Mike O'Hara

NASHVILLE – Sunday morning final thoughts on the Lions-Titans game at LP Field:
 
Fast promotion: It hasn’t taken Mikel Leshoure long to move up on the depth chart.

He is starting today at running back in place of Kevin Smith, who started the first two games. Leshoure was suspended by the NFL for the first two games for violating the NFL’s policy on substance abuse.

The Lions hope that Leshoure can add a tackle-breaking dimension that has been lacking in the first two games. The Lions are one of 10 teams that haven’t had a run of 20 yards or longer.

Leshoure is giving the Lions a “freebie” today. Under terms of his suspension, he could not play in the first two games, and he also has been fined his game checks for the first four games.

That means Leshoure is not being paid for today’s game or next week’s game against Minnesota.
 
Ryan’s hope: Rookie receiver Ryan Broyles was inactive for the opening game and active but did not play in last week’s loss at San Francisco.

He called the experience of watching his teammates play “humbling.”

Broyles was on the active list for today’s game, and it is unlikely that he will be a spectator with tight end Tony Scheffler on the inactive list with a calf injury.

Scheffler is a receiving specialist in the two tight-end formation and also has been used to fill the third receiver spot when there has been an injury to a receiver.

Broyles was out early, running routes with the other receivers.

Broyles was drafted in the second round, even though he was recovering from a knee injury sustained late in his senior season at Oklahoma. The Lions thought their depth at receiver and tight end gave them the luxury of letting Broyles develop slowly.

That timetable may have accelerated.
 
Bank shots: Kicker Jason Hanson’s pre-game preparation is as immaculate as ever in his 21st season.

Almost three hours before kickoff Sunday, Hanson was working on his field-goal routine, getting his steps down – without the ball.

He won’t go for a personal best today. He hit the right upright twice on field-goal attempts last week. One deflected over the cross bar and was good. The other was no good.

Has Hanson ever hit three uprights in one game?

“Never,” he said earlier in the week. “I hit both on the same kick once.”

Winds are fluky at Candlestick Park and hard to predict, even when looking at the flags.

Pre-game forecast at LP Field: Flags are barely moving on two uprights at one end of the field and hanging limp at the other.
 
Bullet Hit squad: Expect safety John Wendling to appeal the fine of $7,875 assessed against him by the NFL for a hit on quarterback Alex Smith in last week’s 27-19 loss at San Francisco.

On the play, Smith slid at the end of a 20-yard run. Wendling hit Smith just after he had started to slide feet first. There was no flag against Wendling on the play, but Smith’s gain was called back on a holding penalty.