When should Stafford become Detroit’s No. 1 model?
With Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco leading their teams to the playoffs as rookies, it’ll be tough for the 0-for-2008 Detroit Lions to justify not starting Matthew Stafford sometime in 2009. But when in 2009?
From Peter King of SI.com: “Matthew Stafford is on his way to winning the starting quarterback job in Detroit by Halloween, not by Thanksgiving.”
Let’s think about that. The only time anybody outside Detroit pays attention to the Lions is on Thanksgiving, when the Lions play their annual Turkey Day game. Would you really want to save Stafford’s first NFL start for the only day this moribund franchise has the nation’s attention? What if he, like, stinks?
Halloween, or thereabouts, sounds better. The Lions will play the almost-as-lousy Rams on Nov. 1 at Ford Field, and Detroit will be coming off a bye. But even that seems a tad slow for someone in whom $41.7 million (of which apparently only $17 million is guaranteed) has been invested. But when, then?
The Lions’ first six games: At New Orleans, Minnesota, Washington, at Chicago, Pittsburgh, at Green Bay. And then it’s late October and the bye is upon them. So maybe Nov. 1 should be targeted after all.
Loading ...Writing for Sporting News Today, Vinnie Iyer suggests Detroit should go with Daunte Culpepper in 2009 and save Stafford for 2010. That’s fine in theory — Iyer: “It might not be a risk worth taking with the franchise’s great hope” — but improbable in practice. Ryan and Flacco did it. Why can’t the guy drafted No. 1 overall?
Because, Iyer argues, the Lions don’t have an offensive line or a running game or a defense. (In sum, the Lions ain’t got much.) But there were questions about the Falcons across the board in 2008, and the rising tide that was Matty Ice lifted all boats.
A guess: This Matt will be starting before September’s out. (That Redskins game in Detroit on the 27th seems inviting.) And one more date to circle: Saturday, Aug. 15, 4 p.m., Ford Field. The Lions open the exhibition season against Matty Ice’s team. Nothing like the ol’ side-by-side comparison, I say.
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106 comments Add your comment
exNFLplayer
June 11th, 2009
8:14 am
JimC knows absolutely nothing about football talent. Take that to the bank.
Lady5918
June 11th, 2009
8:44 am
He will never play Pro football because he is not as good as he thinks he is and he is still a very immature boy. He needs to growm up.
Gandalf, the White! (!)
June 11th, 2009
10:27 am
Poor bastard! His career will last 3 years and he’ll never get to a playoff game…kinda like his career at GA!
wxwax
June 11th, 2009
11:59 am
Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of rookie NFL quarterbacks ruined by playing too early, behind rotten offensive lines. They get hit a lot, they lose confidence, get fearful… and they’re done. It’s very, very hard to salvage them after an experience like that.
I feel sorry for Stafford, who will be asked to do the impossible. And I feel sorry for the Lions, who have leadership that just doesn’t seem to get it.
This seems like a no-win deal for Stafford. I sure hope I’m wrong.
Mcever
June 11th, 2009
7:03 pm
You know… I was never impressed with Stafford in college. He certainly isn’t going to be a Manning, and from what I saw of him, he isn’t all that accurate. He throws wildly, with double-digit Ints all 3 years, and he often throws too deep, IE the UT game that caused them to be dangerously close with 2 ints to UT off horrible passes. He might look good on paper, but in action, he seems to choke.
JimC
June 12th, 2009
10:08 am
Stafford is not an NFL QB. Period. I predict that Detroit will try to trade him after the 2009 season ends. Really, he wasn’t that great in college, and he just doesn’t have the talent to play in the NFL. Take that to the bank.