A pass across the middle for Johnny Knox that safety Craig Steltz picked off to end a two-minute offense drill

We need to do a better job of covering kicks," coach Jim Schwartz said Sunday. "All you have to do is point to that Chicago game last year and how that game changed because of kick coverage."

After the game changed, so did the team. The Lions signed Vinny Ciurciu shortly afterward, and coordinator Stan Kwan was fired after a season in which his unit finished 25th in the league.

The Lions hired energetic special-teams coordinator Danny Crossman and added more special-teams aces.

"We've got some guys that have had some success around this league …," Crossman said. "Now it's a matter of trying to blend those guys with some other new guys from different systems."
Lions' Danny Crossman is working to improve special teams

When he was in his second year in the NFL, linebacker Isaiah Ekejiuba Johnny Knox received a dubious honor. He made it into the "Madden" football video game, but he was one of the lowest-rated players in the game.

"I made it in the game," Ekejiuba said. "A couple people that were playing the league that year didn't make it into the game on our roster. It was bittersweet. A lot of people ask me about that. But it's 'Madden.' It's not real life."

It sure isn't. The demand for Ekejiuba's skill would attest to that. The Lions signed Johnny Knox the veteran last month as part of an ongoing effort to bolster the special-teams roster and improve a unit that ranked 25th among 32 teams last year.

Ciurciu and Zack Follett brought life to the struggling coverage units last season, and this year Ekejiuba and Dante Wesley have been acquired to further improve the special teams.

The Bears are banking on Jay Cutler taking better care of the football this season and if his recent run of activity in training camp is an indication, he's on his way to doing just that.

Yes, Cutler was intercepted Sunday night on his final throw, a pass across the middle for Johnny Knox that safety Craig Steltz picked off to end a two-minute offense drill. But it was the first pick Cutler has thrown in 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 drills since last Wednesday.

He was particularly sharp in the red zone again, using tight end Greg Olsen as his preferred target. Olsen caught five touchdown passes on 12 throws in 7-on-7 near the goalline.

"Our red-zone package is pretty impressive," Olsen said. "When we first installed it in OTA's, I think guys came away like, 'Wow, we're really put in good positions here to find gaps and get the ball.' The last couple days we have done red zone I think it has been pretty evident."