ALLEN PARK — Defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and wide receiver Nate Burleson have one thing in common besides being the Lions’ newest free agent signings.

They are both competitors with a bit of the underdog growl.

The two were introduced to Detroit officially today, but Vanden Bosch got his first meeting with Detroit fans on Friday night when he attended the Red Wings game and was introduced on the Jumbo-tron.

Vanden Bosch found Jim Schwartz, his former defensive coordinator, on his doorstep once free agency had started. It didn’t take much convincing to know that he wanted to be a part of the Lions’ rebuilding effort.

Burleson worked with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan in Minnesota and that was a huge factor in his signing with the Lions. It also helped the Linehan showed up in Seattle to take him out to dinner late Thursday night once free agency had started.

See more on-line at TheOaklandPress.com and in Sunday’s edition of The Oakland Press.