actually his groin that's injured, though.
• Ramzee Robinson has been signed by the Eagles.  I was always a fan of Robinson when he played for the Lions, so it's good to see him land somewhere.
• Larry Johnson is officially a free agent after no teams claimed him off waivers.
• Brady Quinn is once again the Browns' starting quarterback, meaning the Lions can expect to face him when they host Cleveland on November 22.

• Kevin Smith returned to practice on Thursday, splitting No. 1 reps with Maurice Morris.  Calvin Johnson also practiced again on Thursday.  It appears both will be game-time decisions for Sunday's game, but if I had to make a prediction right now, I'd say that the Lions will have all of their offensive weapons against Seattle.
• A lawsuit against Dennis Northcutt that brought about some pretty serious accusations was dropped.
• Although twins are on the way, Nick Harris will be with the team in Seattle this weekend.
• Unlike Julian Peterson, Sunday's game is not circled on Cory Redding's calendar.
  
• Chris Osgood used to be a Seahawks fan, but the Lions are his favorite team now.
• This year's Thanksgiving game halftime show will be "A Motown 50th Anniversary Tribute."  For more information, click here.
• The 49ers signed former Lions cornerback Keith Smith and already released Carson Butler from their practice squad.
• SB Nation's mid-season studs and duds awards are out.
  

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

19 days ago: Detroit Lions running back Kevin Smith is stopped by St. Louis Rams defenders Quincy Butler (36), David Vobora, Paris Lenon and James Laurinaitis (55) in the first quarter of an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Browse more photos »

• Although he was listed as limited, Calvin Johnson practiced on Wednesday with the No. 1 offense.  That's a good sign, because even Matthew Stafford was listed as limited in practice.  He was listed as limited last week as well, but he obviously ended up playing.  For Calvin, it looks like he will be a game-time decision, which is probably what Kevin Smith will be as well.  Smith missed yesterday's practice because the shoulder he injured during the Rams game is still sore.  If Smith is unable to play on Sunday, Maurice Morris will step in as the starter, and you can probably expect to see more of Aaron Brown as well.
• Jason Hunter finally returned to practice after missing a couple games.  It would be nice to get him back for this weekend.
• Wide receiver Eric Fowler has been signed to the practice squad by the Lions.
• It looks like Manny Ramirez and Jon Jansen are competing for the starting spot at left guard.
• Danny Amendola, the returner that got lit up by Zack Follett, has a concussion.  When asked about the hit, Amendola said this:
  

  "The hit didn't hurt, but my mind wasn't working," Amendola said. "I walked off, I think. Just got my head buzzed a little bit."

  Zack Follett: he will hurt your mind.
• Roy Williams complained to the media about how Tony Romo's passes to Miles Austin are thrown much better than when they go in his direction.  I still can't believe we got a first- and third-round pick for him.

• My confidence level in a Lions victory over the Rams has changed quite a bit this week.  On Monday, with there still being no word on the status of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, I was predicting a Lions victory, but there wasn't a ton of confidence behind that.  After Tuesday, I started to gain more confidence after learning that Stafford had returned to practice.  My confidence grew even more one day later after hearing that Stafford had again practiced.  After yesterday, my confidence in a Lions victory rose to an all-time high, because Calvin Johnson returned to practice.  As long as Johnson's knee responds well to the practice and he doesn't suffer any setbacks, it appears that the Lions' deep-ball connection between Stafford and Megatron will be on the field on Sunday.  That's great news considering the Rams will likely present many opportunities to go deep, which could make for a big day for both Stafford and Johnson.
• Stafford practiced for the third day in a row on Thursday, so I would peg his chances of playing on Sunday as probable.  It appears that he should be good to go barring any unforeseen setbacks.
• Terrelle Smith returned to practice on Thursday, whereas Jason Hunter and Zack Follett were sidelined with an ankle injury and an illness, respectively.
• Gunther Cunningham apparently has a list of players that are basically on notice, and if they don't start playing better, they will be headed to the bench.
• Brandon Pettigrew is surprisingly on pace to have a great rookie season by a tight end's standards.
• Larry Foote would "love" to finish his career in Detroit.
• Here is an interesting (and depressing) stat on Sunday's game from Inhistoric, SB Nation's sports history blog (HT: Turf Show Times):
  

  Next Sunday's matchup between the Rams and the Detroit Lions will be one for the history books (no, seriously). Both teams have lost 17 of 18 games and 25 of their last 27. And if the Rams go 0-16, and it would make this game the only matchup in NFL history between a team coming off a win-less season and a team on its way to a win-less season.

  Some people are dubbing this the "Toilet Bowl" on account of how bad the Lions and Rams have been in recent history.  I think that would only be an accurate description if Stafford and Megatron don't play.
• Carson Butler has been signed to the 49ers' practice squad.

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo, right, talks with Rams rookie third-round draft pick corner back Bradley Fletcher during NFL football minicamp at the Rams' training facility Friday, May 1, 2009, in St. Louis. Fletcher is out for the season after hurting his right knee. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Browse more photos »

• We will soon find out if Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and other injured Lions returned to practice today.  Stafford and Johnson missed Friday's practice, as did Larry Foote, DeAndre Levy, and others.  Daunte Culpepper sat out on Thursday but returned on Friday, so I'm assuming he will be good to go this week against St. Louis.
• Stafford said he will try to practice today in order to test his knee.  It certainly doesn't sound like anyone is really sure of where Stafford is at in the recovery process, so I guess we will just have to wait and see how his knee responds if he does get back on the practice field.  If he doesn't practice, then that would be very telling about his health.
  
• The Rams are also banged up, and they will be without three of their regular starters on Sunday.  Two of them -- cornerback Bradley Fletcher and long snapper Chris Massey -- are out for the season.  Guard Richie Incognito isn't out for the season, but he will miss Sunday's game because of a ligament injury in his right foot.
• Vinny Ciurciu has been all over the practice field.
  
• Brandon Pettigrew realizes that he needs to start playing better.
• Keary Colbert is headed to the UFL.  Based on his play in the preseason, that is probably a better place for him than the NFL.