On paper, it seems like Lions GM Martin Mayhew knows something the rest of the NFL doesn't. Today, Mayhew added to his list of "great trades at first glance" by trading an undisclosed draft pick (rumor is a 6th rounder) to the Seattle Seahawks for DE Lawrence Jackson.

Jackson was a first round pick out of USC in 2008, but hasn't impressed in the NFL so far. He has just 4.5 sacks in two years, but hopefully a new team will revitalize the promising young player. A couple years under the tutelage of Kyle Vanden Bosch probably won't hurt either.

If there's one thing to worry about with this trade, it's that Pete Carroll -- Jackson's college coach, remember -- was OK with trading him away. Still, considering how Carroll's last NFL stint went, I like this move.

[Pride of Detroit]

Something tells me Tiki Barber took one too many thumps to the head during his 10-year NFL career. While many reasonable individuals -- this writer included -- are expecting a modest improvement out of the Lions, Tiki Barber is going through Kool-Aid like Lindsey Lohan goes through cocaine. Barber went out on a limb jumped off a cliff and predicted 9+ wins for the Lions this year in a Yahoo Sports segment.

Even the fake-tan-sporting Larry Biel thinks Tiki is nuts for that prediction. I will give him this though: if the defensive line is as dominant as they were in the early part of the Lions' first preseason game, Tiki might not turn out to be as bat-shit crazy as he seems right now.

[SB Nation Detroit]

The lengthy road to the Super Bowl for the Lions is finally here. Another year, another big step toward the promise land (or 425 miles if you're this guy). It all starts tonight when the 2008 preseason champs take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in game one of the 2010 preseason.

Louis Delmas, Brandon Pettigrew, Kevin Smith, Jared DeVries, DeAndre Levy and team MVP Jason Hanson, amongst others, will not play, but Lions fans should get a good look at rookies Ndamukong Suh and Jahvid Best. Suh will be the guy ending Ben Roethlisberger's career on the first possession of the game and Best will be in the No. 44 jersey on the sideline, laughing.

We should also get a half to see how far Matthew Stafford has come in just one offseason. He's apparently been zipping passes accurately in practice and reportedly has the greatest hair action of his young career.

The Lions, having won only two of the past 32 regular season games, have nowhere to go but up. If the Lions stay healthy and have the mentality or, better yet, the swagger to not allow themselves to take any steps back, they'll without a doubt have a successful season. Which is why the title of this post, and a lyric in Jim Schwartz's pump up song for tonight's game is right on the money.

Go Lions and go drink that spiked kool-aid, Lions fans. Have a laced brownie while you're at it.

When Chad Ochocinco praises defensive backs, you listen. And you listen gooooood. Known for shaming corners and safeties at any given opportunity, on and off the field, Chad Ochocinco started discussing some of the greatest safeties in the NFL via his Twitter account on Thursday night. After listing Ed Reed, Troy Polomalu, and the late Sean Taylor, Ochocinco brought up the Lions' second year safety, Louis Delmas:

That's high praise from one of the better WR in the NFL and something we Lions fans can put in our kool-aid. Now if only the Lions could get Delmas some help. (Ocho quickly learned that Delmas is also on Twitter after Delmas retweeted him. They ended the night with a friendly exchange).

This past Sunday, Joseph Paquette** left his house and decided it'd be a good day to start a 425 mile trek from his home in Munising, Michigan to Allen Park, Michigan to show support for the ... gulp ... Detroit Lions.

Munising is in the Upper Peninsula, about 125 miles west of the Mackinac Bridge. [...]

[...] Paquette's goal is to walk 25-30 miles a day, and he estimates that he will complete the journey in 16-21 days.

Paquette, a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, is carrying an American flag on his journey

A true American journey. Paquette should get to Allen Park in the middle of the week when the Lions are practicing for their August 28 home game. If the Lions are smart, they'll have a suite at Ford Field full of free beer for this die-hard Vet. If the Lions really want to up the ante, they'll reward Paquette with a win. But the dude just walked 213 miles per Lions win over the past two seasons, so it's not required. Throw in some baby powder and I might be willing to make a similar trip next summer.

Naturally, this hit jam by The Proclaimers is the walk's theme song:

Fellow D4L comrade Devin Jones and I journeyed out to Allen Park this morning in order to get an early look at our Detroit Lions for the upcoming season. Although the contact was kept to a minimum and the team is still more than a month away from playing actual games, there was more Kool-Aid being served than a first grader's birthday party. One overly optimistic fan even proclaimed that "the media's 7-9 prediction for us is ridiculous! We're going to be so much better than that!" He must have gotten into Charles Rogers' stash.

Here's some of our thoughts on the day's events--

-Tony Scheffler looked good for the most part. He caught the day's only TD on a seam pass over the middle from Matty Staff. Later he let one roll off his fingertips in the end-zone. Still, we were encouraged by his play and anticipate a lot of two tight-end formations once Brandon Pettigrew is 100 percent. Get ready to bust out your Scheff hats this season!

-Both Megatron and Suh are grown ass men. They are Bigger. Faster. Stronger. than what your HD TV does justice.

-Mr. Irrelevant Timmy Toone, not to be confused with your local head shop employee, was the fan-favorite in Allen Park today. I don't think they allow weed in Utah anyway.

-Danny Crossman, the Lion's new special teams coordinator, will be an upgrade over Stan Kwan (not saying a whole lot). He had the boys flying to ball today. Eric King even got into it as a gunner on kickoff, giving the minimal Allen Park crowd the "Dre Bly Crowd-Pump-Up" motion before he raced down for non-contact kick coverage. At the very least Crossman was amusing while he chewed out a handful of players during the special teams period. Never saw Stan light a fire like that.

-Dan Gronkowski walks like an alpaca. He's a fascinating creature to watch as he grazes the open plane.

-Tom "Killer" Kowalski, Lions' beat writer for MLive, looks like he could work his way into the rotation at D-Line. Nothing strikes fear into the opponent more than a flat-top haircut and a mustache.

-Gunther Cunningham did what Gunther Cunningham does best by laying into Landon Cohen for loafing a few times. We predict the Turk to be looming. Well, at least we'll still have Joe Cohen...I guess.

-D4L poster boy Stafford resembled a seasoned vet with moxy and touch (granted there was no contact). He only overthrew one pass on the day. I don't care if Stafford (Heaven forbid) is a bust, he'll still be way cooler than caviar loving piano playing Joey Harrington. Just keep showin' off that cannon and rockin' that Olde English D, Matt.

-The secondary, notably Randy Phillips and Chris Houston, looked solid in 7 on 7 drills allowing no red-zone touchdowns. Otherwise known as Bizzaro 2009 season.

-Raoila was the only player to sign autographs. Surprisingly didn't flip anyone the bird. We were bummed, too.

-Willie Young has the legs of a Brazilian supermodel. There's no punchline, they're just amazing.

-Shaun Hill looked solid (no suprises here). Stanton did not (nor here). Burleson was a non-factor over the course of the day, although the playbook did seem limited. Bryant Johnson must have been grabbing a hot pretzel somewhere.

-The only way to beat the heat from August two-a-days: Authenic Detroit Lions floppy hats. Everyone had one. We wanted one. Bummer.

-Sammie Lee Hill limped off the field during 11-11 on drills. No lives were rescued in the process.

-Kyle Vanden Bosch has a motor that must be a hybrid or something. It never seems to run out of gas. It was clear to see that he was the most intense and energetic player on the field today. Additionally, at any point, he could have destroyed us with his icy stare.

-Aaron Brown was a pleasant surprise making some plays on special teams, out of the backfield and in the slot. He looked like a Jahvid Best Lite. Speaking of Best, he made a move during 11 on 11 to bust a long one outside that left our jaws on the turf. Tune in on Sundays this Fall to enjoy the full feature.

Ndamukong Suh, D4L's newest man crush, ended his training camp holdout by signing a 5 year, $60 million contract today. This comes as somewhat of a surprise, as Suh was originally asking for a larger contract than last year's #1 pick, beach-going QB Matthew Stafford.

Let the Ndamination NSuh.

[SB Nation Detroit]

Trebek, you rascal. You've always been kind of a dick.

As I'm sure you know, Detroit has been in a  bit of a tizzy with Suh not signed yet. This suhcks because our Suhper Bowls suhcess depends on the House of Spears clogging the middle of the D-line. Now with that hoser Trebek calling the Lions out, we have all the motivation a team needs to take us to take the next level (5! wins!). When the signing goes down, expect much of Detroit to get Lewand'd that night.

If you can't wait 7 months for the Super Bowl, here's a sneak peak at this years champion according to Madden...SPOILER ALERT. You, my friend, are a stone wall if a tear does not run down your cheek watching Stafford present Obama a Lions jersey at the White House.

Chris Houston figures to be the Lions first option at cornerback this season. While he's struggled quite a bit in his first couple years in the NFL, he definitely isn't lacking in confidence.

Hopefully he's spending the extra time he's got from not using spell check at the Lions practice facility.

[@chrishouston23]