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One thing you can count on with the Detroit Lions is that they are never, ever boring. Follow the latest news including injuries, roster moves and more here daily from Oakland Press beat writer Paula Pasche. Plus you'll find regular commentary about the team.

8/29/2013

Detroit Lions: Five things learned from win at Buffalo


Five things we learned from the Lions 35-13 preseason win at Buffalo on Thursday night. Remember the roster must be cut from 75 to 53 by 6 p.m. on Saturday:

1. Patrick Edwards may or may not be the fourth wide receiver. Thought he had it sewn up, but he was targeted six times and only caught three. He clearly dropped a pass from Matthew Stafford and was overthrown on two. If not Edwards would it be Matt Willis or Kris Durham. Tough decisions to be made at wide receiver after the locks at one through three.

2. Looks like rookie Larry Warford will be the starting right guard. He got the start in Buffalo and was still in the game through the fourth quarter. He needs the experience. Might be reading too much into his start Thursday, but he has been in the mix throughout camp.

3. Undrafted rookie tight end Joe Fauria is such a tall target at 6-foot-7 it’s almost impossible for defensive backs to cover him. He’s got good hands (he had a dozen touchdown catches at UCLA last year) and has improved his blocking. He’s got to make the 53 because they don’t want to lose him and he’d never clear waivers to get on the practice squad.

4. Willie Young has a reputation of being a good practice player but then can’t take his game onto the field. That was not the case Thursday night when he had two sacks, the Lions’ only sacks of the game. He was in Jim Schwartz’s doghouse after a taunting penalty last week, but he should be back in his good graces after this effort.

5. Funny, when third quarterback Kellen Moore takes control of the offense all of a sudden arm strength is not an issue. Moore played three quarters. Threw a pair of touchdown passes and had one interception on a tipped ball. This backs up a good half against the Patriots a week ago. He was kept on the 53-man roster as a rookie and it’s likely he’ll return. He would never clear waivers to get on the practice squad. While some NFL teams keep just two quarterbacks, general manager Martin Mayhew has always kept three. If Moore continues this development perhaps in the long run, he could become the Lions’ No. 2 QB.

(Follow @PaulaPasche on Twitter. Order her book,  “100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die’’ here. It’s also available at bookstores.)

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