I did indeed manage to attend last night’s debacle at Ford Field. I’ll spare you the play-by-play rehash you can get elsewhere online and go straight to my disorganized and fragmented notebook.

–Without a radio with us, we looked all over for William Green and wondered if maybe he had meandered onto the wrong part of Cass Corridor. Fortunately, his reason for missing the game was more benign.

–James Jackson and Jamel White (except for one dropped screen pass) were both impressive, especially with the first-team offensive line in the game. The skill positions will be the team’s silver lining this year.

–The Lions had a terrible time covering Quincy Morgan, who looks primed for about ten touchdowns this season.

–Yet another embarrassing Browns first: two quarterbacks (Holcomb and Booty) fumbling the exact same way — balls slips from hand while cocking to throw — topped off by futile 360-degree pirouettes in search of the backwards-bouncing ball. The Lions fans sure got their jollies watching the dozen or so replays they showed.

–What’s with Butch Davis’ time-out strategy? On Holcomb’s obvious fumble (the ball went backwards no matter which way his arm was moving), he challenged and lost. Then with two time-outs left in the first half, the Browns used neither when they got sacked during the two-minute drill (they failed to convert the subsequent hurry-up third down).

–Rookie center Jeff Faine will be OK, but there were growing pains last night: a few missed blocks, a late snap…

–Our secondard got roasted. Anthony Henry was beat three times by Bill Schroeder, their second-best receiver. Kalvin Pearson cost us three points at the end of the first half by losing his man (with the safety help too late in arriving). On a two-point conversion, Leigh Bodden totally abandoned his receiver when the QB scrambled the other way, then threw back.

–Is it time to depair for this defense? Here’s one test: If Mason Unck makes the final roster, head for the hills. That means the talent and experience are thinner than the soup at a Victorian orphanage. The rookie linebacker missed a tackle, got outran, and then let the QB run through his gap for the touchdown — all on the same drive! On C.J. Jones’ long kickoff return, Unck did manage to block the kicker, but he got the worst of the contact, landing flat on his backside.

–In the competition for the backup WR spots, Andre King and C.J. Jones may both make the team, but it’s no guarantee. That’s why I had to wonder about King’s motives when both were back to receive kickoffs. Twice in a row, King physically prevented Jones from bringing kicks out of the end zone, no matter how well the wedge was forming. Was he helping the rookie or stopping him from stealing the show? Who’s to say? On the next kickoff, of course, Jones broke free down the sideline, providing the highlight of an otherwise dreary second half.

–Gotta hand it to Tim Couch for doing everything in his power to preserve team harmony by proving that Coach Davis was right in his selection of a starting quarterback.

–Brighest spots: C.J. Jones looks like a keeper. Gerard Warren managed to bring some heat. Courtney Brown played and didn’t limp off the field. Gardocki and Dawson will be fine, and the long snaps were perfect. Aaron Shea looked good as a pass-catching H-back. Felipe Claybrooks tackled a runner for a loss and also had two nice special teams hits. Andra Davis may be the fastest MLB we’ve ever had. Earl Little will be the strength of an otherwise scary secondary. And maybe best of all, I found a free parking space on the street in downtown Detroit (and, yes, the car was still there after the game).