Detroit Lions Breakdown Podcast

Erik has been posting articles after every day of practice he attends, you can read them here

The Lions are in Indy gearing up for their first preseason game on Sunday, Erik and Joe talk about what happened over the last week…

• Update on the injury report
• The easiest part of the coaches job… the cuts
• The boys go through the mailbag as they break down each positional group
• If Abdullah provides 1000 yards rushing how does it affect the dynamic of the team?
• Is Caldwell the reason the Lions struggle to run the ball?
• How many WR and TE will the Lions end up with on the roster, and what are they going to use more in the slot?
• Is there a possibility that the Lions trade Tomlinson?
• Erik gives his thoughts on the defensive line situation
• Valoaga has looked good in practice
• Will Thornton and Bryant make the 53 man roster?
• What are the responsibilities of the (Closed) LDE?
• How does Jarrad Davis look?
• Erik tells everyone all about how great Jamal Agnew has looked
• It’s a deep episode this week, there’s some Kasey Redfern talk
• Erik tells us about his favorite and least favorite 2017 draft pick
• DeAndre Levy is unsurprisingly filing suit against the team

Just a reminder, if you like our show you can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher.

As always, thanks for listening. Tweet us (@erikschlitt, @JoeKania_DLB, @lionsbreakdown)

Erik has been posting articles after every day of practice he attends, you can read them here, or here

On this show, Erik and Joe break down the first few days of camp…

• Update on the injury report
• The boys go through the mailbag as they break down each positional group
• Stafford looks solid, the kids look like kids
• Does Abdullah look 100% recovered?
• Eriks’ thoughts on Dontez Ford
• Joe once again sounds off on Staffords contract extension
• Golladay looks strong unless the defense brings the muscle
• Darrin Fells is a bright spot in Eric Ebrons absence
• The battle at Left Tackle isn’t exactly heating up
• Position flexibility is not what Erik has seen from Laken Tomlinson
• Anthony Zettel looks good at DE
• Pat O’Connor may have shown some twinkling
• Worrilow has looked surprisingly good
• DJ Hayden has looked fast, but not much else
• Jalen Tabor looks very comfortable off the ball
• Erik and Joe talk about Glover Quin’s contract extension
• Erik expounds on his latest football crush Miles Killebrew

Just a reminder, if you like our show you can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher.

As always, thanks for listening. Tweet us (@erikschlitt, @JoeKania_DLB, @lionsbreakdown)

With the rookies already reported and the vets only days away Erik and Joe talk about what Training Camp may have in store…

• Six Lions will open camp on the PUP list
• Three more find themselves on the NFI(Non-Football Injury) list
• Erik talks about the similarities between the two lists
• Dave Birkett from the Free Press finally finished his series on the top-20 Lions, no surprise who checks in at #1
• PFF ranks the Lions backfield at #25 overall
• Barry Sanders has now taken on the official role of Fan Liaison/Brand Ambassador for the Lions
• Joe gives the details and Erik talks about the experience fans will have while attending camp practice at Allen Park
• Yahoos Frank Schwab asks three questions facing the Lions in training camp and no surprise they concern injuries and Ebron
• Gary Davenport from Bleacher Report mentions one move each team should make before the regular season kicks off
• The Free Press lists five position battles, Erik thinks #2 is the most interesting
• Look for an upcoming series on Lions Wire comparing the last 3 GMs and their all-Offense and all-Defense teams
• Erik and Joe finish the show by digging through the mailbag

Just a reminder, if you like our show you can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher.

As always, thanks for listening. Tweet us (@erikschlitt, @JoeKania_DLB, @lionsbreakdown)

Brett Whitefield of Pro Football Focus joins Erik and Joe as their first ever guest!…

• Armonty Bryant was suspended for 4 games for violating the league substance abuse policy the Lions may need to look for an addition to the DL
• Brett has an article on the prototypical Defensive Linemen in every technique
• Erik just released one looking at 5 options the Lions have to bolster their pass rush
• The boys visit the Rod Wood-shed early and talk about the latest stadium, uniform and Calvin updates
• Erik and Brett play “take a side” while evaluating the Lions skill players projected offensive stats according to the latest series of articles by Dave Birkett
• Brett looks at Eric Ebron and if he’ll see more Red Zone action in 2017
• Another peek at the Matthew Stafford contract situation
• Are the Lions overlooked? Would anyone make a bold prediction about the Lions nationally?
• Brett and Erik are optimistic about the Lions Defensive Backs. The PFF group currently has the Lions ranked 17th in the NFL
• Two quick mailbag questions

Thanks again for Brett for joining us, check out his Twitter at @BrettWhitefield

Just a reminder, if you like our show you can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher.

As always, thanks for listening. Tweet us (@erikschlitt, @JoeKania_DLB, @lionsbreakdown)

Not so quiet on the football front this week as Calvin Johnson generated some Lions related content…

• Calvin now says the Lions losing ways were the cause of his retirement
• Erik and Joe discuss a Mike Payton article from Pride of Detroit about the Lions Secret Weapon (Joe and Erik call it “Superstar” for some reason)
• Kent Platte of Pride of Detroit delves into whether the Lions receivers will be better in 2017, Joe and Erik aren’t so sure
• A round of Ebron quotes
• An MLive poll asks which Lions reclamation project will have the most success in 2017
• Erik and Joe take another look at the roster stack
• Another peek at the mailbag
• Erik has another round of questions for Joe, this time on the ages of the Lions
• Who were the greatest players Joe and Erik saw in college

Just a reminder, if you like our show you can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher.

As always, thanks for listening. Tweet us (@erikschlitt, @JoeKania_DLB, @lionsbreakdown)

Happy Belated 4th of July, most of the other Lions podcasts took the week off, so Erik and Joe are doing their best to shoulder the load…

• A poll on Draft Wire asked who was the Lions best draft pick from 2017, Erik breaks it down
• Joe and Erik compare their lists of the 5 under the radar Lions who could make an impact in 2017 (also comparing to Tim Twentyman’s list)
• A few news stories surfaced with the Lions getting some national love (Rick Gosslin’s power rankings)
• The boys answer a bunch of questions from the mailbag
• Joe tries to guess between Founding Fathers and Ex-Lions
• NOTE: Take a look at Erik’s latest column

Just a reminder, if you like our show you can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher.

As always, thanks for listening. Tweet us (@erikschlitt, @JoeKania_DLB, @lionsbreakdown)

Lions news has continued to grind to a halt here in late June, still Erik and Joe find a way to squeeze blood out of the proverbial rock…

• Tavon Wilson is facing a lawsuit in civil court
• Former Lion Nick Fairley’s heart condition might end his career
• LB Zach Orr looking to unretire, visited the Lions on Thursday, Erik even wrote an article about it
• The boys answer a couple of questions from Nathan and Sean
• Which Barry Sanders run was the greatest and most memorable
• Erik talks about the Lions and their utilization of analytics
• Kent Platte from Pride of Detroit gathered a bunch of data from the 50 mock drafts already for 2018, Erik and Joe glance at the list
• Joe tries to guess statistics on the NFL Top 100 list

Just a reminder, if you like our show you can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher.

As always, thanks for listening. Tweet us (@erikschlitt, @JoeKania_DLB, @lionsbreakdown)

Another slow week in Allen Park, but that gives Erik and Joe time to talk contract extensions and top 10 lists…

• Congratulations to listener Andy Dombrowski and his triumph on the F-Word
• Kenny Golladay finally signs his rookie deal
• Eric Decker will not find his way to Detroit
• Contract details for Greg Robinson and Cyrus Kouandijo
• Evaluating Khyri Thornton’s suspension
• The team and Glover Quin begin extension talks
• Yet another Matthew Stafford contract update (another domino falls in the saga with Derek Carr’s extension)
• Rookie recap
  • Jarrad Davis seeing all the time at the MIKE
  • Jalen Tabor has been making plays
  • Jalen Reeves-Maybin has been showing off athletic ability
  • Jamal Agnew is trying to utilize his versatility
  • Jeremiah Ledbetter has a better chance of making the squad with Thornton’s suspension
  • Pat O’Connor looks quick
  • Kenny Golladay does not drop passes
  • Michael Roberts is delivering what Erik thought he’d deliver
  • Brad Kaaya seems miles behind Jake Rudock
• The Lions have one player (Stafford at #31) on the NFL Top 100 list, could there eventually be more?
• Erik and Joe evaluate who they think are the Lions top 10 most important non-QBs after SI and MMQB released their lists
• Joe answers a few, “Who’s Got More?”

Just a reminder, if you like our show you can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher.

As always, thanks for listening. Tweet us (@erikschlitt, @JoeKania_DLB, @lionsbreakdown)

“Mandatory mini-camp” has wrapped up and questions have still not been answered…

• When might Taylor Decker return?
• Greg Robinson and his late night plane flight
• Cyrus Kouandijo also signs up to fill the Decker absence
• Tony Hills adds to the who’s who of new tackles
• Three players released to make room for the new big men (LS Landes, OT Uzdavinis, and OG Bozick)
• DTs Ego Ferguson and Bruce Gaston replace Maurice Swain and Nick Perry on the roster
• Keeping on the Decker theme, would the Lions benefit from signing Eric Decker?
• Ziggy Ansah extension talk
• Updates from “Mandatory mini-camp”
  • Injuries
  • Joe Dahl on 1st team at LT
  • Leo Kolomatangi on 2nd team at C
  • Robert Tonyan = T-Bron
  • Darrin Fells needing to do more than block
  • Golladay and Abberderris
  • Jamal Agnew looking good
  • Kick Returners
  • Quandre Diggs
  • Adarius Barnes
• Hopefully the last discussion about Calvin Johnsons returned signing bonus

Just a reminder, if you like our show you can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher.

As always, thanks for listening. Tweet us (@erikschlitt, @JoeKania_DLB, @lionsbreakdown)

Week 2 of OTAs were this week and little moves and notes abound…

• Matt Asiata signed
• Michael Burton has been waived
• Conner Bozick brought into the fold
• Brandon Chubb was cut and once he thought he was out, he was pulled back in
• An increase in cap room
• In OTAs…
  • Golladay continues to impress
  • Rudock showing more arm strength
  • Ryan Spadola making a case for a WR 4/5 spot
  • Riddick sprinting on the sidelines
  • The situation returning kicks
• A deep dive on Ameer Abdullahs Lisfranc injury
• This week in Lions history with the appearance of a Detroit music legend
• A few questions from the mailbag

We apologize for the couple of technical difficulties in this weeks podcast. Just a reminder, if you like our show you can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher

As always, thanks for listening. Tweet us (@erikschlitt, @JoeKania_DLB, @lionsbreakdown)