Coach Marinelli continues to shake up the Detroit Lions roster. The day before the game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Lions have released running back Aveion Cason and safety Eric Frampton. To fill their slots on the roster the Lions signed cornerback Ramzee Robinson and tight end Rudy Sylvan from the practice squad.

To me, this means the Lions are concerned about some injuries. By elevating Sylvan they must be wondering how much time, if any, they will get from tight end Sean McHugh this weekend. Also, they must be concerned about the health of cornerbacks Stanley Wilson and Keith Smith. This is the second cornerback signed this week, the other being Dovonte Edwards.

The release of Aveion Cason was expected with TJ Duckett returning to the lineup this week.

This week the Lion’s head to the Nation’s Capitol to take on the 2 - 1 Washington Redskins. This is a big game for several reasons. Next week is a bye for the Lions and it would be wonderful to head into that bye on a high note rather than having to worry about what went wrong. Also, the Lions have never won on the road against the Redskins. While its not a big driver, it would be nice to remove that 0-fer record.

The good news is that Calvin Johnson expects to play this week. He is listed as questionable, but he did practice on Friday and said he felt so much better than last week. Kalimba Edwards will also play this week.

For the Redskins, Santana Moss is doubtful. If he doesn’t play, it will leave the Skins with only one receiver (Randle El) that has caught a ball. Despite that, they are primarily a ground offense and Clinton Portis is expected to play this week. He will be a tough matchup for the Lions. The defensive Lions has gotten a bunch of accolades heading into the season, its now time to live up to them and stuff the run. This will be tough as the Redskins have a tough, physical offensive line. The game may very well hinge on how many yards Portis gets.

Earlier this week, I had reported that Jonathan Scott was going to get the start at right tackle, but now Marinelli is saying that George Foster will continue to start at that spot. He was pulled last week for continued penalties and poor blocking. Scott had filled in nicely for him against the Bears. Maybe this will be a wakeup call for Foster. I doubt Marinelli would hesitate to pull him once again. The surprise though, is that former Dallas Cowboy Stephen Peterman is getting the start at right tackle. This sends Damien Woody to the bench and was unexpected. I think this is Marinelli telling his players, you better perform and we had better be able to run the ball, or else.

There are also rumors swirling that the Lions are shopping Tatum Bell around. He was brought in as insurance this year for Kevin Jones. There was some uncertainty as to how Jones would come back from the foot injury. I think those questions have been answered. Also, Bell is a free agent at the end of the year and would be unlikely to resign with Detroit. So, they are probably trying to get what they can before the trade deadline and he walks at the end of the year. The Lions also have some depth at running back with Duckett and the newly resigned Aveion Cason.

I expect the Lions to attempt to run the ball very hard again this week. They won’t open it up unless they get behind or the running game just isn’t working. The Skins will also try to run the ball. They have Portis and feel they can run against the Lions and have a depleted receiver corps. I am nervous about my pick this week, but I am going to go out on a limb and pick the Lions once again, by a score of 24 - 20.