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Cover story features interviews with Olympic Gold Medalist Roberto Luongo and Silver Medalist Brian Rafalski. Plus article on the infamous Tail of the Tiger Golf Balls, The Hanson Brothers and a whole lot more! Detroit’s ONLY sports magazine is In Play!

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Most Lions fans I now are pretty excited about the changes taking place in the post-Millen era, and count me in as well. I’ve liked the hiring of Jim Schwartz since day one. He’s a real professional, organized, and comes from a winning franchise. DetroitLions.com takes a look inside the minds of head coach Schwartz and his assistants as we gear up for Detroit Lions Football 2009!

Read What to Expect? at DetroitLions.com

One of my favorite fantasy football sites is DraftSharks and they have some interesting news about Lions WR Calvin Johnson and RB Kevin Smith. It’s never too early for fantasy football!

Lions WR Calvin Johnson may only have scratched the surface of his ability last season. The Detroit Free Press reports that Megatron had some nice things to say about the team’s new rookie QB. “Offense is looking good,” the young stud said. “[QB Matthew] Stafford’s doing a good job early… He throws a nice, tight spiral. Throws a hard ball. He has a big arm, so it’s nice to see that.” After seeing 5 different QBs in ’08, Calvin will look forward to some consistency at QB. He scored in 7 straight games with Dan Olrovsky at QB. Imagine what he’ll do with a better QB.

Lions RB Kevin Smith will have plenty of opportunity to have a big year. Mlive.com is reporting that the Lions have installed more power running plays for Smith under new OC Scott Linehan. The Lion offense was an inconsistent mess last year. Having a plan for Smith is a step in the right direction. A few of our writers are very high on this kid.

I for one am very excited about Kevin Smith in 2009, and it’s not just because my team is named “Kevin Smith Fan Club”. I think in a real offensive system, he can be a dominant back and really help take the pressure off whoever the starting quarterback is.

Saw this over on MLive.com and Lions GM Martin Mayhew definitely knows how to play poker!

Read Martin Mayhew says Lions ‘have a pretty good idea’ of who they’re taking No. 1 at MLive.com

I have to say, I’m very happy with the almost first week of free agency and the job done by the Detroit Lions. Some very quality players have been added to the Lions roster and another trade with the Cowboys has given us another solid cornerback. Here’s my take on the players so far…

CB Philip Buchanon – Brings athletic ability and some experience to the secondary. Had two interceptions last season and should win one of the starting spots.

DT Grady Jackson - A bit long in the tooth, but still a solid player in the middle against the run. If we can keep him fresh, he’ll make a big difference in the middle.

WR Bryant Johnson – He’s big and has some speed and could have a big year with Calvin drawing all the attention. Johnson & Johnson, I love it!

CB Eric King – So far the only Tennessee Titan to follow Jim Schwartz to Detroit and could provide solid nickel and dime coverage as well as contribute on special teams. Wouldn’t count him out of earning a starting spot either.

RB Maurice Morris – I’ve always liked him and just wanted him to get more carries. Has good speed and can return kicks (yeah!) and should be an explosive backup for Kevin Smith.

CB Anthony Henry (in Jon Kitna trade from Cowboys) – Spent the last 4 years as the Cowboys starting right cornerback, so will likely challenge for a spot here. Might play some safety or possibly be moved to safety with his size. The Cowboys were rumored to be thinking of moving him to safety this upcoming season.

So all in all, I like where these signings are going. Not breaking the bank, but adding some solid depth to the roster. If anything we’ll at least have some legitimate cornerbacks that might be able to pick off more than one pass all season!

Just received my Detroit Lions e-newsletter and free agency is upon us! Follow the Lions offseason moves with the 2009 Free Agent Tracker.

You can also read a nice article about GM Martin Mayhew and his thoughts on the combine and the Lions free agent needs.

Read Sorting Out Prospects at DetroitLions.com

Man, I named 31, forgot about the Rams, so not too bad. Anyway, give this quiz a try and see if you can beat the clock!

Play How many NFL football teams can you name in 3 minutes? at JetPunk.com

Yahoo! Sports Dan Wetzel has a plan to help the Detroit Lions. It involves the commissioner and it goes like this…

It’s time for the league’s image protecting commissioner, Roger Goodell, to get as tough with an increasingly incompetent owner as he would with a misbehaving player. If the hard line approach is about protecting the NFL, then what’s worse for the league right now than the chaos and carnage of the winless, hopeless, helpless Detroit Lions?

That would be great, as would either of these scenarios…

The best case would be to get Ford Sr. to transfer power to his son, William Clay Ford Jr., who at least had the wherewithal to push for the firing of Millen earlier this season.

If that’s not possible, then do what NBA commissioner David Stern did with the New York Knicks. He took self-destructive owner James Dolan (like Ford Sr. little more than a bumbling trust fund) and all but forced him to hire respected basketball executive Donnie Walsh. Half a season later the franchise has been stabilized.

It doesn’t really sound that hard does it? Please get to work on this Commissioner Goodell!

Read Detroit debacle must be stopped at Yahoo! Sports

I don’t believe in curses, but there sure are alot of crazy things that have happened to the Lions since the day they traded quarterback Bobby Layne. The Detroit News Bob Wojnowski takes a look at the last 50 years of Lions football futility and provides some evidence to support the curse. Just my two cents, I wouldn’t play Drew Stanton until after Monday, October 6th. Hey it couldn’t hurt to wait, right?

Read The curse of Bobby Layne on the Lions in the Detroit News

As fans are still celebrating the firing of Matt Millen, we can start to speculate on his future replacement. For now it’s being covered by Tom Lewand and Martin Mayhew, but one prominent former GM has spoken. Free Press sports writer George Sipple spoke with former Tennessee Titans GM Floyd Reece. Here’s what I like to hear…

Sounds like you. Are you interested?

A:“If I had Williams Clay Ford’s number, you’d be hearing a dial tone right now. I’m in a unique situation. I’ve been in the league 32 years. … I could be in Detroit tomorrow.

“One of the real uncut gems in the NFL is Detroit. It has a great owner. He’s got a lot of money. He wants to win very badly, and he’s not one of those guys that’s on the sidelines. He just wants to find someone that can help him win.”

I would have no problem with someone like Floyd Reece coming in and overseeing the overhaul of the franchise. He helped build Tennessee into a solid team who is competitive every year. They even made it to a Super Bowl. At this point, if someone wants to come to Detroit, I would definitely call them up!

Read Former Titans GM interested in Lions’ job: ‘I could be in Detroit tomorrow’ in the Freep

Also here’s an article from the Free Press that has information about the leading candidates…

Read The watch list: 18 names for the president/GM job opening in the Freep

Detroit Lions fans everywhere are now rejoicing as Matt Millen is finished as GM. I’ve been busy at work this morning and just heard about it now, but YEAH!

Read It’s over. It’s all over. Millen is no more. at The Wayne Fontes Experience
Read Matt Millen removed as Lions team president, CEO at ESPN.com

Update: Here’s a video from Chris Mortensen…

Opinions on five current sports topics from yours truly…

1. Tigers are done – It’s all over but the cryin’ in 2008. Another blown lead last night puts the Tigers 8.5 games back in the divsion race. Sheffield was put on waivers and the moves looking to slash payroll and ready the team for a run in 2009 will start now!

2. Kwame Brown? – The signing of Brown has brought opinions saying it’s a waste of money and that it’s a good deal for the Pistons. It’s hard to argue either side, but I think Joe D may have found another diamond in the rough and if the solid veteran leadership of Chauncey, Rip and McDyess can bring Kwame along, he could be a pleasant surpise and really help shore up the depth on the frontline.

3. Lions over .500 – That’s my official prediction, I have this weird feeling that the Lions are going to finish 9-7 and contend for a wild card berth. While this isn’t a new prediction around these parts, I think this is really, finally, positively, the year they get over that hump. I know on paper they seem less talented, but I think that head coach Rod Marinelli has finally gotten the roster where he wants it and has gotten rid of the players he’s needed to. I still think they will struggle to run the ball, but they won’t be so quick to abandon it either. A healthy Calvin Johnson is going to be huge for quarterback Jon Kitna. Johnson and Roy Williams should provide some offensive sparks this season. I’m looking forward to it!

4. College Football – It’s finally almost here! I can’t wait. I like Michigan and Michigan State to both have solid years and for the first time in a while MSU will have the better record. I just love Mark Dantonio and think he’s got the Spartans heading up, up, up and will be a mainstay in the Big Ten title race for years to come. Rich Rodriguez is still looking for quarterbacks but will have his team competitive and tough to play against defensively.

5. Shock visit TC – A neat experience on Monday for some Traverse City area youth girls basketball players as the Detroit Shock (minus Katie Smith who is playing in the Olympics) visited during the Olympic break for a camp and clinic at Traverse City West. I love to see stories like this and I am sure it’s something those girls won’t forget anytime soon.

If you want to let the me know what you think, you can always send me an email at leelanausportsguy@sportspig.com or post a comment!

A look at the Detroit Lions and their upcoming fantasy football rankings. I think the only guy I would even think about taking is Calvin Johnson. When healthy he’s going to produce and folks, he’s healthy!

Read Juggernaut Index No. 19: Well, at least the Ford family’s other business is thriving at Yahoo! Sports

Former Lions running back Kevin Jones has signed a 1-year contract with the Chicago Bears. What this means is that Jones will have at least two games of 150+ yards rushing and two touchdowns in 2008!

Read Bears sign running back insurance in Jones in the Chicago Sun-Times

to be a sports fan. Here’s a list of the highlights:

Pistons even series with Celtics
Chauncey Billups looked like himself and the rest of the Pistons fell into their normal roles and it all added up to a 103-97 win over Boston to even the Eastern Conference Finals at 1 game each. The best part for me was that Boston’s “Big 3″ had great games, but no one else stepped up. The Pistons balance and depth showed it’s strengths and it was too much for the Celtics role players to handle.

Tigers sweep Mariners
It’s not exactly sweeping Boston or the Chisox, but it’s a start. Good pitching and clutch hitting with runners in scoring position has been a rare sight this year, so I’ll take it!

Marinelli likes his team
Killer Kowalski has this story about Lions head coach Rod Marinelli and his improvements to the roster. One word he uses alot is “speed”.

Beach Bums improve to 2-0
Yours truly was in attendance and we saw a great pitching performance by Ryan Gehring as the Traverse City Beach Bums defeated the Midwest Sliders 4-2. It was cold, but alot of fun. I highly recommend a “Bum Burger” – delicious!