Time To Give Stafford The Ball

The biggest fear is that the line won't be prepared to protect this great investment and that a Brady-esque knee injury will sideline Stafford for 2009.

QBs tend to have more success if they get a couple years to sit first. Just ask Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers.

Especially with Ryan playing the way he did last year, the Lions are going to need to put Stafford out there ASAP. This team needs a leader, and starting Culpepper under center is just going to be more of the same and not give a spark the huddle.

Smith and Rodgers were in different situations than Stafford, and there is a question if Culpepper is even going to be around in a couple years. Stafford seems ready and willing to dive headfirst into Detroit - the team should oblige, if he earns his spot.

dan - actually, it can go both ways. Peyton didn't sit. A good argument can be made that Favre declined prior to getting on the field. McNabb didn't sit. And unlike the situation for Rodgers, what would Stafford actually have to gain by backing up a sub-par QB?

See, this is the quandry and the reason I didn't like the idea of them taking Stafford to begin with. He's not taking over an established offense, there's really no one for him to learn behind, the line is sketchy at best.

Having taken him, Matt is probably right that they'd be better off playing him now rather than waiting. Personally, I don't think it's gonna work but that's their best option at this point.

Alex Smith? Someone tell me what kind of success--if any--he has had?

Lions need to go with Stafford just to have a chance to compete

Might as well use your investment in Stafford... No point sitting millions on the bench and protecting him when Culpepper is throwing picks on the field...

I have never hidden my unyielding love for Matthew Stafford . I think he is going to be elite . That being said it really comes down to whether the O line can give him adequate time . The Lions aren't going to the playoffs this year . The risk is Stafford getting pummeled or injured . The reward is him gaining that valuable NFL experience . I say why not split the difference . Start him the second half of the season . So much money has been invested in him . Is it really wise to risk all that money when the franchise probably won't even be competitive next year .

Also, not to sound cynical but Stafford does have a huge variable in his favor: It can't get any worse. No matter what he does or how things bounce, if he scrapes together one win they are already in the green as far as progress. Period.

"Might as well use your investment in Stafford… No point sitting millions on the bench and protecting him when Culpepper is throwing picks on the field…"

That too.

Aikman was thrown to the wolves right away. Who knows if his career was shortened by the beating he took that first year.

Good article, and good point Paul P.

Unlike in any other NFL franchise.. there is no pressure on Stafford- because there is no expectation in Detroit that things will get better overnight.

Like Paul P. says, if they get one win, they are better than last year.

So it's not throwing him to the wolves, because he will not be under the pressure of answering to big expectations or upholding a proud tradition..

Makes no sense to have a transition period. Just put him in there and go. The sooner he gets through the trial by fire, the sooner Detroit can start building to his strengths.

The Stafford pick wasn't too popular in Detroit. With that said, if Stafford starts the season under center, those same anti-Stafford-ites will be all over his mistakes from the start. However, if the Lions start the season with Daunte, by mid-season those anti-Stafford-ites will be ready for the Stafford era to begin. The season will already be lost, and Lions fan will be a little more lenient relieving a little pressure from Stafford. An ideal situation for a rookie QB to start his career.

Look at Ryan in Atlanta. The fans in ATL were starving for something new at the QB position. Ryan entered with little pressure his rookie season, allowing him to progress at his own speed.

patspsycho-

You must not know Lions fans very well. There is pressure on Stafford. The pressure is to prove himself worthy of #1 pick. Those are big expectations. Even though the Lions don't win very often, Lions fan expects the team to win. Besides you don't think there is pressure on Stafford to be the savior of a city? Trust me, starting Stafford at the beginning of the season is throwing him to the wolves.