detroit lions vs. st. louis rams the season begins consistency up front ...

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Schwartz on Smith: “Kevin has always been that guy. When
he came back a er his layoff last year it was sort of one game
getting his feet wet and then he stepped right into the lead
role. That’s always been his mentality going back to high
school, college at Central Florida, here. That’s never changed
and you want players that have that kind of confi dence and
want to be on the fi eld that way.”
Schwartz has been impressed with Smith’s ability to bounce back
from adversity and having resiliency, a trait he fi nds important for
any NFL player.
Schwartz on Smith’s resiliency: “It’s part of this job description.
You need to be able to bounce back from failures; you
need to be able to bounce back from losses. You need to be
able to go forward and learn from it and put it in your past.
He’s had some injury setbacks and he’s done a good job bouncing
back – as have a lot of other players. Football is very important
to Kevin.”
At the beginning of last season, Smith was not on an NFL roster,
but this year he is preparing to be a major factor in the Lions run
game.
Smith on the diff erence between the last two off seasons:
“It just feels good to be here. Don’t take for granted being part
of that 53, so it feels good...[Last off season] I was just working
out, being a family man, being a regular model citizen, someone
who doesn’t come in here in the morning…Being on a team
in the NFL wasn’t part of my deal. Like I said, it’s a blessing
and I’m excited.”
THIS AND THAT
LIONS NAME TEAM CAPTAINS FOR 2012
The Detroit Lions 2012 team captains are WR Calvin Johnson
(off ense), K Jason Hanson (special teams), QB Matthew Staff ord
(off ense), LB Stephen Tulloch (defense) DE Kyle Vanden Bosch
(defense) and LB John Wendling (special teams). Team captains
are determined based on player vote.
Johnson, Hanson, Staff ord, Tulloch, Vanden Bosch and
Wendling will wear a team captain patch that includes a block
“C” on the right shoulder of their game jerseys.
Hanson, who is now in his 21st NFL season, was voted team
captain for the sixth-straight season (2007-12). Hanson will
wear a gold “C” patch signifying four-or-more years as a team
captain for the Lions.
Vanden Bosch will serve as a team captain for the sixth
straight-year, including three-straight with the Lions. He has
been named a team captain each year since joining the club in
2010. He also served as a team captain with the Tennessee
Titans from 2007-09.
The 2012 season marks the second time in Tulloch’s career he
was named team captain and fi rst with the Lions. He was a
team captain with the Tennessee Titans in 2010.
Johnson and Wendling are team captains for the fi rst time in
their careers.
This is the seventh-straight year the Lions selected team’s
captains for the entire season. Prior to the launch of the NFL’s
initiative, the team captains in 2006 were recognized with a
gold “C” on their practice jersey.
BROYLES BACK IN ACTION
Rookie WR Ryan Broyles has noticed a defi nite transition from
training camp to regular season. While he’s excited for his professional
football career debut this Sunday, he recognizes that it’s all
business from here on out.
Broyles on his NFL debut: “It’s the fi rst week and it’s exciting,
but at the same time, a lot of the guys that we’ve worked
with for the past month are gone. There’s a diff erent vibe in
the locker room, it’s more serious. Coach has got it down to 53
players, so these are the guys we’re going to war with.”
LEAGUE TEAM SCORING LEADERS
2011 NFL Leaders, Team Scoring
Rk Tm
1 GB
2 NO
3 NE
4 Det
G
16
16
16
16
TD
70
66
61
57
PAT FG
68 24
63 28
59 28
54 24
2pt Saf Pts Pts/G
0 0 560 35.0
2 0 547 34.2
2 0 513 32.1
2 1 474 29.6
2011 NFL Leaders, Scoring Margin
Rk Tm
1 NO
2 GB
3 NE
4 SF
5t Bal
5t Hou
7 Pit
8 Det
G
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
Pts Opp Diff
547 339 208
560 359 201
513 342 171
380 229 151
378 266 112
381 278 103
325 227 98
474 387 87
2011 NFL Leaders, Second Half/OT Scoring
Rk Tm
1 NE
2 NO
3 GB
4 Det
TD
35
35
33
34
PAT FG
33 12
32 12
31 15
31 10
2pt Saf Pts
2 0 283
2 0 282
0 0 274
2 0 269
2011 NFL Leaders, Second Half/OT Opponent Scoring
Rk Tm
1 Pit
2 Cle
3 Bal
4 Cin
5 Jax
6 SF
7 Sea
8t Det
8t NO
TD
14
11
14
16
16
16
15
17
18
PAT FG
12 5
11 18
14 13
14 10
15 10
14 10
13 15
16 12
18 10
2pt Saf Pts
1 0 113
0 0 131
0 0 137
0 0 140
1 0 143
1 1 144
1 0 150
1 0 156
0 0 156
2011 NFL Leaders, Second Half/OT Scoring Margin
Rk Tm
1 NO
2 Det
3 NE
4 GB
5 SF
Pts Opp Diff
282 156 126
269 156 113
283 172 111
274 196 78
210 144 66
LEAGUE LEADERS
2011 NFL Leaders, Turnover Margin
Rk Tm
1 SF
2 GB
3 NE
4 Det
Take-Aways
Int Fum Total Int
23 15 38 5
31 7 38 8
23 11 34 12
21 13 34 16
Give-Aways
Fum Total Diff
5 10 +28
6 14 +24
5 17 +17
7 23 +11
2011 NFL Leaders, Team Passing Rating
Rk Tm
1 GB
2 NO
3 NE
4 Dal
5 Det
G
16
16
16
16
16
Att Cmp Yds Pct TD Int Rtg
552 376 68.1 5161 51 8 122.6
662 472 71.3 5505 46 14 110.5
612 402 65.7 5257 39 12 105.7
570 376 66.0 4453 33 12 100.1
666 423 63.5 5071 41 16 97.2
2011 NFL Leaders, Passer Rating Diff erential
Rk Tm
1 GB
2 NO
3 Hou
4 NE
5 Pit
6 SF
7 Det
G
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
Rtg
122.6
110.5
92.7
105.7
89.7
91.5
97.2
Opp
80.6
86.4
69
86.1
71.7
73.6
82.1
Diff
42
24.1
23.7
19.6
18
17.9
15.1
2011 NFL Leaders, Total Yards - Off ense
Rk Tm
1 NO
2 NE
3 GB
4 Phi
5 Det
Total Rush Pass Tot/G Ru/G Pa/G
7474 2127 5347 467.1 132.9 334.2
6848 1764 5084 428 110.3 317.8
6482 1558 4924 405.1 97.4 307.8
6386 2276 4110 399.1 142.3 256.9
6337 1523 4814 396.1 95.2 300.9
2011 NFL Leaders, Passsing Yards - Off ense
Rk Tm Total Rush Pass Tot/G Ru/G Pa/G
1 NO 7474 2127 5347 467.1 132.9 334.2
2 NE 6848 1764 5084 428 110.3 317.8
3 GB 6482 1558 4924 405.1 97.4 307.8
4 Det 6337 1523 4814 396.1 95.2 300.9