The Anointing of Matthew Stafford: Detroit’s Quarterback Is Here to Stay

In one game—in one instant, really—Matthew Stafford won over the hearts of Detroit.

In possibly the most insane game I have ever witnessed as a Lions fan, the Detroit Lions found their quarterback. 

This is huge.

You might now be writing me off as a delusional Lions fan raving about a meaningless game between 1-8 teams, but I assure you, I am anything but.

I long ago severed any emotional attachment to the Lions, watching now only as an observer, indifferent to the flood of losses. Indifferent even to the victory over Washington earlier this season that broke the 19-game losing streak.

How do I know something magical happened last Sunday? Because I felt something. I felt excitement and outright stupid joy when, with zero seconds left on the clock, Matthew Stafford, who I was sure had a separated shoulder, fought off team doctors, trudged back out onto the field, and delivered the game-winning touchdown to complete the greatest comeback in Lions history.

I have seen just one quarterback ever do something like that before, and his name is Brett Favre.

This kid has heart, and lots of it.

This one magical play was so important because up until this game, Matthew Stafford was just another Joey Harrington to many Lions fans. A high-priced draft pick that had accomplished nothing but turning the ball over and not finding his star receiver.

Joey Harrington he is not. Did Harrington ever lead a fourth-quarter comeback? Would Harrington fight off team trainers and throw a clutch-as-they-come touchdown pass in writhing pain?

Stafford embodied the spirit of Detroit in that one play. Hard work, never say die attitude, and playing through pain. That’s what you have to do to win over Detroiters.

Steve Yzerman did it. Barry Sanders did it. Joe Dumars did it.

Add Matthew Stafford to the list. If this is what this kid is made of, he’s going to be loved in Detroit for a long time.

Yes, it was against the worst team in the NFL. Yes, it was in a meaningless game. Every legend has to start somewhere, though, and Stafford just wrote the first chapter in what will potentially be a long NFL career.

Joey Harrington never had this moment. Neither did Charlie Batch or Jon Kitna. In fact, no Lions Quarterback really had this moment since Bobby Layne in the ’50s. 

Truth be told, this was only the second time since 1957 that Detroit had come back after being down by ten or more points.

The second time since 1957.

It was more than ten points down, too. It started out as a cruelly typical game for the Lions. Here was not only the most offensively-challenged team in the NFL, but one of the three worst NFL offenses of all-time in the inept Cleveland Browns.

So of course Brady Quinn and the Browns jumped out to a 24-3 lead before the first quarter was even over. In the past, I would have turned off the television at that point. I kept watching, though, because my emotionally-detached self wanted to see Cleveland run up the score even further, for my amusement.

Apparently I wasn’t alone, because in a surreal moment of the bizarre, the denizens of Ford Field began cheering on the Cleveland Browns.

It may have been the mutiny of the crowd that flickered the light bulb inside the minds of the Detroit Lions, but things began to change from there.

The Lions offense was suddenly unstoppable. They were the offense that Matt Millen must have envisioned when he drafted Joey Harrington and gave him a gluttony of talented receivers to work with.

Here was Stafford hitting Kevin Smith for huge gains, and Calvin Johnson for huge gains, and Brandon Pettigrew for huge gains, so quick you wouldn’t believe it.

And before you could believe it, the score was tied at 24-24. You would think this would snap me out of my haze of indifference, but I kept watching merely to answer the question, how will the Lions screw up the game today?

And screw it up they nearly did.

Up by four points in the fourth quarter, and backed up to his own one-yard line, a frantic Matthew Stafford threw the ball away in the end zone, but didn’t reach the line of scrimmage.

Intentional grounding in the end zone is a safety. I didn’t know that. Wow, I thought, they really do find new, creative ways to lose every week.

Now with the score at 31-29, Detroit would have to kick back to the Browns. Cleveland wouldn’t score at that point, but they got their agonizing, knife-in-your-heart drive with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

That it was former Lions tight end Michael Gaines that caught the lead-changing touchdown, made it all the more bitter.

Upon getting the ball back, Matthew Stafford, playing the part of Joey Harrington, Jon Kitna, Charlie Batch, and Scott Mitchell, promptly threw an interception when he tried to hit Calvin Johnson in triple coverage.

The game was essentially over at this point. The Lions had just two timeouts and Cleveland only had to kill just under three minutes of clock; a task we have seen Lions opponents ably perform for decades.

But the Lions felt like toying with our emotions this day, so they burned their timeouts to stop the clock, and the defense rose up and stopped Cleveland’s suddenly conservative offense. The Lions would get the ball back on their own 12-yard line with about a minute-and-a-half to go, and no timeouts.

Stafford then went to work, and I was sure as could be that there was no way he could lead Detroit on an 88-yard drive with less than two minutes remaining and no timeouts.

My suspicions seemed to be confirmed when Stafford repeatedly hit his receivers in the the middle of the field. Again and again, they couldn’t get out of bounds and Stafford had to rush to the line and spike the ball.

This, however, was what Cleveland was willing to give up. They took away the deep ball and they took away the sidelines.

Finally, we were down to eight seconds to go and Detroit was down to Cleveland’s 30-yard line. Enough time for two end zone shots, said the announcers. I agreed.

Stafford took the snap and immediately came under pressure. He scrambled out of the pocket and still couldn’t find anyone open! The clock ticked zero. Stafford now had to go for all or nothing. He spun out and heaved a desperation throw.

The pass had no chance. Defenders swarmed over Calvin Johnson, and Matthew Stafford was nailed hard right after releasing the pass.

He didn’t move.

Then the yellow flags were thrown. Pass interference. On a Hail Mary play? Seriously?

NFL rules state that a game cannot end on a defensive penalty, and so the Lions were awarded a final play with the clock at zero seconds.

Pass interference in the end zone, by rule, gave the Lions the ball at Cleveland’s one-yard line.

Hey, we’ll take it.

At this point, Dominic Raiola was trying to pull Stafford up and screaming at him that the officials had given Detroit another play. Stafford was escorted off the field by trainers, though, as it appeared he had injured his collarbone or shoulder, and out came Daunte Culpepper.

This was the worst possible scenario. We had Matthew Stafford, who up until this point had given Detroit the game of his life. He had thrown for over 400 yards and four touchdowns, which equaled up to this point, the greatest performance by a rookie quarterback in NFL history.

All of it would be for nought if a cold Daunte Culpepper came out and blew this play.

Then, like a gift from the heavens, Cleveland called a timeout. I’m sure Eric Mangini just wanted to get his defense focused for the play. He never could have envisioned Matthew Stafford fighting off four team doctors to painfully trudge back out onto the field.

It was here that Stafford took the snap and on pure adrenaline and probably with a separated shoulder, heaved the game-winning pass to Brandon Pettigrew. Pure agony followed, but I’m sure if Stafford could have forced a smile, he would have.

Beware the one-armed man.

Stafford will have more ups and downs from here, more highs and lows, but he now has the best performance by a rookie quarterback in NFL history: 400 yards and five touchdowns. No one can take that away from him.

He also now has the city and the team behind him, and I’m sure that’s more valuable than numbers.

The Lions are still very much a work in progress, but at least they have their quarterback. They don’t need to worry about that any longer. It’s a small step, but a giant leap at the same time.

Matthew Stafford is here to stay.

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The Detroit Lions Need To Go 3-13 In Order To Avoid Financial Disaster

It’s that time of year again. Yes, that magical time is upon us again when carols are sung and Lions-fans’ heads everywhere are filled with dreams of wins or just high draft picks.

I’m referring of course to the NFL’s mid-season point, or as it’s known in Detroit, Wishing Day.

It’s that day when you realize the Lions have absolutely no shot at making the playoffs and you officially start thinking about next season. 

Yes, the Lions are so bad, they make awful teams look good. This is not breaking news. If they continue on their current pace, they will finish 2-14 this season.

That will assuredly get this team a top-five draft pick. Great! Right?

High draft picks always come with high hopes and dreams. If you’re a Lions fan, you know that those dreams are often shattered at some point during the first two seasons of that player’s career.

But forget about that. There’s another danger that comes with having high draft picks, and that’s the high price-tag attached.

Calvin Johnson was taken No. 2 overall in 2007. He signed a six-year deal worth $64 million. In 2009, Matthew Stafford was taken No.1 overall. He signed a six-year deal worth $72 million.

That’s $136 million tied up in two players for those of you keeping track.

At the current rate of inflation, a top five pick in 2010 will cost anywhere from $75 million to $80 million. That means the Lions will have at least $211 million tied up in just three players.

That amounts to $35 million worth of payroll per season. The NFL salary cap is currently at $127 million, meaning that one-quarter of the entire payroll will be spent on three players.

If all three of those players end up being superstars, you might say its money well spent. But what if even just one of them busts?

When one-quarter of your payroll is locked up in three players, that doesn’t bode well for the rest of the team, particularly the defense, when at least two of those players are on offense.

And we wonder why Detroit always has scrubs playing in their secondary and defensive line.

So how to avoid this disaster from happening? Win.

Given that St. Louis, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, and Tennessee all currently have one or no wins, if Detroit wins at least three games, it should elevate the Lions above all of them, and more importantly, out of the top five picks.

It has nothing to do with progress, it has nothing to do with getting better as a team— because they aren’t—it has everything to do with avoiding financial disaster.

Should the Lions manage to go 2-14, or worse, 1-15, which is entirely possible (it is the Lions after all), Detroit will have no option but to either trade down in the draft or trade the pick for another player.

Trading down would be the smarter move.

In fact, Detroit should consider trading down even if they are picking eighth or ninth. Which would be beneficial since, they carry less money, and thus less risk.

But for now, Lions fans, wish away, and keep looking forward towards draft day 2010 where hope springs eternal. Just be careful what you wish for, for it may come true, and with it another terrible decade. 

 

 

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The Undisputed Worst Team in the NFL Is…Your Detroit Lions

We’re going to call this a blessing in disguise.

I’m referring of course to the fact that Sunday’s comical impersonation of an NFL game between the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams, which was blacked out locally.

It was a joke. In one corner we had a team that had lost 17 consecutive games, coming dangerously close to surpassing the Lions recent 19-game disgrace.

In the other corner, we had a team that had lost 28 of their last 30 games, one of the longest streaks of futility in NFL history.

This was quite possibly the most pathetic matchup the NFL had ever witnessed. Yes, thank God we didn’t have to see it.

So without seeing the game, and knowing only that a banged up, obviously not healthy Matthew Stafford started his first game in three weeks, and that the Lions biggest offensive weapon in Charles Johnson was again absent, what did we learn?

The Detroit Lions are again (or should I say still), unquestionably, the worst team in the NFL. How can they not be?

They wouldn’t be anything more than awful had they won, and they don’t really move any further down in the pecking order by losing, but this does begin the train-wreck. From here on out, the ugliness gets worse.

In fact I’ll predict right here and now that the Lions aren’t going to win another game this season.

Losing to the lowly Rams is a complete confidence killer. Goodbye confidence in Jim Schwartz, goodbye Matthew Stafford’s confidence.

The team is already starting to turn on the fans, and we haven’t even reached the halfway point. As fans taunted Stafford’s horrible performance, center Dominic Raiola lashed out at the fans. This just weeks after he personally thanked them after the Lions lone win over Washington.

The self destruction begins.

It was an idiotic move marching an obviously hobbling Matthew Stafford out there in a meaningless game like this. In doing so, Detroit only set their expensive young star back.

There is an ideal situation to use Stafford. This team cannot offer it, but the best they can offer is a healthy Stafford with all of his weapons to utilize.

No Calvin Johnson? It should have been No Stafford as well. This was a Daunte Culpepper situation.

That is by no means saying Culpepper is a better quarterback, quite the opposite. He’s the more expendable quarterback. He’s the least valuable commodity on this team.

There is nothing but more failure in this team’s future. When Detroit inevitably gets a top 3 pick again this year, they should refuse it. This team cannot afford to pay another $50M for a rookie player that they probably will not develop properly. $100M tied up in two players? That is lunacy.

The NFL of course was never built to assume such a situation would ever happen, but happen it will. Leave it to the Detroit Lions.

Will Schwartz last beyond one season? Will 1-15 suffice as improvement? I suppose we’ll find out. Fire him or keep him though, it doesn’t matter. It’s been a revolving door of coaches since 2000, and the result remains the same.

The Lions best course of action would be to fold, and restart as an expansion team. They would get their pick of an unprotected player from each NFL team, and the first overall draft pick…again.

Presumably this would be under new ownership.

What new laugh-fests await? The Cleveland Browns visit in three weeks. How will Detroit lose that one? That is the only intrigue for this team—what new creative ways can they lose?

There is no player development. There is no improvement.

Perhaps Matt Millen’s wife was correct in her final assessment of this team to the media.

Welcome to football hell.

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Detroit Lions: Will These Furry Cats Finally Catch Their Prey On Sunday?

Jim Schwartz said he didn’t have anything to feel good about as his 1-5 Lions headed into the bye week. I can’t say I disagree much. 

Although the Lions have made some semblance of stride in transforming from the playful furry cats to…I don’t know, farm cats that aren’t very good at catching mice, they still have a long long way to go.

Now, you can point to a couple things that might give us reason to think that Detroit isn’t as bad as their 1-5 record.

Matthew Stafford has missed the last two games with a knee injury. The speculation about how serious it is varies wildly. I’ll say this much; without Stafford, Detroit is just as bad as they were last year. Yes, that means they probably won’t win another game without him.

However, all signs currently point to the rookie phenom returning next Sunday against St. Louis.

Secondly, Calvin Johnson has been injured to some degree for most of the season. He missed half of the Steelers game and all of the Green Bay game.

Seeing as Megatron is the Barry Sanders of this year’s Lions, they don’t stand much chance of winning without him.

Fortunately, Johnson is also slated to return next Sunday.

If these two players were healthy and playing, there is no way the Lions get shutout against Green Bay. In fact, they might have even won considering that Green Bay was obviously off their game. That’s sad, being that they still blew the Lions out 26-0.

Again, if Detroit had Johnson and Stafford for the entirety of the Pittsburgh game, that’s another game that Detroit wins believe it or not. They were close the entire game even without their two star players.

So with the cutesy St. Louis Rams coming to town next week coinciding with the return of the hope of the Lions’ offense, it by all means should amount to a victory for Detroit.

It’s puzzling to think about, but the Lions, even at 1-5 are not the worst team in the NFL. In fact, there are easily five worse teams. Three of them are winless—Tampa Bay, Tennessee, and St. Louis. The other two are the 1-6 Cleveland Browns who have forgotten what a touchdown is, and the 1-6 Kansas City Chiefs.

Yes, if the season was over today, for all of the Lions misfortune, they would still only be picking sixth in the draft. How’s that for bad luck?

Might as well make the best of it. Detroit must beat the Rams because St. Louis simply doesn’t do anything right.

They look the Lions did last year. They have one credible NFL talent in running back Stephen Jackson, and the rest of their team looks like they’re kids on a scavenger hunt looking for footballs.

They have lost 17 games in a row dating back to last season. Yes, that means they are very close to topping Detroit’s 19-game streak of futility.

Detroit can move them one step closer, and they should. Make some other team feel the pain we have felt for the past two seasons. Let it all out against these jokers.

Because as bad as Detroit is, they have an offense that can score points. St. Louis certainly does not.

Yes, we are accustomed to seeing our Lions blow games they theoretically should have a chance in. We have also seen our Lions be extremely competitive in games that they should have no chance in.

So next Sunday, when two completely garbage teams meet, and no one that isn’t bored to tears will be paying any attention whatsoever, the Lions should take advantage and take another pounce towards that big ball of yarn in the distance, that golden saucer of milk.

There’s a big, slow, stupid rat that’s sitting there taunting them, and it is the St. Louis Rams. Pounce now or remain hungry for another year.

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Detroit Lions: Will These Furry Cats Finally Catch Their Prey On Sunday?

Jim Schwartz said he didn’t have anything to feel good about as his 1-5 Lions headed into the bye week. I can’t say I disagree much. 

Although the Lions have made some semblance of stride in transforming from the playful furry cats to…I don’t know, farm cats that aren’t very good at catching mice, they still have a long long way to go.

Now, you can point to a couple things that might give us reason to think that Detroit isn’t as bad as their 1-5 record.

Matthew Stafford has missed the last two games with a knee injury. The speculation about how serious it is varies wildly. I’ll say this much; without Stafford, Detroit is just as bad as they were last year. Yes, that means they probably won’t win another game without him.

However, all signs currently point to the rookie phenom returning next Sunday against St. Louis.

Secondly, Calvin Johnson has been injured to some degree for most of the season. He missed half of the Steelers game and all of the Green Bay game.

Seeing as Megatron is the Barry Sanders of this year’s Lions, they don’t stand much chance of winning without him.

Fortunately, Johnson is also slated to return next Sunday.

If these two players were healthy and playing, there is no way the Lions get shutout against Green Bay. In fact, they might have even won considering that Green Bay was obviously off their game. That’s sad, being that they still blew the Lions out 26-0.

Again, if Detroit had Johnson and Stafford for the entirety of the Pittsburgh game, that’s another game that Detroit wins believe it or not. They were close the entire game even without their two star players.

So with the cutesy St. Louis Rams coming to town next week coinciding with the return of the hope of the Lions’ offense, it by all means should amount to a victory for Detroit.

It’s puzzling to think about, but the Lions, even at 1-5 are not the worst team in the NFL. In fact, there are easily five worse teams. Three of them are winless—Tampa Bay, Tennessee, and St. Louis. The other two are the 1-6 Cleveland Browns who have forgotten what a touchdown is, and the 1-6 Kansas City Chiefs.

Yes, if the season was over today, for all of the Lions misfortune, they would still only be picking sixth in the draft. How’s that for bad luck?

Might as well make the best of it. Detroit must beat the Rams because St. Louis simply doesn’t do anything right.

They look the Lions did last year. They have one credible NFL talent in running back Stephen Jackson, and the rest of their team looks like they’re kids on a scavenger hunt looking for footballs.

They have lost 17 games in a row dating back to last season. Yes, that means they are very close to topping Detroit’s 19-game streak of futility.

Detroit can move them one step closer, and they should. Make some other team feel the pain we have felt for the past two seasons. Let it all out against these jokers.

Because as bad as Detroit is, they have an offense that can score points. St. Louis certainly does not.

Yes, we are accustomed to seeing our Lions blow games they theoretically should have a chance in. We have also seen our Lions be extremely competitive in games that they should have no chance in.

So next Sunday, when two completely garbage teams meet, and no one that isn’t bored to tears will be paying any attention whatsoever, the Lions should take advantage and take another pounce towards that big ball of yarn in the distance, that golden saucer of milk.

There’s a big, slow, stupid rat that’s sitting there taunting them, and it is the St. Louis Rams. Pounce now or remain hungry for another year.

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Detroit Lions: Will These Furry Cats Finally Catch Their Prey On Sunday?

Jim Schwartz said he didn’t have anything to feel good about as his 1-5 Lions headed into the bye week. I can’t say I disagree much. 

Although the Lions have made some semblance of stride in transforming from the playful furry cats to…I don’t know, farm cats that aren’t very good at catching mice, they still have a long long way to go.

Now, you can point to a couple things that might give us reason to think that Detroit isn’t as bad as their 1-5 record.

Matthew Stafford has missed the last two games with a knee injury. The speculation about how serious it is varies wildly. I’ll say this much; without Stafford, Detroit is just as bad as they were last year. Yes, that means they probably won’t win another game without him.

However, all signs currently point to the rookie phenom returning next Sunday against St. Louis.

Secondly, Calvin Johnson has been injured to some degree for most of the season. He missed half of the Steelers game and all of the Green Bay game.

Seeing as Megatron is the Barry Sanders of this year’s Lions, they don’t stand much chance of winning without him.

Fortunately, Johnson is also slated to return next Sunday.

If these two players were healthy and playing, there is no way the Lions get shutout against Green Bay. In fact, they might have even won considering that Green Bay was obviously off their game. That’s sad, being that they still blew the Lions out 26-0.

Again, if Detroit had Johnson and Stafford for the entirety of the Pittsburgh game, that’s another game that Detroit wins believe it or not. They were close the entire game even without their two star players.

So with the cutesy St. Louis Rams coming to town next week coinciding with the return of the hope of the Lions’ offense, it by all means should amount to a victory for Detroit.

It’s puzzling to think about, but the Lions, even at 1-5 are not the worst team in the NFL. In fact, there are easily five worse teams. Three of them are winless—Tampa Bay, Tennessee, and St. Louis. The other two are the 1-6 Cleveland Browns who have forgotten what a touchdown is, and the 1-6 Kansas City Chiefs.

Yes, if the season was over today, for all of the Lions misfortune, they would still only be picking sixth in the draft. How’s that for bad luck?

Might as well make the best of it. Detroit must beat the Rams because St. Louis simply doesn’t do anything right.

They look the Lions did last year. They have one credible NFL talent in running back Stephen Jackson, and the rest of their team looks like they’re kids on a scavenger hunt looking for footballs.

They have lost 17 games in a row dating back to last season. Yes, that means they are very close to topping Detroit’s 19-game streak of futility.

Detroit can move them one step closer, and they should. Make some other team feel the pain we have felt for the past two seasons. Let it all out against these jokers.

Because as bad as Detroit is, they have an offense that can score points. St. Louis certainly does not.

Yes, we are accustomed to seeing our Lions blow games they theoretically should have a chance in. We have also seen our Lions be extremely competitive in games that they should have no chance in.

So next Sunday, when two completely garbage teams meet, and no one that isn’t bored to tears will be paying any attention whatsoever, the Lions should take advantage and take another pounce towards that big ball of yarn in the distance, that golden saucer of milk.

There’s a big, slow, stupid rat that’s sitting there taunting them, and it is the St. Louis Rams. Pounce now or remain hungry for another year.

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Detroit Lions Have Record Losing Streak In Their Sights

Man this is getting repetitive isn’t it? After writing about Lions losses for 16 games last year, I thought it couldn’t get any worse.

Sure, they could keep losing, but there would be no intrigue left. The nation watched last season as the Lions stumbled to the NFL’s first and only 0-16 record.

Now they continue to lose, but no one cares anymore. They already accomplished the most dubious feat in the NFL, what more can they do to prove how bad they are?

Allow me to explain.

You may have heard of the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers—the expansion team that went 0-14 and up until last season, held the title of worst team in NFL history.

I’m here to say, they still hold that title…for now. In 1977, fresh off an 0-14 season, Tampa Bay lost their first 12 games before finishing 2-12. That means they lost 26 games in a row, the longest losing streak in NFL history.

Well guess what? Detroit has lost 19 games in a row.

They are seven losses away from tying that record. Anyone think it won’t happen? Can anyone really say for sure that the Lions will win a game this season?

I can say I think they’ll win at some point this year, but you should probably ignore my thoughts. They are the psychotic ponderings of a delusional Lions fan.

The Lions can’t pass, and can’t run either. Schwartz is afraid to let Stafford air it out, because of the risk of turnovers. He’s still thrown five interceptions in his first two starts.

The Lions have one legitimate receiver. One. The rest may have been solid options elsewhere with an experienced quarterback throwing to them, but not here.

Stafford is a rookie with a big arm, but he makes very poor decisions and his accuracy is awful at this point. He may challenge Peyton Manning’s record for interceptions by a rookie quarterback.

Teams will stack the box on Kevin Smith. The Vikings did. Smith performed as admirably as possible, running hard all game, but it still wasn’t enough.

The entire secondary from 2008 was cut or traded, and new players filled in. Yet, Detroit still likely has the worst secondary in the NFL. You can’t go from horrible to pro-bowl talent in one offseason.

That the Lions led against Minnesota 10-0 at one point is nothing short of a miracle, but in the second half the stars dis-aligned, the Vikings cruised, and all was right with the world again.

I don’t need to write stats, I don’t need to say which Lions played well and which ones played like pylons. All you really need to know is the Lions lost. Again.

Cut and paste, rinse and repeat. It’s like Detroit is in the fifth circle of hell and this is their ironic punishment for all eternity.

0-19? Hah! Just you wait, the Lions will show you.

They’re going to be the best damn worst team they can be.

 

 

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Matthew Stafford Will Get Worse before He Gets Better

That was pretty bad wasn’t it?

Two rookie quarterbacks debuted on Sunday. The Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford, and the New York Jets’ Mark Sanchez. While Sanchez was adequate, Stafford was borderline bad.

Yet, Stafford almost certainly has the higher upside. He may not have shown it against the New Orleans Saints, though.

On Sunday, Detroit’s shiny new quarterback completed a God-awful 43.2 percent of his passes for 205 yards and three interceptions. He targeted star receiver Calvin Johnson 14 times during the game, but only completed three of those passes to him.

The fact is, Stafford has plenty of offensive talent around him, but it’s going to take some time for him to figure out how to use it.

Prized rookie tight end, Brandon Pettigrew didn’t have a catch all game, and only two wide receivers caught a pass. Dennis Northcutt and Derrick Williams couldn’t be found.

There are things to like about him now, such as his big arm that can reach all over the field, and his aggressiveness. However, those could also be weaknesses at the present time, when you factor in that Stafford’s brain hasn’t quite caught up to his arm yet.

Things will click eventually, but don’t count on it happening next week, or the week after that, or for the three weeks after that even.

Stafford and the Lions’ next five games are against Minnesota, Washington, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Green Bay. All five of those teams have quality defenses.

The kid is going to have some very bad games. The Saint’s secondary isn’t exactly top tier in the NFL and he threw three picks to them, what will happen in the weeks to come?

Still, Detroit’s front office absolutely must stick with Stafford. They made the decision to start him in week one and pulling him after a possible 0-5 start would only set him back further.

We can take solace in the coaching staff, which I think is finally the right mesh to get this team turned around. I hope I can still say that by the end of this season.

The Lions must take their lumps and think of the future. That’s the only blessing that comes with going 0-16 during the previous season. There are no expectations for this year other than the expectations of the fans to see the Lions develop a quarterback.

So brace yourselves for more humiliation, it’s coming right around the bend. Keep in mind, though, that good times should be coming in the future.

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Why The Detroit Lions Must Sit Matthew Stafford

As the media keeps churning out fluff pieces about how great Matthew Stafford is, and how he is the saviour of the Detroit Lions, I continue to shake my head.

Just a couple months ago, Daunte Culpepper was entrenched as the starter of the Detroit Lions. Stafford? A mere challenger, who had only a slim chance of winning the job out of training camp.

Now? The Detroit media reports it as a battle for the the quarterback position, like they really mean it. Stafford is emphasized as the favorite. The flashy new quarterback who should beat out Culpepper by week three at the latest and lead Detroit back from the depths of 0-16.

Why the sudden change? Today, just as three months ago, Stafford still hasn’t thrown a single down in the NFL.

Sure, we hear from Stafford’s old high school coach, his college running back, the Lions head coach even, that Matthew Stafford is ahead of the curve, that he has maybe the best arm they’ve ever seen.

I’ll believe it, but so what? Ryan Leaf had a great arm too. So did Tim Couch.

This article isn’t about citing past #1 draft pick quarterbacks who have failed though. It’s about how Stafford is likely destined to fail if he starts this season, period.

Stafford will inevitably be compared to last year’s rookie crop of quarterbacks, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco if he starts this season. That’s unfair right off the bat. Ryan and Flacco were college seniors when they entered the draft. They were as close to finished products as you can get.

Matthew Stafford entered the draft as a junior. That’s strike one.

You might not think it’s a big deal, but senior quarterbacks have a much higher percentage chance of success than juniors. Don’t believe me? Here’s a list of junior quarterbacks who have recently entered the NFL.

JaMarcus Russell, Vince Young, Alex Smith, Ben Roethlisberger, Rex Grossman, Michael Vick, Tim Couch, Ryan Leaf.

You can look at that list and pick out Roethlisberger and Vick as the only two junior quarterbacks in the last 11 years to have really made it. Meanwhile two of the bigger quarterback busts of the last decade are present.

Seniors have more maturity and more experience. Don’t discount it.

Now, lets take a look at what Detroit has given Stafford to help him succeed.

For the last five years at least, Detroit has had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. There’s no nice way to say it. Detroit’s line was a sieve.

They didn’t do much to address this in the offseason. They did bring in veteran tackle, Jon Jansen which should be of some help, but this is still more or less the same line that allowed multiple injured quarterbacks last season.

Let’s review. Jon Kitna, Dan Orlovsky, Drew Stanton, Daunte Culpepper, Drew Henson. All five of those quarterbacks lined up under center for Detroit last season. Four of them suffered injuries at some point.

Atlanta had one of the best ground games in the NFL last season with Michael Turner and Norwood. Baltimore perennially has one of the NFL’s best defenses.

Detroit has neither.

Kevin Smith looks like a solid back, but can he be a guy who forces defenses to focus on the rushing attack and takes pressure off the quarterback? I don’t know.

The defense has been revamped big time, but it’s still a question mark. Some have compared Detroit’s defense to that of an expansion team, taking other teams leftovers. It’s a pessimistic assessment, but not too far off from the truth.

What Detroit has given Stafford, is one of the top three receivers in the game in Calvin Johnson. That shouldn’t be underestimated. A great receiver can be a young quarterback’s best friend.

Will it be enough though?

Then there is the pressure.

Detroit fans are notorious for their huge expectations surrounding the next quarterback of the Detroit Lions. There is that old adage that the most popular man in Detroit is the backup quarterback of the Lions.

Then, if the next quarterback fails, they will never hear the end of it, even after they leave. Just look at Joey “Blue Skies” Harrington.

Sitting your star quarterback is never a popular option, but it should dramatically increase Stafford’s chances of success.

Carson Palmer sat for a year behind Jon Kitna in Cinncinati. Although injuries have derailed Palmer’s career, his year on the bench helped prepare him for great success in leading Cinncinati back to the playoffs.

Phillip Rivers is another quarterback who sat on the bench behind Drew Brees. Rivers success isn’t questioned now. He is a solid starting quarterback in the NFL.

Aaron Rodgers spent multiple years on the bench behind Brett Farve. He ended up being a solid starting quarterback because of it.

Brady Quinn sat on the bench for a year behind Derek Anderson. We won’t know for sure how much that helped him until we see him play this season, but it can’t hurt.

You might say Detroit doesn’t have the luxury of having an entrenched starter who can keep Stafford on the bench. You might be right.

For the time being, if Culpepper falters or gets injured, all Detroit would have to turn to is Drew Stanton or Matthew Stafford.

Detroit isn’t going to start Stanton over Stafford. That will never happen.

So if Detroit is serious about developing Stafford properly, they are going to want a veteran quarterback behind Culpepper. That probably means cutting Stanton loose.

There’s quite a few options out there. This only needs to be a one-year stopgap after all.

I just hope Detroit does the right thing. There’s no reason to throw Stafford to the wolves this early. That’s what veterans are for. They’ve been in these situations, they’ve seen it all.

I’ve seen Detroit ruin too many promising quarterbacks. From Joey Harrington, to Charlie Batch, to Andre Ware.

Let’s just hope they take the slow route in developing Stafford. There’s going to be improvement this year either way.

Likewise, no matter who starts, this is not a playoff team. So why risk it?

Develop the young quarterback on the bench this year, give him the starting reigns next year and his chance for success improves greatly.

Previewing the Detroit Lions’ 2009 Season: A Positional Report Card

The Detroit Lions are a team with nowhere to go but up after turning in the NFL’s first ever 0-16 season in 2008.

They’ve made big changes to the roster in an effort to better their fortunes. There is nearly 40 percent turnover from last season, which virtually never happens in the NFL.

New coach, Jim Schwartz comes in with an impressive resume as a coordinator and a fresh slate. Here is what he will have to work with this season.

 

Quarterbacks

Daunte Culpepper is practically penned in as the starting quarterback. He was utterly ineffective last season.

Coming out of retirement more than halfway through the season and immediately being thrust into the starting position, Culpepper completed barely half of his passes, and had just four touchdowns and six interceptions with five fumbles in five games.

Things should be different this year, as Culpepper has slimmed down, gained speed, and learned the playbook. He’ll also have his old offensive coordinator from Minnesota, Scott Linehan coaching him.

Matthew Stafford is the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and has a laser arm on him. He is somewhat mistake prone however, and will need time to develop and learn an NFL playbook. Expect the Lions to keep him on the bench for as long as possible.

Drew Stanton at this point seems to just be taking up a roster spot. It’s no secret that the Lions would prefer a veteran quarterback behind Culpepper so they aren’t forced to start Stafford or Stanton if Culpepper falters.

Grade: C-

 

Running Backs

Kevin Smith had a decent rookie season considering the offensive line he had to deal with. Barry Sanders he is not. Smith had 976 yards, just falling short of a 1000 yard season, with eight touchdowns.

He shows a lot of promise and if he can get any resemblance of blocking this season, he could easily hit 1,200 yards in his sophomore year.

Maurice Morris was brought in from Seattle to back up Smith. As a backup to Julius Jones, Morris rushed for 574 yards last season. He should be a solid compliment to Smith.

The Lions signed former Florida State Antoine Smith as a free agent draft pick. He had the fastest 40 times at the combine, running it at an unreal 4.2 seconds. If the Lions can make something of Smith, they will have a steal on their hands.

Grade: B-

 

Wide Receivers

Calvin Johnson is primed to become one of the top three receivers in the NFL. With five different quarterbacks throwing to him at different points last season, Johnson was amazingly still able to put up a 1,300 yards season with 12 touchdowns.

With consistency at the quarterback position, Johnson could approach 100 receptions, 1,500 yards, and 15 touchdowns, numbers that could get him MVP mentions depending on the Lions record.

Bryant Johnson comes in from San Francisco and will play opposite Johnson. Never really living up to his status as a first-round pick, Johnson turned in a 546-yard season with three touchdowns in 2008. 

Dennis Northcutt was acquired this week for safety Gerald Alexander. Presumably, Northcutt will hold the slot receiving position. In 2008, he racked up 545 receiving yards with two touchdowns.

The fourth and fifth spots could be held by some combination of Adam Jennings, Ronald Curry, Keary Colbert and rookie Derrick Williams.

Curry would appear to have an edge due to experience, and the Lions will also probably hold on to their draft pick, Williams because he will likely double as a return man. Expect Jennings and Colbert to be cut or signed to the practice squad, unless the Lions decide to carry six receivers. 

Brandon Pettigrew was the Lions second first-round pick in the draft and should finally give Detroit a playmaker at the tight end position which they’ve so desperately needed over the past few seasons.

Grade: B

 

Offensive Line

Jeff Backus will reprise his role at left tackle and his mediocre play can almost be a metaphor for the last decade of Lions football. He’s not horrible, but he’s not great either, but he’s the best they’ve got. 

Second year man, Gosder Cherilus will start at right tackle and has the most potential of anyone on the line. The Lions hope Cherilus can grow into a crushing run blocker.

Jon Jansen was brought in and could be moved to guard. It wouldn’t make sense to use him as a backup as the Lions have to maximize their talent here. Jansen is a solid veteran and was Backus’s teammate on the Michigan Wolverines. 

Dominic Raiola who was recently signed to a four-year contract extension will return as the starting center. Raiola is also decidedly mediocre, consistently ranked in the lower half of starting NFL centers.

Veterans Stephen Peterman and Damion Cook will likely battle it out with Jansen and Lions draft pick, Manuel Ramirez for the guard positions. Does it actually matter that much who wins? Not really.

Grade: C-

 

Defensive Line

The Lions traded away their two most talented pieces from this line in Shaun Rogers and Cory Redding over the last year.

Now, Dewayne White is the anchor of the line, and he is nearing the end of his prime. Last season, he turned in 6.5 sacks while forcing three fumbles, and grabbing one interception.

Veteran, Jared DeVries will likely start opposite of White. Devries had a poor 2008, gaining just two sacks and 23 tackles.

Look for Lions draft picks, Ikaika Alama-Francis and Cliff Avril to overtake DeVries if his production doesn’t rise. Avril showed a lot of promise in limited action, getting five sacks last season.

Longtime veteran, Grady Jackson comes in from Atlanta and should provide as a decent one-year stopgap at defensive tackle. He’s 36 years old but doesn’t make many mistakes and is a steady presence on the line.

Veteran Chuck Darby will likely hold down the other tackle position, and like Grady, doesn’t have a whole lot left in the tank but can hopefully provide solid run defense.
If not, look for Lion’s draft pick Andre Fluellen to get some starts.

Grade: C-

 

Linebackers

This is by far the strongest unit on the team, and maybe even one of the strongest units in the NFL.

In what was maybe the Lions best offseason move, Julian Peterson was brought in from Seattle and will step right into the strong-side linebacking position. Peterson notched 86 tackles with five sacks and four forced fumbles last season. Over the last three seasons, he has 24 sacks.

Larry Foote was signed to a one-year contract and will step into the middle linebacking position. Foote’s sacks and tackles have steadily declined over the past three years, but nonetheless he is a huge upgrade over Jordan Dizon and will bring valuable leadership to the defense.

Ernie Sims will hold down the weak-side. He has had over 100 tackles three years in a row for Detroit and has been of the best performers on the defense over that time span.

2009 draft pick, DeAndre Levy will likely get some time behind Peterson and Foote.

Grade: A-

 

Secondary

There has been big change in the secondary which was arguably the most maligned unit on the team last season.

Anthony Henry will start on the left side, covering the oppositions No. 1 receiver. The 33-year-old Henry who was acquired in a trade for Jon Kitna, has nine interceptions over the past three seasons and 39 deflected passes.

Phillip Buchanon will start on the right side. Buchanon is another lockdown corner with exceptional quickness. Last season he had two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Former Titan, Eric Smith, and Kevin Smith will likely hold the third and fourth cornerback positions.

At free safety, Alexander was traded for Northcutt meaning the job should now belong to 2009 draft pick, Louis Delmas.

Delmas looks to have arguably the most potential of the Lions draft picks and has earned high praise from the coaching staff for his ability to learn the playbook quickly. He has a reputation for being an extremely hard hitter.

Daniel Bullocks will start at strong safety. Although he had 94 tackles last season, that’s not necessarily a good thing, as Bullocks was frequently burned like the majority of the secondary. He doesn’t often miss tackles however, and can also be counted on for help in the run defense. 

Grade: B-

 

Special Teams

Jason Hanson, at age 39 is still among the best in the business when it comes to kickers. He had arguably his best year ever in 2008, going 21/22 in field goal attempts, including a perfect 8-8 from 50 or more yards, and 6-6 from 40-49 yards.

Nick Harris is coming off a mediocre year. A few seasons ago he was among the best punters in the NFL, but his average has steadily declined and he seems to be gradually losing power.

Grade: B

 

Overall, there is a lot of changeover on this team, notably in the receiving, linebacking and secondary corps. It should be enough for the Lions to turn in a respectable 8-8 season if everything comes together and injuries are avoided. However we’ve seen how fast things can go wrong in a hurry when it comes to the Lions. *knock on wood*

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