Lions remember NFL legend Art Modell

As the Lions get ready for their season opener with the Rams on Sunday, the focus at practice was split between preparation and remembering Art Modell, who passed away at 87-years-old.

"He had a heart of gold and he'll be sorely missed," Jim Schwartz, the Lions head coach, said about the late owner who was well-known for his decision to relocate the Browns to Baltimore in 1996. "He was a giant in the NFL where we are with our TV contracts and revenue sharing, and the competitiveness of our league is directly responsible to some of the pioneering work that he did.

 

Aside from the tragic news, Schwartz is setting his sights on keeping the Lions focused for St. Louis.

 

"Everybody aspires to get off to a good start, but your record is 16 games," said Schwartz. "That being said, you want to win all of them."

"It's good to get the fans behind you and get that energy built up for game one going into the next couple of games on the road," Chris Houston, a Lions cornerback, said about opening the season at home. "Just to get that feeling back, and get that confidence going within the team [is huge]. "

One Lions player that doesn't lack confidence is wide receiver Nate Burleson, or should we say running back Nate Burleson? Burleson lined up at running back briefly during practice, where he took hand-offs from quarterback Matthew Stafford.

"It's the more you can do in this league, I guess," said Burleson with a smile. "I'm a slot receiver, and I'm just trying to put myself in position to move around a little bit so we'll keep that on the hush-hush until we show it on game day."

One of the other hot topics during practice was a lot of talk on whether Calvin Johnson has a chance to go over the 2,000-yard receiving mark this season.

"I wouldn't put anything past what Calvin can do," Scott Linehan, the Lions offensive coordinator, said about Megatron. "He's certainly a great player, and we're concerned about taking care of business Sunday."

"Hey, nothing's impossible you know," said Johnson.

Reporter question: "The fact that it's never been done before ..."

Johnson's response?

"Yeah, it would be one hell of a feat."

It's a feat that starts on Sunday for Johnson.