Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Detroit Lions, NFL go to 17-game schedule, but is it all worth it? Dave Birkett, Carlos Monarrez and Shawn Windsor share their thoughts on NFL adding a 17th game to the schedule and more Detroit Lions news, March 30. Dave Birkett, Carlos Monarrez and Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press Mark Brunell

Dan Campbell joked at his introductory news conference that he got the Detroit Lions head coaching job after he told his agent to make the team think he was Iowa State coach Matt Campbell. If they did, Campbell would have landed a whopper of a deal. According to CBS Sports, Matt Campbell turned down an

Hank Fraley was ready to head home to Minnesota to see his family during UCLA’s early-October bye in 2017 when he made an abrupt change of plans to visit one of the top high school offensive linemen in the country, Utah prep star Penei Sewell. Fraley, then an assistant at UCLA, made a lasting impression

Penei Sewell finalized his rookie contract Wednesday with the Detroit Lions, according to multiple reports, and the No. 7 pick of this year’s draft is expected in town to join his teammates for voluntary workouts this week. Sewell did not take part in rookie minicamp last week after contracting COVID-19, but Lions coach Dan Campbell

When Brad Holmes spent a fourth-round pick on USC receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown earlier this month in the NFL draft, the Detroit Lions general manager joked the pick “finally will get (people) off my ass about not getting a receiver.” St. Brown should play a significant role for the Lions this fall, potentially as their

Brad Holmes is not overhauling the Detroit Lions scouting department this spring, but the first-year Lions general manager does have a handful of openings to fill. Roman Phifer, a former NFL linebacker who spent the past three seasons as a west coast area scout for the Lions, has accepted a job as senior personnel executive

On the popular “Pardon My Take” podcast, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that he wanted an actual lion at the team facility as a motivational tool. It was clear that he was joking but there was one organization which took the quip seriously: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA. So

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell wants a pet lion. Not for his house, but for the team headquarters where he’ll spend more time than anywhere else the next several years. “I’ve talked to Sheila about this,” Campbell told the “Pardon My Take” podcast on Monday. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to do it, but I

Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver could have taken a victory lap on Monday after pulling off the unthinkable. In his first season in charge the Pistons, Weaver overhauled the roster, set a new culture, developed a core of young players, created an entertaining product, broke the endless chain of mediocrity and — this is

Derrick Barnes did not get to pick his jersey number as a freshman at Purdue. When Barnes arrived on campus as a two-star linebacker from Kentucky, he was given No. 55 by his coaches. “I wanted a lower number for some reason,” said Barnes, who wore No. 21 in high school. “But he was just, Junior

Dan Exotic? We’re pretty sure he was joking, but Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said on the “Pardon My Take” podcast Monday that he asked Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp about getting a pet lion to keep at the team’s Allen Park practice facility. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to do it,

A sixth-round pick in 2000, Tom Brady used his draft day slide to fuel arguably the greatest career in NFL history. Twenty-one years later, rookie Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has found motivation in his own disappointing draft weekend. “I’m never going to forget the 15 receivers that went before me in the draft,”

Ah, rookie coaches. You’ve got to love ’em, right? No, seriously. I’m asking. Do we have to love them? Of course we do. Because if you don’t love them and their new way of doing things, then what hope is there? I don’t want to dash anyone’s hopes here. But I do feel it’s my

The logic made sense, and the execution was even better. The Detroit Lions defied conventional wisdom by not having a quarterback on their roster at this weekend’s just completed rookie minicamp, but first-year head coach Dan Campbell said he was able to accomplish everything he had in mind despite his team’s unusual roster makeup. “We

The Detroit Lions will be staying home for training camp this summer. And unlike in past years, they will not be joining anyone for practice, either. Lions coach Dan Campbell said on the final day of rookie minicamp Sunday he inquired with multiple teams about holding joint practices this summer but was not able to

With power alleys that measure 385 feet and a center-field fence that stands 400 feet from home plate, there are no cheap home runs at Sanderson High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. “A lot of people think they get them at our place and rarely does it happen,” Sanderson baseball coach Todd Laughlin said. That’s

Two down, five to go. The Detroit Lions signed their second draft pick before the start of rookie minicamp Friday, agreeing with seventh-round pick Jermar Jefferson to a four-year deal. On Thursday, third-round pick Alim McNeill signed his four-year contract. Rookie deals are slotted under the collective bargaining agreement, making holdouts rare. Still, the Lions

The Detroit Lions got the first of their seven draft picks under contract Thursday, the day before the start of rookie minicamp. Defensive tackle Alim McNeill, the Lions’ third-round pick out of North Carolina State, signed a four-year contract worth $5.1 million. Rookie deals are slotted under the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, but third-round picks have

Why do the NFL schedulers hate Detroit and the Detroit Lions? Seriously, is it something we said? Do we have something stuck in our teeth? Does our odor offend? How else can you explain the difficult 2021 schedule the Lions were handed Wednesday by the NFL’s scheduling mavens, who I can only assume are devout

The 2021 Detroit Lions schedule was released on Wednesday. Here’s the complete regular-season schedule, with dates, times and TV included: THE PICKS: Dave Birkett gazes into the crystal ball to figure out the Lions’ 2021 record Sept. 12: 49ers, 1 p.m., Fox Sept. 20 (Monday night): at Packers, 8:15 p.m., ESPN Sept. 26: Ravens, 1 p.m.,