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HOT TOPIC
Wide receiver Roy Williams will spend time at home in Texas, fullback Cory Schlesinger plans to take his family camping in South Dakota and quarterback Jon Kitna will enjoy the great outdoors in the Seattle area.
But none of them -- or their Lions teammates -- presumably will be far from their playbooks and conditioning programs during the six weeks between the end of organized team activities and the start of training camp in late July.
"Me and my family, we like to be outdoors," Kitna said. "I'm from Seattle so we go back home and spend some time camping, going to the ocean, stuff like that. There's a lot of fun involved in the next five weeks.
"My theory is to get my work done early in the morning and then I've got the rest of the day to have fun."
Most of the players feel a mental break -- after 3 1/2 months of off-season workouts -- is vital for their mental well-being as they go into five months of training camp, pre-season games and 16 regular season games.
"It's always been the way I've done it in my 11th year in the league," Kitna said. "We've always had a five- or six-week break before camp opened. I know teams are starting to try to go to the middle of July with their off-season stuff and then just take like two weeks off.
"I think (the longer break) is good. It gives you time to get away, refresh and when you come back guys are excited again."
Even as he's getting refreshed and excited to come back, however, Kitna won't be far from the playbook Mike Martz has given him.
"It's going to go with me," he said. "It'll be with me wherever I go. You protect that like you protect the Bible."
PLAYER NOTES
--Coach Rod Marinelli calls it his "do right rule" and says he expects the Lions to understand it and abide by it, not only when they're working in Allen Park but when they're spending time at home during the off-season.
"I don't care where you come from, I don't care (about) your background," Marinelli explained. "Most people know right from wrong. Okay? Men know that, and women.
"Be on time; do right. Stay out of trouble; do right. Okay? You don't have a list from here to there of what the rules are. I just ask them to do right and I explain what 'do right' is in detail. And that makes sense to them; you eliminate problems that way."
The Lions have not had major behavioral problems in recent years but there has been a general lack of discipline in regard to workout habits, conditioning and approach to the game.
Marinelli has created a new atmosphere with new rules. And anything not covered by the rules apparently falls under the heading of the "do right rule."
--Wide receiver Roy Williams says he will have to practice some self-denial if he is going to return to training camp July 27 at the 209-pound weight limit Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz has set for him.
"I'm 215 right now, they want me at 209," Williams said at the wrapup of the Lions' OTAs. "I don't know if I'm going to get there in this four or five-week period but I'm going to try my best.
"You've got to be in really good condition here. We did a two-minute drill today and we know what kind of condition we have to be in. We're not there yet."
The solution?
"I guess cut back on my cookie-dough ice cream and Doritos and things of that nature," Williams said, laughing. "And try to eat more grilled chicken. I haven't been 209 since my junior year in high school."
Williams said he started the 2005 season at 212 pounds and finished at 217. Although the weight reduction won't be easy, he is enthused about getting into the best possible shape for the upcoming season.
"Last year I was excited to play this game but this takes it to a whole other level," Williams said. "This offense that we're running, the team we're capable of being, with all the weapons we have, it gets you really excited. I wish the pre-season started next week."
--Lions quarterback Jon Kitna says he has never been a motorcycle rider but he is sympathetic with Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who suffered severe injuries in a motorcycle accident last week.
"It's unfortunate," Kitna said. "You're on such a fine line as an athlete. You don't want to live in a bubble but there's always (something). Certain guys like to go play basketball; bad things can happen doing that. Certain guys like to water-ski, snow-ski, ride wave runners; bad things can happen.
"People like to go play softball. Bad things can happen but you have to be ready to accept those consequences. It's hard because you don't want to have to live in a bubble, you want to be able to live a semi-normal life. It's the choices you make."
Kitna says he never got interested in motorcycles as a youngster, in part because his brother suffered a broken leg in a riding mishap.
"I like to ride four-wheelers with my kids but we're just cruising," he said.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Although coach Rod Marinelli was pleased with the off-season workouts that ended last week, he says it was only a start and that no starting jobs have been won or lost.
"We're getting a pretty good feel right now with them but the key is to get into the pads," he said. "I think it's going to happy pretty quickly ... but it can change pretty quickly also. It's a process.
"The worst thing you can do in the off-season work is to start making decisions mentally and you disallow a man to make the progress because you've already mentally put him as a backup. So I try not to do that. Some of these players are going to look different in pads. Some will be better, some will be worse."
In particular, Marinelli will have to settle on a starting left guard, right tackle and the pecking order for the receivers, including first-round picks Roy Williams, Charles Rogers and Mike Williams.
It is expected the Lions will have to cut four or five players before the start of training camp.
FRANCHISE PLAYER: OT Jeff Backus (re-signed tendered worth $6.983M).
TRANSITION PLAYER: None.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
--LB Matt Grootegoed (not tendered as ERFA).
--LB Earl Holmes (not tendered June 1).
--WR Kevin Johnson (not tendered June 1).
--S Scott McGarrahan (not tendered June 1).
--S Bracy Walker (not tendered June 1).
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS
--WR Glenn Martinez spent most of the 2005 season on the practice squad but was active for five games, made one catch for 11 yards. Likely to be re-signed.
--TE Sean McHugh played three games late in the season after TE Casey FitzSimmons suffered a concussion and had no catches.
PLAYERS RE-SIGNED
--OT Jeff Backus: Franchise FA; $6.983M/1 yr).
--RB Shawn Bryson: Potential UFA; $4.5M/3 yrs, $1.5M SB.
--LB James Davis: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
--DE Jared DeVries: UFA; 5 yrs, terms unknown.
--WR/KR Eddie Drummond: UFA; $6M/4 yrs, $2M SB; 2006 cap: $985,000.
--DE Kalimba Edwards: UFA; $20M/5 yrs, $8M guaranteed.
--TE Casey FitzSimmons: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
--C Brock Gutierrez: UFA; terms unknown.
--S Terrence Holt: RFA; terms unknown, had been tendered at $721,600.
--LS Don Muhlbach: ERFA; terms unknown.
--RB Artose Pinner: ERFA; terms unknown.
--DE Cory Redding: RFA; $1.573M/1 yr.
--LB LeVar Woods: UFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.
PLAYERS ACQUIRED
--S Idrees Bashir: UFA Panthers; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--WR Corey Bradford: UFA Texans; $7.4M/4 yrs, $2M SB.
--TE Dan Campbell: UFA Cowboys; 5 yrs, terms unknown.
--CB Jamar Fletcher: UFA Chargers; terms unknown.
--WR Mike Furrey: Not tendered as RFA by Rams; $540,000/1 yr, $40,000 SB; 2006 cap: $465,000.
--RB Arlen Harris: Not tendered as RFA by Rams; $500,000/1 yr.
--OG Tyrone Hopson: FA; terms unknown.
--DE Tyoka Jackson: UFA Rams; 2 yrs, terms unknown.
--QB Jon Kitna: UFA Bengals; $11.5M/4 yrs, $3.5M SB.
--LB Paris Lenon: UFA Packers; 3 yrs, terms unknown.
--QB Josh McCown: UFA Cardinals; $6M/2 yrs, $2M SB.
--OT Barry Stokes: UFA Falcons; 3 yrs, terms unknown.
--OL Rex Tucker: UFA Rams; $3.65M/3 yrs, $1M SB.
--OL Courtney VanBuren (not tendered as RFA by Chargers; terms unknown).
PLAYERS LOST
--WR Troy Edwards: UFA Jaguars; terms unknown.
--QB Jeff Garcia: UFA Eagles; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--CB Andre Goodman: UFA Dolphins; $5M/3 yrs, terms unknown.
--QB Joey Harrington: Traded Dolphins.
--OG Kyle Kosier: UFA Cowboys; $15M/5 yrs, $5M SB.
--OG David Loverne (released).
--CB R.W. McQuarters: UFA Giants; $6M/3 yrs, $2M SB.
--LB Wali Rainer: UFA Texans; terms unknown.
--FB Paul Smith: UFA Rams; terms unknown.
--LB Nate Wayne (released).
--DT Dan Wilkinson (released).
MEDICAL WATCH: No updates.
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