Lions’ Stafford in and Calvin Johnson out vs. Rams

Nov 1, 12:38 pm EST

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DETROIT (AP)—Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford(notes) was active and receiver Calvin Johnson(notes) was out against the St. Louis Rams.

Dennis Northcutt(notes) replaced Johnson in Detroit’s lineup Sunday.

Stafford missed two games with an injured right knee. He was able to rest last week because Detroit had a bye.

The No. 1 pick in the NFL draft threw three touchdowns and six interceptions in his first four games. He helped the Lions win in Week 3 win against Washington to end their 19-game losing streak.

Johnson did not play in the Lions’ previous game, a 26-0 loss at Green Bay, after injuring his right knee Oct. 11 against the Steelers. He has 22 receptions for 325 yards receiving and a TD this year. Last season, Johnson had 12 TD receptions.

The Rams were without starting right guard Richie Incognito(notes), as expected. He injured his right foot last week when St. Louis lost to Indianapolis and extended its losing streak to 17. Adam Goldberg(notes) moved from right tackle to guard, putting Jason Smith(notes) back in the lineup. Smith started the first two games of the season. The No. 2 pick in the draft then missed two games with an injured left knee and was a backup in the previous three games.

St. Louis had David Vobora(notes) at linebacker in place of Larry Grant(notes). Vobora practiced Wednesday for the first time since a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The second-year player has said he plans to file a lawsuit, claiming he took supplements that he checked on through the NFL hot line.

Updated Nov 1, 12:38 pm EST
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564 Comments

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  1. ralph a
    564. Posted by ralph a Sun Nov 1 7:16pm EST

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    Big guy bubba ray. have you always been a moron,or did you just fall on your head. maybe you need to do some yard work and get out of the house.or go help your neighbor fix his car.what do you think this column is for.i will give you a hint.it is for people to get their feelings out,when they support a team like the lions for years and it never changes.this is their way of letting management know what they are feeling..
  2. THE KING B.
    563. Posted by THE KING B. Sun Nov 1 4:54pm EST

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    Hey Bulldog post #560: Absolutely correct.
  3. charles c
    562. Posted by charles c Sun Nov 1 4:39pm EST

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    the lions are not a competitive team at all. they need to clean house from the top down from gm to players and coaches they don't have the talent to compete in nfl. mayhew is just bad a gm as was matt millen was they are out of the same mold that is they don't have a clue how to build a winning team. i hate to say this but detroit doesn't deserve a pro football team the nfl should force the fords to sell the team and let the new owners move the team out of the state of michigan
  4. Dan the Obliviousman
    561. Posted by Dan the Obliviousman Sun Nov 1 4:31pm EST

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    GOOD GRIEF CHARLIE BROWN!!!...The Lions lost to the Rams?...Well,at least our ineptitude remains quite intact,as does our infamous 0-16 season(so far).

    I hate to put this team down,because they have made some positive strides in personnel,but the results are still the same,and that is why there was a half-filled Ford Field for today's game.

    The fans have lost all interest in them,and I can't blame them...They haven't been very competitive in the last few years,and with the hard economic times around here,who wants to spend their money(or their day) watching sub-standard football?

    You know it is bad when you are watching it on the internet(for free) and are still not impressed with the effort.This team is just as bad as last year's team,and they shouldn't be. :(
  5. Navy Veteran
    560. Posted by Navy Veteran Sun Nov 1 3:17pm EST

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    Calvin is out, the announced that before the game started. Also, I see that Stafford is back to being Stafford..throwing another interception plus he isn't even completeing 50 % of his passes. He is not a quarterback for the future. The lion's could have saved millions and used that money they wasted on stafford and built up our offense and defense. Untill Michigan gets another team, we will be laughing stocks when it comes to football. The lion's couldn't even beat the Michigan Wolverine's, that's really pathetic. As long as the ford's, and I am talking Sr. or Jr., own the team, they will be as dicusting and pathetic as they are now. They need new owners and everyone that had any association with the lions ever, need to go. We need to get away from any old ways of thought. The Ford's showed how much they want to win when they promoted matt millens understudy losers to the top postions. They are doing the same worthless decisions that millen did. They will never rebuild when they get one guy for offense and one for defense but yhey keep trash and washed up guys like backless backus and others.
  6. <i>staticinthebox</i>
    559. Posted by staticinthebox Sun Nov 1 2:35pm EST

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    Does anyone know if they will change Calvin's status from "questionable" to "out" so I can adjust my lineup before the second group of games.
  7. Navy Veteran
    558. Posted by Navy Veteran Sun Nov 1 1:50pm EST

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    I said it all season..I believe that the Lions will only win one game. I think that the rams are a better team then their record shows. The Lions still have Backless Backus, so it's almost a gimme that the other team will win every time that loser plays....
  8. Navy Veteran
    557. Posted by Navy Veteran Sun Nov 1 1:47pm EST

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    Even though these players are super stars in collehe, that doesn't always mean that their success will carry over to the NFL. I don't see Stafford being the great player he was in college. The tempo doesn't suit him and I think that he will fall along the same lines as harrington, batch and mitchell. I may be wrong, and I hope that I am, but I really don't see any brillant accomplishments pertaining to Stafford. The principles of the game never change when you go from high school to college to the NFL, and yet, Stafford still see's part of the field, is never aware that there are guys closing in on him and still will take a sack for a loss then get rid of the ball. All those are basic princples....no rocket science involved what so ever and he still hasn't learned. He can have the same offense as the top teams and he will do the same as he does with the lion's. He hasn't showed that his accuracy is worth a sh*t either. The need to stop wasting their time on quarterbacks and build an offense and defensive line. A quarterback isn't going to win a single game without an offense and defense !! But the lions will never believe that..just look at their history and draft choices.
  9. THE KING B.
    556. Posted by THE KING B. Sun Nov 1 1:32pm EST

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    Whether or not the foolish Lions defeat the Rams today, the Lions will still be a @#$%y franchise even with Stafford.
  10. Dre
    555. Posted by Dre Sun Nov 1 1:32pm EST

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    Who cares! all these athletes/jokers are overpaid! Ask yourself honestly are they helping to rebuild Detroit? Are they helping to rebuild Michigan? With the low paying jobs the Lions bring how much are they helping the economy there with amounts to little more than a drop in the bucket? If these pro teams are so great then list the charities they are helping! Then illustrate how much life is better with them other than giving us all somehting occasionally something to cheer about. The pros are all overpaid, and glorified, Let's teach our kids who the real heros are, like the military, like the firefighters, and the police who are good.
  11. BMW
    554. Posted by BMW Sun Nov 1 1:24pm EST

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    Nwaf A - you mention important things, but here is something to consider. The Lion's rookie QB misses a lot of throws at game speed. Even with a great running game, he makes a lot of mistakes. He has thrown many passes that hit the turf before they get to the receiver, and he does not drop the long ball in well when receivers are open. It was wonderful to watch the game with the Jets and Dolphins on Monday night and each QB making several beautiful passes. Right Now: Lion's QB can not make that many accurate throws in a row, because he is not accurate. He is the type of QB right now, in which everyone around him needs to be outstanding for him to play well. This type of QB should NEVER have been the overall #1 selection. An extremely good OL or DL would have helped the team a lot more. Especially since doing their draft homework could have resulted with the Lions being much stronger in the interior on both sides of the ball. This would have made Culpepper or Stanton better, Kevin Smith better, and given the Lion's secondary a better chance to be successful.
  12. Bryan N
    553. Posted by Bryan N Sun Nov 1 1:10pm EST

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    Go to nelsonnews1.webs.com become a member today!
  13. ThomasS
    552. Posted by ThomasS Thu Oct 29 2:29pm EDT

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    this rant I pasted is a joke.... wtf get a life dude
  14. ThomasS
    551. Posted by ThomasS Thu Oct 29 2:28pm EDT

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    #
    Big guy, Bubba, Ray
    546. Posted by Big guy, Bubba, Ray Wed Oct 28 6:42pm EDT

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    Could it be? Could we see the Lions with two wins in one season? Who ferakin' cares? All of you Idiots get on here every week, @#$%in' about how the Lions suck, and what else the Front office of the Lions Organization has screwed up this week. Why dont you people go out into your own neighborhoods and help your neighbors with some yard work, or work on their vehicle, or just tell a neighbor how nice their yard looks? It would seem as though each and every one of you have foregotten that these people you're @#$%ing about, are playing a game! If you are not a stock holder or a member of the team or staff, just STFU! Quit acting like their decisions will in any way affect your tiny little lives. Just build a bridge and get over your selves!

    If you dont like the team or the decisions made by the organization, there is a very simple solution, just dont watch them and dont go to the games! TAA DAAAAA, problem resolved, you wont be unhappy and we dont have to listen to all of your regurgitated horse @#$% that has been spewed over and over again. We are all tired of you IDIOTS and your constant crying and whining. In short, just shut up!
  15. Nwaf A
    550. Posted by Nwaf A Thu Oct 29 8:40am EDT

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    stafford is growing up he will be good in a few years.

    i mean give him a break you didnt really expect him to be a rookie matt ryan or a rookie joe flacco / he would be if you gave him there team..

    any QB would be good if he gets drafted to a good team with smart managment.

    lets be serious stafford never really got drafted into any of that.
  16. Grenader
    549. Posted by Grenader Wed Oct 28 8:38pm EDT

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    u guys r kidding right? Saying stafford is a bust... Have u seen the differents without him? Lions look way better with stafford in there..... its his first year give him a break damn he doesnt even have an offensive line... lol Also sanchez has everything good d and The best running attack IN a very long time lol not hard to lose
  17. <i>kobesc8</i>
    548. Posted by kobesc8 Wed Oct 28 8:17pm EDT

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    I agree John (547). It is not fair to even compare the two at this point given the teams they play for. If they switched teams you could pretty much expect Stafford to be doing substantially better than he is with the Lions and Sanchez to be doing a lot worse than he is with the Jets.
  18. John
    547. Posted by John Wed Oct 28 6:56pm EDT

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    stafford will be better than sanchez give him a chance just watch.
  19. Big guy, Bubba, Ray
    546. Posted by Big guy, Bubba, Ray Wed Oct 28 6:42pm EDT

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    Could it be? Could we see the Lions with two wins in one season? Who ferakin' cares? All of you Idiots get on here every week, @#$%in' about how the Lions suck, and what else the Front office of the Lions Organization has screwed up this week. Why dont you people go out into your own neighborhoods and help your neighbors with some yard work, or work on their vehicle, or just tell a neighbor how nice their yard looks? It would seem as though each and every one of you have foregotten that these people you're @#$%ing about, are playing a game! If you are not a stock holder or a member of the team or staff, just STFU! Quit acting like their decisions will in any way affect your tiny little lives. Just build a bridge and get over your selves!

    If you dont like the team or the decisions made by the organization, there is a very simple solution, just dont watch them and dont go to the games! TAA DAAAAA, problem resolved, you wont be unhappy and we dont have to listen to all of your regurgitated horse @#$% that has been spewed over and over again. We are all tired of you IDIOTS and your constant crying and whining. In short, just shut up!
  20. Bob
    545. Posted by Bob Wed Oct 28 6:16pm EDT

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    yeah, 50 losing seasons, ya gotta look at the owner.
  21. <i>bsech07</i>
    544. Posted by bsech07 Wed Oct 28 3:23pm EDT

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    I am a hardcore detroit lions fan(sad to say). i've lived my whole life in michigan. and i've seen the lions just blow draft picks. joey harrington, kevin jones,charles rogers, roy williams(even tho we got draft picks) and so on down the list. i hate to say it but matt stafford has got to be a bust. i had way more hopes for any other player the lions picked. when espn sed we were gettin this guy i was hoping the lions wouldn't pick him. but they did. so another 50 million down the drain and another 10 seasons of losing. thanks alot mr. ford. please do us all a favor go bankrupt move outta town and please please sell the lions.
  22. The Profiler
    543. Posted by The Profiler Wed Oct 28 2:47pm EDT

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    If stanto gets to play he can secure is backup job for next year after Dante contract is up but stafford needs to play as much as he can this year to develop and with Matthew we WILL win this game I think culpepper could win but matt is almost a sure thing.
  23. Ted L
    542. Posted by Ted L Wed Oct 28 1:04pm EDT

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    Man, I don't know how many times I have to say this about Stanton and everyone who is a MSU fan should know this. Stanton WILL GET HURT if he gets to play more then a few snaps and on top of that look at the last game when he saw playing time he didn't put the ball in the end zone. He is a 3ed string QB at best that's why he went to state.
  24. Navy Veteran
    540. Posted by Navy Veteran Wed Oct 28 11:33am EDT

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    Great..now Backless Backus is going to make Jansen Look like an under- achiever...or Jansen will make Backless look better, because he will have to block his guy and Backless's guy. He should tell the coach that he doesn't want to be next to a guy who can't play football. I feel for you Jansen.....
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