Lions News

[whatever_gong82]

Marvin Jones returns to Detroit with new cast, new number, same mission

Justin Rogers

The Detroit News

Allen Park — So much has changed since Marvin Jones last suited up for the Detroit Lions three years ago. The team has a new general manager and head coach, and a new position coach was also part of the franchise's overhaul. The offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, he was actually here in 2020, but was coaching tight ends.

The only holdovers from that receiver group are Quintez Cephus and Tom Kennedy, who were both rookies when Jones caught 76 passes and nine touchdowns in his fifth, and what many assumed final season with the Lions.



We now know it wasn't Jones' final season here. After a two-year sojourn in Jacksonville, he's ready to run it back in Detroit, with the new cast and a new jersey number. With Kalif Raymond donning the No. 11, Jones put it up to a family vote and it was decided he'd be the first player to take advantage of the recently approved rule that allows players to wear No. 0.



Family is everything to Jones. The oldest of his five children, Marvin III, joined him for a Wednesday afternoon media session. And more than the superficial uniform number decision, he made sure to get his family's input on whether a return to Detroit was the right move not just for him, but for them. The alternative for the California native was to play for a interested team on the west coast, closer to home.

"I talked to my family and I was like, 'OK, if I'm not going to play on the west coast, the only team that I will go play for that's not on the west coast is Detroit,' Jones said. "After that, it really sunk it. I'm like, 'Man, I think this could be a thing.' Talking to my family and kids and stuff like that. I was like, 'What would you think if Daddy went back to Detroit?' Just stuff like that. I don't know. I kind of always had a feeling, just because I think this team is better equipped than any other teams I was considering. And it's home, it's home for me."




Another aspect of what made Jones' decision easier was getting an up-close look at the Lions last season, when he came to town with the Jaguars. He was overwhelmed by the response he received, both from the fans and team employees, who made him still feel like family. Then he saw the product on the field. That Lions team mauled the Jaguars, 40-14. It was the only loss the franchise experienced the final six weeks of the season, prior to earning the AFC South crown with a victory over Tennessee in the season finale.

"It was a kick in our butt and changed our season after that game," Jones said about the loss to the Lions. "On the film you see it. You see a good team, a well-coached team. ...There's a lot of talent. That's all I can say. There is a lot of talent. It'll be exciting just to come and add to that value."





Jones, 33, returns to Detroit in the twilight of his career. But despite a dip in production last year, he insists he's the same guy who racked up nearly 300 catches for more than 4,000 yards and 36 scores in five seasons with the Lions. If nothing else, he's ready to compete and help set a cultural bar for a young room headed by Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.


"Everybody knows how I work," Jones said. "I think that's one thing that people can take away from me, is like, 'Hey, yeesh, this guy is how old or he's been in the league for this long?' And I'm still taking off. I'm still doing the same things that I need to do for me to be great. I think my whole career has rubbed off on a lot of receivers or players.

"I think that's what I'm going to do," Jones said. "I'm going to go out there and I'm going to compete. I'm still going to move like I always do. Y'all (will) see."


jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers

[whatever_gong82]

Good news: The Detroit Lions probably won't have to travel to Germany next season.


Report: Detroit Lions spared international game as Bears to face Chiefs in Germany


Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

Dan Campbell will not be taking his Detroit Lions across international waters this fall.

ESPN radio in Chicago reported Wednesday that the Chicago Bears will play the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany in the 2023 season, sparing the Lions a trip overseas.


The Lions were one of a handful of candidates to play the Chiefs in one of the NFL's five international games next season, with Lions president Rod Wood saying the team had "at least" a 50% chance of being selected for the game.


The Lions were willing to go overseas, something they have not done since 2015, in order to delay having to play a "home" game internationally. NFL teams are required to give up a home game to play overseas once every 10 years, in a season they have nine home games.



The Lions will be a candidate to give up a home game in 2024.

"Selfishly, I’d rather not give up a home game while we’re kind of on this upward trajectory," Wood told the Free Press in February. "Every 10 years you have to give up one of your nine, so I’m hoping that doesn’t happen in (2024). I would rather have it be ’26 or later. If playing internationally this year buys us a year off that, that’d be OK."


The Lions have played two international games in the past decade, both in London. They lost to the Chiefs, 45-10, in 2015, and beat the Atlanta Falcons, 22-21, a year earlier. In 2020, the Lions were scheduled to play the Jaguars in London, but the NFL canceled its international series due to COVID-19.

Had the Lions-Chiefs game been scheduled for Germany this fall, the Lions would have gone more than two decades without playing at Arrowhead Stadium, one of the NFL's most imposing homefield advantages.



The Lions last faced the Chiefs in Kansas City on Dec. 14, 2003. Under the NFL's current scheduling formula, they are not slated to return to Kansas City until 2031.

Wood said in February that could factor into whether the Lions were selected to play in Germany.



"That’s the one thing I don't know," he said. "And I think playing them not in Kansas City wouldn't be the end of the world."


The NFL is expected to release its full schedule in May.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

[Futureshock]

Marvin Jones to wear No. 0 in second stint with Lions

Posted by Charean Williams on April 5, 2023, 5:51 PM EDT

Getty Images

Receiver Marvin Jones said Wednesday he sees a “different culture” in Detroit now, returning to the Lions after two years in Jacksonville.

“It’s a new feel for sure,” Jones said. “I think when I came here, the first thing everybody said is, ‘Hey Marv, it’s different. You’re going to love it. The coaches are different, the culture. Everything is not the same.’ I think that was definitely one of the reasons why it was definitely appealing for me to come back here. Why not?”

But Jones said he is the same receiver who made 289 catches for 4,296 yards and 36 touchdowns in five years in Detroit.

“Same old me. Ain’t nothing changed,” Jones said.

The only thing that for sure will change is Jones’ number.

Jones wore No. 11 in his first stint with the Lions from 2016-20 and for the Jaguars the past two seasons.

Kalif Raymond wears No. 11 for the Lions now.

Jones said Wednesday Raymond will keep his number, and Jones will wear No. 0.

Jones called it a “family decision” to switch numbers and choose 0.

Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse, Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley, Giants receiver Parris Campbell and Titans defensive back Sean Murphy-Bunting also have announced they will wear No. 0 after owners approved a rule change to make the number available this season.

[Futureshock]

Marvin Jones sees different culture in return to Lions

Posted by Josh Alper on April 5, 2023, 5:27 PM EDT

Getty Images

Wide receiver Marvin Jones returned to his old stomping grounds in free agency last month, but he is not back with the same old Lions.

Jones played for the Lions from 2016 to 2020 before leaving for the Jaguars as a free agent, so he has not been with the team since they hired head coach Dan Campbell and General Manager Brad Holmes. He has not been back with the franchise for long, but Jones said he can already see differences in how the team is doing business under their new management.

“I love this city. I love everything that has to do with it. . . . The organization is different in terms of the culture,” Jones said, via Colton Pouncy of TheAthletic.com.

Jones has plenty of company when it comes to noticing the different vibe in Detroit these days. The team is hoping that culture and moves like the one for Jones result in a return to the postseason this year.

[Cody_Russell]

Darn, I want to see the Lions play in Germany. It would be cool!

Probably gives the Lions a better chance of beating the Chiefs than at KC. Weird crap happens in overseas games…

[jaadam4]

I’ll be there for sure for the Germany games

[edindetroit]

I’ll be there for sure for the Germany games

Ja wohl!

[whatever_gong82]

Some people can't stand success and intentionally sabotage their opportunities of a lifetime.


Former Lions CB Alex Brown sentenced to jail time for 2021 accident

Justin Rogers

The Detroit News




Former Detroit Lions cornerback Alex Brown has been sentenced for his role in a drunk driving accident that injured two, including former teammate Charlie Taumoepeau.


Three of the four original charges were dismissed after Brown pleaded nolo contendere in January to operating a vehicle with a high blood alcohol content. He was sentenced on March 31 to four months in Wayne County Jail, two years probation and fined $778.


The accident occurred in the early morning hours of Aug. 15, 2021, one day after Detroit's first preseason game. The police report stated Brown was driving the wrong way on southbound Interstate 75 at a high rate of speed when he struck a vehicle driven by a 27-year-old male. That person suffered leg injuries and had to be transported to a local medical facility.





Brown's passenger, Taumoepeau, suffered a neck injury and a broken leg in the accident. He had to be extracted from the vehicle with the jaws of life and was also transported to a local hospital after being placed in a cervical collar.


Brown was cut by the Lions shortly after the accident, while Taumoepeau was waived with a non-football injury designation, spending the year on the team's injured list after clearing waivers. He's currently playing for the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL.



jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers

[whatever_gong82]

Ex-Detroit Lions CB Alex Brown sentenced to 4 months for crash that injured teammate


Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press


Former Detroit Lions cornerback Alex Brown was sentenced to four months in Wayne County jail for a charge of operating a vehicle with a high blood-alcohol content for his role in a 2021 crash that injured a teammate.


Brown entered a nolo contendre plea on Jan. 23, Wayne County Circuit Court records show, and was sentenced March 31. He also received two years of probation and paid $778 in court costs and fines, and had two counts of reckless driving causing serious impairment and one count of operating under the influence causing serious injury dismissed.

WDIV-TV first reported the plea.



Brown was arrested around 2:13 a.m. on Aug. 15, 2021, after a crash in which he was driving the wrong way on southbound I-75 near I-375 in Detroit.



Brown struck a 27-year-old Detroit man's car head-on, causing injury to the man's legs. Then-Lions tight end Charlie Taumoepeau was a passenger in Brown's car at the time of the accident. Taumoepeau was removed from the vehicle with the jaws of life, placed on a backboard and in a cervical collar and transported to a local hospital.



Prosecutors said in court Brown registered a .211 blood alcohol level on a portable breathalyzer and was so drunk he thought he was in Atlanta returning from a strip club at the time of the accident.



The Lions cut Brown hours after the accident, and waived Taumoepeau with a non-football injury designation. Taumoepeau spent the season on the team's reserve/non-football injury list after he cleared waivers.



Both players appeared late in the Lions' preseason-opening loss to the Buffalo Bills the night before the accident.

Taumoepeau, who injured his neck and fractured his fibula in the accident, returned to football for the first time this spring. He was taken in the 14th round of the XFL's supplemental draft by the St. Louis BattleHawks and traded to the Seattle Sea Dragons in late January.



Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

[Cody_Russell]

Never heard of Alex Brown until now. Was mistakenly thinking that was Alex Carter, but nope.

Alex Carter… perhaps the least memorable Lions high draft pick this century. What could have been…

[edindetroit]

Never heard of Alex Brown until now. Was mistakenly thinking that was Alex Carter, but nope.

Alex Carter… perhaps the least memorable Lions high draft pick this century. What could have been…

I wouldn't consider a 3rd round pick to be a "high draft pick".

[El Axe]

So, I'm just looking through today's mock drafts from NFLMockDraftDatabase.com, and when I start scanning the mock draft at NFLTradeRumors.com, I come across this quote in their justification for picking Gonzalez at #6:

"The Lions are a really intriguing team right now for a number of reasons. They should open as the favorites to win the NFC and they get another high pick to add to their young and talented roster.

I'm thinking it was a typo and they meant "NFC North". Still, it had me doing a double-take on the quote.

[jaadam4]

I definitely think it means the north but this team can be really good. I’m looking forward to the season

[whatever_gong82]

New cornerback Cam Sutton brings cerebral approach to Lions' secondary


Justin Rogers

The Detroit News


Allen Park — A conversation with Lions cornerback Cam Sutton shares similarities to the way he plays the game: Nimble, able to change direction on a dime, and with unmistakable passion.

It's as if he has a dozen thoughts going on in his head at once, with a desire to share them all at the same time. It's enough that when you walk away, you're not entirely sure what was discussed, and you're grateful you recorded it, to listen a second and third time, to dissect the layers of the rapid-fire chat.



On the field, it's the opposite. Sutton is a methodical processor, able to slow things down by dissecting the pre-snap clues the opponent left for him on film, breadcrumbs of intentions.


"That's the intricacies of the game," Sutton said. "At the end of the day, it's about timing, getting to certain spots, knowing what routes or concepts beat coverages and how you're being attacked. You can't have the same game plan week in and week out, so once you hone in on how teams want to attack you, you understand scripts of games and what opponents want to do."


Ask around about Sutton and there's a clear theme that emerges in the descriptors — intelligent, thoughtful, cerebral. Former coach Mike Tomlin, at the league meetings last month, said the combination of Sutton's talent, intellect, preparation and ability to communicate are key factors that have allowed the player to be a versatile defensive piece, capable of lining up anywhere in the secondary.



But more than having a deep understanding of the various schematic responsibilities within a defense, Sutton prides himself in understanding offense. He's obsessed with knowing the why. It's something Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson emphasizes with his teaching, getting his players to not only understand their responsibilities, but the reason the play is being called in that moment, what it's trying to accomplish immediately and set up in the future.



Sutton believes he sets himself up for success by viewing the game through that lens.



"A lot of guys know the game, but they don't really understand the game, knowing the why," Sutton said. "It's about honing in on the details of why these things are happening, what you see and believing it. When you put the preparation into it — and granted, things are going to happen, that's part of the game — but you see it, put the time in it, so go get it."


It's his understanding of the game on this deeper level that translates into his versatility.




"I'm not just a cornerback, I'm not just a nickel, I'm not just a safety," Sutton said. "I'm an overall defensive back who can affect the game and be what you need me to be. Don't get me wrong, if you need me in a stationary role, you need me to play outside, whatever that is, I'll do it. It's about impacting the game."


Within that, Sutton does have a positional preference. While he's always going to defer to his coaches and the game plan, he loves being on the perimeter, tasked with defending one of the opposition's outside receivers.




"That's where the game is at," Sutton said. "You have a lot going on inside, too. Inside is more about possession. It's faster. It's more conceptual. You're running away from leverage, you're running away from concepts, you're clearing out certain things. But now, with the market, where the ball and game is going, you only want to be around that."


Sutton's success outside — he held opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating of 65.3 when targeting him last season — earned him a handsome three-year, $33 million deal from the Lions this offseason. And that's where he figures to get most of his work in Detroit.




But as offenses have done with top receivers in recent years, consistently putting them in motion and shifting them to the slot or even into the backfield to keep opponents from zeroing in on stopping them, Sutton likes to view himself as a defensive version of this strategy. He wants his alignment to have the opposition second-guessing what they're seeing at the line of scrimmage.




"That's the whole manipulation of the game," Sutton said. "You're a moving target. If you limit yourself where you can play, you're limiting everybody. So always keep an open mind, and at least get the work (in practice). You might not be put out there to play the position (in a game), but at least you have the knowledge. Now I know what he thinks, what he knows, what he doesn't know. I know the position he needs to be in."


jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers

[Cody_Russell]

I wouldn't consider a 3rd round pick to be a "high draft pick".

Fine, “mid round pick.” 😇

or grouping it up to “day 2 pick.”