Detroit Lions Breakdown Podcast

After 4 grueling preseason games, the regular season is finally upon us. Erik and Joe break down the matchup against Arizona…

• Injury updates for both teams
• The Lions add OL Brian Mihalik and Zac Kerin and release OL Cornelius Lucas and Brandon Thomas
• The Practice Squad roster has been filled and it has some new faces but doesn’t have Cole Wick or Brad Kaaya
• How will the Lions offense fare against the Cardinals 3-4?
• Can the Lions stop David Johnson or generate a pass rush?
• A deep dip into the mailbag
• If you are attending the game and want to be part of the phone pre-game thing, you should probably read this
• Joe asks for Eriks thoughts on specific things we will see in the game
• Also, read Erik’s latest article covering the press conference

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The Lions closed out a middling preseason with a 27-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills and a 2-2 record. On Saturday the Lions trimmed the roster to 53 men, Erik and Joe break it down…

• Position by position breakdown
• A short chat about the players still in Lions orbit on injured or suspended lists
• Of the 22 players leaving without full-time employment with the Lions which 10 could Erik see coming back, albeit on the practice squad
• Finishing with a discussion of Erik’s final preseason Studs and Duds article

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The Lions did not show up early or late in a “close” 30-28 loss to the Patriots on Friday. Erik and Joe discussed what happened, and figure out how the roster is going to shape up…

• The big news was the Matthew Stafford contract extension announced on Monday
• The injury report is mostly unchanged
• DT Derek Lott was added, LT Cyrus Kouandijo, TE Tim Wright and WR Keshawn Martin cut, DT Jordan Hill to IR
• There are rumors that teams are interested in Jake Rudock
• The Duds and Studs from the New England game and the thoughts on whether the Lions starters performance was a big deal or not
• The prediction of the 53 man roster and thoughts about additions to the practice squad
• Erik and Joe finish it off with a dip into the mailbag

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The Lions had a mixed bag in the 16-6 win over the Jets 16-6 this past Saturday night. Erik and Joe talk about the game, the roster, Rod Wood and more…

• As always a look at the injury report
• Latest transactions, nothing earth shattering this week
• Steven Tulloch visited with the team this week
• Still no progress on the Stafford contract front
• Erik and Joe visit the Rod Wood shed and talk about his meeting with Roger Goodell this week (No Hard Knocks for the Lions)
• The mailbag had a lot of questions about how this Lions roster is taking shape
• Eriks studs from the game
  • Quandre Diggs
  • Matthew Stafford
  • Akeem Spence
• Eriks duds from the game
  • The RBs not named Abdullah
  • Joe Dahl (as a Guard)
  • Brad Kaaya
• Some more notes on the Jets game with A’Shawn, Hayden, Davis and Agnew standing out on defense
• Joe tries to guess how the pollsters voted in Erik’s article covering the Lions roster battles

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The Lions trounced the Colts 24-10 on Sunday and Erik and Joe have some takeaways from the game…

• Eriks studs from the game
  • Kenny Golladay
  • A’Shawn Robinson
  • Anthony Zettel
• Eriks duds from the game
  • Michael Roberts
  • Matt Asiata
  • Laken Tomlinson
• Kerry Hyder and Brandon Copeland hit IR, how will they be replaced?
• Will the guard play improve?
• Is this where the Golladay hype train stops?
• Does Dwayne Washington have the RB4 spot locked up?
• Will Erik’s duds rebound vs the Jets?

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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)