Battle for guard spots crowded, competitive

While the competition for starting quarterback is getting most of the hype, an even bigger battle is going on with the Lions' offensive guard positions, according to this Associated Press report (which I presume is by Larry Lage).

The Lions have turned over half their roster from last season, and OG was clearly an area they targeted for change. The most recent newcomers are Milford Brown, who started four of the six games in which he played at Jacksonville last season; and Terrance Metcalf, an eight-year veteran who spent his first seven seasons in Chicago before being released in March.

They join another newcomer, Daniel Loper, who came over from Tennessee, where he was a back-up. Incumbent Stephen Peterman is trying to hold onto his spot, and third-year OG Manny Ramirez, who had three starts in four games played last season, seems to be coming on.

Also in the mix is 10-year veteran Jon Jansen, who came over from the Redskins. Jansen has started his entire career as a right offensive tackle, and will likely be a back-up there this season. But he's also been getting practice time at guard and even center. Jansen in the article is quoted as saying he prefers to play tackle, but will go wherever it takes to get playing time on Sundays.

From the A.P. article: Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said the line probably will look the same when Saturday's second preseason game begins in Cleveland, but hinted that five men are competing for just four spots.

"We've got ideas of our rotation, I think it will be pretty similar to the way we did it last week," he said. "We're really about two-deep, anyway, so we're trying to maintain that for the game."
Similarly to the defensive secondary, Lions fans are hoping that when it comes to offensive guard, new equals better.

Talk about it in The Den!

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Lions add huge offensive lineman, safety

The Detroit Lions have signed offensive guard Milford Brown and safety Calvin Lowry.

They released defensive tackle John Gill and tight end Jake Nordin to make room for the new players on the roster.

The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Brown, who turns 29 on Saturday, played six games last season for Jacksonville, starting four. The former Florida State standout originally was drafted by the Texans in the sixth round of the supplemental draft in 2002 and has played with St. Louis, Arizona and Houston.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Lowry was selected by Tennessee in the fourth round of the 2006 draft out of Penn State. The 26-year-old also played in Denver.

Coach Jim Schwartz wasn't kidding around when he said he wanted to get bigger. And the Lowry signing is a recognition of some depth issues in the secondary, particularly with Daniel Bullocks' having trouble bouncing back from his knee injury.

They're talking about it in The Den!

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