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Lions secondary gets overhauled in latest cuts
By Chris McCosky
The Detroit News
Detroit — Alphonso Smith is a smart guy. It is highly unlikely that he was blindsided by the news Friday that he would be among the final cuts as the Lions trimmed their roster to 53.
But knowing it was coming didn't ease the pain.
"All I can do right now is CRY, but I'm not CRYING to quit," Smith wrote on Twitter. "But I am CRYING to grind & fight harder! God is good anyhow."
There were plenty of signs that Smith's days as a Lion were numbered. He started training camp as the starting right corner but was quickly bumped by rookie Bill Bentley. By the fourth exhibition game Thursday, Smith was buried so deep that he didn't get the call even with starters Chris Houston and Bentley sitting out.
His fate was probably sealed last Tuesday when the Lions traded a conditional draft pick to Washington for cornerback Kevin Barnes.
"To the great Lions fan; honestly one of the; if not only most 'unconditional' fan bases in all of sports," Smith wrote on Twitter. "Thx for the support over the yrs."
Smith, though he produced eight interceptions in his two seasons, never seemed to gain the full trust of the coaching staff. His gambling style often clashed with the Lions' defensive philosophy. Despite the interceptions, he too often got burned when he deviated from the schemes.
With Smith gone, the Lions were left with five corners — Houston, Bentley, Barnes, Jacob Lacey and rookie Jonte Green. Houston is the only cornerback on the roster who took a snap with the team last season.
It is likely that general manager Martin Mayhew will continue to look for upgrades in the secondary. The corner and safety positions probably won't be solidified until after the second week of the season.
The Lions trimmed their roster to 53 players Friday. That list does not include running back Mikel Leshoure, who will start the season on the reserved-suspended list. He won't count on the roster count until he is reinstated in Week 3.
Undrafted rookie quarterback Kellen Moore and second-year running back Joique Bell got the two final spots.
Undrafted rookie receiver Patrick Edwards was the last man cut.
Also noteworthy among the cuts Friday was punter Ryan Donahue, who was beaten out by veteran Ben Graham.
The biggest mistake Donahue made as a Lion might have been volunteering to fill in as the placekicker when Jason Hanson cut up his knee during the bye week last year.
Donahue, who as a rookie last season won the punter job from veteran Nick Harris, was a kicker in high school and early in his career at Iowa. But he wound up tearing the quadriceps muscle in his kicking leg and missed the second half of the season.
Donahue has not punted with the same authority since.
Graham, the Aussie-style kicker, solidified the punt team after Donahue went down last season. What probably sealed the deal was his clutch, 49-yard punt that flipped the field late in the Lions' 38-32 exhibition win over Buffalo Thursday.
"That was a great kick," coach Jim Schwartz said.
Neither Graham nor Donahue had overwhelmed Schwartz up to that point. Donahue, in a similar situation Thursday, backed up to his own goal line, managed only a 33-yard punt.
"The balls I hit were good," Donahue said of his two punts for a 33.5 average and net. "They weren't far enough but they were good balls. Overall, I had two punts so it's kind of hard to judge."
His average over 12 punts in the preseason was under 39 yards. Graham averaged over 41 yards and stuck four inside the 20.
There were some mildly surprising cuts on the defensive line, too. Veterans Andre Fluellen, who played both tackle and end for four seasons in Detroit, and end Everette Brown were both cut. Brown had a strong preseason; his 11/2 sacks led the team.
But the Lions kept rookie special teams stalwart Ronnell Lewis as the extra defensive lineman.
At the crowded receiver spot, veterans Maurice Stovall, Lance Long and Nate Hughes, and rookie Wallace Miles were among the cuts Friday. The Lions kept five receivers — Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson, Titus Young, Ryan Broyles and Kassim Osgood.
The rest of the cuts: cornerbacks Justin Miller and Ross Weaver, safety Reshard Langford, offensive guards Rodney Austin and Pat Boyle, tight ends Alex Gottlieb and Austin Wells, defensive linemen Ugo Chinasa, Edmon McClam and Tracy Robertson and linebacker Carmen Messina.
chris.mccosky@detnews.com
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120831/SPORTS0101/208310444#ixzz25EJo9Q7o
By Chris McCosky
The Detroit News
Detroit — Alphonso Smith is a smart guy. It is highly unlikely that he was blindsided by the news Friday that he would be among the final cuts as the Lions trimmed their roster to 53.
But knowing it was coming didn't ease the pain.
"All I can do right now is CRY, but I'm not CRYING to quit," Smith wrote on Twitter. "But I am CRYING to grind & fight harder! God is good anyhow."
There were plenty of signs that Smith's days as a Lion were numbered. He started training camp as the starting right corner but was quickly bumped by rookie Bill Bentley. By the fourth exhibition game Thursday, Smith was buried so deep that he didn't get the call even with starters Chris Houston and Bentley sitting out.
His fate was probably sealed last Tuesday when the Lions traded a conditional draft pick to Washington for cornerback Kevin Barnes.
"To the great Lions fan; honestly one of the; if not only most 'unconditional' fan bases in all of sports," Smith wrote on Twitter. "Thx for the support over the yrs."
Smith, though he produced eight interceptions in his two seasons, never seemed to gain the full trust of the coaching staff. His gambling style often clashed with the Lions' defensive philosophy. Despite the interceptions, he too often got burned when he deviated from the schemes.
With Smith gone, the Lions were left with five corners — Houston, Bentley, Barnes, Jacob Lacey and rookie Jonte Green. Houston is the only cornerback on the roster who took a snap with the team last season.
It is likely that general manager Martin Mayhew will continue to look for upgrades in the secondary. The corner and safety positions probably won't be solidified until after the second week of the season.
The Lions trimmed their roster to 53 players Friday. That list does not include running back Mikel Leshoure, who will start the season on the reserved-suspended list. He won't count on the roster count until he is reinstated in Week 3.
Undrafted rookie quarterback Kellen Moore and second-year running back Joique Bell got the two final spots.
Undrafted rookie receiver Patrick Edwards was the last man cut.
Also noteworthy among the cuts Friday was punter Ryan Donahue, who was beaten out by veteran Ben Graham.
The biggest mistake Donahue made as a Lion might have been volunteering to fill in as the placekicker when Jason Hanson cut up his knee during the bye week last year.
Donahue, who as a rookie last season won the punter job from veteran Nick Harris, was a kicker in high school and early in his career at Iowa. But he wound up tearing the quadriceps muscle in his kicking leg and missed the second half of the season.
Donahue has not punted with the same authority since.
Graham, the Aussie-style kicker, solidified the punt team after Donahue went down last season. What probably sealed the deal was his clutch, 49-yard punt that flipped the field late in the Lions' 38-32 exhibition win over Buffalo Thursday.
"That was a great kick," coach Jim Schwartz said.
Neither Graham nor Donahue had overwhelmed Schwartz up to that point. Donahue, in a similar situation Thursday, backed up to his own goal line, managed only a 33-yard punt.
"The balls I hit were good," Donahue said of his two punts for a 33.5 average and net. "They weren't far enough but they were good balls. Overall, I had two punts so it's kind of hard to judge."
His average over 12 punts in the preseason was under 39 yards. Graham averaged over 41 yards and stuck four inside the 20.
There were some mildly surprising cuts on the defensive line, too. Veterans Andre Fluellen, who played both tackle and end for four seasons in Detroit, and end Everette Brown were both cut. Brown had a strong preseason; his 11/2 sacks led the team.
But the Lions kept rookie special teams stalwart Ronnell Lewis as the extra defensive lineman.
At the crowded receiver spot, veterans Maurice Stovall, Lance Long and Nate Hughes, and rookie Wallace Miles were among the cuts Friday. The Lions kept five receivers — Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson, Titus Young, Ryan Broyles and Kassim Osgood.
The rest of the cuts: cornerbacks Justin Miller and Ross Weaver, safety Reshard Langford, offensive guards Rodney Austin and Pat Boyle, tight ends Alex Gottlieb and Austin Wells, defensive linemen Ugo Chinasa, Edmon McClam and Tracy Robertson and linebacker Carmen Messina.
chris.mccosky@detnews.com
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120831/SPORTS0101/208310444#ixzz25EJo9Q7o