Every day during training camp, Lions beat writer Dave Birkett takes you inside practice at Allen Park with notes, quotes and observations of interest.

A couple housekeeping items first. Ernie Sims took part in Wednesday's walk-through, but as expected Lions coach Rod Marinelli said Sims will not play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Giants. Cory Redding, Edwin Mulitalo and Langston Moore are out as well, but linebacker Buster Davis has been cleared to play. Jon Kitna will take about 10 snaps with the first-team offense then give way to Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton for a 1 1/2 quarters each. Other starters may play slightly more, but expect rookies Gosder Cherilus, Kevin Smith, Jordon Dizon, Cliff Avril and the rest to log significant playing time. "I'm going to get a lot of work in with those guys," Marinelli said.

Now, whether the Lions win or not is of little concern. Instead, here's three things I'll be looking for and coaches will have a better handle on after the game:

• Stanton and Orlovsky. One (Stanton) has never taken an NFL snap, the other (Orlovsky) hasn't taken one in three years. Truthfully, the Lions don't know what they have in either quarterback and need to find out in order to plot their future. Both will get plenty of reps this preseason and both have had their moments in camp, but there's nothing like when the lights come on for real.

• The running game. Running the football has been the focus of training camp and Marinelli insists it will be the backbone of the team this year. The commitment is there, but is the personnel? Smith will get plenty of work behind Tatum Bell, but the bigger question is the offensive line. Is Cherilus ready to start at right tackle? Can either Frank Davis or Jonathan Scott be a serviceable backup? And will the line give Kitna any time to throw? Don't expect answers Thursday, but maybe a nudge one way or another.

• Dizon. The rookie linebacker has drawn praise across the organization for his play-making ability. He always seems to be around the ball, but as with Stanton and Orlovsky you can only tell so much from two-a-day practices. Dizon's physical skills are apparent, he just needs to master the mental side of the game. He'll play exclusively middle linebacker against the Giants, and coaches need to discern soon whether he'll stay there this year. If Dizon proves he can handle the defensive calls and adjustments, there's no reason to move him. If he can't, the Lions would be wise to make use of his talents by getting him on the field elsewhere.