Detroit Lions Weekly Recap

Sep 13, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) throws in the pocket with protection provided by guard Geoff Schwartz (74) against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 13, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) throws in the pocket with protection provided by guard Geoff Schwartz (74) against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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Detroit Lions Sign Geoff Schwartz

The Lions signed former Giants OG Geoff Schwartz to a 1-year deal on Wednesday.

It’s a rather surprising move by the Lions considering their glaring need for an offensive tackle, but it gives them great depth at the guard position with Larry Warford and Laken Tomlinson also in the mix. Detroit could even entertain the thought of moving Schwartz to right tackle if they really needed to, but Bob Quinn said on Thursday that he sees Schwartz primarily as a guard. He was placed on season-ending IR last year after suffering a broken leg 11 games into the season. Schwartz isn’t just a depth signing though, he’s a solid starter with real upside.

It’ll be interesting to see how Detroit plans to use him, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Detroit Lions sign RB Stevan Ridley

Stevan Ridley announced on Friday via Instagram that he is signing with the Lions.

Detroit signed Ridley to a 1-year deal giving them another back to go along with the duo of Abdullah and Riddick. Ridley is expected to take over Bell’s role of a short yardage or between the tackles type of back. He’s had some fumbling trouble in the past which is what put him in the infamous ‘Belichick Doghouse’ where no running back ever wants to be. Since being benched in 2013, Ridley hasn’t had many opportunities to shine and an ACL tear in 2014 didn’t help his cause.

The decision by Bob Quinn to bring in yet another former Patriot isn’t surprising; Detroit has been linked to several former Patriots players since free agency began. Ridley spent his first 4 seasons with the Patriots where he rushed for 2,817 yards, but this past season, he only managed 90 yards while appearing in 8 games.

Detroit Lions Open to Cheerleaders

Lions president Rod Wood isn’t ruling out the possibility of the Lions adding cheerleaders in the future.

I know this isn’t exactly football talk per se, but it’s been a topic of discussion for the past couple years as to why the Lions are one of the few teams left in the NFL without cheerleaders. The Lions and Giants are the only two franchises to never have cheerleaders.

It’s been 50 years now and the Lions still have not won a Super Bowl, maybe adding cheerleaders would provide this team with the spark to win something! At this point, we should be willing to try anything.

Okay, okay… Maybe adding cheerleaders won’t help the Lions win games, but it’s something that is being taken into consideration. Also another thing for fans to get excited about, the Lions are working to improve the Wi-Fi at home games, so we’ve all got that to look forward to.

Stay tuned to SideLion Report every Friday for your weekly Detroit Lions recap. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @SidelionReport and like us on Facebook.