Running back Najeh Davenport is reportedly interested in playing for the Lions and Arizona Cardinals, he told NFL radio according to www.nflgridirongab.com.
Pittsburgh released the backup running back recently after the team couldn't work out a trade for him.
The Lions might want to add another running back after cutting Kevin Jones. The team still has Tatum Bell, third-round pick Kevin Smith, Brian Calhoun, Artose Pinner and Aveion Cason.
Davenport rushed for a career-high 499 yards last season and averaged 4.7 yards per carry. But he was ineffective as a starter in the Steelers' final two games after Willie Parker broke his leg.
Davenport was held to 25 yards on 16 carries in a 31-29 wild-card playoff loss to Jacksonville. That was after he gained 27 yards on 12 attempts in a season-ending loss at Baltimore.
The Steelers recently drafted running back Rashard Mendenhall on the first round and signed third-down back Mewelde Moore, moves that meant Davenport had little chance of making the team. The team also wanted to keep second-year back Gary Russell.
Davenport played with the Green Bay Packers from 2002-04. He was in the final year of a contract worth $1 million in 2008.
In April, Davenport was acquitted of a misdemeanor domestic violence charge in Cleveland Municipal Court. He was accused of slapping and punching the mother of his 5-year-old son at her Cleveland home in October.
In 2002, Davenport was arrested at his alma mater, the University of Miami, accused of breaking into a university dormitory and defecating in a woman's closet. He denied the accusation. According to published reports, he was charged with one count of criminal mischief and one count of burglary. But the charges were dismissed in exchange for Davenport teaching a series of football clinics.
Cornbread To Tampa?
Monday 06-30-2008 4:52pm ET
Kevin Jones is reportedly considering signing with the Bucs, according to NFL Network's Adam Schefter.
The marginalization of Earnest Graham continues. Jones hasn't been linked to Tampa before and they aren't one of the six known teams to witness a workout this offseason, but his style would certainly fit the team. Perhaps this is Jones being smart and seeing a situation where he could rehab his value. It's uncertain if they've offered a contract.
Latest on Cherilus legal issues (rp)
Thursday 06-26-2008 9:42pm ET
BOSTON (AP) _ Two former Boston College football players have settled charges they assaulted a man who refused to give up his space in a sports bar. Gosder Cherilus and DeJuan Tribble were sentenced to a year's probation.
Cherilus also was ordered to pay for 29-year-old Sean Maney's medical expenses. Authorities say the fight last July started after state trooper Joseph Boike, part-owner of the bar, asked Maney and his friends to make room for a group of BC players celebrating Cherilus' birthday.
Boike is scheduled to go on trial in August on assault charges. Cherilus is an offensive lineman drafted by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft. Tribble was selected in the sixth round by San Diego.
Another Lions Rookie in Court
Thursday 06-26-2008 9:01am ET
Here's the story about Gosder Cherilus's court appearrance from the Detroit Free Press . . .
Lions rookie offensive lineman and first-round pick Gosder Cherilus was ordered Wednesday to serve one year of pretrial probation for his role in a Boston bar brawl in which a patron was seriously injured, the Boston Globe reported.
Cherilus also was ordered to pay the victim $52,000 toward his medical bills.
Cherilus and teammate DeJuan Tribble, stars at Boston College, were celebrating Cherilus’ 23rd birthday with teammates at a bar last July when they intervened in a confrontation between a patron, Sean Maney, and a State Police sergeant, Joseph Boike, a part-owner of the place.
Maney testified in Boston Municipal Court that Cherilus grabbed him in a two-arm choke hold and dragged him across the room while Boike and Tribble repeatedly punched him, according to the Boston Globe. Maney testified that he and Cherilus slammed into a table, that he lapsed in and out of consciousness, that Cherilus and Tribble kicked him, and that he suffered a spinal injury that required surgery.
Boston Municipal Court Judge Paul K. Leary ordered the players to stay away from Maney and ruled that the charges against them would be dismissed if they abide by the court order and stay out of trouble for a year. Each was charged with one count of assault and battery and one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a shod foot).
Lions rookie linebacker Jordon Dizon was arrested April 20 on suspicion of drunk driving, driving the wrong way on a one-way street and failure to provide insurance, the Boulder (Colo.) Daily Camera newspaper reported on its Web site late Monday night.
Dizon was arrested six days before the Detroit Lions drafted him in the second round of the NFL draft.
The arrest received no media attention.
The Daily Camera reported, citing a police report, Dizon’s blood-alcohol level was 0.097, above the legal limit of 0.08. Dizon has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is scheduled to appear in a Boulder County Court on Aug. 18 and has a trial set for Oct. 21.
Dizon, 22, was a co-captain of the University of Colorado football team last season.
He told the paper in a phone interview from his home in Hawaii: “I was very polite to the officer. I did everything he asked me to and I acted like a man. It’s a bad situation and I’m sorry that it happened.”
It’s unlikely that Dizon would warrant a suspension from the NFL based on a violation of the personal-conduct code since the arrest occurred before being drafted.
“Jordon is an outstanding football player, person and citizen,” Dizon’s attorney, Peter Schaffer, told the paper. “I think that over time he will continue to demonstrate that to all his fans in both Michigan and Colorado.”
Dizon earned second-team Academic All-Big 12 team honors as both a junior and senior. He also received leadership awards from his coaches at Colorado.
The Lions drafted him because he had the football character coach Rod Marinelli says he wants, meaning a love of the game and a relentless work ethic. But he values chemistry in the locker room.
"The guy's all over the field," Marinelli said of Dizon after the draft. "He's got a great feel for the game, bright. We had him up here on a visit. He's a special guy. He really is. He's a special person."
Marinelli said he could see how Dizon could remind folks of ex-Lions star Chris Spielman.
"That's his whole deal. He's a productive, high-energy guy," Marinelli said. "He'll also bring something special to the locker room."
The Lions think Dizon should be a perfect fit in coach Rod Marinelli's Tampa 2 scheme that emphasizes speed. Linebacker Ernie Sims — undersized and quick, just like his new teammate — has thrived in the system since his rookie season.
The biggest challenge for the 6-foot, 229-pound Dizon will be shifting from the outside, where he earned All-America honors last fall, to the middle. Seven-year veteran Paris Lenon, who started all 16 games in the middle last season, and Buster Davis, a 2007 third-round pick who spent most of last year on the practice squad, also are vying for the starting job there.
President Matt Millen said the Lions need to bulk Dizon up.
"The defense is built for a small guy — a fast guy — like me," Dizon said during off-season training, "But going from the outside to the middle is the biggest thing.”
Bobby Ross and Barry Sanders (rp)
Thursday 06-19-2008 7:04am ET
Former Lions coach Bobby Ross told petoskeynews.com he didn’t think Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders loved the game of football or wanted to be a leader.
Ross, 71, speaking at Beyond the Scoreboard Champions of Character Awards Dinner Tuesday at the Emmet County Fairgrounds Community Building, praised Sanders’ ability and work ethic on the field, however, "I don’t know if Barry really loved the game, but he worked hard at it," Ross said. "He did what he was supposed to do. I always wanted him to be a leader, but he didn’t really want that role.
"He was the only player I ever coached that whenever he touched the ball, you thought he would run for a touchdown."
Sanders’ father, William, said at the time that Sanders retired because of continued frustration over repeated front-office ineptitude and an increasing dislike of how coach Ross ran the team. After he abruptly retired on the eve of the 1999 season, Sanders didn’t respond to dozens of phone calls from Ross.
Publicly, the running back never admitted that Ross had anything to do with his retirement decision. He said he retired "because as my desire for the game left, I could no longer put my total self into it the way I was used to doing."
Ross retired from the Lions soon after -- in the middle of the 2000 season with Detroit 5-4 and still in the playoff race.
He said he retired mostly due to health problems, though owner William Clay Ford told the Free Press at the time it was more frustration with the Lions, "I just sensed his total frustration, that he played every trick in the book that he knew and none of them were working," Ford said. "When the tank's empty, you can't go any farther."
Ross told the Petoskey News: "I had blood clots in my legs, one in my calf and the other by my knee," Ross said. "I was actually hospitalized for five days, I was on medication that I still take and I had to elevate my legs."
"I had to retire. I panicked, I got scared. I was wrong. My father was a double amputee. I just got scared."
He was the last Lions coach to make the playoffs (1999).
"We had some success and the Lions always had great fans," Ross said. "We used to just pack that Silverdome.
"I made a mistake in Detroit and I kind of went into a closet. After my time there I said I’d never let that happen again. I’d never worked a (salary) cap before and it’s best to have a GM and a coach that can work together and communicate.
"I liked Mr. Ford a lot. He was totally committed to the program and he always tried to get the best players. To this day I really enjoyed working with him."
Ross retired in Jan. 2007 as Army's coach after a 9-25 record in three seasons. He went 27-32 in 1997-2000 as head coach of the Lions. He also coached the San Diego Chargers, whom he led to a Super Bowl loss.
Roy News
Wednesday 06-04-2008 3:40pm ET
Roy Williams reported to Lions OTAs on Wednesday.
Williams says he didn't attend last week due to bad weather in his hometown and missed Monday's workout because of a scheduling mixup. "I’m an OTA guy," he promised. "I want to be here OTAs." The workouts are volun
Open Workout Today For Kevin Jones
Thursday 05-29-2008 2:18pm ET
Kevin Jones was surprised and disappointed in the decision by president Matt Millen and coach Rod Marinelli.
“I was upset just because I thought I knew them better than that,” Jones said. “I thought Rod and Millen and things like that would give me a chance to come back. Just letting me go when I was hurt kind of pissed me off. But I don’t have any animosity. I’ll see them again someday on the field or something. I’ll take it out then. …
“Fair? I’m not going to whine about it being unfair or anything like that. I’m not whining. My focus right now is not even on them. My focus is getting back and getting on a team, getting a chance to start my career over. I’m still young, only 25, so I’ve got a lot of games left.”
Jones works out with Ping six days a week in Saline. He does martial arts training Mondays and Wednesdays. He uses hydraulic machines Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. He uses free weights Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He also runs and swims.
This morning, Jones worked with two other former Lions – offensive lineman Barry Stokes and running back Anthony Sherrell, both Eastern Michigan products.
Before the workout, Ping said: “I know people are saying it takes a year, a year and a half. But I’m telling you guys, when you see him today … I’m sticking my neck way out in a respect to say that. But I believe that, and he believes in it.”
Jones, Stokes and Sherrell used the hydraulic machines in Ping’s basement. It looked like a scene out of a “Rocky” movie, as they sweated and grunted with a plain lightbulbs overhead, cement and spare pieces of carpet under their feet, and typical basement stuff all around – bags of fertilizer, a dusty wine rack, mementos. Jones pushed his knee hard as music blared from an old stereo.
Afterward, Jones sat on a table and received heat acupunture. Ping puts his hand over a flame in a small box, then puts his hand on Jones' knee. Jones describes the feeling as a hot needle pinpointing his problem area.
Then Jones, Stokes and Sherrell went outside to an adjacent golf course. They did some jogging. They sprinted uphill. They burst up a pair of small hills – tee boxes – in a tougher version of the 40-yard dash.
Before a couple of sprints, Jones yelled out “Colletto,” referencing new Lions offensive coordinator Jim Colletto. He said it wasn’t personal, but it was motivating to prove someone wrong.
“Before I got let go, the weeks leading up to that, I would hear him on the Internet or on the Web site saying that, ‘We need a back who can make people miss. We need a back who can take it the distance,’ ” Jones said. “Well, I’m on the team. I’m the starting running back. He’s basically saying you don’t need me, you need somebody else. So I’m going to show him that I am that back, that I can do those things.”
ThrowBacks Are Back
Wednesday 05-21-2008 2:47pm ET
The Lions will wear their old throwback uniforms for two games this season as part of their 75th anniversary celebration.
Plain silver helmet. Plain Honolulu blue and silver jersey. Plain silver pants and blue socks.
The Lions will wear them Nov. 9 against Jacksonville, when they unveil their 75th anniversary team, and for their Thanksgiving Day game Nov. 27 against Tennessee.
The uniforms replace the Lions’ black jerseys as their third, or alternate, uniform. Chief operating officer Tom Lewand said the Lions like the black jerseys, but they haven’t discussed whether they will wear them after this season and don’t have to decide for a while.
© 2008