Lions QB Matthew Stafford (hip) missed practice on Wednesday. Stafford is not expected to practice until Friday. Adam Schefter believes that he will play on Sunday.

When asked about the status of Lions QB Matthew Stafford, ESPN's Adam Schefter said this: "I would be surprised if he practiced Wednesday or Thursday, but ultimately, when the game rolls around, he's a tough guy to count out. The injury looks to be more of a hip injury than anything else. There will be explanations of hamstrings and glutes this week -- be very skeptical. It's our understanding it's more of a hip injury, and it's a hip injury that's serious enough to prevent him from finishing last Sunday's game and to make him a question mark for this one. But knowing Stafford's toughness, my sense is he'll be out there. If he's not, that tells you how bad the injury is."

Shaun Hill is a good plug and play option for Stafford owners if they don't already have a solid QB option on the roster. The Lions play early on Sunday.

The status of Lions QB Matthew Stafford for Detroit's Week 4 game vs. Minnesota is uncertain after a right leg injury forced him from Sunday's 44-41 overtime loss to the Titans.

Stafford said the injury happened during practices leading up to Sunday's loss –- he didn't identify which workout –- and that the injury bothered him throughout the week. Stafford said his pursuit of Titans CB Alterraun Verner after Verner's interception late in the fourth quarter was the final straw.

“I felt [the injury] during a couple of plays,” he said. “I was trying to sit on a heat pack to try and keep it loose and warm. On the play trying to go after [Verner], I felt like I couldn't [run fast]. I felt like if I tried to [run] it would have been a lot worse than it is.

Stafford said he wasn't sure which muscle in his leg was injured, and that he will undergo an MRI for further diagnosis.

Shaun Hill would be a very capable fill-in if Stafford has to miss Week 4.

Lions RB Kevin Smith continued to take the first-team reps during the portion of practice open to the media and nobody is saying how big a role Mikel Leshoure might play Sunday.

"He only had a few carries in the preseason," quarterback Matthew Stafford said. "We will see what he's available to do and what he's comfortable doing. It's nice to have another back and to have some depth, but it's yet to be seen how he feels."

There has been a lot of buzz about Leshoure as he has come off of suspension, but we doubt that he takes over the RB1 job without an injury to Kevin Smith. It was just the preseason, but Leshoure rushed 20 times for just 44 yards, though he did catch two passes, and one went for 33 yards. He is a nice speculative add, but don't expect a lot right away.

Here we go again. Lions WR Titus Young screwed up last season. He screwed up this off-season.

And Sunday, the Lions receiver screwed up in the opener.

Young was baited into head-butting St. Louis cornerback Janoris Jenkins in the second quarter after Matthew Stafford threw his third interception, which Cortland Finnegan returned for a touchdown.

Young, who took a similarly silly personal foul against the Saints last season, was penalized for unnecessary roughness. He walked to the bench, where was comforted by safety Louis Delmas, whom Young sucker-punched in May.

"He did that and that wasn't a smart thing," coach Jim Schwartz said. "We knew what was going to happen in some situations and him and a couple guys were sort of going back and forth and that was one of the situations where -- it was right in front of me the whole time -- and it looked like he was going to do the right thing and walk away from it and then at the last second turned and made a really dumb decision."

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford broke a blood vessel in his left hand but still expects to be ready for Detroit's regular-season opener.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford received a scare in Saturday night’s preseason game against the Raiders but he told reporters following the game that his injured hand is “fine.”

“It was just, skin color just growing by the second,” Stafford said. “It was kind of scary. I don’t know what was going on. But it’s fine now. It feels good.”

The injury came on Stafford’s non-throwing hand so while he may be held out of Detroit’s final preseason game next week, he shouldn’t miss Week 1.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford left the team’s third preseason game on Saturday with a left hand injury. The extent of the injury is not known but it does come on Stafford’s non-throwing hand so hopefully this doesn’t mean his status for Week 1 is in jeopardy.

Falcons QB Matt Ryan has increased his arm strength this year.

“Matt, I think, has really progressed,” Mike Smith said. “I think you can see it physically that he’s bigger. I think his arm strength is much-improved from the first four years.”

Some of the major differences in the passing attack will be more vertical routes with an emphasis on getting the ball to receivers on the move. Also, the team will implement a package heavy in screen passes.

If fantasy owners miss out on the top 5-6 QBs (Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Matthew Stafford, and perhaps Michael Vick) in the first three or four rounds, there's no reason to panic and draft a QB before the 6th or 7th round where Ryan should be available. He finished QB8 last year, and the Falcons are going to a more pass-heavy attack that will utilize his improved arm strength.

The Detroit Lions have made Calvin Johnson the highest-paid receiver in the history of the NFL. Johnson agreed to a seven-year extension worth close to $130 million, according to sources. The extension will make him a Lion through 2019. It also tops the eight-year, $120 million deal receiver Larry Fitzgerald signed with the Cardinals prior to last season.

More importantly, the deal reduces Johnson's $22 million cap number by approximately $9 million for the 2012 season, according to sources, and will allow the Lions to go after some of their free agent targets, specifically linebacker Stephen Tulloch.

This is great news for the Lions and for Matthew Stafford, who now knows that he'll have his star receiver locked in for the next seven seasons.