Lions Report: Notes, Quotes
--Although general manager Martin Mayhew seemed desperate to move on from the tampering charges, coach Jim Schwartz seemed ready to keep up the fight. "I believe firmly in our case and we reached the wrong conclusion in that," he said. "We still have some options we can pursue." Although Schwartz wouldn't talk about it, it is believed that the player the Lions' supposedly tampered with (former Kansas City safety Jarrad Page) actually made contact with Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham. Neither the league nor the Lions would confirm whether an appeal was made.
--Schwartz is still reluctant to discuss the rehab of QB Matthew Stafford, except to say, "I feel optimistic he'll have a good rehab." When asked why he suddenly decided to have surgery after months of saying none would be required, Schwartz said, "Yeah, we're probably not going to talk about that."
--Mayhew was not a fan of some comments made by OLB Zack Follett a few months back. On a radio show, Follett referred to Stafford as a 'China Doll.' Follett later backed away from that, saying it was taken the wrong way. Said Mayhew: "I think the world of Zack Follett, but I didn't think much of those comments. It was a poor choice of words from a good guy."
--The Lions were greatly relieved to learn that they will be able to monitor the rehabs of injured players in the event of a lockout. "We will be able to monitor rehabs," Mayhew said. "They won't be out there on their own with us having no clue where they are physically. We will be able to be in contact about rehabs." The Lions have a host of recovering players, including Stafford (shoulder), linebacker DeAndre Levy (groin), safety Louis Delmas (groin), tackle Gosder Cherilus (knee), cornerback Chris Houston (shoulder) and kicker Jason Hanson (knee).
--It was somewhat surprising that Mayhew announced that No. 3 QB Drew Stanton would be tendered. It was believed that Stanton, a fourth-year player, played his final game as a Lion last year. "We plan on having Drew on our team next season," Mayhew said. "He's the kind of guy where every year has been a little different, but I think he made some dramatic improvement in the second half of the season. We plan on having him back to see if he can continue to improve."
--It was less of a surprise that PK Dave Rayner was tendered. The Lions are concerned about the health and durability of 40-year-old Jason Hanson. "The big thing with Jason is physical and we have no answers for that right now," Mayhew said. "By the time we get to the summer, we will know exactly where he is, how he's feeling and what he's able to do." Hanson has had knee surgery the last two seasons - his left knee before the 2009 season, which didn't cost him any games, then his right knee last year, which cost him half the season. "Age is a factor with Jason, more so than his health," Mayhew said. "He's getting older, but that's one area where we have some time before we have to make a decision."
QUOTE TO NOTE
"One reason we've had success is we haven't tried to fit square pegs into round holes. We have drafted from the inside out and we've had very specific job descriptions in mind for the guys we draft." -- Coach Jim Schwartz on the Lions' recent success in the draft.
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