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Suh Has 'Extra Oomph' At Cowboys Stadium

--This will be the third straight season DT Ndamukong Suh will play a game in Cowboys Stadium. He's 0-2. "I don't really like that stadium," he said. "I plan on going down there this week with my own little extra oomph. I want to come out of there with a win at least once. I don't know how many times I will get to play there."

Suh's Nebraska team lost the Big 12 championship to Texas two years ago and the Lions lost there last year. Combined, Suh had 20 tackles in those two games.

--This will be a homecoming for QB Matthew Stafford. The Highland Park, Texas, native was injured when the Lions were there last season. "I didn't get to play there last year, but I played in the old Texas Stadium a bunch of times," he said. "It'll be fun going home and playing in front of my family and friends. But once the ball is snapped, I won't be thinking about that."

--Reports of rookie DT Nick Fairley playing Sunday might have been a tad premature. Fairley, recovering from foot surgery, did not practice on Wednesday.

"He's on a good program and he's making improvements," coach Jim Schwartz said. "We'll get him back on the field as soon as we can." He practiced on Friday, a non-contact practice. The team is in shells (helmets and shoulder pads) on Wednesdays. That's probably why Fairley sat out Wednesday. When asked if he felt Fairley's recovery was slower than he expected, Schwartz said, "That's a difficult thing to come back from. I think we're on a good program and we are in a position where we don't have to rush it and put ourselves in a position that's not good for the player or for us."

--Coach Jim Schwartz is still not saying who his starting right tackle will be. Gosder Cherilus was back with the first unit Wednesday after being benched just two series into the game Sunday. His replacement, Corey Hilliard, struggled just as badly. "I don't really want to comment on the plan," Schwartz said. "We need to improve at that position. Our offensive line as a group needs to play better."

--ESPN analyst and two-time Pro Bowl OG Mark Schlereth isn't a big fan of the Lions' tackles. "I've had those concerns for a very long time," he told the the Detroit Free Press. "I have concerns with both their tackle positions. But no one ever listened to me before because the Lions were the same, old Lions before this year." Both Jeff Backus and Gosder Cherilus struggled in Minnesota. "To me, they are minus two elite tackles," he said.

--The Cowboys list DeMarcus Ware as a JLB on their depth chart, which stands for Jack linebacker in their scheme. Lions coach Jim Schwartz thought it should go by a different acronym. "They should list it as G-O-O-D linebacker," he said.

BY THE NUMBERS
35 -- Touchdown catches by WR Calvin Johnson, most in the NFL since 2008.

110.7 -- The passer rating of QB Matthew Stafford, which is third in the NFL behind Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. The Lions are 4-0 in games when his rating tops 100.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"My play speaks for me. I've seen a lot of people use that tactic; I've seen people try to use it against me. I don't really care what anybody says. Prove it to me on the field. Stop me." -- DT Ndamukong Suh on trash talking.

Copyright (C) 2011 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

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