- I tend to doubt his comments were to protect his teammate, rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford, as much as to vent on fans at Ford Field. What the fans were saying to Stafford was hardly venomous. "I'm open, I'm open." Come on.

- Raiola is a good player, who would start for most teams in the National Football League. He is undersized and not necessarily a good drive blocker, but he is athletic and strong and compensates for his lack of size in other ways. He is also among the best in the league at making line calls - a real key for the center position.

- Raiola is popular with and respected by his teammates, who consider him a hard-nosed, extremely intense player.

- Joey Harrington was not run out of town by the fans. His poor play did him in. As it did in Miami, Atlanta and New Orleans. Also, Harrington's coach and teammates with the Lions didn't want him as the starter. Steve Mariucci clearly didn't, and felt pressure from Matt Millen to start Harrington. And when Dick Jauron became interim head coach, his first announcement was the best players would play. It was one of his agreements to take the job. He put Jeff Garcia at QB. And it drew private raves in the lockerroom from Lions players because they felt Jauron was supporting them.

- Stafford has been through a lot at Georgia. Heckers are nothing new to him. He'll handle it just fine.

- Jim Schwartz, privately and quietly, needs to nip this in the bud with Raiola. It's clearly a distraction the Lions don't need.

My Column in Tuesday's Oakland Press about Michigan Football "It Isn't A Pretty Picture: http://tinyurl.com/ykvxldu