- NFL.com posted a video of an interview with Jim Schwartz.
- Also on NFL.com are mic'd up videos of offensive line coach George Yarno and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Scott Linehan.
- Linehan thinks Kevin Smith will be back before the start of next season.
- Martin Mayhew said that he anticipates bringing in another running back this offseason via the draft or free agency. What that new back's role will be is currently unknown and will probably greatly depend on how Smith's recovery goes.
- In the above-linked interview with Schwartz, Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson was one of the things discussed. Wilson has been great all week in practice so far, and Schwartz really seems to be a fan of his football skills and attitude. Wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson is impressed with Wilson as well because he has been shutting down Jefferson's players all week.
- Schwartz is also a fan of Idaho offensive lineman Mike Iupati. Iupati's stock is soaring this week, and it is starting to look like he will be a first-round pick. That's too bad for the Lions because Iupati is a great player and would be a great pick at the beginning of the second-round. It's also too bad because we probably won't get to hear Schwartz talk about Iupati's hair again in the future.
"I was kidding him yesterday," Schwartz said. "He’s going to take that Troy Polamalu shampoo commercial away from him, because Mike has much nicer hair than Troy. That hair is like Fabio. It’s flowing. It’s beautiful."
Schwartz didn't say this, but I will add it for him: no homo. - ESPN's Kevin Seifert thinks Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount could be a good match with the Lions.
(More after the jump)
- The Free Press and Detroit News both took a closer look at Kris Kocurek, the Lions' current assistant defensive line coach and likely future defensive line coach.
- Martin Mayhew talked about the Senior Bowl and how it provides such a great opportunity to get to know the players participating in it.
- SI's Don Banks posted his first mock draft, and he has the Lions selecting Gerald McCoy. The same goes at Mocking the Draft, which also has the Lions selecting McCoy.
- Former Lions coaches Joe Barry and Joe Cullen are on the move. Barry is leaving the Buccaneers to be USC's linebackers coach and Cullen is headed to Jacksonville to be the Jaguars' defensive line coach.
- With the Pro Bowl coming up on Sunday, SB Nation took a look at what can be done to fix this event. Quite personally I don't know if it can be fixed, because I really don't have any interest in it whatsoever. Perhaps if the Lions actually had players participating I'd feel different, but the Pro Bowl just doesn't have much intrigue to it. The players typically aren't thrilled to have to play in it, and quite honestly the Senior Bowl is a hell of a lot more interesting than the meaningless Pro Bowl.