Detroit Lions notes: Teryl Austin talks up Ziggy Ansah; Swanson, Riddick remain out

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) passes under pressure from Detroit Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah (94) in the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

By Paula Pasche | The Oakland Press

PUBLISHED: December 15, 2016 at 4:50 p.m. | UPDATED: June 17, 2021 at 6:34 a.m.

ALLEN PARK >> Despite what others might think, the Lions coaches think Ziggy Ansah is having a fine season.

Last year he had 14.5 sacks. So far this season he has none.

Ansah injured his shoulder in the first half on Sunday, but came back to play late in the game and was a factor.

“It was awesome. He’s our best pass rusher. I know his stats may not bear that out right now, but he affects the game,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said on Thursday. “You better know where he is because he can do what he did Sunday. He can come in and change a game. It was great for him. You know, he’s a tough cookie. He’s been banged up this year, but I tell you what, if he can get on the field, he’s going to get on the field.”

Ansah, who missed three games earlier in the season, said a few week ago that it does bother him that he has no sacks. He doe have a dozen quarterback hits and four tackles for loss, along with 20 tackles.

Ins and outs

Center Travis Swanson (concussion) and running back Theo Riddick (wrist) did not practice on Thursday.

Ziggy Ansah (shoulder) was limited in practice after he sat out on Wednesday.

Zach Zenner, who suffered a concussion on Sunday, was practicing for the second straight day in a limited fashion. On Thursday he ditched the red jersey he wore on Wednesday.

Tight end Eric Ebron (knee) and cornerback Darius Slay (hamstring) were also limited in practice.

Roster moves

The Lions were awarded defensive end Corey Lemonier via waivers from the Cleveland Browns on Thursday. To create room on the roster they waived cornerback Adairius Barnes.

With Quandre Diggs out for the remainder of the season, Barnes and Asa Jackson worked at nickel last Sunday.

Lemonier appeared in eight games (one start) this season with the Browns. He recorded nine total tackles (eight solo), two sacks, one pass defense and one forced fumble before being waived on Dec. 14.

He was a third-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 out of Auburn.

Levy on the way

DeAndre Levy played 18 defensive snaps in his first game back after missing 11.

It would seem that he’ll work his way back up the scale with more time on the field but Austin would not say that on Thursday.

“We’ll see, we’ll see how he’s doing. I can’t answer that, you know?” Austin said.

He did seem pleased with Levy’s production.

“I was glad for him to be out there and play. What he gave us was he helped us win and that’s really all I look for is a guy that can help go out there and produce and help us win and we were able to win the game and he was a part of that,” Austin said.

Levy played in the regular season opener then missed time with quad and knee injuries. The linebacker practiced on limited basis on Wednesday and Thursday.

Glove or no glove

Matthew Stafford, Jim Caldwell and Jim Bob Cooter have been asked almost every conceivable question about Stafford’s injured finger and wearing a one-fingered glove to protect it.

Cooter tried to put all talk to rest with one line: “I’m thinking about wearing a custom glove also, I think I’ll probably call a better game.”

Wake Forest connection

Jim Caldwell, who coached at Wake Forest from 1993 to 2000, doesn’t have any particulars on the scandal at the school but he knows the main character. Tommy Elrod played quarterback for Caldwell and they two have kept in touch through the years.

An internal Wake Forest investigation released this week showed Elrod had provided opposing teams “confidential and proprietary game preparations on multiple occasions” starting in 2014. Elrod has since been dismissed as radio analyst.

“What do I think about it? I can only tell you I know what I know. I know that young man very well, played for me, model student, model citizen, great family background. I can’t tell you anything else about that, he’s always been a very fine worker and obviously looks like he’s made some mistakes,” Caldwell said on Thursday.

Caldwell said it’s a lot different these days with modern technology.

“You know, back in the old days when I was a G.A. (graduate assistant) we used to have to exchange film, so you would supposedly change four games and you’d take it and you’d exchange it with the guy from the opposite school and every once in awhile they’d say, ‘Ahh well, we don’t have that fourth one, we’ll send it to you,’ or something, you know, or you look in it and there’s been some plays cut out of it so you can’t see the play, so there was a lot of stuff going on like that back in the old days, but nowadays you get all that information,” Caldwell said. “Not only that, television gives you a view that is quite revealing with a little bit of everything, snap counts and you name it, so yeah, you’re right. There’s not a whole lot of secrets in that regard and most of the stuff you can pick up on film.”