Detroit Lions Breakdown Podcast

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

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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

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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

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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?”

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“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

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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)

OTAs were in full swing this week, Erik and Joe talk about all that, say goodbye to another Lions great and dip back into the mailbag…

• Happy retirement to Detroit Lions Radio
• Sad to hear news of Wayne Walkers passing
• Disgruntled Calvin Johnson
• The rules changes for 2017, Joe Fauria must be displeased he’s no longer in the league
• In OTAs…
  • Ameer Abdullah is now participating with contact
  • A battle is raging for the last 3 WR spots
  • Eric Ebron is showing Michael Roberts the ropes
  • Graham Glasgow is taking all snaps at LG
  • Jarrad Davis is hogging all the snaps in the middle
  • Jalen Tabor just wants for us to see him play
  • Alex Carter is moving to safety
• Interesting nerdy information about draft retention rates
• A few questions from the mailbag
• A trip down memory lane to 2006

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The Lions will be making some noise next week at the league meetings, Erik and Joe squeeze out some news and notes and check the mail…

• Lion Hall of Famer Yale Lary passes away at 86
• Joe is pleased that LaGarrette Blount has signed with the Eagles
• Huge Sam Martin news!
• Talk about extensions for Ebron and Stafford (Again)
• Two impending rule changes
• Erik and Joe take their 4th trip to the Rod Wood-shed
  • “Taste of the Lions”
  • Uniforms
  • NFL Draft in Detroit
  • Super Bowl bidding
• They wrap it up by digging into 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)