Oct 22, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) is sacked by Detroit Lions middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch (55) and outside linebacker Justin Durant (52) during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

With the NFL draft long gone and training camp still a couple of months away, don’t think for a minute that the NFL is going to slip into the background and let the NBA, hockey playoffs, and baseball hog the sports pages. No, the NFL is entering the “list” season where they compare and rank players like a meat market. There is a reason the NFL is king. Besides the greatness of the sport itself, the NFL excels at keeping its name on the sports pages year around. These lists also provide fodder for the sports talk radio hosts when they run out of baseball topics.

The NFL Network has been rolling out its annual list of top 100 players and it has Matthew Stafford listed as the 76th best player in the league. It also lists Lions middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch as the 63rd best player. HUH? I know the players are the ones that are polled and this is the result, but what tapes are they watching? Stafford’s rookie year? I know Tulloch is a very capable linebacker, but I watched every minute of the Lions last year and there are times you barely notice him. Sure he’s solid, but the dude must have a lot friends in the league.

Matthew Stafford is a hot topic around the league. Reggie Bush was quoted on NFL Network last week in a interview that he felt that Stafford would someday be in the Hall of Fame. Not everybody shares that opinion. Stafford was completely omitted from the Top 100 Rankings of CBS Sports.com’s Pete Prisco. Seriously Pete, There are a 100 players in the league you would rather have than Matt Stafford? It’s the Megatron factor. So many of Stafford’s critics devalue his contribution because he’s throwing the ball to the best receiver on the planet. I didn’t see too many people going gaga over Calvin Johnson when Jon Kitna was his quarterback.

The new and improved Nick Fairley was talking about how he and his linemate, Ndumakong Suh, are the best defensive tackle combo in the NFL. No sooner did he say that, NFL.com came out and agree with him. The fact that these two are in their second and third year is very exciting for Lions fans.

With Fairley seemingly poised to make his mark in the league and the always relentless Suh holding down the middle, it will be up to newcomers Ziggy Ansah and Jason Jones to bring back the roar to the defense. Once that happens, I think you’ll be seeing a lot more Lions defenders showing up on next year’s list.

Dec 30, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) during the second quarter against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

122 catches for 1,964 yards. The numbers Calvin Johnson put up during the 2012 season were ridiculous. More of what was going on behind the scenes has been revealed, making the numbers look even more ridiculous.

It had been speculated that Calvin Johnson played at least a portion of the season with multiple broken fingers – perhaps as many of three. That had not been confirmed by Johnson or head coach Jim Schwartz. Until today:

Calvin Johnson confirmed that he played with broken fingers last season. Said he’s been trying to straighten them out. No offseason surgery

— Chris McCosky (@cmccosky) May 20, 2013

Add in the fact that Megatron was also bothered by a knee injury and it goes to show just what a freak he is. Healthy or otherwise, no receiver in the history of the NFL put up the kind of receiving yardage numbers Calvin had last season. It makes you wonder just what he could do with better health and an offense with the ability to at least occasionally draw defenses away to open up more explosive opportunities.

Megatron won’t turn 28-years old until after the 2013 season starts but he is already on the cusp of officially becoming the Lions best receiver of all-time. He needs 1,338 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns to overtake Herman Moore as the Lions career leader in both categories.

July 28, 2012; Allen Park, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) completes drills during training camp at the Detroit Lions training facility. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The National Football League has handed out a total of 50 suspensions related to PED use since 2010 with the Seattle Seahawks leading the way with five. All told, 22 teams have had at least one player serve a PED-related suspension with the Detroit Lions being one of the ten teams to remain clean.

The Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers are the nine other teams without a PED-related suspension since 2010.

While there certainly aren’t any prizes for remaining clean, the positive in the Lions avoiding PED suspensions lies in the stiff penalties. First-time violators receive a four-game suspension. That doubles to eight games for repeat offenders and a third violation results in a minimum ban of one year with reinstatement subject to league review.