Casey Fitzsimmons

Lovie Smith said he will look outside for a defensive coordinator and that line coach Rod Marinelli is not a candidate for that job.  

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Detroit Lions tight end Casey FitzSimmons becomes an unrestricted free agent in March, and says he'll take the opportunity to find out what other teams think about him.  

FitzSimmons missed the Lions final four games after suffering a concussion Dec. 6 at Cincinnati. Hes set to become an unrestricted free agent in March.  

The Bears have fired offensive coordinator Ron Turner, and promoted DL coach Rod Marinelli to defensive coordinator. In my opinion, this makes a lot more sense than firing Lovie Smith. The biggest problem with the team was offensive line talent and offensive scheme. Smith's not really responsible for the first, and getting a new offensive coordinator should help the second. In the meantime, promoting Marinelli means that Smith can concentrate...  

Rookie TE ready to step in for LionsDetroit Free PressThe Lions will be without tight end Casey Fitzsimmons for Sunday's game at Baltimore, which not only hurts their depth at the position ...Lions' Casey fitzsimmons not likely to play against RavensMLive.comLions being cautious with Casey fitzsimmonsThe Detroit NewsJim Schwartz can't explain Lions' third-quarter problemsDetroit Free PressDetroit Free Pressall 5 news articles »  

Myrtle Beach Sun Newsfitzsimmons out, Fluellen doubtful; Ed Reed among Ravens' game-day decisionsThe Detroit News (blog)The Lions' official injury report for Sunday's game at Baltimore: Out - TE fitzsimmons (concussion); Doubtful -DT Fluellen (groin), QB Stafford (shoulder); ...Injured Ravens S Reed expected to sit vs. Lionsabc11.comReed, Clayton listed as doubtfulMid-Atlantic Sports NetworkSuggs takes wait-and-see approach to playing...  

Former Detroit Lions receiver Charles Rogers has been sentenced to 93 days in jail for contempt of court after apparently drinking too much and passing out at a Mexican restaurant. Novi Deputy Police Chief Tom Lindberg says officers arrested Rogers on Tuesday at the suburban Detroit restaurant on a warrant for disobeying a sobriety court order.  

If the Lions aren't going to give Drew Stanton a legitimate shot to compete for the No. 2 quarterback job, would he prefer to move on? "Um, yeah," Stanton said. "I think I've talked about it with coach (Jim) Schwartz, even. He said you can't survive in this league as a No. 3. It just doesn't happen, because there's always going to be guys coming in, in the rookie class. It's a matter of trying to establish myself at least as a backup in this...  

Mike Singletary helped keep his job as coach in San Francisco with a strong finish a year ago after the 49ers had been eliminated from playoff contention. Alex Smith is looking to do the same to solidify his role as starting quarterback heading into the 2010 season. With San Francisco's playoff dreams shattered in snowy Philadelphia a week ago, the focus for these final two weeks, beginning...  

The Detroit Lions say an interception returned for a touchdown by safety Louis Delmas has been changed to a 101-yard score, the longest in team history by a rookie. Delmas' touchdown Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals had been recorded as a 100-yard score, but a yard has been added following a review by the Elias Sports Bureau, keeper of NFL statistics.  

Detroit Lions middle linebacker Larry Foote will miss Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers with a foot injury. Foote will be replaced in the starting lineup by DeAndre Levy. Foote had started 94 consecutive games. Starting cornerback Phillip Buchanon is also out with a shoulder injury and replaced by Anthony Henry.  

Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz is not a big believer in the theory that winning the season's final game will give an NFL team momentum for the next year. "That's probably overplayed," Schwartz said Monday. "It may make you feel good for a week or two going into the offseason, but then you start looking at the season as a whole again." As a matter of fact, Schwartz...  

ALLEN PARK, Mich. - The season is over for Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who has been placed on injured reserve ahead of what the team calls minor right knee surgery.  

DETROIT - The Arizona Cardinals blew a 17-point lead to the lowly Detroit Lions and needed to make a pressure-packed play in the closing minutes to avoid an embarrassing defeat.  

Looks like Daunte Culpepper isn't starting quarterback material. The Detroit Lions announced Wednesday...