These are some observations about the Lions following their first preseason game Thursday.
- Even though Kevin Smith didn’t gain much yardage, he displayed nibble feet, ran with surprisingly low pad level and did show a burst as he hit the hole. He is clearly the Lions best running back. Barring injury, he should be the starter. Seems like he is going to be a productive player this season.
- Calvin Johnson is a special player and that will become evident this season.
- Doing radio following the game, seems like people are overreacting to a couple nice runs by Drew Stanton. Passing out of the pocket will make or break him in the NFL, not his legs. It’s a good element to have, but it can’t be his only strength, and he can’t rely on it all the time. He has to pick his spots.
- Gosder Cherilus is raw and not nearly ready to start. The remainder of training camp and preseason games are very important to him. We’ll see how much he learned from Thursday.
- The Lions looked quicker along the defensive front. There is still a lot of concern at linebacker. Buster Davis, as undersized as he is, just might be a find there. He played well.
- Can’t the Lions do better in the return game than Aveion Cason and Devale Ellis returning kickoffs and punts? They seem to like Ellis a lot, but it hasn’t flashed in games yet.

Random Thoughts

- Seventeen of the Tigers' next 23 games are at Comerica Park. It means they are still technically in the race, but it's difficult to see at this point how their pitching is going to hold up.

- Honestly, as difficult as Oakland Hills is playing this week, I'm surprised anybody came in under par during the opening round. The pin placements were unbearable, especially on the ninth hole, a 257-yard par 3.