Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said he felt better today than he did Oct. 14, the last time he tested his injured knee in practice. But he wouldn’t speculate whether he would be able to play Sunday against St. Louis.

Stafford reportedly suffered a partially dislocated right kneecap Oct. 4 at Chicago and has missed the past two games. He tested the knee in practice the Wednesday before the Lions’ last game, Oct. 18 at Green Bay, and had swelling afterward.

“It wasn’t a ton of swelling, but there was some discomfort with it,” Stafford said. “That was just a reaction. Obviously, I wasn’t ready to come back. That’s all that said.”

Stafford took about half the reps today, as he did the last time he practiced.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford returned to practice today while receiver Calvin Johnson did not participate. Stafford took snaps in the No. 1 rotation during individual drills; the media is not allowed to watch any team drills during the workout.

Stafford's status for Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams won't be better known until Wednesday when team officials will see if there's any swelling in Stafford's knee. If there's swelling, Stafford will likely be out for Sunday's game. If there is no swelling, Stafford will continue to practice and a decision on whether he'll start will probably be made later in the week.

During his reps today, Stafford had mobility, but didn't look totally comfortable or fluid.

Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper practiced Friday after sitting out drills Thursday.

Those who did not participate in Friday's practice included Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Larry Foote.

DeAndre Levy also sat out, but Lions coach Jim Schwartz would not go into detail about what prevented the rookie linebacker from participating.

"We had a lot of guys that were held out for various reasons," Schwartz said.

Stafford was not present on the field or the sidelines during the early portion of practice that is open to the media, and he turned down interview requests following practice.

Schwartz said Stafford would test his injured right knee as soon as he is able to, but he refused to speculate when that would be.

Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford didn't practice again Thursday as he continues recovering from the partially dislocated kneecap he suffered nearly three weeks ago.
Stafford spent practice throwing passes on the sideline and seemed to move well while working with Jason Arapoff, the team's coordinator of strength and development.

"I really don't test (the knee) much," Stafford said after practice. "It's always been fine walking around and doing stuff like that. I just have to get comfortable to where I'm running. I don't push as hard off it right now as I probably would in a game."

The timetable for his return still is unclear, but the Lions seem content letting him rest the knee during the bye week and likely will put him back on the practice field next week. He practiced last Wednesday but experienced swelling and was shut down.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford joined the team for a light workout this morning and threw a few passes but otherwise did not practice with the team in the early portion of practice open to reporters.

Stafford, who has a right knee injury, was one of several players who did not practice as the Lions worked out in helmets and shorts. Stafford wore a baseball cap and made several throws to Jason Arapoff, the team’s coordinator of physical development.

Backup quarterback Daunte Culpepper (hamstring) and receiver Calvin Johnson also did not practice.

The Lions were down six starters in their loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. In all, the Lions have placed five players on injured reserve and had 12 players that missed or were limited in practice last week.

Defensive end Copeland Bryan (sprained MCL) and Daunte Culpepper (hamstring) were added to the list of injured Lions this weekend in Green Bay. The most serious injuries continue to be those to rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford (knee) and receiver Calvin Johnson (knee), but Schwartz said there was a possibility they could both play against the St. Louis Rams after the bye week.
Depending on the severity of Culpepper's hamstring injury, third-year player Drew Stanton could be the only healthy quarterback on the roster for today's walkthrough.
"You can make it through practice. We can do different things," Schwartz said when asked how he practices with just one quarterback.
"We can emphasize run game. We need to emphasize the run game. We haven't run the ball very well and we haven't done a good job of stopping the run, so there are plenty of spots we can work instead of throwing the football."

Matthew Stafford missed a second consecutive game Sunday at Green Bay, two weeks after suffering a partially dislocated right kneecap in an Oct. 4 loss at Chicago.

But when he'll be back remains a mystery, especially after an abbreviated return to practice last week might have set back his recovery.

Stafford, who started the first four games, took about half the practice reps Wednesday, then sat out Thursday and Friday, reportedly after experiencing more swelling in the knee. As a result, the Lions sent a new MRI of Stafford's injured knee to be examined Monday by orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Sunday.

"It's just gossip," Lions GM Martin Mayhew said. "I'm not going to comment on it, or give it any credence or credibility by making a statement about it."

there's a very good chance Daunte Culpepper will be starting again for injured Matthew Stafford. The Lions say both Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson will test their knee injuries in the morning, but it's looking as though both could be inactive.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford (knee questionable) missed practice again on Friday. The Lions have him listed as questionable, but we believe it would be a miracle if Stafford were to suit up after missing practice this week. Daunte Culpepper looks to be the starter.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Calvin Johnson both missed practice again on Friday.

Neither player was on the practice field during the 35-minute period the media is allowed to watch the workout.

Stafford, who practiced on Wednesday, did not practice on Thursday and it's highly unlikley he'll be available for Sunday's game against the Packers. Stafford has already missed one game with a right knee injury.

Johnson suffered a right knee injury in the first quarter last week against the Steelers and has not practiced all week. Both players are expected to be classified as doubtful, but the Lions don't have to make their injury report official until 4 p.m. today.