This is remarkable: "The Lions' renewal rate for season tickets is approaching 90%, after the Lions raised prices for most tickets this year, [according to the team's chief operating officer Tom Lewand]."

There's more, though: the Lions are offering split-season packages for the first time since Millen Yard at Ford Field opened in 2002, which means that fans can opt for first-part-of-the-season plans and focus on the Pistons and Red Wings once November rolls around. The impetus for the split-season packages allegedly has to do with the flailing local economy, although no one would be surprised if the flailing hometown team also had a lot to do with it.

Despite the chronic ineptitude that has become the Detroit Lions, five-game plans start at $230. And even though ticket prices will increase in 2008, average prices are still below the league average ($71.36 to $75.86). I doubt if this makes up for the organization's ambivalence towards winning, but it's a start, I guess.

And then there's this, perhaps the biggest understatement since Matt Millen admitted that fans probably had a right to be upset with the direction of the team: "Referring to the Lions' owners, Lewand said: 'The Fords have always been proponents of affordable options.'"

I'm pretty sure most fans had a hunch the Fords' business plan focused more on being cheap and less on winning football games. And now we have confirmation. Luckily, Millen aims on fixing that sometime this century.

The New England Patriots had one of the best offenses in NFL history last year, but that doesn't mean they aren't trying to add more playmakers.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports (via PFT) that free agent running back Kevin Jones, who was released by the Detroit Lions in March, recently visited with New England.

Jones looked like one of the league's best young running backs in 2004, when he gained 1,133 yards on 4.7 yards a carry as a rookie. But since then he has never had even a 700-yard season or four yards a carry, and he's struggled with injuries.

The most recent injury is the torn ACL he suffered in 2007, and the fact that he left New England without a contract may be a result of that injury. But he's expected to be ready to play by the start of the season, and if the Patriots remain interested, he'd at least provide depth in a backfield that also includes Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk.

When the Detroit Lions drafted wide receiver Mike Williams with the 10th pick in the 2005 NFL draft, most people thought it was stupid because the Lions had used Top 10 picks on wide receivers in the last two drafts.

As it turned out, it was stupid because Williams wasn't any good. He caught 37 passes in two seasons in Detroit, had some crucial drops in key moments, got morbidly obese and horribly out of shape, and was shipped to Oakland last year.

Now Oakland has let him go, and he's in Tennessee, where he says he's in good shape and down 30 pounds to 242, or only about 10 heavier than he was at USC. New offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger says he's excited about what Williams can bring to the offense.

I just don't buy it, though. The last time Williams looked like a good football player was at the 2004 Rose Bowl. I think Williams' football talent has atrophied.

We may still not know whether Jim Colletto was using the mechanics of Drew Stanton as another excuse to fire a shot in the ongoing war between the Lions and Mike Martz. But I think we've now got a better idea.

The Lions drafted him in the second round out of Michigan State, and offensive coordinator Mike Martz immediately altered his mechanics.

"He changed everything, and I didn't really understand why and I never really got explanations on how to work on it," Stanton said. "It was one of those things, 'Well, you're just doing this wrong.' "

Stanton said he "felt robotic" and struggled to think about the offense while thinking about his mechanics.

Hmmmm. Control freak? Check. Convoluted? Check. Egotistical? Check. Abrasive? Check. Yep, sounds like Martz.

Of course, now that Stanton is healthy from the knee injury that derailed his entire season, and working with quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler instead of the departed Martz, things are going much better. He even notes that working under Loeffler is such a relief comparatively that going to work is all "sunshine, puppy dogs, and cotton candy" (note: not in those words).

Say what you want about Shaun Rogers, but the team's biggest tumor the last two years was Martz.

At some point soon we'll just ignore anything coming out of Jon Kitna's mouth. In the meantime, the Lions' oft-concussed quarterback wants to make it clear that Detroit is winning at least 10 games in 2008. The same speech he gave in June 2007 and March 2008.

After a 6-2 start last season, the Lions limped to a 7-9 record. And after stating that 2008 is the year a couple months ago, he reiterated that point yesterday for anybody who may have missed it the first two times:

"Our expectation is we will be disappointed if we don't win 10 games," Kitna following a Tuesday training session. "Because that will mean we're not in the playoffs and that sucks. "I can't make it any simpler than that. Anybody who says that's not their expectation level is not much of a competitor."

Yes, that does suck, but I'm not sure I'd classify linebacker Ernie Sims as "not much of a competitor." In fact, I'd say he's the sane one of the bunch: "I'll just say we're going to do good," the Lions' leading tackler said. "I just play."

Other than the guy sitting in the team president's office, there's no reason this team can't win 10 games. They should've done it last season, but, depending on your perspective, it was all Mike Martz's fault. Assuming Jim Colletto can reintroduce the running game, the offense should be more consistent.

Hat tip: Shutdown Corner

It just wouldn't be a day at Lions headquarters without the team spending time that could prepare for the future instead looking to the past. Namely, the petty, childish back-and-forth between the team and jettisoned egomaniac Mike Martz.

On the topic of Drew Stanton, who redshirted his rookie year, and the difference between learning his mechanics from Martz last year and now quarterback coach Scot Loeffler, new offensive coordinator Jim Colletto noted that Stanton "looks like he's throwing the ball better."

A swipe at Martz? It could be that this is just an innocuous comment from Colletto regarding Stanton's progress as a player, and I'm reading way too much into it (I've been known to do this in the past). It could also be that The Free Press took that innocuous quote and framed it in a peculiar context to lure gullible readers like me into what they want the story to be (the media has been known to do this in the past, as well). I don't know, I wasn't there.

But it wouldn't surprise me if it was a tiny dig, seeing as how it seems like the team has incorporated Martz-bashing into its offseason training regime.

Ever since Mike Martz was fired as offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, there has been some minor verbal sparring between Martz and Lions President Matt Millen. Martz says things like "we were not a good football team," and "I can't explain anything they do," designed to denigrate the talent in Detroit, which was assembled by Millen.

The latest example comes from Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports (via PFT), who quotes Millen saying of Martz:

He can break down what a defense is doing faster than anyone I have ever seen. Then, all of a sudden, he's coming up with a bunch of new ideas about how to attack that defense right there on the spot. That's great, but you'd sit there sometimes and wonder, 'Hey, what happened to all the stuff we talked about Monday to Saturday?'"

And Martz saying of Millen:

"How would Matt know what we were talking about Monday to Saturday since he wasn't there Thursday to Saturday? [because Millen commutes back and forth between Detroit and his home in Pennsylvania] The guys on that coaching staff know why we did that. Look, we just weren't a good football team at that point."

Martz will always win these arguments with Millen for one very simple reason: Martz has a proven track record of being good at his job, and Millen has a proven track record of being terrible at his. There may be valid criticisms of Martz, but Millen is the wrong person to offer them.

Detroit Lions safety Kalvin Pearson is charged with what may be the most sickening crime related to an NFL player since Rae Carruth, and the Lions' response is a fascinating case study in the way that NFL teams deal with players who get into off-field trouble.

Pearson was charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant woman and domestic battery by strangulation after a woman who says she is pregnant with Pearson's child called police and said he grabbed her hair and neck and choked her, "making it difficult for her to breathe." Police identified and took photos of "red marks and bruising all around her neck."

Here is the Lions' response:

"We'll get as much information as we can right now," Lions president Matt Millen said after the NFL draft Sunday. "We'll get all the information, and then we'll deal with it after we find out all the facts."

Other NFL teams have acted swiftly when players have been charged with less serious crimes by simply cutting the player, saying they won't allow one player to tarnish the organization. The Lions, however, won't do that, because they're already on the record as saying they signed him because of his great character. And if there's one thing we know about the Detroit Lions as an organization, it's that they don't admit their mistakes.

So the Lions won't follow the lead of the Steelers with Cedrick Wilson; they'll follow the lead of the Steelers with James Harrison. They'll "gather information" designed to justify keeping Pearson on their roster.

Detroit Lions 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (17): Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College
Round 2 (45): Jordan Dizon, OLB, Colorado
Round 3 (64): Kevin Smith, RB, Central Florida
Round 3 (87): Andre Fluellen, DT, Florida St.
Round 3 (92): Cliff Avril, OLB, Purdue
Round 5 (136): Kenneth Moore, WR, Wake Forest
Round 5 (146): Jerome Felton, FB, Furman
Round 7 (216): Landon Cohen, DE, Ohio
Round 7 (218): Caleb Campbell, S, Army

The Good: I don't care what anyone thinks, I like the Cherilus pick. Most wanted a running back in that spot, but the Lions needed one of those first-round tackles and the only other viable option, Jeff Otah, is overrated to me. And the Lions got a very good running back anyway in Smith, who never got the recognition he deserved while being incredibly productive in college. He's the perfect big back for the Lions' new zone scheme and will surprise people with his NFL-ready talent.

The divisive story of Campbell is feel-good to some and has been good fodder for talk radio today, but forget about that. He's simply a very good player. He's smart, talented, and has the personality Rod Marinelli likes. Campbell will begin his career as a special teams demon but with steady development can get time in the secondary either this year or next.

If you're watching the draft on ESPN today, you missed a rare glimpse at something special -- draft day competence by the Lions.

Having trouble adjusting to the new, sleeker 10-minute first-round format and how to pace their coverage, ESPN wound up in the middle of a commercial when the Lions selected tackle Gosder Cherilus with their 17th-overall selection.

The Lions have to be applauded on a couple of different levels for this pick. It began when they traded back two spots from their original spot, and then they bypassed Rashard Mendenhall (who I feared would be the pick if still available) in order to fortify their offensive line.

Most coaches in Rod Marinelli's position would feel the seat getting warmer and go for the "win now" selection. Instead, Marinelli made the pick that was best for his team. Cherilus will immediately replace departed Damien Woody as the starting right tackle. He's a improvement on the line and another indication that the Lions are really serious about running more this year.

Somewhere in the 49ers' war room, Mike Martz is confused.