-- Despite the Lions' 31-81 record since Matt Millen became team president in 2001, the Lions say sales remain strong. "We're not behind in sales," chief operating officer Tom Lewand said. "We're actually even or ahead in every key category." In the off-season, the Lions beefed up their sales department and began offering split season-ticket packages priced as low as $230. They have been running an advertising campaign. Lewand said the Lions are slightly ahead in season ticket sales at this point over where they were entering last season. He said they also were slightly ahead in corporate sponsorships and about even in suite sales.

-- Quarterback Drew Stanton has discarded virtually all of the changes former offensive coordinator Mike Martz made to his mechanics last year. "I have no idea looking back why all that happened, all the changes that he made," Stanton said. "There's one thing that I still use that he taught me, and that's it. And that was just changing my grip a little bit, and I'm sure just any coach probably would have come along and changed that a little bit, just the difference between an NFL ball and one of those Nike college footballs."

-- Roy Williams thinks he and Calvin Johnson rank behind two other NFL wide receiving tandems: Indianapolis' Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne and Cincinnati's Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. "We haven't proven ourselves as a duo yet," Williams said.

-- Rookie running back Kevin Smith is wearing No. 34. He said he wanted No. 24, his college number. But it belongs to safety Greg Blue, and if Blue lets it go, veteran safety Dwight Smith is next in line. "I wanted 24 so bad it hurt my heart when I couldn't get it," he said. "Too much money. ... I was willing to pay, like, ten thousand, and I heard rumors it's going to cost, like, 50. I'm ain't buying nobody no car, now."

-- The Lions need somebody who can step in and snap the ball in case Dominic Raiola goes down. They signed center Andy McCollum, who spent the last nine years with St. Louis, eight as the starting center. "This guy's a quality veteran guy," coach Rod Marinelli said. "He's done it for a lot of years. Smart, high character guy. I'm really kind of anxious to see him get his pads on and go to work."

-- Linebacker Ernie Sims has bone bruise in his right knee, but that's good news. Sims' knee buckled when he leapt for a pass and had an MRI exam. He said the Lions' medical staff was worried he had torn meniscus, but he didn't. Had he, he probably would have needed his knee scoped and missed about a month. "Thank God I didn't have to deal with that," Sims said.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I discussed that earlier in the year, and I don't want to talk about it." - Lions vice chairman Bill Ford Jr., declining to comment on president Matt Millen, much as he did at the NFL owners' meetings in April.