NFL - Sports Rumors - Detroit Lions
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Friday, Apr 25, 2008 12:37 pm EDT
Lions like Florida's Harvey but would have to trade up to get him
When describing the Tampa Two defense, Detroit Lions Rod Marinelli has said the same thing over and over and over again — its success is rooted in the ability to get a dominant pass rush from the front four.
The Lions did not have a dominant pass rush last year and they traded away their sack leader — tackle Shaun Rogers with seven sacks — and need to replace that pass pressure. The Lions have the 15th overall pick and most draft experts believe there is only one worthy pass rusher for that spot -- and even that's a long shot.
Derrick Harvey of Florida has all the qualities the Lions are looking for but several league sources say Harvey won't get past the Carolina Panthers (who have the 13th overall pick) — if he manages to slide that far.
Source: Mlive.com
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Monday, Apr 21, 2008 8:06 am EDT
Only pain killers allowed Detroit's Johnson to play in 2008
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Calvin Johnson doesn't like to talk to the media much anyway, but what he didn't want to discuss was his season, which was decent by most standards but fell short of the expectation of a second overall draft pick. Johnson caught 48 passes for 756 yards and four touchdowns; he also scored on a 32-yard run.
Did the Detroit Lions make a huge mistake? Critics sounded off all year — they should've drafted Adrian Peterson. They should've drafted Joe Thomas. They should've drafted Patrick Willis. What Johnson didn't want to talk about is the fact that he never got healthy after suffering a deep bone bruise in his lower back in the third game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles. Johnson continued to play most of the games, but was nowhere near full strength.
"I was on meds the rest of the season. I was taking Vicodin twice a game just to get through the game," Johnson said. "I stayed hurt the whole season, probably because I was trying to come back too soon. But I'm not going to be the kind of guy who's going to say, 'I can't do this or this because I'm hurt.' "
Source: Booth Newspapers
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