- To say that fans are excited to see the new-look Lions is an understatement. The first training camp practice open to the general public was held earlier today, and over 1,600 people showed up, with some arriving as early as 5 a.m. That is serious dedication right there, and the crowd set a new record for attendance at a practice. That's pretty good considering how many people showed up to "Fan Day" last year (1,500+), which was on a Saturday and included a scrimmage. I guess that shows you what a new coaching staff can do for a fan base.
- Another day, more injuries: Louis Delmas didn't practice this morning to due his left knee swelling up. Jim Schwartz said it was precautionary and Delmas should return soon, but it's never good for a rookie to miss any practice, especially when he is going to be a starter. Also, Calvin Johnson jammed some fingers on his right hand today. He didn't leave practice but did drop "several" passes and couldn't sign autographs for fans afterward.
- Other injured players include Keith Smith, Casey FitzSimmons, Brandon Pettigrew, Grady Jackson, Daniel Bullocks, and Maurice Morris, who all didn't practice today. All except FitzSimmons (he's week-to-week) are listed as day-to-day, and the injuries to Bullocks and Morris are new. I don't know if Jackson missed practice simply because the Lions don't want to overload him when he first returns, but hopefully that is the case.
- The Detroit News' Tim Twentyman has a recap of how the Lions' quarterbacks did in the 7-on-7 drill from the 6-yard line yesterday. Daunte Culpepper and Drew Stanton each threw a touchdown pass, whereas Matthew Stafford had three incompletions. In the 7-on-7 that was farther away from the end zone, Stafford fared much better.
- Former Lions Greg Landry, Lomas Brown, Ron Rice, Luther Elliss, and Herman Moore were invited to practice by Jim Schwartz, who joked that he wanted Moore to be out there in the red zone drill because of his height.
- Roar of the Lions has another post about his trip to a Lions practice, this time recounting meeting the players.
- The Chiefs have reportedly signed wide receiver Amani Toomer.
- Madden NFL 10 comes out a week from Friday, and as you can see by comparisons to last year's version of the game, it looks amazing.
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