NO, MIN, CHI, WAS.

Stafford played better in each of those games than Culpepper has shown in his game and a half. Stafford was therefore a positive difference in all 4 of the games he played.

…he’s made a difference in every game thus far that he’s played in. It isn’t one player that wins a game, but Stafford is the leader of this team ALREADY….Culpepper doesn’t command like he does, for some reason. We put points on the board with Stafford….not Culpepper. We keep the ball of the field with Stafford…not Culpepper. The defense can rest more with Stafford out there….not Culpepper.

No one is saying we definitely would’ve won with Stafford in today, but I can damn well guarantee we would’ve been less embarrassing to watch. Matter of fact, I guarantee it. When Stafford comes back, so will our offense….and our defense will improve because of it. Will Stafford win every game for us? Of course not, but that’s not the point.

Obviously it’s harder to do without Calvin, but Culpepper just doesn’t seem to be able to move the ball consistently.

You were here complaining about Stafford when things weren’t going well in the first 3 weeks, then Stafford has two good games…your no where to be seen. Now, your back to defend Culpepper….I just don’t know about you fella.

It’s sorta a Manning/Leaf dynamic. There’s a perception that when a pair of QB’s is drafted in the 1st Round, one is a big success and the other is a complete bust.

True for:
Manning/Leaf
Aaron Rodgers/Alex Smith
Carson Palmer/Kyle Boller
Jay Cutler/Vince Young & Matt Leinert

Not true for:
David Carr/Joey Harrington
JaMarcus Russell/Brady Quinn
Eli Manning/Philip Rivers/Ben Roethelisberger
Matt Ryan/Joe Flacco

But the perception is there. Add in the New York media hype for the Dirty Sanchez, the early success of Sanchez and the Jets in the first couple games, and the know-nothing talk show hosts who like to make the 2008 0-16 Lions the butt of their jokes (get a calendar, it’s 2009…..2008 is soooo last year), and, as the overused saying goes, …it’s a perfect storm. All of that feeds the “same old Lions” talk. Manning is headed to the HoF, and Leaf flopped. Sanchez won early with a good Jets team, and Stafford started slowly with a team that was 0-16 last year. So then the assumption goes, Sanchez is Manning and Stafford is Leaf. It feeds into everything else the New York media and the late-night talk show hosts are saying. Nobody has to actually do their homework and analyze the changes that Mayhew and Schwartz have made….it’s easier just to laugh at us. The lazy man’s way out.

So yeah, I’m pissed at the media. The media is making Sanchez out to be the hero, and is poised to label Stafford as the buffoon. But we’re not going to play that game. We as Lions fans refuse to let people come here and laugh at us, refuse to let them call us the “same old Lions”. The same goes for the media. I enjoy watching Sanchez fail just as much as I enjoy watching Stafford succeed. It’s our way thumbing the media’s nose, our way of telling the media and everyone else that we are not the “same old Lions”, that Sanchez is overhyped, and that we’re not going to play the roles assigned to us by them. If Sanchez wants to be the hero, he’s got to go out there and play and earn it.

against Green Bay…

Stanton – 5/11, 57 yards, 5.2 ypa, 0td, 2int
Culpepper – 6/14, 48 yards, 3.4 ypa, 0td, 1int

So…Stanton’s ypa was slightly less horrible than Culpeppers, but Culpepper only threw one pick, not two.

If you just look at yesterday’s game, it’s an ugly contest with no clear winner at this point. At least Culpepper had a moderately decent game last week, for a backup playing against the Steelers (62% comp, 7.6 ypa, 1-1 td-int)