Lions Name Matthew Stafford Starting Quarterback

…….This team isnt going to make the playoffs and he needs to gain expierience……he cant do that sitting on the bench and only playing 8 games this year……The main reason I feel most comfortable about it is the fact that the o line has played much much better……Thats what matters most……and lets not forget hes got more talent then Daunte…..thats the main reason he is starting guys.

Staff playing, and if he gets in trouble DC taking over when his toe “heals”.

But I do believe this is the right move, though i am weary of the results at first. Excited to see him with the entire 1st string O.

i saw this on sportscenter and i was like man poor culpepper but oh well we need to win now and stafford has shown more talent.

lets just see what he can do

GO LIONSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The coaches say he is the man, so now I must support that decision. I am officially behind Matt Stafford as the starter, even if I do not agree with the move. I am a true fan, and I hope that he does great this season and for many seasons to come. I am disappointed that we will get nothing out of the Daunte Culpepper investment, but that is just the way it goes. All I can say is let’s go kid….you have to be a man now. GO LIONS!!

Acknowledging Schwartz has all the info and experience to make this call and, like other pundits on this board, just voice my opinion.

We don’t have the O Line to protect him. I doubt he makes it through the season. I fear a DE rushing past Suck-ass and killing him. We will see CPep at some point this year – almost guaranteed. But, he will gain valuable experience – hopefully positive experience. As always……………GO LIONS!!

Is Culppeper the 2nd biggest decoy in history?

Did they string along DC, so Stafford had to “earn” the starting job? Giving Stafford faux competition so being the #1 pick wouldnt go to his head?

sorry, im at work on a holiday and i’m bored.

I support the decision, but I think waiting until after the bye week would’ve been the best move

… Sorry, The Saints, on the road no less. Welcome to the N.F.L. ! O.K. sports fans, talk about offense come Sunday. That scoreboard in The Big Easy is going to blow a fuse. Let the future begin !

…..will be released by the start of this game…..We would save 3 milion on the cap by realesing him……I dont know who wed bring in but we would sign someone out there…..Maybe trade for Tavaris

……The Saints Defense isnt very good at all……Its a good opponent to for Staff to face week 1

……You gotta say GO STAFFORD!!!!!!

Last year from week 1……He and Staff are very similar…..I say Go Staff!!!!

If you guys are like me you are searching for that little something that leads you to believe that it was either the right or the wrong call by Schwartz. In the end though, we all have to admit that we have to trust the coaching staff because they have been around DC and Staff since day 1 where we have just been reading reports.

One thing I do feel good about is how different Stafford is from Joey Harrington. Not only are they different, but the team is different. This years team should be able to have success running the ball, and protecting the QB wasn’t as huge an issue for this team last year as it was during the Kitna years.

In any case, I think that we will be pointing back to this decision for years to come, for better or worse, this might be one of the defining moments of the Schwartz legacy.

but wow. I’ve seen highlights of “shiny”, he looked pretty good when he wasn’t being sacked….

I didn’t think Culpepper played himself out of the top spot, at least to keep it warm.

I hope this doesn’t “David Carr” him tho….

1. My truck is dirty. Tavaris Jackson has great mobility and a strong arm. Maybe he CAN wash my car…….but I’d better lock the doors, so he doesn’t try to wash the inside.

2. GO STAFFORD! Ideally, I would have preferred that Culpepper start the first 5 games, even though he was outplayed (IMO) by both Stafford and Stanton (I thought all 3 QB’s played well to varying degrees, and each brought something different to the table). Let us showcase Pep; let us remove any lingering uncertainty about what Pep’s got; let Stafford get comfy in the weekly NFL routine for a few weeks; let Staff avoid the brutal early part of the schedule. But now that it’s done, I’m ok with it. I was against drafting Stafford, but he won me over. He could be very very good as early as Year 2. but to do that he needs to learn. Stafford strikes me as a resilient guy that learns by doing, and learns quickly from his mistakes and doesn’t repeat them. But for that to happen, he has to be in there and allowed to make those mistakes, and see firsthand the tricks veteran DB’s use against him. I support Stafford; the coaching staff supports Stafford; I hope the players support him as well. Which leads to……..

3. Culpepper will be gone by week 6. As gracious as he has been about this, I think even now Culpepper still thinks he can start somewhere….that hasn’t changed. More importantly, Pep has his supporters in the locker room. Remember the Harrington/Garcia locker room split? (or as some would say, FO/locker room split) If we don’t get rid of Culpepper before the trade deadline, there will be a QB controversy…..generated not from the media, but from the locker room. I agree though, this move tanks Pep’s trade value. Regardless, I’m certain he will be gone.

4. Backus scares me. I agree with KDawg about the formations. Sackus could blow up the whole plan. In the Singleback Big formation, you have 1 RB, 2 TE (Heller left, Pettigrew right), 2 WR. The TE’s can either……run routes, which doesnt let Heller help Backus with blocking…….leak out on delay routes for screens or dumpoffs, which MAY not allow for blocking help…….or stay in for max protect, which helps Backus with blocking, but only sends the 2 WR’s out on routes (if RB also stays in to pick up possible blitzers), and the defensive back 7 covers 2 guys if they’re not blitzing. What’s the technical term for 6 guys covering Calvin Johnson? Sextuple Coverage? (yeah, I know, realistically the threat of TE’s/RB leaking out on delay routes might freeze some of the linebackers) But no, we won’t see max coverage on a majority of pass plays, nor will we even see a majority of 2-TE sets period, even with Linehan’s predeliction for passing to TE’s, and the greater relative depth of the TE talent compared to the WR corps(e). So ultimately it still falls on Backus…..meaning we’re screwed. We’ve got to find an answer for this, this year, before Stafford gets decapitated.

I support my Lions and my QB. Go Stanton! (err, STAFFORD!)

so i never been that good at math but right now the poll is 74% yes 25% no

Mathew will have learning curves, but most important we need the line to protect him or else he could go from future franchise QB to Mathew STAFF-INFECTION.. Let’s hope he becomes a stud like everyone is rooting for.

 is also a dark horse possibility at LT, depending on how he does and where we draft. He’s 6-6, 312 with great agility like Okung. DE Dunlap’s an interesting case. Is he an unstoppable freak or not? He could go #1 overall, or he could go 15-25…….but probably not anywhere in between, as a LDE. It’s early……things are obviously very uncertain right now.

Ndamukuong Suh’s name means “House of Spears”.

I’m nervous now. Not necessarily about getting injured, because that can happen at anytime and no matter how good your protection is. I’m more nervous about the way we, as fans, may treat Stafford. Hopefully, things go well and we’ll follow him as we do CJ, but, if things start to go bad, and I expect them to at one point this season, I hope that we all don’t get carried away. For me, this first year isn’t all that crucial, it’s the next year and the next year after that. That’s when we’ll really see what we have in Stafford.

Oh, and, GO LIONS!!!!!

Take a seat, get comfortable. I hope you brought beer.

I wasn’t tracking things today, so you can imagine my surprise when I decided to pop in here for a second to see if we signed any other players.

I’ll state the obvious… I’m excited about the decision and I like Schwartz even more (which is getting pretty hard to like him any more than I already do) for making a ballsy decision in the face of potentially heavy scrutiny for playng the rook. I have to say that I felt pretty confident that this was the decision they were going to make, but Culpepper played pretty well, so you never know. I think it’s the right move for right now and for the future of the franchise.

I know many of you disagree, but I think Stafford is the better quarterback… yes, I think he’s better than Culpepper, right here and right now. Although many thought the Buffalo game was a bad outing for him, it was the opening drive that sealed that sentiment for me. In that drive, he became a better quarterback in my mind than Daunte… given the games Culpepper has put on tape over the past four years and in this year’s preseason, Matt’s ability and potential surpasses that. I’m not going to launch into a breakdown of each player and try to explain myself about that statement… I think I’ve done that enough. To be honest, I’m glad that the decision is made and that we can all move forward… united. In fact, I’ve been a little quiet this week on the topic, because I was honestly getting tired of it… and trulywould have been happy with Daunte as starter just to have this discussion behind us. Both are capable players, but the right decision was made… in my most humble opinion.

The new future of this franchise starts in less than a week. As fans, we will live and die by what Matt Stafford is to this franchise. If he is as good as I think he is… our future is going to be awesome. If he busts… here comes another decade of futility. Yes, I think he means that much to our success. But thankfully, I have more faith in Stafford succeeding than any other quarterback that has come into the league since Peyton Manning. I know the stats don’t tell the story, but I feel much better about Stafford than either Ryan or Flacco after watching thier preseason games last year. Granted, I didn’t scrutinize them nearly as much as Stafford, but I can still see the flashes of what’s to come with Stafford… and that excites me to no end.

I just ordered my authentic Stafford home jersey this morning (got a GREAT deal on it – so if anyone else wants one, I’ll post the site that I bought it from – although I’ll know if it ended up being a great deal when I actually get the merchandise and see the quality), so what a fitting way to celebrate that purchase. I’m just really excited for the regular season, because it has been a looooooong off-season… both personally and from a football point of view and I’m happy it’s finally here.

I don’t agree with the decision but I am glad one was made. If Stafford had played games 2 3 and 4 like he did 1, I would be the first to say he should be starting. Its not, IMO, that he played bad. He just didn’t play well enough to win thw starting job. A few more weeks of watching and practice would not have hurt him.
Not to mention, and I never thought about it till KDawg mentioned it, but we could have showcased Daunte for other teams for a few weeks and if a team comes into a need for one in the near future, could have gotten something for him.
But I will support the decision because he is going to be a great QB. How great and how soon, yet to be determined. I am sure it helps for the team to know who will be under center as well.
Hang in there KDawg, I think Staff will be o.k. Just wish we could have gotten something for Daunte.

I’m still convinced that I would’ve given Culpepper the start, but the choice wasn’t mine to make.
If Schwartz is sure that Stafford is the man, than Stafford is the man; it’s his plan, he’ll play it the way that he wants.
Now, I’m getting behind the decision (once I wrap my head around it) and will believe in it the way that I believe in the amazing (if never actually seen b4) “Schwartzian 180”
GET READY TO ROAR TILL YOUR THROATS ARE SORE!

That’s good crow.
Go Stafford. I know my opinion of the kid is being flavored by kool aid these days, but he might be alright. I don’t like the decision yet. Gimme time.
Go Lions.

I really like that quote from Schwartz that Dergru posted.

“Experience is a funny thing,” said Schwartz. "You can only get it by playing. He can’t get it by sitting on the bench. There are some guys that may benefit from sitting on the bench and watching somebody else and those people typically don’t have a grasp of the offense. They still need to learn what defenses do. Their knowledge isn’t up where it needs to be yet.

Maybe Schwartz has the answer there to the eternal question of why some great QB’s do well sitting a year, and some do well starting right away. Maybe the learning process for rookie QB’s is a 2-step process. Step 1 (Beginner Course: QB Concepts): learn the playbook, and get a full grasp of the offense, and also what defenses will do, in terms of complicated defenses and blitzes and presnap reads of what looks the defense shows. Step 2 (Advanced Course, QB Applications): learn firsthand what tricks defenses (and especially veteran defensive backs) use during the play against quarterbacks…..how they bait them into throwing a ball into a route they’re ready to jump for the INT, etc.

Maybe the reason many QB’s sit for part/all of a year is they haven’t mastered Step 1. Like Schwartz said, their knowledge isn’t up there where it needs to be yet. But some, like Aikman, Manning, Marino, etc., figure that out right away and are ready to go in and start Step 2: learning from first-hand experience what tricks smart defensive players will use against them…….making the mistakes that must inevitably be made so you can see firsthand how defensive players will try to exploit you.

Schwartz clearly feels that Stafford has mastered Step 1, that he has a strong command of the playbook and the offense……not just knowledge, but also a feel for the offense, for what they’re trying to do. Stafford makes plays. He isn’t just playing safe and checking down to save his job……he’s using the whole playbook and making plays. Schwartz feels that Staff is ready for Step 2…..go in there and get firsthand game experience, make the inevitable mistakes, and learn from them so you don’t repeat them (which Staff has apparently shown an aptitude for).

Some QB’s take longer than others to get past Step 1, learning the offense and defensive formations…..the beginner course (QB Concepts). Some never grasp the offense at all. Some are ready by Game 1. Schwartz feels Stafford is ready to get in there and start learning firsthand……the advanced course (QB Applications).

Good luck Matt! Go Stafford!