Detroit Lions Notes And Quotes 6-6-11
--Coach Jim Schwartz said the obvious during interviews with local radio and TV stations: quarterback Matthew Stafford has to stay healthy.
"That's been the issue," Schwartz said. "Matt doesn't need to develop anymore. He doesn't need to learn the offense. He doesn't need to work on accuracy or anything. He needs to be out there playing. He played three games for us last year and he left all three games with the lead. (He had) six touchdowns and one interception in the equivalent of about two games.
"You put those stats over the course of a season and you see how special a player he can be. That's the difference; you won't be a good team for an extended period of time without a good quarterback. We have one with Matt. We just need to keep him on the field."
Schwartz said he's also looking forward to having rookie defensive tackle Nick Fairley team with Ndamukong Suh on the line.
Schwartz said, "You want to have players that are tough to handle. Both of those guys are very tough to handle. I think they work well with the other talent we have on the defensive line. (Fairley) fits very well in the personality of that defensive line."
Finally, when asked about the addition of running back Mikel Leshoure, Schwartz said, "Jahvid Best, when healthy, proved that he can be an explosive playmaker. But he isn't built to be a short-yardage back when there's three minutes left in the game and you're protecting a seven-point lead, but Leshoure is."
--Rookie wide receiver Titus Young is learning quickly about the arm strength of quarterback Matthew Stafford.
After a player-organized workout Tuesday, he said, "My hands are a little bit sore right now. Put these in an ice bucket real quick.
"It's ridiculous, man. I would think that he had surgery to make his arm stronger, not for anything else. That's what I would think. I heard about the arm, but it's kind of like you never know what you're going to get. I just made sure that I looked it all the way in. It was just a warm-up throw and it was already there."
Comparing Stafford to Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, Young said, "No disrespect to Kellen, but he's a left-hander and his ball comes out a little bit different that Matt. It kind of feels like a baseball player out there; a pitcher with 90 mph fastballs and things like that."
Stafford said of Young, "He's learning routes. He not running them full speed with confidence like some of our other guys because he doesn't know them yet. But some of the routes are similar to what he ran in college. He looked great and was catching the ball well and he can run and catch, which is good."
--In addition to rehabbing from his surgery, Stafford also worked out hard and was described as now having a "chiseled upper body."
Wide receiver Nate Burleson was impressed by what he saw. "Yeah, he looks really good," Burleson said. "It's good to see Matt out here zipping that ball around. It's what I saw and felt when I first got to Detroit last season, which was Matt at his best."
Stafford said he worked out for more than two months after the surgery in Pensacola, Fla., at the Andrews Institute.
He said, "(I was) just doing everything they told me to do. The therapists and trainers had me going every day, sometimes twice a day for more than 10 weeks.
"I just listened to the trainers. I wanted them to tell me what is going to help get this (shoulder) problem behind me. It wasn't about doing a bunch of bench presses. It was more back and shoulder. That's what I concentrated on and it feels great now."
--Guard Stephen Peterman said he is recovered from a foot injury that bothered him for virtually the entire 2010 season even though he never missed a start or even a practice.
Peterman said the injury, a torn muscle in the ball of his foot, occurred in the second game of the season. He often played with a plate in his show to protect the foot.
Said Peterman, "Some days were better than others but I got through it. I didn't need surgery. All I needed was a month or two to rest it and it's all good now.
"I just didn't want to give up on the guys. I didn't want to be out again because I got hurt (knee) the year before and had surgery. It (was a bummer), you know, but you sign a contract and people count on you. You don't want to let them down so you go out there and you grin and bear it."
--Strong safety Erik Coleman is looking forward to a new start.
Coleman was released by the Falcons on Feb. 9 and signed by the Lions 13 days later.
Participating in the team's player-organized workouts this week, Coleman said, "It was a frustrating situation (with Atlanta). I got hurt in Week 1 and missed three or four games. When I came back, I didn't play any more. That's how it goes in this league. Somebody gets an opportunity and they take advantage of it.
"I am not bitter. I am excited to be here. When I was released, my agent told me Detroit had been interested. So I came here on a trip and I loved the energy of the coaching staff and they have great facilities. It's just a great organization and I am honored they wanted to bring me in a soon as they did."
He will be competing with Amari Spievey for a starting job. He said, "I will help the team any way I can."
--How does coach Jim Schwartz plan on finding enough snaps for Suh, Williams and now Fairley? "We play around 130 defensive tackle snaps a game," he said. "You rotate three guys at 45 snaps a person and you are going to be really fresh. We can keep rolling in waves and waves.
"I thought Suh played too much last year. Not that he wore down, but it was too many snaps. You are taking on 700 pounds of man every time you take on a double team."
--General manager Martin Mayhew said before the draft that based on the opinion of the team's medical staff, they were not overly concerned about the condition of Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers' surgically-repaired knee. Well, most teams were. Bowers, once considered a top 15 pick, slipped all the way to 51, taken finally by Tampa. "What I said was, our doctors were not concerned about his ability to play football in the future and I think that's a fact," Mayhew said.
--WR Bryant Johnson, who had 18 catches all of last season, might be wondering about his job security after the Lions drafted Young. Said Mayhew: "Young will have an opportunity to step in and be our third (receiver). We haven't had great production from that spot the last couple of years and we think Titus is the kind of player who can solve that problem." Johnson still has one year ($3 million) left on his contract. "Any time we draft a player at somebody's position, it doesn't mean anything for that player," Mayhew said. "They should be doing what they do all the time - which is giving 100 percent effort and trying to win a position."
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