Detroit Lions Inside Slant

To support quarterback Daunte Culpepper as he makes his third start of the season, the Lions need a strong performance from running back Kevin Smith on Sunday at Baltimore.

It won't be easy. The Ravens have the sixth-ranked rushing defense in the NFL. But the Bengals had the third-ranked rushing defense in the league this past Sunday, and Smith rushed for 75 yards on 16 carries.

"He didn't have his best output of the year, but he probably had his best day running the football," coach Jim Schwartz said. "Kevin ran very tough. He ran aggressive. Didn't go out of bounds easily. Didn't go down easily. Made yards on his own.

"Some of his best runs were one- and two-yard runs. He got hit in the backfield a couple times and was able to fight back to the line of scrimmage and get us in second-and-nine or second-and-eight or one of those situations rather than a second-and-12. I think those were some of the things that went unnoticed."

Smith left with a shoulder injury in the third quarter Sept. 27 against Washington, after gaining 101 yards on 16 carries. He didn't miss a game afterward, but struggled to be productive.

"I'm not going to use my shoulder as an excuse," Smith said. "Every game that I suit up, I'm healthy enough to play at a high level."

Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan appreciates that Smith hasn't made excuses, but he doesn't agree that the shoulder hasn't been a factor.

"I don't think it helped him," Linehan said. "For a runner to be playing with really a couple sore shoulders -- one really sore -- I mean, a lot of guys don't play. I give him a lot of credit for playing, toughing it out and playing through it. And it's paid off, because I see him starting to hit a little bit of a stride now."

Smith hasn't broken big runs this season. He has only one run longer than 20 yards, a 31-yarder. Schwartz has talked repeatedly about the need for explosive runs. Smith has been roasted by critics for a lack of speed and playmaking ability. He even kicked himself publicly after the Thanksgiving game against Green Bay, because he was tripped up when he had room to run multiple times.

But Smith has been strong as a blocker and receiver, and he has had 20 carries or more only twice this season -- not ideal for someone who once was known as a workhorse.

Smith set a major college record with 450 rushing attempts at Central Florida in 2007, when he rushed for 2,567 yards, just 61 shy of the NCAA rushing record set by Lions great Barry Sanders in 1988 at Oklahoma State. He finished college with 905 carries, 4,864 yards and 45 touchdowns.

The Lions often play from behind and don't put themselves in position to wear down their opponent with the running game. Schwartz said the Lions want to do for Smith what the Bengals did Sunday for Cedric Benson, who rushed for 110 yards thanks to 36 carries.

"It's just a matter of time," Schwartz said. "He's feeling healthier. He's in a position he can run tougher. I think it showed. We just need to be in a position as a team that we can get him more carries."



--There will be no drama this time, let alone a dramatic return from a separated left shoulder by Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford. Daunte Culpepper will start Sunday at Baltimore so Stafford can rest his injury. Coach Jim Schwartz made that clear Wednesday.

Stafford suffered an AC joint separation Nov. 22 against Cleveland, taking a violent hit on the second-to-last play. He drew national attention after he popped up, eluded the medics and threw the winning touchdown with no time left on the clock.

Then, even though he was listed as doubtful on the injury report, Stafford came back four days later and started on Thanksgiving against Green Bay. Everyone was thrilled -- the fans, Fox. Everyone but Culpepper that is, who came to the stadium expecting to start and was upset when he found out he would be the backup again.

Why did Schwartz make an announcement this time, even though he normally likes to keep such things close to the vest for competitive reasons? He said it wasn't because of the communication problems on Thanksgiving, to make sure Culpepper's head is right heading to the game.

"Nope," Schwartz said. "It's not a reaction to that. It's more to ease the media pressure on it rather than for the individual player."

But Culpepper said it was "clearly" better this way.

"It's clearly better to know," Culpepper said. "The old saying is, 'Knowing is half the battle,' and when you know the situation, you know how to handle what you're going into. ... It gives you just that knowledge and not having any doubts of, 'Which way are we going?' or, 'What's happening?' "

Stafford didn't miss a snap until he took another shot Sunday at Cincinnati. He told Detroit radio station WJR he was in enough pain that he, the coaches and the doctors collectively decided it would be best to sit out against the Ravens.

"If he hadn't taken that hit in the fourth quarter of the Cincy game, we wouldn't be having this discussion," Schwartz said. "It was a very, very similar hit that he took in the Cleveland game, and we want to avoid the situation where it can become something that's chronic.

"He's no worse for wear structurally. Everything is still on course there. It's a tremendous amount of pain. It's sore. And we just wanted to avoid a continuing cycle of come back, get hit, come back, get hit -- give him some time to rest and put it behind him."

Asked if he believed it when told he couldn't make the injury worse, Stafford said: "Structurally, it's not getting any worse, which is good. It's just one of those deals where it's pretty painful. There's some swelling, and all that goes into it. Hopefully that'll die down with some rest."

Schwartz said Stafford likely will be the No. 3 QB against the Ravens. Asked if this was a one-week situation, Schwartz said: "Probably too early to tell there, but there's a chance that it is, yes."

Stafford said: "I think it's a week-by-week deal. I think we'll look at it and see how I'm feeling and see how it's progressing at the end of this week. Just take it game by game. That's really my look towards it right now."

Culpepper, a veteran in the last year of his contract, has been eager for an opportunity to show the NFL he still has something left.

After coming out of semiretirement midway through last season, Culpepper played at more than 290 pounds and struggled. He looked like the player he was in Oakland and Miami, not the one who starred with Minnesota before he suffered a bad knee injury in 2005.

Culpepper lost about 30 pounds in the off-season and reunited with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. Still, he lost the quarterback job to Stafford, the No. 1 pick in the draft. And when he got a shot in October, while Stafford sat out two games with a right knee injury, Culpepper continued to struggle.

In a 28-20 loss Oct. 11 to Pittsburgh, Culpepper went 23-for-37 for 282 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He took three straight sacks on the final drive. In a 26-0 loss Oct. 18 at Green Bay, he went 6-for-14 for 48 yards with an interception before leaving with a hamstring pull.

What does Culpepper have to do against the Ravens' blitzing defense?

"You've got to get the ball out of your hands as a quarterback," Culpepper said. "You have to make quick decisions and go with them. Mistakes happen, but you want to minimize your mistakes. When you're playing a team like that, you've got to be on point, because like I said, they've got some great players."

SERIES HISTORY: 3rd meeting. The series tied, 1-1. The home team has won each game. The Lions won the last meeting, 35-17, on Oct. 9, 2005. The Ravens won, 19-10, on Dec. 27, 1998.