Detroit Lions' Winners and Losers in Buffalo

There was a whole lot to like about the Detroit Lions' 17-6 handling of the Buffalo Bills Thursday night, if you're a Lions fan.

Almost 250 yards rushing, mostly improved blocking out of the non-Backus section of the offensive line, no offensive touchdowns given up, and the only preseason win that wasn't a come-from-behind shocker via Drew Stanton are all things to get excited about.

Of course, a winning effort in the preseason is more about what players heard their names called the most over the course of the night, and less about the final score.

So what players get a gold star for the final game before cuts, and who wishes they could do it all over again?

Let's observe, by position.

Quarterback

Winners: Brooks Bollinger, Daunte Culpepper

Brooks Bollinger actually looked capable out there.

Given only two days to learn the Lions playbook and personnel (what is it with the Lions and throwing former Vikings QBs into a game after a sudden midweek acquisition?), Bollinger actually had a statistically better night than Stafford, without the benefit of Calvin Johnson to throw to.

Don't read anything into that.

Culpepper comes out a winner because Matthew Stafford failed to deliver a knockout punch, which means Culpepper is still a viable candidate to start the season for the Lions.

Losers: Matthew Stafford, Kevin O'Connell

Stafford could have tied up and gift-wrapped the starting job for himself with a strong performance against the Bills. Instead, he went 5-9 with an interception (possibly not his fault, but "receiver's fault" doesn't show up in the stat sheet), and a lost fumble. The job is still open.

Do you think there's any way in the world Kevin O'Connell knew, in his first snap as a Lion, after handing the ball off to Tristan Davis, that he wasn't going to see that ball again?

O'Connell would have actually gotten some time, but instead, he took three snaps. The handoff to Davis, 79-yard touchdown. Later, two kneel-downs.

If Bollinger and O'Connell were fighting for a roster spot with the Lions, O'Connell just lost it in a shutout.

Running Back

Winner: Tristan Davis

If you're like me, you just said, "who?"

Davis, an unheralded, undrafted, unknown rookie out of Auburn who joined the team after they cut Kenneth Harris (again, who?), made lots of people learn his name Thursday night, when he ran right by 11 guys untouched for a 79-yard score midway through the fourth quarter. His yards-per-carry average was 30.7.

Two days ago, Davis would have been an easy cut. Now he's going to get a second or third look.

Three carries in the fourth quarter of a preseason game is not enough to call him a gamebreaker, of course. But 92 yards in those three carries just might be worth a roster spot.

Loser: Aveion Cason

Before I say anything about Aveion Cason, let me first say this.

I've never seen the man run harder or better than he did Thursday night. Six carries for 40 yards is a solid performance. He earned my respect.

Unfortunately, he is also 30 years old, has absolutely no upside, is playing for a team looking several years into the future, is no better than the fourth-best back on the team right now (Kevin Smith, Maurice Morris, Aaron Brown, to answer your question), and now has another rookie back with breakaway speed pushing him for that spot.

To make matters worse, the team has finally wised up and taken him out of the return game.

Cason is the loser here, because the Lions likely have no place for him, even though he might finally be playing some solid football.

Wide Receiver

Winner: Calvin Johnson

I'm sure you remember, but Johnson is still an awe-inspiring player.

Against first-string defenses, he looks like a superstar.

Against the Bills' second-string, he looked like a Hall-of-Famer picking on high schoolers.

In the time that Johnson was on the field, he caught two (three, if you include the touchdown called back for holding) passes, and was responsible for 56 of Stafford's 81 yards passing.

Loser: Keary Colbert

Colbert may have been responsible for both quarterbacks' interceptions Thursday night.

On Stafford's, he fell down on what looked to be a timing-based comeback route.

On Bollinger's, he couldn't get a handle on a pass thrown a bit behind him, and tipped it up in the air for an end zone pick.

Colbert needed a strong performance against the Bills to erase a preseason full of dropped passes and weak performances.

He finished with one reception for nine yards. He'll be looking for a practice squad soon enough.

Offensive Line

Winner: George Yarno

Lions' offensive line coach George Yarno gets the nod here, for one simple reason.

The offensive line looks vastly improved, but aside from a few depth signings, they're exactly the same players as last year. The only thing that's different is Yarno and the new, aggressive blocking philosophy.

Why the change? The "downhill" blocking philosophy does a better job of covering up a lack of talent (which the Lions have) than the zone blocking scheme utilized last year, which requires good footwork and talent across the line.

But regardless of whether or not it's smoke and mirrors from a scheme, it's good to see the line winning the battle at the point of attack for once, isn't it?

Loser: Jeff Backus

He is who we thought he was.

He plays well, as long as he's up against mediocre competition. Put anybody with decent pass rushing abilities on him, and there are instant problems.

Rookie Aaron Maybin made Backus look foolish at least once, shooting right around him to notch a fumble-sack on Stafford.

Even in the preseason, adequate left tackles don't get overwhelmed by rookie defensive ends. Not the way Backus did. That was ugly.

Defensive Line

Winner: Orien Harris

Orien Harris hasn't made much noise since the Lions acquired him in trade with the St. Louis Rams for WR Ronald Curry.

Thursday, however, he led all lineman with four tackles and a sack.

Not a world-beating performance, but the Lions don't see a lot of sacks out of their interior linemen, and the performance should help his stock at a time when neither defensive tackle position is certain.

Loser: Cliff Avril

Cliff Avril has had a very quiet offseason after being one of the team's only bright spots on defense last season.

With only one tackle against the Bills, and very little success getting to the quarterback, Avril is not developing into the all-around player we thought he might after setting the rookie pace for sacks last year.

With a stronger preseason, Avril would have locked up a starting job, especially with Jared DeVries going down with injury.

Now, he may be relegated to a pass-rush specialist or backup position.

Linebacker

Winner: Jordon Dizon

In case you didn't get the memo, Jordon Dizon's "bust" label was a bit premature.

Dizon started on the weak side in place of the resting Ernie Sims. He led the team in tackles with six, five of which came in Buffalo's second drive.

Dizon flew all over the field in the drive, making stops on running and passing plays alike, before capping the drive off by forcing a fumble on a short completion to Derek Schouman.

His performance, coupled with a strong preseason and strong praise from his coaches, should lay to rest any doubt that he can come in and contribute, perhaps sooner rather than later.

Loser: Larry Foote

By no means has Larry Foote had a bad preseason, just a quiet one.

More importantly, the young guys behind him on the depth chart, Dizon and rookie DeAndre Levy, have had fantastic preseasons, and either one can play the middle (both were drafted for it).

The longer Foote plays the vanilla brand of football he has been playing, and the longer Dizon and Levy continue to impress, the less time Foote will spend on the field.

Maybe that one-year contract was a good idea, after all.

Cornerback

Winner: Chris Roberson

Mark my words, Chris Roberson locked down a roster spot.

One tackle on defense, one on special teams, a fumble recovery, and a phenomenal diving interception were the highlights of Roberson's day in Buffalo.

The transitional nature of the Lions' secondary coupled with his strong play should be enough to keep him around, at least for depth.

Loser: Eric King

Another example of a player not making any noise while those around him do.

Eric King's contribution against Buffalo was one defended pass and one illegal contact penalty. Meanwhile, Roberson and Ramzee Robinson are making plays and showing that they belong.

By not making his presence felt, King may have lost himself a job Thursday night.

Safety

Winner: Stuart Schweigert

Stuart Schweigert hasn't seen much action in the first half of games this preseason, but what time he has gotten, he's made count.

Schweigert played seek-and-destroy with the Bills' running backs Thursday night, making five tackles total, three of them at or near the line of scrimmage on running plays.

With performances like that throughout the preseason, Schweigert could be looking at not only a roster spot, but considerable playing time in the regular season.

Loser: Louis Delmas

Calm down and listen.

Delmas will still be a great player, and probably sooner rather than later. But he's not going to be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer when he takes the field in New Orleans, so just deal with that.

Delmas is jumpy out there. He's a rookie making rookie mistakes, just as he should be. He is overpursuing and getting caught out of position on most plays he spends in the game.

That can—and will—be coached away. He will adjust his play, settle down, and start playing smarter football. His football IQ is one of his best qualities, so expect him to snap out of it sooner than later.

Still, Delmas was a lock to start the moment Gerald Alexander was shipped out. After two shaky preseason games, they might instead rotate him in.

Special Teams

Winner: Nick Harris

One of the best in the game, though his net average is lacking, primarily because of god-awful coverage teams.

Still, when an average of 43 yards per punt on four punts, with one downed inside the 20 is a sub-par day at the office, you're in pretty good shape.

Loser: Derrick Williams

Williams returned two punts on Thursday.

One was muffed, and fallen on for a zero-yard return.

The other was returned nine yards, on a play where Williams was a half step from being unable to walk off the field.

Somebody needs to teach Williams the "fair catch" signal, because if he pulls another stunt like he did Thursday, trying to return the ball with a gunner bearing down full speed, he's going to get himself killed out there.

On top of that, for a third-round pick drafted primarily for receiving skills, he's... well, he's not that good. Minus all the mistakes, his actual return skills have been average at best.

Just bad, bad, and worse for Williams in Buffalo.