This week, there were rumors floating around that 44-year-old Jason Hanson called the Lions about potentially returning to fill their void at kicker. When Jim Caldwell‘s heard those rumors, his first reaction was to laugh out loud, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. On Monday, Hanson’s agent confirmed that his client is done playing football, so it’s safe to say any talk of a comeback is bogus. As for the Lions, they’ve got their kicker situation squared away (hopefully) with the newly-signed Matt Prater in the fold. More out of the NFC North, where the Lions and Packers are tied at the top with 3-2 marks..
- Despite signing a Super Bowl-winning receiver and spending a top draft pick on another weapon for Matthew Stafford, the Lions‘ offense still hasn’t clicked, writes Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. The Lions have the sixth-worst scoring offense in the NFL with an average of 19.8 points, their lowest point since they averaged 16.4 points in 2009.
- Vikings coach Mike Zimmer heaped praise on fill-in Matt Asiata, but he also supports Adrian Peterson and wouldn’t close the door on his return in a conference call with reporters. “We’re always going to stand behind Adrian and always hope for the best with him,” Zimmer said, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “We haven’t gone that far into what-ifs and things that can happen. I’m just trying to focus on what we’re doing here. I like Adrian an awful lot.”
- Former Bears GM Jerry Angelo told David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter) that his comments in a USA Today piece regarding domestic violence in the NFL were taken out of context. When Angelo said that he had heard “hundreds of stories” of players getting away with abuse incidents, he was led into it and embellishing to make a point (link). The league declined to offer comment on the USA Today story, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes.