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ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions needed a lot to go right for them to have success this season.

So far, everything has gone wrong.

The winless Lions have been hit hard by injuries to Matthew Stafford, Nate Burleson and Jahvid Best — three key players on offense — and their best shot at a victory in Week 1 at Chicago was foiled when officials ruled Calvin Johnson didn't catch a potential game-winning touchdown.

"It's been like a domino effect," banged-up running back Aaron Brown said. "We started off with the dumb call and Matt getting hurt, then Nate, and (Best) and me. We keep churning for that break."

Stafford will miss a third straight game — Sunday in Green Bay — with an injured right shoulder that makes Shaun Hill a starter. Stafford didn't practice Wednesday and had plenty of teammates to watch practice with because Best (toe), Burleson (ankle) Brown (hand) and linebacker DeAndre Levy (groin) were among the players not healthy enough to participate.

Detroit didn't have a big margin for error this season after winning just twice in two years and injuries to several players have led to an 0-3 record, sinking the franchise to another low.

The Lions are 3-40 since midway through the 2007 season, giving them the worst 43-game record in NFL history, and they're 2-33 since 2008 for the lowest winning percentage over 35 games according to STATS LLC.

"The worse is over because we bottomed out somewhere in that span," kicker Jason Hanson said. "Everyone can see and feel that we're a better team and there's a reason to have expectations. But it wasn't good to go 0-3 in our situation because the longer you go without getting it done, the more you start to doubt."

Seeds of doubt were planted when the Lions gave Super Bowl-winning linebacker and TV analyst Matt Millen his first job in an NFL front office in 2001, when he drafted current center Dominic Raiola, and they've bloomed into a 33-114 record over the past nine-plus seasons.

Millen was fired two years ago, but his many misses in the draft and free agency left a mess behind for a franchise that already had problems with only one playoff victory since winning the 1957 NFL title.

"You can't get caught up in thinking we're cursed," Raiola said. "I don't even believe in witches."

Stafford didn't throw any passes Wednesday during the part of practice open to the media, then flashed a thumbs-up when a reporter asked him if he threw with his right arm when reporters didn't have access. The No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft then declined comment and wasn't in the locker room when it was open for the media.

Detroit coach Jim Schwartz was only slightly more forthcoming.

"Matt's making good progress and is doing a good job in his rehab," Schwartz said. "He won't be ready this week. I'm not going to get into his daily rehab, but he's doing more and more every day as you would expect. ... Matt is continuing in his rehab and throwing is in that rehab."

The Lions are left to hope Hill can help them end an 18-game, regular-season losing streak on the road against the Packers.

"I've never won in Green Bay — that's mind-boggling," Hanson, whom Detroit drafted in 1992. "I used to joke about it, but it's not funny anymore. The streak started the year I came in the league. It seems impossible."

Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the No. 2 pick overall this season, insists it is possible for the Lions to turn it around this season and it's easy for him to stay optimistic.

"For me, it's simple," Suh said. "I know how great we are when we're playing as a unit, and I don't think we've played our best game. Until we play our best game and we're still losing, then it becomes a problem."

Whether you're a die-hard Packer fan from the days of Vince Lombardi or a newcomer learning about the current team, the latest book from Rob Reischel offers must-know facts and must-do suggestions to refresh or enhance your knowledge. What follows is an excerpt highlighting the incredible 1962 team.

Sept. 29, 2010 |(1) Comments

more photos

Rob Reischel has covered the Green Bay Packers for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Packer Plus magazine since 2001. Reischel has received 12 awards from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association for his writing and editing at News Publishing Co.

Reischel's book can be found at all major retailers or triumphbooks.com. Those interested in purchasing a signed copy can contact Reischel at robreischel@gmail.com.

Norm Masters still has the letter.

The one where Vince Lombardi expressed tremendous gratitude to his 1962 Green Bay Packers. Where the legendary coach thanked his team for their mental toughness, applauded their character and reminded them that there is no substitute for winning.

Then, in conclusion, Lombardi wrote that he was sending every player a color television.

"A color TV was big time back in those days," said Masters, an offensive tackle. "But really, that letter has meant a lot to me. I've used it many times in my life and I used so much of what coach Lombardi taught us."

Those 1962 Packers taught Lombardi a thing or two, as well. And of the 12 World Championships that have been won in Green Bay, those '62 Packers are widely regarded as the finest team in franchise history.

"That probably was the best year we had during the Glory Years," quarterback Bart Starr said. "Everything just kind of aligned right that season.

"We avoided injuries that season. It was our fourth year with Vince, so we all knew just what he wanted. And a lot of our core guys were in their prime. It was an incredible season."

Boy, was it ever.

The Packers went 13-1 during the regular season that year, the second-best winning percentage in team history. They defeated the New York Giants, 16-7, to win their second straight NFL Championship. And Green Bay outscored its opponents, 415-148, a margin of nearly 3-to-1.

Only a loss to Detroit on Thanksgiving stopped the Packers from achieving perfection.

"That was a great football team, probably the best of any we had there," safety Willie Wood said. "I look back now and it's incredible how close we were to going unbeaten. That was an incredible football team. There won't be many like that one again."

That's for sure.

Green Bay raced to a 10-0 start, and just two of those games were decided by single digits. After the Packers' loss in Detroit, they won their final three games - including road contests at San Francisco and the Los Angeles Rams - and won the Western Conference by two games over Detroit.

That set up a repeat of the 1961 NFL Championship, where the Packers defeated the New York Giants, 37-0. The game was played in brutal conditions at Yankee Stadium, with winds gusting to 40 miles per hour and a game-time temperature of 13 degrees.

But Green Bay beat both the Giants and the elements, 16-7. Ray Nitschke, the game's eventual MVP, had an interception and recovered two fumbles. Jim Taylor set a playoff record with 31 carries and a touchdown. And Jerry Kramer banged home three field goals. The Giants' only score came when they blocked a Max McGee punt for a touchdown.

"That team was incredible," said former tight Ron Kramer, who spent seven years in Green Bay "Everybody was in their prime, everybody had a great year."

And how.

Taylor bulldozed for 1,474 yards and 19 touchdowns that year, two marks that stood for 41 years before Ahman Green broke them in 2003. Starr had his best season yet, completing 62.5% of his throws and finishing with a 90.7 passer rating.

The dynamic pass catching duo of McGee and Boyd Dowler combined for 98 receptions, more than any pair of receivers in the Lombardi-era. And the offensive line of left tackle Bob Skoronski, left guard Fuzzy Thurston, center Jim Ringo, right guard Jerry Kramer and right tackle Forrest Gregg was unparalleled.

Individual defensive statistics from that time weren't kept. But the Packers' unit included future Hall of Famers in Nitschke, Wood, defensive end Willie Davis and cornerback Herb Adderley. That group allowed just 10.2 points per game and forced a remarkable 59 turnovers.

It's easy to see why Lombardi took the time to write a letter to everyone that played on that team.

"I'm one of the few guys who saved that letter," said Masters, who played with the Packers from 1957-'64 and lives in Detroit today. "Even Vince Lombardi Jr. asked me once where I got it and I said, 'Your Dad sent it out to the team.' It's really special to me."

Just like that 1962 team remains special to Green Bay's fans.

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The Green Bay Packers' offensive tackles, Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher, each got called for three penalties in Monday night's loss to the Bears. Packers coach Mike McCarthy says that doesn't mean they need to be replaced.

"I believe in Mark Tauscher," McCarthy said, per the Wisconsin State Journal. "He's played a lot of football. Now, there are some things fundamentally that he did not do to his standard and I believe he'll get that corrected, because Mark's a pro's pro."I don't think it's a lack of anything. It's not a he-doesn't-have-it-anymore (situation)."

It might not be a he-doesn't-have-it-anymore situation, but the 33-year-old Tauscher certainly doesn't look like he's the same player he was a few years ago. McCarthy's comments seem less like a candid assessment of Tauscher's abilities than like an attempt to boost his confidence.

As for Clifton, who has been struggling with a knee injury, McCarthy acknowledges that he's going to be limited in practice and just trying to make it through games.

"I think Chad Clifton is doing the best he can with his health situation," McCarthy said. "I think we have a very good plan in place."

McCarthy might have a very good plan, and the Packers might turn to be OK at offensive tackle. But that wasn't apparent on Monday night.

There's a belief in some league circles that Jim Mora (the son) has an evil twin.  (Of course, there's also an even stronger belief that the elder Mora has an evil twin, too.)  If that's the case, the younger Mora's evil twin made a cameo appearance on ESPN Radio earlier today with Doug Gottlieb.

We'd heard about the segment from a reader, and we'd been trying to track down the audio. 

The folks at The Big Lead have obliged.

Mora, as you'll hear, didn't like being asked about Mike Vick's stunning improvement.  Gottlieb asked Mora, "Does it bum you out at all thought that he wasn't that bought in to be what it took to be a great quarterback when you coached him in Atlanta?"  (Yes, those are the specific words Gottlieb uttered.)

I've met Jim, and I like Jim.  But he probably was too hard on Gottlieb, even though Gottlieb asked for it a little bit by at one point suggesting that Mora "might still be the coach of the Falcons" if Vick listened to coaching and committed himself to preparation earlier in his career.  (Mora previously has sung Vick's praises when it comes to preparation.)

By the time the the topic finally changed to Donovan McNabb's return to Philly, Mora had enough.  Asked a clumsy question by Gottlieb about how Philly fans should feel about McNabb's return, Mora went off.

"I don't know, how do you feel?" Mora said.  "Is this your first interview?  Jesus Christ, what kind of questions are these?  How should they feel?  I don't know how people should feel."

The interview wrapped up not long after that, and when it wrapped up, Mora said to Gottlieb, "You are a real joy, thanks."

Gottlieb responded by saying, "That has never happened before," in a manner that strangely reminded us of a certain news anchor who once famously told us, "That is not the right video."

Packers rookie linebacker Frank Zombo made his first start Monday against the Bears.

That's a little bigger stage than, say Kelly/Shorts Stadium or Spartan Stadium.

Zombo, who grew up in Sterling Heights and played defensive end at Central Michigan, started in place of Brad Jones (knee). The coaching staff decided to go with Zombo over veteran Brady Poppinga.

"He's a tough kid and has earned every opportunity he's been given here," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said of Zombo. "He came here as a free agent and went through training camp with a significant ankle injury that he didn't miss a whole lot of time with.

"Every time we put him in a situation, whether it was practice or preseason, he just kept producing."

Zombo, an undrafted free agent, was one of the biggest surprises in training camp, leading the team in tackles (18) and sacks (two).

On Monday, Zombo had four tackles and sacked Jay Cutler once during a 20-17 loss.

"I though he got off to a good start, solid start," McCarthy said. "We asked a lot of him as far as the amount of time that he played in his first opportunity.

"Frank has a lot of good football in front of him. Tough kid, hard working and I'm proud of what he's accomplished so far. But he's just getting started."

Antonio Brown , a former teammate of Zombo's at Central Michigan, made a statement of his own when he returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown as the Steelers beat the Titans, 19-11, last weekend.

Brown, a receiver and returner at Central, he is mainly a return specialist (34.8 yards on kickoffs, 21.0 on punts) for the Steelers.

Former Hillsdale standout and Raiders third-round pick Jared Veldheer has had an interesting start to his career.

Veldheer was drafted as a left tackle and practiced there all of camp. But he was switched to center, beating incumbent Samson Satele for the starting spot.

But the move didn't go as well as planned, and Veldheer was replaced in the opener. He has since moved back to left tackle and is splitting reps with Mario Henderson .

"Believe me, I'm the first guy to say I'd like to put the same five guys out there," Raiders coach Tom Cable told the San Jose Mercury News. "Sometimes you have to be flexible."

Neither Henderson nor Veldheer has distanced himself as the clear-cut No. 1 option.

"We're able to keep (Henderson and Veldheer) fresh and roll them in there and see if we can get one to kind of rise, if you will," Cable said.

5 -- Individual 400-yard passing games this season, the most after three weeks in history

18 -- Teams with a 2-1 record or better, most after three weeks in history

75.2 -- Percent of teams that started 3-0 and made the playoffs since 1990

NFL rookies from Michigan:

Joique Bell,RB, Wayne State: Undrafted. Signed by the Eagles off Bills practice squad; guaranteed three game checks on active roster

Antonio Brown, WR/R, Central Michigan: Drafted by Steelers in sixth round; returned opening kickoff for TD vs. the Titans in Week 2

Stevie Brown, S, Michigan: Undrafted. Signed by Raiders; playing mostly special teams, has three tackles

Robert Callaway, DT, Saginaw Valley State: Undrafted. Signed to Lions practice squad. Big, physical player who will learn a lot from Kyle Vanden Bosch and Co.

Josh Gordy,CB, Central Michigan: Undrafted. Signed to Packers' practice squad, spent most of exhibition season with Jaguars

Brandon Graham, OLB, Michigan: Drafted in first round by Eagles; recorded first career sack vs. Lions in Week 2

Dan LeFevour, QB, Central Michigan: Drafted in sixth round by Bears, then cut. Has caught on as the No. 3 with Bengals

Greg Mathews, WR, Michigan: Undrafted. Signed to Bears' practice squad; gad three catches for 38 yards in exhibition season

Nick McDonald, G,Grand Valley State: Undrafted. Former GLIAC lineman of year plays a reserve role for Packers.

Zoltan Mesko, P, Michigan: Drafted in fifth round by Patriots; averaging 43.1 yards with long of 56

Brett Swenson, K, Michigan State: Undrafted. Signed by Colts. Never really threatened Adam Vinatieri's job; on injured reserve with leg injury

Jared Veldheer, T, Hillsdale: Drafted by Raiders in third round; Splitting time at left tackle after a disastrous start at center

Blair White, WR, Michigan State: Undrafted. Signed with Colts; had three catches for 27 yards and TD vs. Broncos last week

Frank Zombo, OLB, Central Michigan: Undrafted. Signed with Packers. Started first game vs. Bears on Monday; had one sack

• 1. New Orleans (1): Had game vs. Falcons won in overtime; missing short FG doesn't knock them down.

• 2. Pittsburgh (NR): Who thought they'd be 3-0 without Big Ben? Allowed league-low 33 points.

• 3. Baltimore (2): It'll get scary if the offense can put up a consistent showing like it did vs. Browns.

• 4. Green Bay (3): Still the best team in the NFC North despite loss to Bears; they'll learn from 18 penalties.

• 5. New England (4): The offense, behind QB Brady, is back to scoring at will (league-high 90 points).

• 28. Detroit (25): Looked like same old Lions vs. Vikings. Do they have a shot to beat the Rams in 2 weeks?

• 29. San Francisco (NR): Heads starting to roll with firing of offensive coordinator Raye this week.

• 30. Carolina (28): Rookie QB Clausen obviously didn't give them the lift they were hoping for.

• 31. Cleveland (32): Wallace is the starting quarterback ... Is there anything else to say?

• 32. Buffalo (30): Played the Patriots tough; still worst collection of players on offense.

Last week's rankings in parentheses

The estimated annual economic impact in Brown County of the Green Bay Packers and the redeveloped Lambeau Field is $282 million, according to a study released Wednesday by the Green Bay/Brown County Professional Football Stadium District.

The $282 million includes 2,560 jobs, $124.3 million in earnings and $15.2 million in tax revenues.

According to the study, the impact represents an increase of $107 million over 2000, the last time such a study was completed, and largely is the result of the investment in the stadium redevelopment. The incremental impacts also include 940 jobs, $16.3 million in earnings and $5.6 million in fiscal impacts.

Conducted by AECOM, the study looked at the estimated economic impacts associated with the operations of the Packers and Lambeau Field for 2009.  The operations include training camp, preseason and regular-season games, as well as events in the Lambeau Field Atrium. The study then compared the current numbers to the 2000 totals, which were adjusted for inflation, to gauge the increase.

Ann Patteson, district board chairperson, said the impetus for the study was a series of playoff games held at Lambeau Field in January 2008. The games resulted in a number of inquiries regarding the impact of additional home games. The only data available was from a 2000 study and was dated and did not reflect the impact of the redeveloped stadium.

The district developed 12 questions to be answered, including what is the economic impact of a Packers home game and what has been the impact (positive or negative) of the redeveloped stadium on businesses surrounding the stadium.

“In addition to providing updated economic and fiscal impact data, the study provides information that can be considered in planning future capital improvements and evaluating other possible events that could be held at the stadium,” Patteson said.

With respect to the increased impact from the redeveloped Lambeau Field, Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy expressed the organization’s gratitude to the community.

“On behalf of the Green Bay Packers, we say thanks to the community for their support of the renovation,” he said. “Our intention for the redeveloped Lambeau Field was for it to help the Packers with a new facility, and it certainly has. The old Lambeau Field had fallen behind the rest of the league, and we’re in a better position today on and off the field because of the redevelopment. But we also knew there would be additional benefit to the community. The study illustrates the increase in the positive impact.”

The Detroit Lions' 0-3 start isn't the only reason this season isn't going as planned.

The continuing development of second-year quarterback Matthew Stafford was supposed to be a major element of coach Jim Schwartz's rebuilding plan -- you could argue that developing Stafford is more important to the long-term health of the franchise than the team's won-loss record this season. But Stafford suffered a shoulder injury in Week 1, and he won't be back any time soon.

Tom Kowalski of MLive.com reported that the Lions have already determined that Stafford won't be ready to play Sunday against the Packers and backup Shaun Hill will receive his third straight start -- Hill also got the nod in Week 2 against Philadelphia and Week 3 at Minnesota. It's now looking increasingly likely that Stafford will sit out through the Lions' Week 7 bye and not get back on the field until Week 8 against the Redskins, on October 31.

By that point the Lions are likely to be 0-6 or, at best, 1-5. And, again, Stafford will have missed a lot of game time when he could have been getting some valuable on-field experience.

The Green Bay Packers have signed T Chris Campbell to the practice squad. The transaction was announced Wednesday by Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson.

Campbell, a 6-foot-5, 328-pound rookie, was on Green Bay’s practice squad for the first two games this season. Signed by the Packers as a non-drafted free agent in April out of Eastern Illinois, Campbell played in all four preseason contests before being waived in the final roster cutdown. He will wear No. 69.

Green Bay Packers safety Nick Collins(notes) was not happy on Monday night as he entered the tunnel to the locker room. Part of it was that his team had just lost 20-17 to the Chicago Bears.

The other reason is an incident that the NFL is now investigating. It involved a confrontation between Collins and a fan in the stands who was shouting racial epithets, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"According to a source familiar with the incident, the fan used a racial slur and spit at Collins, hitting him in the face as he stood in the tunnel," the paper wrote. Collins, who had only paused to lob his gloves to a Packers fan, kept on going but then came back out and threw his mouthpiece at the misbehaving fan.

So now the NFL is investigating. As for Packers coach Mike McCarthy? "I understand Nick's story as far as what happened and what our security people that were there," he told the paper, "and I support Nick 100%."

Mike McCarthy's staunch defense of the Green Bay Packers' running game this week gives us a slam-dunk "Have at It" topic this week. Even in a passing league, can the Packers get where they want to go with a backfield as currently constituted? Or do they need to add a veteran tailback to join Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn?

First, let's absorb McCarthy's full answers to a pair of questions posed Tuesday, a day after Jackson and Kuhn totaled 43 yards on 13 carries in a 20-17 loss to the Chicago Bears. Courtesy of the Packers' web site:

When you went back and watched the tape, how did you evaluate the run game?

Mike McCarthy: The run game? Well, I think you have to look at what's the definition of the run game. I looked at this particular game going into it, the production of the running backs, and I felt that our running backs were productive. I thought Brandon and John played well with the opportunities that they were given with the ball in their hands and what was put in front of them. Productivity doesn't always just come from the backfield. We went into the game with a specific run plan, they played us a certain way and we went to a little different direction, and I felt the ability to spread them out and deal the football, I thought Aaron Rodgers played very well in the football game. The attempts is not always the most important factor as far as running the football. I thought the running back production was a positive in the game.

Are Jackson and Kuhn good enough to take this team where they want to go?

MM: Yes. You ask me that every week. I like our running backs. We are going to use them accordingly to get the ball down the field. I'm not trying to sell something that is not true. Just because you don't line up and run it 25 times from the 'I' doesn't mean you are not committed to being productive with your running backs. If you look at the dynamics of our offensive personnel, we have the ability to play in a box offense. We have the ability to play in a spread offense. That is to our credit, and we're going to utilize that the best we can to score points. We didn't score enough points against Chicago. That's my biggest disappointment in our offensive performance because I thought our quarterback play was definitely there to have a lot more point production than we came out of that game, and really the failure was the penalties.

Now, let's look at the numbers. The first chart shows you where the Packers rank among NFL teams in the key rushing categories. What you see is they are a little below average, mostly in line with their number of attempts.

Most notable is their lack of explosive plays; all but seven teams have a run longer than the Packers' high of 18 yards.

The second chart shows where Jackson and Kuhn rank among NFL tailbacks, as well as how Rodgers is not far behind in rushing productivity.

PlayerRushesYardsAvg.First downsTDNFL yardage ranksSo among the issues you must consider: Do you think there is some untapped potential in Jackson and/or Kuhn as they grow more comfortable in their roles?Can the Packers do a better job of utilizing them or prioritizing the run game?Is anyone available to help? There still is no confirmation that the Buffalo Bills will make Marshawn Lynch available.Can the Packers win the way they played Monday night, in essence using Rodgers' short-passing game as long handoffs? I counted 23 completions against the Bears of eight or less yards, all but one of which came after the second quarter.If you were a defender, would you be fooled by a play-action pass out of this offense?
As always, leave your thoughts in the comment section below. I'll publish a representative sample, along with my own thoughts, by the end of the week. Have at It.Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

Do you approve of the Packers starting rookie Frank Zombo at outside linebacker?

Green Bay — Having been present and accounted for every practice since the middle of August, Green Bay Packers linebacker Frank Zombo has earned a level of trust that banged-up teammate Brad Jones hasn't.

As a result, Zombo will make his second consecutive start Sunday against Detroit.

Zombo was a surprise starter against Chicago Monday night after Jones had been limited in practice all week with a knee injury and was listed as questionable on the injury report. Coach Mike McCarthy held out hope at the end of the week that Jones would play, but he made him one of the inactives against the Bears.

Zombo got the call over Brady Poppinga, who also had knee issues during the week. On Wednesday, Jones was a full participant in practice, but Zombo is slated to start.

"It is something we have talked about here since I have arrived," McCarthy said Wednesday. "You have to be available and you need to be accountable, and Brad is going through an injury situation right now.

"I'm not sure if he is healthy enough to play Sunday, so we're going to play the prepared players. We're going to play the experienced players."

Jones has been battling injuries since the first day of training camp when he hurt his back. He missed four days with that and then another 11 days and two exhibition games with a shoulder problem.

McCarthy has grown increasingly frustrated with holding positions open for players he hopes will be ready Sunday. He decided this week that unless it's a position held by a longtime veteran (for example, left tackle Chad Clifton), he's going to go with what he's got.

"I felt as a staff, particularly the last two weeks, that we have been way too up-and-down during the course of the week of trying to prepare players based on their health situation," McCarthy said. "It was addressed today (with the team), the ability to prepare and play the prepared player over going back and forth all week. Frank Zombo is the starting outside linebacker today."

Going with Zombo wouldn't be a slam-dunk if the undrafted free agent from Central Michigan hadn't played as well as he did against the Bears. Zombo played both outside linebacker positions, moving whenever defensive coordinator Dom Capers wanted to shift Clay Matthews to the right side.

Zombo had a sack and pressured Bears quarterback Jay Cutler several times, nearly making a game-changing play with his hit on Cutler, which hurried him into throwing an interception. Zombo, however, was called for a personal foul for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cutler, erasing the turnover

It's likely Zombo will be fined by the league, but he did enough to impress more than a couple of people with his pass rush. He has two sacks and a quarterback hit in less than five quarters of play.

"I thought Frank played very well," Matthews said. "He's young and he's only going to continue to get better. I know with myself, I was watching Detroit film from last year and it wasn't very good.

"I had a few moves here and there, but I think overall as a pass rusher and outside linebacker I feel like I'm light years ahead of where I was last year. I think the same goes for him, being a young guy starting on 'Monday Night Football.' He really got after it. He was physical, made some plays. I think we're happy where he's at."

After back-to-back three-sack games, Matthews found the path to Cutler congested with blockers, some of whom he said went to great lengths to shield him from the quarterback. That kind of attention is going to be the norm for teams that don't think they have adequate personnel to block Matthews one-on-one most of the time.

Despite being shadowed, Matthews had two hits on Cutler, caused two holding penalties and was in Cutler's face a couple of more times.

"There was one play that was comical," Matthews said of the attention he got. "I ran upfield, I beat the tight end and I felt like I was getting some pressure. On the sidelines I saw the (video) screen captured (it); there were three guys running after me."

That's where Zombo comes into play. Every great 3-4 team has two outside linebackers who complement one another, and while Matthews is the designated sack guy, the linebacker on the right side often has a clearer path to the quarterback.

A defensive end at Central Michigan, the 6-3, 254-pound Zombo has the build of a 3-4 outside linebacker and has made a quick transition to his new position. His pass rush is better than Jones', but he has to prove himself stopping the run and dropping into coverage.

Against the Bears, Zombo thought he fared well considering it was his first start.

"I found out midweek I was going to start and I felt confident in this position and me playing it," he said after the game. "I thought I did fairly well. Had a few (quarterback) hits. I felt like I was prepared."

Matthews said he'd be happy to have Zombo as his new running mate at outside linebacker, the same as he would Jones or Poppinga, especially if Zombo can begin to consistently win the one-on-one matchups.

The defense seemed to be a sack, forced fumble or interception away from beating the Bears, and Zombo will be in a good position to make that happen in future weeks.

"It's my responsibility to take him under my wing and help him go through the same process I went through, and kind of bring him up to speed," Matthews said. "But he knows what he's doing. That's the great thing about him. I don't really need to help him out very much.

"I can give him little bits of what I do here and what I do there, but ultimately he knows what he's doing, so it really comes down to what he's going to do."

Shaun Hill will make his second straight start at quarterback for the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Green Bay while Matthew Stafford continues to recover from a shoulder injury.

Stafford was knocked out of the season opener by the Bears' Julius Peppers, putting him on the sideline with a banged-up right shoulder -- his third injury in two seasons. Meanwhile, Detroit is 0-3 this season and 3-40 since midway through 2007, giving the Lions the worst 43-game mark in NFL history, according to STATS LLC.

Singletary, Niners not rattled

Mike Singletary is not wavering in the slightest from his offensive philosophy for the San Francisco 49ers. He wants a physical, balanced attack -- and Singletary still expects his 0-3 Niners to bounce back and win the NFC West as everybody thought they would.

Two days after he fired offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, Singletary and his players expressed their enthusiasm for a fresh start heading into Sunday's game at Atlanta (2-1).

Promoted quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson is expected to bring a more creative offensive approach as coordinator. Singletary, who is standing by quarterback Alex Smith, said he has no plans to switch his starting lineup on either side of the ball even though the Niners have been outscored 87-38 so far.

Dallas receiver Dez Bryant knew there would be payback for having refused to do the rookie training-camp rite of carrying teammates' shoulder pads. The check came due this week at the traditional rookie-picks-up-the-tab dinner.

The damage: $54,896.

''People had goooood meals,'' Bryant's adviser, David Wells, said, laughing. ''If you'd never had lobster before, you had it that night.''

Bryant's salary with the Cowboys this season is $2.8 million.

Arizona Cardinals receiver Steve Breaston will miss at least one game after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

• Buffalo Bills linebacker Chris Kelsay said he had signed a four-year contract extension worth about $24 million a day earlier.

• The annual report card by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida gave the NFL its first ''A'' on racial hiring practices in 18 years. The league also received a ''C'' for gender hiring and an overall grade of ''B.'' Those were the same marks as last year, tying the league's best.