Lions add two veteran cornerbacks

By Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

July 26, 2012


Shorthanded in the secondary for the start of training camp after releasing Aaron Berry and placing Chris Greenwood on the physically-unable-to-perform list, the Lions signed cornerbacks Justin Miller and Drew Coleman on Wednesday.

Coleman, 29, spent last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars after playing his first five seasons for the New York Jets. Coleman (5-feet-8, 173 pounds) played in 16 games and had four starts with Jacksonville.

Miller (5-10, 202), who last played for the Jets in 2009, agreed to a one-year contract after working out Wednesday.

The Lions released receiver Marcus Harris.

A second-round pick by the Jets in 2005, Miller, 28, primarily has been a special-teams player. He made 12 starts for the Jets in 2005-06 and played parts of the 2008-09 seasons with the Oakland Raiders.

He made the Pro Bowl as the AFC's kick returner in 2006 after averaging 28.3 yards per return. During Pro Bowl festivities, he won the fastest man competition.

Miller returned to Clemson to get his degree in sports management during last year's lockout.

"My grandfather passed in 2010, and I had made a promise to my grandmother and my mother that I wanted to get a degree," Miller said in a story posted on the Lions' website. "With him passing, it was a way for me to clear my head and take an opportunity to fulfill a promise I made to my grandmother and mother."

The Lions were in a bind at cornerback after releasing Berry, a projected starter, following his second arrest of the off-season this week.

Greenwood, a fifth-round pick out of Albion, is recovering from abdominal surgery and won't take part in the start of training camp, and the Lions have only seven healthy cornerbacks: Chris Houston, Jacob Lacey, Alphonso Smith, Ross Weaver (Michigan State) and rookies Bill Bentley, Jonte Green and Dontrell Johnson.

Lacey, Smith and Bentley will compete for the starting spot opposite Houston.

Lions add two veteran cornerbacks | Detroit Lions | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

I hate the term veteran in sportss. It overstates players. They're just two average players who happened to get by more than 1 year in the league [pic]

[pic] marty doin work

coleman is a sack machine off the blitz. was hoping to bring him back to ny actually...millers good at returns and thats it boy sucks on the field

BX's Mr.Make-A-Hot Topic

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I mean I feel you but at this point if you can make it to 29 in the NFL at this point you're pretty much vet status. think about the duration of players careers in the L.

I wonder what happened to J Mills
nicca was nice at Clemson

That secondary[pic] we better have one hell of a pass rush or we gonna get torched[pic]

Should have added a veteran WR that's not on a cover of Madden....[pic]




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Brandon Marshal
Jordy Nelson
Greg Jennings
Percy Harvin

It's finna b a long year in the NFC North....a long year.....

the secondary is and was my only worry this coming season

losing Eric Wright to FA and Aaron Berry to stupidity really hurt us..

I am super curious to what Justin Miller can do...

anybody seen his work got intel on him.. is he worth a second chance?

you do the same !! !!in wimp

inb4 fake ignore message

wrong division to be in with a weak secondary.

time to eat [pic]

17,594 posts since April 2011 [pic]