Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell to miss rookie camp for personal reasons
Dave Birkett wraps up 2024 NFL draft for Detroit Lions
Lions beat reporter Dave Birkett joins Carlos and Shawn to help break down all the draft moves made by the Detroit Lions, April 27, 2024.
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell will miss this weekend’s rookie minicamp for personal reasons.
Campbell is expected back with the team later this month.
The Lions have three days of minicamp practice today-Sunday at their Allen Park practice facility for rookie draft picks, undrafted free agents and select first-year and tryout players.
Several Lions rookies said during the draft they connected with Campbell during their pre-draft visit to Detroit and were excited to play for him this fall.
“Just walking down the hallway, seeing all the historical figures on the wall and seeing the amazing facility, but most importantly, to me, was meeting head coach Dan Campbell and the GM,” offensive lineman Gio Manu said. “Both of them are really good guys. I relate to their work ethic and all that. And I loved my visit overall and I remember leaving, I told myself, ‘I felt at home here and I would not mind at all if these guys took a chance on me.’ And I so happen to be here now, so it was great.”
The Lions made six picks in last month’s draft. They traded up for Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold in Round 1, grabbed Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in Round 2 and added Manu, running back Sione Vaki, defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo and offensive guard Christian Mahogany on Day 3.
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Vaki compared Campbell to his coach at Utah, Kyle Whittingham, and said both have similar standards “as far as just putting our head down and working.” And Rakestraw said his interactions with Campbell made the Lions one of his favorite pre-draft visits.
“I liked how Coach is, Coach Campbell, his philosophy and the coordinator’s philosophy about physicality,” Rakestraw said. “I feel like that’s what I bring, so I felt like it was a great fit.”
After rookie minicamp, where players attend meetings and practice without pads, the Lions have nine Organized Team Activity practices May 21-23, 29-31 and June 10-12, and a three-day mandatory minicamp June 4-6.
Vaki deal done
Vaki finalized his four-year rookie contract and is expected to sign with the Lions before Friday’s first practice.
The 132nd overall pick in the draft, Vaki deal is worth a slotted value of $4.67 million, according to Spotrac.
Historically, the Lions have signed most of their draft class to contracts before the start of rookie minicamp. All rookie deals are slotted under the current collective bargaining agreement, though some contracts take longer to finalize because of negotiations over guaranteed money.
Vaki played safety and running back in his two seasons at Utah but will start his NFL career on offense and projects as a key special teams player this fall. He had 42 carries for 317 yards and two touchdowns last season.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
Detroit, MI
Bruno Mars shines in Detroit – Detroit Metro Times
There’s a moment toward the end of the night where Bruno Mars is using that raspy tenor of voice of his to sing his 2012 hit “Locked Out of Heaven” as if he was launched out of a rocket. The crowd is hanging and swinging on every note, confetti is pouring down, Mars is over two hours into his set with barely any breaks, but his swagger feels so effortless. It was as if you could throw him a cup of ice water and he could go for another two hours.
For Mars, this is just another day at the office.
Saturday was the first of two nights in which Mars’s The Romantic Tour set up shop in the Detroit Lions’ Ford Field. The night started off with a 30-minute energetic DJ set from Anderson .Paak’s alter ego, “DJ Pee .Wee.” That was followed by another 30-minute set from singer Leon Thomas, who is fresh off Grammy Award wins for Best R&B Album (MUTT) and Best Traditional R&B Performance (“Vibes Don’t Lie”).
Mars, a 40-year-old native of Hawaii, has sold over 20 million albums and won 16 Grammy Awards. He’s always been a wild mix of James Brown and Justin Bieber — this generation’s impresario of funk with a mutant-like ability to create over-the-top pop hits. The Romanic, released on Feb. 27, is his fourth solo album and first project in four years.
Mars hit the stage right at 8:45 p.m. dressed in a casual crimson lounge suit and headband while accompanied by his band the Hooligans. From the jump the energy was magnetic. Mars dove right into songs “Risk It All,” “Treasure,” and “On My Soul” (he performed all nine songs from The Romantic). His stage presence and synchrony with the Hooligans was subtle and effective. They routinely swaggered into a choreographed doo-wop dance steps that were evenly spread out through out the night. At times there were multiple members playing trumpet and other times they were all on guitars. Mars himself jumped on the conga drums on “Cha Cha Cha,” played the guitar on “Something Serious,” and played the piano on “It Will Rain,” “Talking to the Moon,” and “When I was Your Man.”
Visually, there was cinematic camera work being displayed on two large LED screens positioned on both sides of the stage. This allowed all 48,000 attendees (no matter where their seats were) to take in the visual experience that was aided with laser beans, pulsating lights, cold sparks, and pyrotechnics.
Anderson .Paak joined Mars back on stage for the second hour of the show where they performed “Fly as Me” and “Smoking out the Window” along with most of the songs from their joint album An Evening with Silk Sonic. Toward the end of their hit, “Leave the Door Open” the duo went back and forth singing the line “come on over baby” as if it was a ballad duel. The moment highlighted both singers’ chemistry and showmanship.
But the night was all about Mars. He ended the show singing his mega hit “Uptown Funk” but also did an encore performance of “Dance With Me,” singing just as strong and effortlessly near the end of the night as he did at the beginning. His 150-minute set was polished without feeling robotic. Even though he’s stepped foot behind a microphone thousands of times, he never sounded like he was going through the motions. He was charismatic, engaging, and made Detroit feel like it was this tour’s only stop, not his ninth.
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Detroit, MI
A chilly start to the week gives way to warmer weather in Metro Detroit
4Warn Weather – Cooler temperatures remain across Southeast Michigan for the start of the workweek, however, we’ll turn much warmer into the weekend.
Skies turn mainly clear Sunday night with a light northwest wind. Temperatures will fall to the low 30s to near 40°.
You’ll want to cover your plants or bring them indoors as frost will be possible. A Frost Advisory will be in effect for most of Southeast Michigan from midnight tonight until 7 a.m. Monday.
Monday will look beautiful with mostly sunny skies. It’ll still be chilly though – afternoon temperatures will only reach the mid to upper 50s.
Winds Monday will be out of the north at 5-10 mph.
Temperatures will once again be in the 30s Monday night, so it will be another night to protect your plants.
We then recover nicely with most reaching the low 60s Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Although we’re a bit warmer, the next chance for rain will arrive Tuesday afternoon and linger into Wednesday.
Thursday brings back the sunshine and warmer weather. Highs will be in the mid 60s before we reach the low 70s Friday.
The upcoming weekend looks even warmer with highs near 80°, but we also see the next chances for rain.
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Detroit, MI
Detroit shines red for ALS kickoff & lighting ceremony
DETROIT, MICH (WXYZ) — In partnership with The ALS Association, downtown Detroit parks will shine red May 10–16 in recognition of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) Awareness month.
A special kickoff event will take place from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 10, in Campus Martius Park. The event will allow families impacted by ALS to connect, learn about upcoming initiatives, and take part in a meaningful “END ALS” photo moment under the illuminated park lights.
You can reserve you spot by visiting:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JlhGrOr9-kWQmmR_rZc61S9MfqDjPeBKvKV5YBqkMypUQThNMEs5TVpLRUY5R1FLV0o1WFExN1U4Uy4u
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