Thursday Notes: Emptying Out the Notebook

• If Ndamukong Suh is picked by the Lions, we shouldn't expect a holdout, at least that is what he claims.
  

  "Oh, no, I'm definitely not holding out," he says on WBBL-FM. "That's something that I definitely talked with my agents (about), and they realize that I'm a player that wants to get into camp on time, and not have any controversy.

  "A lot of people who know me know I'm close with my team, and I don't like being in the limelight.

  "If I'm going to shine, I want to shine on that field."

  Suh definitely seems like a high-character guy who will stick by his word.  Just look at the fact that he already donated $2 million to Nebraska's strength and conditioning program and another $600,000 to the engineering school.  Considering he hasn't even been drafted yet, that says a lot about his character.
• Darren McFadden reportedly is on the trading block, and Tom Kowalski thinks the Lions would be very interested in making a move to acquire him for the right price.
• The Lions held their first OTA on Tuesday and Matthew Stafford made all of the throws, which is good to hear.
• Stafford and Scott Linehan are both excited about Tony Scheffler joining the team.
• If things go well with Scheffler, the Lions reportedly will start talking to him about a long-term deal during the season.
• Scheffler actually has a house near Ann Arbor, so that will make his permanent move back to Michigan much easier.

(Much more after the jump)

• Ernie Sims' departure from the Lions means yet another Matt Millen draft pick is gone.  The roster is becoming more and more void of Millen picks each day it seems like, especially picks from the 2000-06 drafts.
• If the Lions don't decide to fill their need at linebacker in the draft, they could take a look at free agent and former Titan Keith Bulluck.  Another linebacker they have already apparently taken a look at is Akin Ayodele, who visited the Lions, according to Pro Football Talk.  Nothing has developed on that front because Ayodele is waiting to see what happens in the draft, but based on the below comments from Gunther Cunningham, perhaps this discussion is all pointless and Zack Follett will simply be the one that fills Sims' spot in the starting lineup.
  

  "I’m going to kill Zack Follett if he doesn’t play," defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said tonight at a meet-and-greet with season-ticket holders at Ford Field. "That’s the bottom line. And I think we put pressure on him by doing that, by making this move.

  "Zack’s like a human dynamo, and he’s learned, and he knows how much confidence I have in him."

  Then again, in addition to saying he's not a fan of homicide, Jim Schwartz mentioned that Follett has "got a long ways to go," so I imagine the Lions will add at least one linebacker via free agency or the draft.
  
• Another thing Cunningham said is that he will be calling games from the field next season instead of the press box.  After all, I imagine being chewed out via a headset doesn't have quite the same effect as Gunther getting right in your face.
• Deion Sanders hopes the Lions give Pacman Jones another chance.
• Big hat tip to Tom Kowalski for digging up the following video of Chris Spielman taking on sportscaster Don Shane in a way very similar to the Ndamukong Suh Sport Science video I posted a link to earlier.
  
  
• Cal running back Jahvid Best has not talked with the Lions and didn't take a prospect visit to Allen Park either.  That doesn't necessarily mean that he won't be picked or anything, but it certainly is interesting.
• Wake Forest cornerback Brandon Ghee is good friends with Louis Delmas and would like to play with him in Detroit.
  
• Yahoo! Sports' Charles Robinson thinks Kyle Wilson could be the first cornerback drafted.  Remember when a lot of people thought he would be a third-rounder back before the Senior Bowl?  Talk about improving your stock.
• I could really go for Pat Kirwan's mock draft playing out in real life, as his picks for the Lions in the first three rounds are Ndamukong Suh, Devin McCourty, and Ben Tate.
• The Lions' official site posted pictures and a recap of the season-ticket holders event from earlier this week.
  
• As you probably already saw, the Rams traded away defensive tackle Adam Carriker to the Redskins.  How that affects their draft plans, if it even does, is left to be seen.  I doubt it will change things too much, though.
• Drew Brees will be on the cover of Madden 11.
• The Raiders, like most teams, aren't interested in Ben Roethlisberger after all.
• Check out SBNaton.com for all of the latest on the draft.  We have a few people in NYC for the draft, so there will be some up-close looks at what is going on in Radio City Music Hall.