Lions running out of time to fine-tune team

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Lions coach Jim Schwartz insists today's third exhibition game against the Cleveland Browns won't be "a pull-out-all-the-stops kind of thing." That doesn't mean it's not important.



The Lions intend to play most of their starters into the second half tonight for what should be their most complete tune-up before the regular season begins Sept. 12 at Chicago.

Safety Louis Delmas is among those expected to play after missing most of training camp with a groin injury. He'll see substantially less playing time than his fellow starters as the Lions need their most reliable defensive back healthy to do any damage this year.

They also need to sort out several position battles, including right tackle, before trimming their roster to 53 next week. "Guys know that, hey, this is the third preseason game," Schwartz said. "They know what they've done in the first two preseason games, they know what they've done in practice. They're running out of time, so to speak, so it makes it more urgent."
Five things to watch tonight

Sweet Lou

Safety Louis Delmas was hobbled most of camp by a sore groin, but he is expected to make his exhibition debut tonight. Don't expect him to play much. The Lions can't afford any risks with their best defensive back.

For starters

While Delmas' snaps will be limited, coach Jim Schwartz said he hopes to play most of his starters into the third quarter. Take a long look now because Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh won't play much next week.

Battle royal

Speaking of starters -- is it Gosder Cherilus or Jon Jansen? Both have started a game at right tackle and both could play with the starters tonight. Offensive line coach George Yarno said there's no end in sight to this battle.

Cutt up

Dennis Northcutt gets his turn at trying to win the punt-return job. Northcutt has had a quiet exhibition season (one catch, 17 yards) and is fighting for a roster spot.

Big Willie style

Rookie defensive end Willie Young takes on a more prominent backup role now that Jared DeVries has been placed on injured reserve.

 

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Browns scouting report


Breakdown: The Browns and Lions have plenty in common. Both teams have shown significant progress this summer after disappointing in the recent past. With 2009 No. 1 draft pick Matthew Stafford playing quarterback and standout Calvin Johnson playing wide receiver for the Lions, the Browns' defense should be tested. But the Browns' offense should be challenged, too. Earlier this week, Browns coach Eric Mangini identified the Lions' starting defensive line as a dangerous unit. Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril are the ends, and former Browns player Corey Williams and Ndamukong Suh, the second overall pick in this year's draft, are the tackles. A key matchup to watch will be left side of the Lions' defensive line against the right side of the Browns' offensive line. Browns rookie right guard Shawn Lauvao will likely face Suh. And veteran right tackle Tony Pashos, who's expected to come back from a shoulder injury and play in his first preseason game with the Browns, should go against Avril. Rookie running back Montario Hardesty, another Browns player who returned to practice this week after missing significant time, is questionable, but he's not expected to play.

In what has become customary in the third preseason game of the year, the starters from both teams should play more than they have all summer. Last year, the Browns defeated the Lions 27-10 in a preseason game, but then lost to the Lions by a point during the regular season. Browns fans might be familiar with a couple of names on the Lions' roster. Starting left guard Rob Sims is a 2002 Nordonia graduate who played for Ohio State. Reserve cornerback Jack Williams played for Kent State.

 

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Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme keeping it real while games are fake





Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme is grateful today's third preseason game in Detroit is just the "dress rehearsal" game and not the real thing just yet.

"I feel very good about where we're at, but I'm glad we're not starting right now," he said.

"There's still more work that all of us can get better on. For a lot of us, it's still a process."

Considering that No. 1 receiver Mohamed Massaquoi has only played one series, running back Montario Hardesty won't play at least until next week and probable starting right tackle Tony Pashos is getting his first action in Detroit, it's easy to see why Delhomme considers the offense a work in progress.


"But things are good," he said. "I'm not complaining. I feel very good about what we're doing. We have a lot of things in, and we've worked on a lot of stuff. We did a lot of no-huddle last week, and it went pretty well, [despite the] conditions and all. I think we can get better at that. There are more plays we're trying to run, and we'll continue to work on those."

Delhomme, who has a stellar passer rating of 116.1 and is completing 78.3 percent of his passes, is looking forward to having Massaquoi back for the first time since straining a hamstring on the opening drive in Green Bay. The starters are expected to play through the third quarter to simulate a real game.

"It was good to see [Massaquoi] practicing this week," said Delhomme.

"It was nice last week to work with Josh [Cribbs] a little bit, too. Josh played where [Brian Robiskie] plays, and Robo played where Mohamed plays.

"It shows they're pretty intelligent that they can move around like that."

Delhomme also will get a truer picture of the right side of his offensive line, with Pashos back from a shoulder injury and rookie guard Shawn Lauvao back from Hawaii, where he was dealing with a personal issue.

"It's nice to get Tony back out there and to get Shawn back because he's someone who has really shown a lot of promise so far," said Delhomme. "Competition brings out the best in all of us."

The line will have its hands full with Detroit's revamped defensive line, which features new starters in veteran right end Kyle Vanden Bosch, former Brown Corey Williams at right tackle and No. 2 overall pick Ndamukong Suh at left tackle. The Lions have poured on the pressure this preseason.

"[Suh's] a powerful player," said center Alex Mack. "The whole defensive line is real good. Corey Williams is real quick and shifty.

"It's good practice going against a 4-3 front for us. Last game, we had those errors in the first 10 plays, so hopefully we can have a good offensive showing without making any mistakes."

The game marks Jerome Harrison's last chance to make a case for himself before Hardesty (knee) starts seeing significant action.

Harrison, who put the ball on the ground twice against the Rams, is hoping for a better start. Overall, the Browns turned the ball over five times last week.

"[Fumbling] is something you never want to do," said Harrison. "We want to be sharp, have no mental errors, be in the right spots.

"They've got a real good front line, and they come off the ball very hard."

Despite the Lions' 2-14 record last season, the defense is in for a great battle from quarterback Matt Stafford and his significantly upgraded supporting cast. Last season, Stafford came up off the mat to beat the Browns, 38-37, on a last-second touchdown pass after he was seemingly out with an injured left shoulder.

In addition to having 6-5 receiver Calvin Johnson, the Lions added accomplished receiver Nate Burleson, 6-5 tight end Tony Scheffler, and rookie running back Jahvid Best, the No. 30 overall pick. "They have a lot of weapons," said Mangini. "[Matt] Stafford is at 72 percent completion [rate]. When he has time, he's very efficient. I'm looking forward to seeing how we do against their group.

"[Jahvid] Best can cut back and go for 70, he can bounce it outside for 70. He's got great deep speed or long speed, so those small creases can lead to big plays."

The defense allowed big early touchdown drives from the Packers' Aaron Rodgers and the Rams' A.J. Feeley in the first two games.

"We want to start off a lot faster," said Browns rookie cornerback Joe Haden. "We've started making plays at the end of the first quarter. Coach told us to come out with the same energy at the beginning."

Haden will be reunited with Stafford, against whom he played twice in college.

"I picked him off and ran it back like 80 yards, and [former Georgia Bulldog] Mohamed Massaquoi tackled me at the 1-yard line," Haden said.

"He reminded me when I first got here. I'll never forget that."

Haden and the other defensive backs are gearing up for the 6-5 Johnson and Stafford's other big targets. Eric Wright, T.J. Ward and Sheldon Brown are all 5-10. Haden is 5-11.

"Johnson is huge," said Haden. "You look forward to really measuring where you're at."

 

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What to watch: The Lions' first-team offense scored on each of its first four possessions in Denver last week, with Matt Stafford connecting with seven receivers. First-round rookie running back Jahvid Best had 97 all-purpose yards in the first two outings, including 78 rushing and a 5.6-yard average. The Lions feature eight new defensive starters, including linemen Kyle Vanden Bosch, former Brown Corey Williams and rookie Ndamukong Suh, the second overall pick. Suh, the starting left defensive tackle, will provide a great test for the offensive line. The Lions also added such key players as receiver Nate Burleson, two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Dre' Bly and tight end Tony Scheffler. Receiver Calvin Johnson (6-5, 236) will provide a huge challenge for the Browns' smaller defensive backs, several of whom are seven inches shorter.

Browns key injuries: RB Montario Hardesty (knee), LB D'Qwell Jackson (pectoral muscle), RG Floyd Womack (knee), RT John St. Clair (excused for personal reasons).