Secondary is Lions' primary concern

John Niyo / The Detroit News

Allen Park -- Lions coach Jim Schwartz was asked on the eve of training camp what position group he was most interested to watch and see what he had in terms of personnel. He didn't hesitate to answer, pointing to an overhauled secondary that would open the regular season with nine of 10 players new to the team in 2009.

But five weeks into the season, neither Schwartz nor defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham can be happy with what they've seen. And a season-ending shoulder injury suffered by nickel back Eric King in Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh -- King was placed on injured reserve for the third straight season Monday -- is only the latest headache.

Opposing quarterbacks are completing 73.3 percent of their passes against the Lions, who are allowing an average passer rating of 119.7 -- worst in the NFL and even worse than last year's 110.9 rating in a winless season. To put it in perspective, Peyton Manning currently leads all NFL quarterbacks with a 114.5 passer rating.

"There's a lot of issues back there, from assignment to tackling to pass defense, and we're gonna look at all of 'em," Schwartz said Monday at his weekly news conference.

Both of the team's starting cornerbacks have been benched, with Anthony Henry taking a seat in the first half of Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh, replaced on the field by Phillip Buchanon, who missed the opener because of a neck injury and then was yanked in favor of Will James the next week in a loss to Minnesota.

Henry blew containment on Rashard Mendenhall's 7-yard touchdown run that gave the Steelers a 7-3 lead in the first quarter. He was later benched after a poor showing on four consecutive plays on Pittsburgh's touchdown drive to start the second quarter. Henry let Hines Ward run free in the end zone on second-and-5 from the Lions 25, then had two missed tackles -- first on a crucial third-down reception by Santonio Holmes and then on another run by Mendenhall. His day ended after he was easily blocked into the end zone by tight end Heath Miller on a Mendenhall touchdown run that was nullified by a penalty.

Buchanon, who declined an interview request Monday, entered the game on the ensuing play, with James shifting from right to left cornerback, while Henry headed to the sideline.

James, signed as a free agent in late July, struggled in coverage against the Steelers, though he did have a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown.

"We're gonna look at every possibility there," Schwartz said. "Because we need more production out of our secondary, with pass defense but also run defense. We've given up way too many long runs."

The safety position is another issue, with Louis Delmas still prone to rookie mistakes and inconsistent play next to him. Marquand Manuel was replaced as the starter in Week 4 by Ko Simpson, acquired in a preseason trade with Buffalo, but Simpson missed Sunday's game with a hamstring injury. And Manuel struggled against Pittsburgh.

Stafford to start?

Rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford was walking without a limp Monday after suffering a partially dislocated kneecap against the Bears in Week 4 that kept him out of Sunday's game against the Steelers.

"I don't want to categorically say if he's not 100 percent Wednesday (he won't play Sunday). I think the decision is how well he can move Sunday and the ability to do some work during the week and those things," Schwartz said about Stafford's availability for Sunday's game in Green Bay.

Roster moves

In addition to placing King on injured reserve, DT Mathias Askew was placed on practice squad injured reserve list. The team also released WR Logan Payne from the practice squad and signed WR Kole Heckendorf and DT Jervonte Jackson to the practice squad.

john.niyo@detnews.com Tim Twentyman contributed