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Detroit's mini-purge of players allowed the team to create about $13 million in salary-cap space, bringing its total space to nearly $41 million as of Monday.

That figure likely will change by the time free agency begins at the end of this month. Escalators, adjustments, new extensions and other credits all impact a team's final salary-cap figure. Lions president Tom Lewand recently predicted the team would have around $35 million in cap space when the final figures come in.

Of the six players released, only two -- safety Dwight Smith and practice squad offensive lineman Jon Dunn -- hadn't been previously reported. It's possible the Lions will make more moves in the coming weeks, most notably at quarterback where Daunte Culpepper and Jon Kitna both remain on the roster.

For those interested, here is the approximate breakdown of cap savings for each player the Lions released:

• Cornerback Leigh Bodden: $3.7 million
  
• Tight end Dan Campbell: $1.735 million
  
• Offensive lineman Jon Dunn: Negligible
  
• Receiver Mike Furrey: $1.95 million
  
• Guard Edwin Mulitalo: $2.5 million
  
• Safety Dwight Smith: $3 million
  

Monday is the first day of 2009 that NFL teams can start manipulating their rosters in anticipation of the Feb. 27 roster compliance deadline. That's a fancy way of saying players can start negotiating contract extensions with their existing teams and clubs can start releasing players. NFL front offices have opened for business.

Some NFC North teams will be busier than others. David Birkett of the Oakland Press has added two names to the list of players the Detroit Lions are expected to release: Guard Edwin Mulitalo and tight end Dan Campbell.

That brings the total number of soon-to-be-released Lions veterans to four, including receiver Mike Furrey and cornerback Leigh Bodden. It's possible there will be others. We'll keep you updated.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Jerry Green of the Detroit News believes Lions coach Jim Schwartz will do a good job -- if the team's front office and ownership leaves him alone.
• Broadcaster John Madden, for one, agrees with Chicago coach Lovie Smith's decision to call the majority of the Bears' defensive signals in 2009. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times has the story.
• Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette looks at the Packers' salary-cap situation -- they were $19 million under the cap and are expected to get at least $6 million in adjustments and credits -- and what they might do with the room.
  

Reading between the lines, it sounds as if New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin won't go overboard with his veterans Sunday at the Metrodome.

This will come as good news to Minnesota, who need a victory over the Giants to clinch the NFC North, and bad news to Chicago. The Bears are hoping for a Giants victory, combined with a win of their own at Houston, to grab the NFC North division title for themselves.

But if you read my colleague Matt Mosley's take over on the NFC East blog, you'll see Coughlin talking about "medical people" and doing "the best thing for our football team."

Coughlin insists that "we play every game to win" and that "we have always believed at this time of the year it is important to be playing your best football." But ultimately, Coughlin said: "We would like to continue to do that but we will do the right thing and the smart thing [for] our team."

It's not as if the absence of a few Giants starters would guarantee a Vikings victory. But the mentality of sitting or limiting starters tends to permeate the rest of a roster. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times, Bears coach Lovie Smith made it clear he hopes the Giants play a normal game but added:

''We shouldn't have to think about what someone else is doing or hope someone does something to help us.''

This will be a topic of conversation all week, but I think it's pretty clear we'll see the likes of quarterback Eli Manning, tailback Brandon Jacobs and defensive end Justin Tuck on the sidelines pretty early Sunday at the Metrodome.

Continuing a look around the NFC North on Christmas Eve morning:

• Smith had a few choice words for his team as it trailed 14-3 at halftime Monday night, writes Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald.
• Minnesota tight end Visanthe Shiancoe has more receiving yards and touchdowns this season than he had in his first five NFL seasons combined, notes Rick Alonzo of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
• Vikings defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams each stood to receive a $400,000 bonus if they kept their weight at or below a prescribed figure this season, according to Chris Miller and Judd Zulgad of the Star Tribune.
• Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy does not blame his line for the block of Mason Crosby's 38-yard field goal attempt Monday night. "It was a poor kick," McCarthy said Tuesday, according to Greg A. Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• The Packers are trying to figure out why they have lost so many close games, writes Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. The tally: Seven losses by four points or less.
• The Detroit Lions certainly haven't given up on the personnel end of things. They placed guard Edwin Mulitalo and linebacker Jordon Dizon on injured reserve Tuesday so they could sign receiver Chris Hannon and offensive lineman Junius Coston, according to John Niyo of the Detroit News.
• Lions tailback Kevin Smith needs 116 yards to reach 1,000 for the season, notes Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com.
  

I haven't heard an outcry since the dissolution of our Friday "Revealed" feature. But just so you know our thinking, it seemed like re-printing the entire Friday injury report was more confusing than helpful. So we've streamlined things a bit and will now tell you, as my NFC West colleague Mike Sando would say, about the "injuries that matter."

So here you go:

Chicago: Receiver Marty Booker (knee) has been declared out of Sunday's game at St. Louis. It will be interesting to see if the injury opens an opportunity for rookie Earl Bennett. ... The Bears also ruled out linebacker Darrell McClover (hamstring) and tackle Fred Miller (shoulder). Everyone else should be available.

Detroit: Receiver Mike Furrey (concussion), center Dominic Raiola (hand), cornerback Keith Smith (hand) and defensive end Dewayne White (calf) all will miss Sunday's game against Tampa Bay. ... Safety Dwight Smith (foot) and guard Edwin Mulitalo (knee) are questionable. Their status will be determined Sunday.

Green Bay: The Packers still have one more day of practice before Monday night's game at New Orleans, but the big question is whether receiver James Jones (knee) will play. Jones was added to the injury report Friday and is listed as questionable. He appeared to re-injure his knee last week against Chicago. ... Cornerback Jarrett Bush (ankle) hasn't practiced all week.

Minnesota: Tailback Adrian Peterson returned to practice, was removed from the injury report and will start Sunday at Jacksonville. Peterson was wearing a wrap on his right knee, but coach Brad Childress said it was nothing out of the ordinary. ... Defensive end Jared Allen (shoulder) was limited in practice but should play. Tight end Garrett Mills (ankle) is doubtful and isn't expected to be in uniform.

ROMULUS, Mich. -- We're preparing for an early departure from Detroit, marking the end of our 2008 training camp tour (sniff, sniff). We'll be offering some thoughts on each NFC North team in the coming days, but for now let's take a turn around the division:

• Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher admitted he was "skeptical" about his first contact in last week's preseason opener against Kansas City. Urlacher, who had offseason surgery on his neck, told the Chicago Tribune that he just wanted to get it over with.
• Urlacher appears no worse for the wear, and the Chicago Sun-Times reported in its camp wrap-up that he and the Bears' defense have seemed formidable in camp.
• Not sure if this is good or bad news. Rookie quarterback Matt Flynn is closing the gap on Brian Brohm in the Green Bay Packers' competition for the No. 2 quarterback job, coach Mike McCarthy said.
• Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk (chest) missed practice Wednesday night, believed to be for the first time in his career, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Hawk also has been ruled out for Saturday night's preseason game at San Francisco.
• Minnesota Vikings nose tackle Pat Williams was asked about the possibility of Packers running back Ryan Grant getting 100 yards in the teams' regular-season opener Sept. 8. "Trust me, it ain't going to happen," Williams said, according to the Star Tribune.
• Detroit Lions offensive lineman Edwin Mulitalo is putting his experience in zone blocking schemes to good use this summer.
  

Linebacker Ernie Sims (knee) won't participate in the Detroit Lions' preseason opener Thursday against the N.Y. Giants.

Sims suffered a bone bruise in his right knee July 27 and returned to practice Monday. Coach Rod Marinelli said Wednesday that most starters will get in for only about 10 plays. Other players scheduled to sit out include: Defensive tackle Cory Redding (groin), guard Edwin Mulitalo (elbow) and defensive tackle Langston Moore (shoulder).

Quarterback Dan Orlovsky will be the first quarterback off the bench, followed by Drew Stanton.