Gil Brandt, NFL.com contributor and Sirius NFL Radio co-host, was invited by coach Jim Schwartz to address the Detroit Lions at midfield after their first practice on Wednesday.

Success in the NFL for new coaches is dependent on many variables. So I’ve put together a few observations from training camps to keep an eye on for some of the new coaches.

The Lions are officially calling WR Calvin Johnson’s right thumb injury a sprain, but it was enough to keep him from participating in full drills Tuesday at training camp.

Don’t hit the panic button in Detroit, but it looks as though star WR Calvin Johnson is battling a jammed thumb that is keeping him out of practice.

The Associated Press reports that thousands of hopeful Lions fans stood outside Ford Field in the rain Saturday before going inside to watch the team’s first scrimmage.

For the San Fransisco 49ers, it was nearly a no-brainer when WR Michael Crabtree was available at No. 10 in the 2009 NFL Draft. Now the work that needs to be done is getting Crabtree signed and in camp.

Steve McNair spent 13 years as a quarterback in the NFL, but according to The Seattle Times, he could have just as easily had a prolific baseball career after the Mariners selected him in the 35th round of the 1991 Major League Baseball draft.

Ravens LB Terrell Suggs is hopeful to have a long-term contract by training camp and said, “I feel like we’re getting close.”

The Lions are scheduled to start minicamp tomorrow, but new coach Jim Schwartz isn’t eager to add another quarterback to his roster. Could that be because he plans to take Georgia QB Matthew Stafford with the No. 1 overall pick in next week’s draft?

Veteran free-agent DT Grady Jackson is headed to Detroit on Tuesday afternoon, and if he passes a physical Wednesday, he’s expected to sign a two- or three-year contract with the Lions, a source close to the situation said.

It’s no surprise that Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz was the man of the hour on Thursday. He’s the first-year man in Detroit who holds the top overall pick in the upcoming draft.

While all the coaches speaking today have a multitude of media furiously jotting down and recording every word they utter, none quite received as much attention as new Lions coach Jim Schwartz.

The Detroit Lions announced the completion of head coach Jim Schwartz‘s staff, including seven coaches retained from the 2008 staff.

It didn’t take long for the Detroit Lions’ new head coach, Jim Schwartz, to begin reaching out to assistant coaching candidates.

Schwartz asked for and received permission to interview Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham, who worked with him on the Tennessee Titans’ staff from 2001 to 2003.

The Lions received some outside help in their bid to hire Jim Schwartz as their head coach.

During his introductory press conference Friday at Ford Field, Schwartz said that a former college teammate highlighted Detroit’s blue-collar values in trying to convince the coach to take over the Lions, who went 0-16 this season and haven’t posted a winning campaign since 2000.