SideLion Report » Derrick Williams

Nick Harris, Nathan Vasher, Derrick Williams Among Final Cuts

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 21:59:55 +0000

Although the announcement of their 53 man roster has been pushed back to 8PM, the Detroit Lions have made a good dent in the process, including releasing a few well known players. There were few surprises as the Lions have begun to build up their depth and the talent-gap between their backups and cuts has widened since the arrival of Martin Mayhew as GM.

In what was likely a cost saving move, punter Nick Harris lost the punting duties to rookie Ryan Donahue out of Iowa. Harris and Donahue had an identical net putting average of 34.4 yards this preseason. In a move reminiscent of Dre Bly’s 2010 training camp release, the Lions parted ways with veteran Nathan Vasher apparently meaning three year cornerback Brandon McDonald will make the team. The Lions have also finally parted ways with third round bust, wide receiver Derrick Williams, who has done next to nothing since his selection out of Penn State. His release, will mean Maurice Stovall’s strong preseason will apparently turn into a regular season roster spot at wide receiver. Aaron Brown has tweeted that he has made the team, but no announcement yet on whether Jerome Harrison has made the roster.

Other cuts included defensive linemen Quinn Pitcock, Robert Callaway and Keyunta Dawson, offensive linemen Donald Thomas, Kirk Thomas and Rudy Naswager, cornerbacks Prince Miller and Ricardo Silva and linebacker Cobrani Mixon.

Seventh round pick offensive tackle Johnny Culbreath will apparently be placed on injured reserve and corner back Paul Pratt and wide receiver Nathan Hughes were offered spots on the practice squad.

More roster analysis will follow on the SideLion Report.

Scanning the Savanna

Zac Snyder — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:11:33 +0000

Scanning the Savanna is a daily feature that brings fresh Detroit Lions and NFL related content to your fingertips each morning. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s scan the savanna together.

Clipped from: www.chicagotribune.com (share this clip)

Less than a year ago, Jim Schwartz was trying to defend his Detroit Lions following a 2-10 start that looked all too familiar for the troubled franchise.

A lot has changed for Schwartz and his team. The Lions enter this season as a trendy pick to contend for a playoff spot, and now the third-year coach’s biggest concern is keeping the hype in perspective.

From www.chicagotribune.com (share this quote)

(more…)

Scanning the Savanna

Zac Snyder — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 10:30:11 +0000

Scanning the Savanna is a daily feature that brings fresh Detroit Lions and NFL related content to your fingertips each morning. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s scan the savanna together.

Clipped from: aol.sportingnews.com (share this clip)

The seventh season of popular the popular NFL show “Hard Knocks” has been canceled, according to Sports Illustrated.

“No ‘Hard Knocks’ this year. I repeat: No ‘Hard Knocks’,” SI’s Peter King reported on Twitter.

From aol.sportingnews.com (share this quote)

(more…)