The Lions just announced they have signed free agent CB William James (Western Illinois).
    They have released three: CB Tra Battle, DE Rudolph Hardie and RB Antone Smith.
    The signings of third-round pick LB DeAndre Levy and seventh-round T Lydon Murtha were also confirmed by the team.
    Players report to training camp on Friday with the first workout set for Saturday afternoon.
   In other NFL news, ESPN is reporting that Brett Favre has decided to stay retired and pass on the opportunity to play for the Vikings. Too bad. The Lions play their home opener on Sept. 20 against Minnesota and Favre would have added a little more spark to that matchup.
— PAULA PASCHE