The Lions have scrambled all through camp to find healthy linebackers and defensive backs. The concerns over the groin injuries of middle linebacker DeAndre Levy and safety Louis Delmas will carry into the regular season. The Lions signed veteran linebacker Rocky Boiman last week as insurance against Levy. And they've brought in veteran John Wendling in case Delmas breaks down.

PLAYER NOTES

--OT Gosder Cherilus had many in the Lions' front office breathing easier by beating out veteran Jon Jansen. The Lions expended a first-round pick on Cherilus and having to demote or cut him would have been a bitter pill to swallow. The question now is, will Cherilus get lax now that he has apparent job security?

--LB-TE Spencer Havner is going to have to be a linebacker first in Detroit with starting middle linebacker DeAndre Levy nursing a sore groin and backup MLB Jordon Dizon out for the season after knee surgery. He's OK with it, but he considers himself a tight end first and foremost.

--Return specialist Stefan Logan, claimed from Pittsburgh, was giving the punt return job on his first day with the Lions, but he was told he had to battle Aaron Brown for the kick return job. Logan will also be a gunner on the coverage teams.

--RB Kevin Smith made the 53-man roster, but his role remains in question. Just eight months removed from major (ACL) knee surgery, Smith is nowhere near his pre-surgery level. He was slow getting to the hole and couldn't get to the edge. The Lions don't want to overuse rookie starter Jahvid Best, so veteran Maurice Morris could get a lot of work in the first few weeks.

--PK Jason Hanson didn't attempt a field goal or a kickoff in the preseason after having the knee on his non-kicking leg scoped on Aug. 3. Still, he showed enough for the Lions to cut PK Steven Hauschka, who showed a strong leg in three exhibition games. Hanson, 40, is coming off one of his most inconsistent seasons with the Lions.

--CB Aaron Berry could end up as the nickel back. Dre Bly and Eric King, two veterans who manned the role in preseason, were both cut. Berry, an undrafted rookie, has the speed and is a strong run stopper. Another option is rookie Amari Spievey, who was converted from cornerback, where he struggled, to safety.

--QB Matthew Stafford and C Dominic Raiola were voted offensive captains by the team; Kyle Vanden Bosch and Jason Hanson are the others.

--MLB DeAndre Levy (groin) did not practice Monday and remains questionable for Sunday. Veteran Landon Johnson would most likely start in Levy's place.

--Starting safeties Louis Delmas (groin) and C.C. Brown (forearm) practiced and are on course to play Sunday.

--DE Willie Young played so well in training camp it forced the Lions to keep an extra defensive end. Behind starters Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril are Young, Lawrence Jackson and Turk McBride.

--DT Andre Fluellen barely beat out Landon Cohen for the final spot on the defensive line, despite Cohen making two sacks and four tackles in the final preseason game. Cohen was claimed by Jacksonville.

DRAFT PICKS TO STICK

Rd. 1/2, DT Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska -- Installed as the starter the first day he arrived at camp and hasn't budged. He's been a force.

Rd. 1/31, RB Jahvid Best, California -- He has easily beaten out incumbent Kevin Smith and will be the Lions' every-down back.

Rd. 3/66, S Amari Spievey, Purdue -- After a slow start he was moved from cornerback to safety and he's taken well to the position. He's not fast enough to be a cover guy, but he's a big hitter and plugs running lanes well.

Rd. 4/128, OT Jason Fox, Miami -- He hasn't been able to really show his stuff because of a knee injury. He's tried to play through it but hasn't been effective. Still, the Lions want to find a way to keep him.

Rd. 7/213, DE Willie Young, North Carolina State -- A pleasant surprise here. He's 6-4 with long arms and has made several key plays during the preseason, including two game-saving sacks/fumbles.

UNIT BY UNIT ANALYSIS

QUARTERBACKS
Starter -- Matthew Stafford. Backups -- Shaun Hill, Drew Stanton.

Stafford has always possessed the arm strength, the accuracy and the mental capacity to be an elite quarterback. Now he has some more weapons and schematic tools to work with, including some diverse two-tight end sets, a legitimate game-breaking runner and many more ways to spread the defense. He is in complete command of this offense in just his second year. Hill is a capable back-up, something the Lions haven't really had in years.

RUNNING BACKS
Starters -- Jahvid Best, FB Jerome Felton. Backups -- Kevin Smith, Maurice Morris, Aaron Brown.

The only worry the Lions have about Best is wearing him out. He picked up the Lions' offense quickly. There was no question about his quickness and balance, but he runs better routes and catches the ball better than advertised. He has picked up the blitz protection packages better than anybody hoped, and he has proven to be, if not a great blocker, at least a competitive one. Smith, on the other hand, has come back slowly from major knee surgery. The Lions hope eventually that Best and Smith will be No. 1 and No. 1-A, but Smith has a long way to go. As for Felton, the Lions won't use the fullback often, but he is their only big, power back.

TIGHT ENDS
Starter -- Brandon Pettigrew. Backups -- Tony Scheffler, Will Heller.

Pettigrew is coming off knee surgery, but he had a productive camp. He and the veteran Scheffler will be used together a lot. It may not be the Lions' base offense, but it will seem like it. Pettigrew is the better blocker and Scheffler the better route-runner, but both can play in tight, in the slot or split. They give the defense a lot to think about.

WIDE RECEIVERS
Starters -- Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson. Backups -- Bryant Johnson, Derrick Williams, Stefan Logan.

The Lions can finally offer a pick-your-poison trio to defenses. Teams will probably still load their defense to stop Johnson, but they will do so at much greater risk. The addition of Burleson was big for the Lions. Not only he is a proven complement to Johnson -- he once played Robin to Randy Moss's Batman -- but he brings a swagger to this unit that Johnson, for all his talent, never did. Bryant Johnson was the No. 2 receiver last year and is much better suited to the third receiver role. Logan was claimed on waivers from the Steelers and is in the mix as a kick returner.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Starters -- LT Jeff Backus, LG Rob Sims, C Dominic Raiola, RG Stephen Peterman, RT Gosder Cherilus. Backups -- G Manny Ramirez, LT Corey Hilliard, C Dylan Gandy.

With the addition of Sims, the Lions feel they filled a 10-year hole in their line. By anybody's assessment, this is a savvy and sound interior unit. There is 34 years of experience there. More importantly, the unit, with the exception of Sims, has been together in the same system, with the same coordinator and position coach for the second year in a row. That's only happened one other time in Raiola's 10 seasons. The weakest link will be right tackle. Cherilus, the former No. 1 pick, barely edged out Jansen for the starting job and it could flip-flop throughout the season. But as solid overall as the starting line is, there is no depth and no room for injury.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Starters -- LE Cliff Avril, DT Ndamukong Suh, DT Corey Williams, RE Kyle Vanden Bosch. Backups -- LE Willie Young, DT Sammie Hill, DE Lawrence Jackson, DE Turk McBride, DT Andre Fluellen.

This, other than quarterback, is the most upgraded position on the team. This is an aggressive, attacking line that will create big problems for quarterbacks and offenses. Already in the preseason, opponents were using no-huddle and quick-hit schemes to neutralize the Lions' speed off the ball. Vanden Bosch is a proven commodity, a fierce and relentless pass rusher. Suh has done nothing to discourage any of the hype that's accompanied him to Detroit. And probably the biggest clue to this unit's improvement is that the second team this year was the starting unit last season.

LINEBACKERS
Starters -- SLB Zack Follett, MLB DeAndre Levy, WLB Julian Peterson. Backups -- OLB Landon Johnson, OLB Ashlee Palmer, MLB Isaiah Ekejiuba, Spencer Havner.

Peterson is the only established player here. Levy showed great promise as a rookie last year, but he's been battling a back and a groin injury this camp. Follett is a first-year starter and struggled mightily throughout camp. Behind them are a couple of special teams stars -- Johnson and Ekejiuba. This is a very unsettled group and the Lions, no doubt, will be on constant lookout for help here, especially if Levy is out for any length of time. They picked up Havner on waivers from the Packers.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
Starters -- LCB Chris Houston, RCB Jonathan Wade, SS C.C. Brown, FS Louis Delmas. Backups -- SS Randy Phillips, FS Amari Spievey, CB Aaron Berry, CB Alphonso Smith, S John Wendling.

Adding Houston and Wade, the Lions upgraded their speed at the cover positions. And, through camp, they have played a lot more press coverage than they were able to in the past. Wade, before losing time with a broken finger, looked especially strong in one-on-one coverage. Houston has the speed to run with anybody, but he has a tendency to lock onto the receiver and lose track of the ball. Undrafted rookie Randy Phillips was a pleasant surprise. He was starting in place of the injured Delmas throughout most of the preseason. Success or failure of this unit, though, is tied to Delmas' groin. He is the kingpin back there and if he's slowed, even a little bit, the unit will struggle. Smith was acquired in a trade from Denver.

SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Jason Hanson, P Nick Harris, LS Don Muhlbach, KR Aaron Brown, PR Stefan Logan, PR Nate Burleson.

You can't get much more solid than Hanson and Harris, although Hanson is coming off surgery on his left (non-kicking) knee. Hanson had an off year by his standards last year, mostly struggling with the longer kicks. He said that was mostly mental and he expects a bounce-back season. The Lions are going to use Burleson as a secret-weapon returner. They don't want to wear him out doing it full time, but in certain situations, he will be called upon. The Lions also used some resources to improve their coverage teams, bringing in credentialed special teams players like Vinny Ciurciu, Dante Wesley, Isaiah Ekejiuba, Ashlee Palmer and Landon Johnson.

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