Lions Notes: Matthew Stafford Voted FedEx Air Player Of The Week

by Sean Yuille on Sep 24, 2011 9:36 PM EDT in Detroit Lions Notes

Matthew Stafford was voted the FedEx Air Player of the Week over Tom Brady and Tony Romo. For winning the award, FedEx will donate $2,000 in Stafford's name to the local Junior Achievement offices in Southeastern Michigan.
After watching some film of Stafford, ESPN's Trent Dilfer has become a big fan of the Lions quarterback.
Scott Linehan said earlier this week that Stafford has complete freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage.
ESPN's Mark Schlereth criticized Jeff Backus earlier this week over how much Tamba Hali was able to get to Stafford in last Sunday's game. Jim Schwartz reacted to the comments by saying this: "People that don't work here or play here or coach here have no relevant opinion." Schlereth responded to Schwartz's comment by tweeting this: "Love it that's what he should say."
Although Nick Fairley did return to practice on Friday, Schwartz said that this is only the first step. He added that Fairley has a long way to go, so I wouldn't expect the 2011 first-round pick to see the field for at least another couple of weeks.

In an article for NFL.com, Michael Lombardi shared the story of how Schwartz was originally hired by Bill Belichick and the Cleveland Browns.
The Lions' solid depth on the defensive line is allowing them to rotate players more often, which is keeping the starters fresher.
Tony Scheffler has been scouting YouTube for celebration ideas in case he scores on Sunday.
Another memento from Jason Hanson is headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Ndamukong Suh was involved with the 10th annual celebrity wheelchair basketball game at Oakland University earlier this week.
Audio of some interviews from this week: Jahvid Best on Sirius NFL Radio, Lawrence Jackson on ESPN LA, Jim Schwartz on Sirius NFL Radio and Nate Burleson on PFT Live. Video of Calvin Johnson's interview with WXYZ's Tom Leyden can be found here.
The Lions will be the subject of a feature by Pam Oliver during Sunday's FOX NFL pregame show.
Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew has the Lions ranked in the top five of the NFC.
The Buccaneers have now had 10 straight games blacked out. Ouch.
Three teams have been fined by the NFL for illegal contact during the lockout. It appears the Bucs are one of the teams, and there are conflicting reports over if the Titans are one of the teams or not. The NFL isn't disclosing the identity of the teams, so we may not find out for sure which franchises were fined.

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love the props for Stafford especially after all the praise for Brady (not that he wasn't deserving of praise..)

I can’t wait to see Fairley get out there, whenever that is! My hope is the abundance of DL talent will lead to more exotic stuff. Perhaps lining Suh outside of Fairley! oh the combos they WILL be able to come up with!

Individuals should protect themselves. Governments can't protect individuals from themselves, it's just impossible, otherwise they become a tyranical state. -Ron Paul

by Ee Oulo on Sep 24, 2011 9:41 PM EDT reply actions

These tools are just now seeing what we all know is happening

Trent is just catching up with the rest of us.

Someone said Staff was a 2 read QB. Not sure who said that but it just sums up what is going on in Detroit. If Staff is a 2 read QB, that can be explained simply. He never has to make more than 2 reads because our WRs get open.

Thank you very much Linny and Mayhew!

I like Wins, Cheese and I also Like Cookies. If you don't. Wow. :P
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by joshsun on Sep 24, 2011 10:55 PM EDT up reply actions

It was Trent Dilhole who said that

Nothing like backpedaling analysts. Mowing teams down and proving talking heads wrong, how sweet the koolaid is.

by fiendishdr.wu on Sep 25, 2011 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions

I look at it different

They are just catching up to the game our team plays. You have all the time in the world and you will still have a hard time keeping up with all of the teams in the NFL. He even admitted he has not watched Staff play since last season before his injury.

His lack of awareness on our team and players is nothing new. He is just catching up. Good for him. He is in for a great show!

by joshsun on Sep 25, 2011 12:55 AM EDT up reply actions

So Josh

Is Schwartz your fave coach now? Lmao

by SanDiegoMick on Sep 25, 2011 12:56 AM EDT up reply actions

NO

I still have valid issues with him. I will not go into them now but I can say this. He is starting to grow on me.

I can see him learning from his mistakes from game to game. Something I did not see last season or the year before. He still has to learn to make better in game adjustments, IMHO, but even in this area I have seen some mild sort of improvement.

Also, he has been much better this season, as young as it is, in clock management. I remember one of my big complaints last year was this very fact. I was afraid he was TOO DAMN SMART for his own good in this area among others.

The most difficult problem for those blessed with intelligence, learning.
Joshua Sun – 1973

by joshsun on Sep 25, 2011 1:24 AM EDT up reply actions

BTW, I guess I went into a couple of my concerns.

C’est la vie.

by joshsun on Sep 25, 2011 1:25 AM EDT up reply actions

Turning into a Smurf there buddy.

“Imma keep this short, but”

ten minutes later…

"You've got to respect your opponent, no matter who it is. You respect him best by going out there and beating him up." - Calvin Johnson

by Mavyrk on Sep 25, 2011 2:29 AM EDT up reply actions

lol

it was a question worth answering!

by joshsun on Sep 25, 2011 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions

I think the Bucs are putting together a team that should earn the fans attendance eventually.

Winning would be a good place for them to go from here.

Individuals should protect themselves. Governments can't protect individuals from themselves, it's just impossible, otherwise they become a tyranical state. -Ron Paul

by Ee Oulo on Sep 24, 2011 9:43 PM EDT reply actions

They were 10-6 last year

…and most of those were blacked out. How much more do they need to win???

That rug really tied the room together.

by Motown514 on Sep 24, 2011 10:13 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Florida is not a sports state.

It is just as simple as that. Too many old people and money grubbing “plastic” women.

by joshsun on Sep 24, 2011 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions

+3 teams...

The Dis-Assembly Line - The unofficial, official name for the next best D-line in football.

by rames on Sep 24, 2011 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions

yup

They struggle with attendance in all three major sports they have. The lure of the population is too much it seems to resist for them.

by joshsun on Sep 24, 2011 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Anyone saying Florida isn't a sports state...

is flat out wrong. They aren’t a professional sports state, and that’s it. They are very big college sports fans, as well as high school. Also, who the hell would be a hockey fan in Florida? Not to mention that their best baseball team has a horribly designed stadium/location.

The comparison, city-wise, would be like putting an NFL team in Grand Rapids and wondering why they don’t do well. Over-saturation isn’t the same as absence.

by damnitdamnitdamnit on Sep 25, 2011 1:13 AM EDT up reply actions

This is a more accurate description of Florida

To say its not a sports state is we…. ignorant. They just prefer their college ball.

by JWurm on Sep 25, 2011 7:13 AM EDT up reply actions

Ok so they're a good sports state.....just not a great one

In Michigan we love everything from pro football to a game of pool in my basement. People down in Florida can’t be bothered to show up on time(or at all) to Heat games.

by fiendishdr.wu on Sep 25, 2011 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions

i think they just prefer tebow

Matthew Stafford, Quarterback: a man barely alive, Gentlemen we can rebuild him, We have the technology, We have the capability to make the worlds first bionic QB, Matthew Stafford will be that man, Better than he was before
Better, Stronger, Faster

by Gyorick on Sep 25, 2011 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions

good point

also josh likely nailed it, just not the people to support the sport there. If they keep up the winning tho one has to believe they’ll win over some of the transplant population they have.

Individuals should protect themselves. Governments can't protect individuals from themselves, it's just impossible, otherwise they become a tyranical state. -Ron Paul

by Ee Oulo on Sep 25, 2011 12:01 AM EDT up reply actions

If they keep up the winning tho one has to believe they’ll win over some of the transplant population they have.

Can you blame the populous for being a little “stand offish”? They have a boat load of beach and silicone women running around!

by joshsun on Sep 25, 2011 12:57 AM EDT up reply actions

Well, Mr. Schlereth

Your son is possibly the worst player on any one of the four teams in Detroit.

Backus did fine, Stafford didn’t seem to be on his butt any more often than usual, plus didn’t Hali have 1 or 2 of those PFs?

Fan of the Detroit Tigers, Lions and Red Wings.

by Elfuego51 on Sep 24, 2011 10:13 PM EDT reply actions

easy now

Mark Schlereth deserves respect for what he did on the field. Knocking him for his kids play is going a bit too far, IMHO.

Hali is the type of player you expect to push any NFL LT. His response to JS’s response is exactly what I would expect from him.

by joshsun on Sep 24, 2011 10:58 PM EDT up reply actions

They're both kinda right, if that makes sense

Staff did get hit late by Hali a little to often for comfort. Matt’s gonna get hit, but damn man finish a fucking block every once in a while. Like Suh says play to the whistle. That being said, he did an ok job overall because Hali is a beast(very underrated) and as a coach you gotta be able to get your players back.

by fiendishdr.wu on Sep 25, 2011 12:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Hali is a beast(very underrated)

That is just it. Hali is a beast. He will get his. He is paid to get his. That is what he does. Jeff, no matter how great he is, will never shut a player like him down. The fact that Jeff did as well as he did against Hali is a statement in and of itself.

Hell, I am proud of him.

by joshsun on Sep 25, 2011 12:59 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah I agree, he's gonna get his shots

But I think we all saw the Mic’d up vid. He and Dorsey got more than their fair share of late/close to late hits. He played well, he’s just gotta finish blocks as best as he can more often.

by fiendishdr.wu on Sep 25, 2011 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions

And I'm a Backus hater

So your pulling about as much as you ever will outta me josh lol.

by fiendishdr.wu on Sep 25, 2011 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions

Btw

I think Danny is ok, I’m not even gonna pretend to know as much about baseball as I do about other sports, but I’ve been watching the Tigers a ton this season and he hasn’t stunk the joint up imo. Worst player of the four Detroit teams? Ever hear of Charlie V, Maxiell, Brandon Inge(I know some people love the guy, but let’s be honest). Danny isn’t that bad.

by fiendishdr.wu on Sep 25, 2011 12:33 AM EDT up reply actions

Inge, as much as people me included love him

is the worst major Detroit sport player I know of ATM. I mean damn, he is looking at a season where he is worse in stats than Bob Uecher! Seriously! WTF is that all about. A chimp would perform better.

by joshsun on Sep 25, 2011 1:01 AM EDT up reply actions

Your Damn right he did

WHY? Cause Stafford is DA MAN. Not Pay da man, Not who da man, Simply DA MAN!!

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by The Profiler on Sep 25, 2011 1:08 AM EDT reply actions

Little help with Hanson.

Somebody said to me there was an interview with Hanson in which the interviewer asked him about ST player of the week. Hanson replied that is must have been the tackle he made that got him the reward. The next exchange supposedly went something like this…the reporter asks when he’s going to start playing defense, Hanson’s reply was “When I don’t cry after making a tackle.” Does anybody know anything about this?

LITTLE MAN IN BACKFIELD! LITTLE MAN IN BACKFIELD! GO STEFAN LOGAN!

by BBlades on Sep 25, 2011 2:11 AM EDT reply actions

Hanson

was just making a joke. Yah he gets guys down when he needs to but what man in his right mind, thats Hansons size, would desire to step in front of a moving train?? Hanson is one of my all time favorite Lions and I hope to see him inducted some day.

by Blue_Pride on Sep 25, 2011 5:24 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

I've seen Hanson make some sick tackles

HOFer or I’m rioting

That goddamn Okra and beans got you Oprah in jeans. Seems to me a little lean cuisine, wouldn't hurt much- Agh don't touch! -Obie Trice

by Skylar on Sep 25, 2011 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

+1

"Common Sense, isn't" Solomon Short

by YpsilantiJeff on Sep 25, 2011 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm aware that he was making a joke...

if he even said it. I just want to see or read the interview.

LITTLE MAN IN BACKFIELD! LITTLE MAN IN BACKFIELD! GO STEFAN LOGAN!

by BBlades on Sep 26, 2011 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions

I really don't know how kickers don't shatter their bodies when they make a tackle of any kind.

Fan of the Detroit Tigers, Lions and Red Wings.

by Elfuego51 on Sep 25, 2011 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions

Stafford

Im glad to see Stafford get this award after his performance last week. The other 2 listed had good games as well but I thought Stafford was the best choice. GO LIONS!!!

by LionsFan4Lyfe on Sep 25, 2011 8:12 AM EDT reply actions