DETROIT -- Jim Caldwell got a ringing endorsement from one of his mentors when Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew was doing his homework. Herman Edwards Eagles Jersey . The Lions hired Caldwell on Tuesday to replace fired coach Jim Schwartz, ending a search that included a phone conversation between Mayhew and Tony Dungy. "Martin called me and said were looking for a leader who can help turn our locker room into a winning one and to help us get the most out of our investment in Matthew Stafford," Dungy recalled in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "I told Martin that Jim Caldwell is exactly what youre looking for. Hell lead by making people accountable and by being a role model on and off the field. And with his attention to detail and history of developing quarterbacks, Stafford is going to flourish just like Peyton Manning did with us in Indianapolis." Detroit wanted to replace Schwartz with someone with experience as a head coach, ideally with a track record of tutoring quarterbacks. Caldwell helped the Indianapolis Colts reach the Super Bowl after his debut season in 2009, but was fired two years later after a 2-14 season while Manning was injured, dropping his three-year mark to 26-22. Before Caldwell was hired by the Dungy-led Colts in 2002 to be their quarterbacks coach, he had the same job for Dungy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Caldwell was hired by Baltimore two years ago to be their quarterbacks coach and was promoted to offensive co-ordinator late in the 2012 season. The Ravens went on to win the last Super Bowl. The Lions will introduce Caldwell as their coach Wednesday during a news conference at Ford Field. "We believe Jim is the right man to lead our team and deliver a championship to our fans," Lions owner William Clay Ford said in a statement. The Ravens struggled on offence in 2013 and mightve replaced Caldwell if he didnt get another job. Baltimore ranked 29th on offence overall -- 30th rushing and 18th passing -- last season with Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice. Still, Caldwells body of work was enough to also make him a candidate to lead the Washington Redskins and Titans. Former Tennessee coach Mike Munchak and ex-Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak were also considered by the Lions. "Im excited because he has worked with some good coaches and he did a good job with the Colts," Lions offensive guard Rob Sims said in a telephone interview. "Players seem to like him, so Im looking forward to being a part of the next chapter of Detroit Lions football with him leading us." Caldwell won his first 14 games with the Colts in 2009 before losing the final two games of the regular season while resting Manning and most of the other starters. The Colts lost to the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl. Indy was 10-6 the following season and won another AFC South title, then lost to the New York Jets in a wild-card game. With Manning out for all of Caldwells third season, the Colts lost 14 games and Caldwell lost his job. In Baltimore, Caldwell replaced offensive co-ordinator Cam Cameron toward the end of the 2012 regular season and he seemed to give the offence a boost as it went on to win the Super Bowl against San Francisco. Helping the Lions win one playoff game would be a relative feat: Detroit has only one playoff victory -- more than two decades ago -- since winning the 1957 NFL title. Caldwell, who won two playoff games in his first season with the Colts, will be counted on to use his experience with quarterbacks to make Matthew Stafford better. Detroit drafted Stafford No. 1 overall in 2009 and after two injury-shortened seasons, he has been spectacular at times and shaky at others. When the Lions needed him most, he was at his worst last season. He had an NFL-high 14 turnovers from Week 11-16 as Detroit dropped five of six games, plummeting out of first place in the NFC North and wasting an opportunity to win a division title for the first time since 1993. Caldwells first job as a head coach was at Wake Forest, which fired him in 2000 with a 26-63 record over eight seasons. Caldwell, who is from Beloit, Wis., played defensive back for Iowa and began his coaching career in 1977 as a graduate assistant with the Hawkeyes. Caldwell later went on to coach quarterbacks, wide receivers and outside linebackers from 1982-84 for Bill McCartney at Colorado. "Hes one of the finest people Ive ever met," McCartney said in a telephone interview. "He has tremendous character. If he says something, you can take it to the bank and hang your hat on it. His players will trust them and theyll rally for him. Hes ready for this. "Every home, every business and every NFL team rises or falls because of leadership. And, the Lions have a leader now." Wilbert Montgomery Eagles Jersey .J. -- Pete Carroll said it was the suspension of linebacker Bruce Irvin last spring that finally got the attention of the rest of the Seattle Seahawks that they needed to be taking their commitment to the team more seriously. Harold Carmichael Youth Jersey . Johan Franzen had two goals and two assists, Gustav Nyquist a goal and three assists and David Legwand a goal and two assists in the Red Wings 7-4 win over the New Jersey Devils. http://www.theeaglesshoponline.com/Youth-desean-jackson-eagles-jersey/ . Messis 75th-minute goal answered some of the criticism the clubs all-time leading scorer had received for his lacklustre performances in the teams recent losses in the league, Champions League and Copa del Rey final. Former Pro Bowl defender Marcellus Wiley added his name to a lawsuit accusing NFL teams of illegally dispensing powerful narcotics and other drugs to keep players on the field without regard for their long-term health. "The first thing people ask is, knowing what happened, would you do it again?" said Wiley, currently an ESPN analyst. "No. No I wouldnt." The lawsuit was originally filed May 20 in U.S. District Court in northern California and amended Wednesday to add 250 more players, bringing the total to 750 plaintiffs. Wiley, who played in Buffalo, San Diego, Dallas and Jacksonville from 1997-2006, is the ninth player identified by name, joining former Chicago Bears Jim McMahon, Richard Dent and Keith Van Horne, Jeremy Newberry and others. The lawsuit, which is seeking class certification, covers the years 1968-2008. It contends team physicians and trainers across the NFL routinely -- and often illegally -- provided powerful narcotics and other controlled substances on game days to mask the pain. Among them were the painkillers Percodan, Percocet and Vicodin, anti-inflammatories such as Toradol, and sleep aids such as Ambien. Lead attorney Steven Silverman said some teams filled out prescriptions in players names without their knowledge or consent. He said those drugs were then "handed out like candy at Halloween" and often combined in "cocktails." NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league had no comment. The former players have reported a range of debilitating effects, from chronic muscle and bone ailments to permanent nerve and organ damage to addiction. The players contend those health problems came from drug use but many of the conditions arent tied to the use of painkillers. Six of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, including McMahon and Van Horne, were also parties to the concussion-related class-action lawsuit filed against the NFL less than a year ago. The NFL agreed to pay $765 million to settle that case -- without acknowledging it concealed the risks of concussions from former players. A federal judge has yet to approve the settlement, expressing concern the amount is too small. Wiley, 39, was not part of the concussion lawsuit, but decided to join former players in this one afteer suffering partial renal failure in April, despite no history of kidney problems. Wes Hopkins Youth Jersey. Wiley said he took "multiple injections" of painkillers over the course of a season to cope with an injury that then-San Diego team physician Dr. David Chao diagnosed as severe groin sprain. After the season, an independent doctor diagnosed a torn abdominal wall that required surgery. "You cant walk into a doctors office and say, "Give me this, give me that, just to get through the day. Somebody would shut the place down," Wiley said in a telephone interview. "But thats what was going on in the NFL. Its easy to get mesmerized. I wont deny that; theres this play through-the-pain, fall-on-the-sword culture, and somebody in line ready to step up and take your place... "And the next question when people hear about this stuff is wheres the personal responsibility? Well, Im not a medical doctor" he added, "but I did take the word of a medical doctor who took an oath to get me through not just one game, or one season, but a lifetime. Meanwhile, hes getting paid by how many bodies he gets out on the field." Chao stepped down as San Diegos team physician last June, after the NFL Players Association called for him to be replaced and filed a complaint. An independent panel cleared Chao. In April, as part of a stipulated settlement, Chao was placed on probation by the Medical Board of California. His license was also revoked, but that action was stayed while he remains on probation. He was accused of committing gross negligence, repeated negligent acts and acts of dishonesty or corruption. Chao was also found liable of malpractice in 2012 in a case involving a regular patient, not a Chargers player, with a judgment of nearly $5.2 million. Records also show he has been publicly reprimanded by the board and pleaded guilty to driving under the influence. The lawsuits main burden is proving cause and effect -- that use of painkillers in the past caused the chronic problems the players face now. The players also would have to show that they are suffering those problems at a greater rate than other people their age, and that its not due to other risk factors such as obesity, smoking and family history.