The Lions had veteran wide receiver D.J. Hackett in for a visit earlier this week. Hackett's agent, Kevin Robinson, told the Detroit News that he isn't sure if the Lions are ready to sign his client to a deal prior to training camp. Players report on Friday, but Detroit's first practice isn't until Saturday afternoon.

New Lions coach Jim Schwartz is happy with the enthusiasm his players are showing coming off an 0-16 season. Veteran kicker Jason Hanson has seen ups-and-downs in Detroit. "It seems like we always have hope this time of year, but things are really different," Hanson said. "The turnover has brought in a new coach, new front office and a lot of new players. "All of that makes it easier to have hope." The Lions will open training camp on Friday, with rookie Matthew Stafford and veteran Daunte Culpepper vying for snaps. "We don't want to win just a couple games," second-round pick Louis Delmas said. "We're going to approach every game like we're getting ready to be undefeated." "I like his enthusiasm," Schwartz said. "I don't want to discourage enthusiasm, but the playoffs are a long way away. "We need to set goals on a shorter scale than further on down the line," he added. "We don't want to talk about Super Bowls or playoffs or those kinds of things, or even the opener right now."

The Rams acquired WR Ronald Curry from the Detroit Lions in a trade for defensive tackle Orien Harris, according to sources. The Raiders released Curry in February, and he was signed as a street free agent by the Lions in April.

The upcoming labor talks between the NFL's owners and players are expected to center around rookie contracts. Michael Lombardi of The National Football Post pointed out that the top-sixteen players in the draft make more money than the rest of the drafted players combined. Each year, 256 players are drafted, meaning that the top-sixteen players eclipse the remaining 240 draftees.

The Redskins took Jeremy Jarmon in the NFL's supplemental draft recently, but a number of other teams were reportedly interested. NFL analyst Adam Schefter wrote the following on his Twitter page: "My understanding -- unconfirmed -- is the other teams to put in 4th-round claims for Jeremy Jarmon were Eagles, Bucs, Saints, Lions, Pats."

Nick Harris has been a solid punter for the Detroit Lions since he joined the team in the middle of the 2003 season, but the team has yet to utilize all of his talents. Harris is a very good athlete who can run and throw. When it comes to trick plays, especially fake punts, the Lions have been extremely conservative over the last several years. But that could change under Jim Schwartz.

Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford reportedly received free tickets to an NFL game while in college at Georgia, an NCAA secondary violation. A secondary violation is defined by the NCAA as "isolated or inadvertent," and the matter is considered closed. Georgia self-reported the violation to the NCAA, but redacted player names.

As the offseason progresses, it appears more and more likely that the Lions will start rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford right away. Shortly after the draft, Detroit was in the market for a veteran quarterback. They were wary of beginning the season with injury-prone Daunte Culpepper as the starter, meaning that Stafford could possibly be thrown into the fire. However, Tom Kowalski wrote the following for MLive.com on Monday: "The Lions are now very confident that Stafford will be ready for the start of the regular season (I still think he'll be the starter against New Orleans - or very soon afterward)."

Philip Buchanon isn't worried about coming to the Lions, a team that went 0-16 in 2008. "Last year is last year," the cornerback said. "So many elements go into a team going 0-16. I don't want to get into coaching or playing chemistry. But it's about the coaching when teams really go that bad." Buchanon played with the Buccaneers last season.

Dennis Northcutt is very "excited" about having been traded from the Jaguars to the Lions. "I'm excited," Northcutt told the Detroit Free Press. "I feel like the Lions went out and won the Super Bowl last year, for real. I'm just excited about playing this game for a team that wants me and came out and got me." Detroit is expected to play Northcutt in the slot between Calvin Johnson and Bryant Johnson. "I think that's one of the biggest reasons they brought me in was to get in the slot," Northcutt said. "Obviously that's my biggest strength. That's has been my biggest strength through my nine years of playing in the NFL is working the slot. That's where I've made my money basically. But I have been able to play outside."