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Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson makes a leaping touchdown catch on Sunday as Tampa Bay's Cody Grimm tries to break it up. / JULIAN H. GONZALEZ/Detroit Free Press BY CARLOS MONARREZ AND DAVE BIRKETT Lions receiver Calvin Johnson said he should be fine ...
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Lions receiver Calvin Johnson said he should be fine for Sunday's home opener against Kansas City after he rolled his left ankle in the season opener.
"Get the swelling out, and I'll be ready," said Johnson, who missed Wednesday's heavy practice in helmets and shoulder pads. "I'm walking fine, it's just you've got to get the swelling out before you can do anything. If you don't get that out, it'll just blow back up. Then I'll be down for even longer."
Johnson hurt his left shoulder in the exhibition opener and missed the next game. He landed hard on his shoulders at least once against the Bucs, but he said his shoulder was fine.
INJURY REPORT: Johnson was one of three starters who sat out practice. Defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch took his usual Wednesday off after neck surgery last December, and safety Louis Delmas was out after suffering a hip pointer on the final play against the Bucs.
"We're getting closer on both of them," coach Jim Schwartz said. "Both of them are making really good progress. Both of them are on their rehab schedules and haven't had any setbacks, so we'll get those guys on the field just as soon as we can. But they're both closer than they were last week, and they're both closer than they were yesterday. But they both still have a little ways to go."
However, Kansas City gained only 108 rushing yards in its opening 41-7 loss to Buffalo. The Chiefs had 80 yards rushing at the half, but were down, 20-7, and forced to pass in the second half.
The Lions are clearly concerned with Kansas City's run game. It was the first thing Schwartz mentioned after practice. He keyed on Jamaal Charles averaging 6.38 yards per carry last season, when he ran for 1,467 yards.
"So they're a very good running team," Schwartz said. "They ran the ball very well against Buffalo. They got behind in the score, had a couple of turnovers, and it makes it very difficult to continue to run."
"I had a chance to play against Jamaal Charles last year and you talk about a guy that's explosive," linebacker Stephen Tulloch said. "He reminds me a lot of a guy I played with, Chris Johnson, from a standpoint that he's a game-breaker.
"You've definitely got to contain him and stop him from getting to the perimeters. Once he gets to the outside and has a lane, he's gone. We have our hands full this week."
ROSTER MOVE: The Lions signed tight end Nathan Overbay to the practice squad and placed tight end Cornelius Ingram on practice squad injured reserve. Overbay spent most of last season on Tampa Bay's practice squad. The Bucs waived him after this year's fourth exhibition game.
Free Press beat writer Dave Birkett will answer your Lions questions in a live chat at 3 p.m. Friday at freep.com/sports. Then come back Sunday afternoon as sports writer Anthony Fenech live-blogs the Lions-Chiefs game.
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