I had a chance to exchange some questions with Sean Yuille over at Pride of Detroit and much like last week, I'm going to break it up into multiple segments. This first part coincides with the release of the Lions injury report. Calvin Johnson was back at practice as a full participant, so the foot injury would not seem to be much of an issue.
As it currently stands, cornerback Chris Houston was a limited participant for the second straight day, while their other starting CB, Bill Bentley, and safety Louis Delmas were non-participants for the second straight day. I asked Sean about the injury issues and what the 49ers can expect from the Lions secondary. Head after the jump for his response.
Sean Yuillle: Last week, the Lions were without Chris Houston, their best cornerback, and Louis Delmas, their top safety. This week, it looks like Houston will be able to play after practicing on a limited basis on both Wednesday and Thursday. He's only been out a few weeks with an ankle injury, so he should step right back into the lineup and provide a boost to the Lions' pass defense. Unfortunately, Delmas doesn't appear to be ready to return just yet. He had knee surgery in early August and hasn't practiced since then. John Wendling, usually known for his special teams play, has done a good job of filling in for Delmas while he's been out.
The other injury issue for the Lions' secondary is the concussion that rookie Bill Bentley suffered last Sunday. Despite being in his first season, Bentley has already become a starter for the Lions. Although part of that stems from the Lions' lack of talent at cornerback, Bentley has shown a lot of promise in the secondary. With him not being cleared yet from the concussion he suffered against the Rams, it's doubtful he will play against San Francisco. This means that guys like Jacob Lacey, Drayton Florence and rookie Jonte Green (who has looked downright awful) will have to step it up in place of him. It's certainly not a great situation by any means, but I think the Lions will be able to get by with their secondary as long as nobody else gets hurt.
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While it is always great to secure wins against a team at 100% health, I have absolutely no problem facing a team that is dealing with injury issues. Life isn't fair and that's the way it is sometimes. The 49ers had to have gained some measure of confidence by their performance against Green Bay, so ideally they would be looking to take advantage of a banged up Lions squad.