Can we stop with the "if he stays healthy" crap?

You actually think Sapp is the only one blaming the Oline? Everyone is espn NFL net PFT you name it. Everyone blames Backus in the O line so don’t take it out on Sapp take it out on the Media and a lack of research. The talk on Stafford love it or hate it will never stop until he proves otherwise.

and mostly agree with your rant!

but it’s absolutely true. He hasn’t shown that he can stay healthy in the NFL. High school, yes, college, yes, but NFL? No. He needs to prove it, and while I do believe that he will, it hasn’t happened yet.

If i took a shot every time I read “If he stays healthy”, my blood would be flammable.

I have to admit that I write that frequently. And I hereby vow that I will not use that phrase for the rest of the season…….if I stay healthy and maintain my sanity.

I beleived in the “if he stays healthy”… unitl about 2 minutes ago. you completely changed my mind and you deserve your credit. great read and now completely agree

Beginning to piss you off? I’m way past that. Every article about the Lions this year has that “if he can stay healthy” quote. Like that family guy episode with stuey! It’s like the kid that constantly nags you, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, hey dad, hey dad, dad, dad, dad. Until your blood is boiling with fury and you wanna turn around and grab him and say, “listen ya little bastard, I heard you the first time. If you don’t cut the sh*t, I’m gonna kick you through the uprights!” Sorry for the rant. Just can’t wait for the season to start, and hopefully 9 proves his worth. “If he stays healthy” Good write-up Undadawg. I commend you.

full of coolaid, but worth the read

When he stays healthy.

I think if you were to put a gun to my head and said you must make a prediction of the Lions without a caveat I would have to say 8-8. Now if you allow me to put in a caveat then I go with 18-1 provided Stafford is on the field. Now why is there such a difference in the predictions. Stafford brings something to the table that neither of our backups can provide. That something is a little moxie you know that look in his eyes and attitude that nothing can go wrong and I will be back to beat you the next series. The other thing is the long ball strike. Neither of our QBs has that killer instinct nor the ability to thread the long ball like Staff.

Now my article is one that like you wrote explored the idea about his past two years and relationship to him being hurt and how long it will take to get people to stop writing about his relations. The simple fact of the matter is I do not think he will get hurt this year as he been paying closer to attention to his body, understands that taking a hit is bad (running near the sideline and throwing the ball out of bounds) and listened to the rehab folks in getting his shoulder muscle mass stronger and thicker to take better punishment. I think those 3 items make him a very dangerous quarterback to deal with when he stays healthy this season. Note I did say if but when.

I remember somebody mentioned somewhere’s I can not recall either here, ESPN, or STK (shawn, terp, killer) that Brees had major shoulder surgery before he won his superbowl and is now one of the top 5 quarterbacks in the league.

BTW I am a little shocked to see little well I am not little in a sense of the word have a post I wrote be talked about in another post when I only have been posting here starting this offseason.

Okay enough typing back to reading.

My assumption is that he will. I am so sure of it that I drafted him with the #6 pick of the first round in our PoD Keeper IDP fantasy league. The scoring in the league makes quarterbacks with accuracy and strong arm a premium and I felt that Stafford will be one of the premier players in that league, for not just this season, but for years to come. I know I raised a lot of eyebrows by picking him that early, but they were all just jealous.

First of all people are saying “if Peyton stays healthy” the Colts can win the division, without him they don’t make the playoffs. In fact I just listened to an interview on NFL Network with Tony Dungy that said this very thing. Some are even going so far as to say this is the beginning of the end for Manning and comparing his next couple of years to what happened to a banged up Favre prior to retirement. Twice.

When Tom Brady got hurt, his first year back he dipped in performance and it was more of a “because he is not healthy” than “if he is stays healthy”. I will also point out that while Cassell did all right in the regular season, he has yet to prove that he is 1) not a system quarterback and 2) that he can actually win in the playoffs. Much like our backups.

Now on to Stafford. He has played a total of thirteen games in the NFL out of a possible 32 and had three significant injuries. He has been injured more time than he has been healthy, and it has been both shoulders and a knee, it is not like he keeps re-injuring some old war wound. He is a franchise quarterback, a lot is riding on him. We have every right to say “if he stays healthy” because in the past he has not and if in the future he does not the consequences are dire.

The bottom line is that you are not entitled to tell people how to speak or think. Just as you are entitled to think he will move forward and be completely healthy, others are entitled to be concerned about injures. I hate to say it, but the evidence and history do not support your argument.

Personally I have taken a leap of faith with Stafford, because I want to, because I have hope, because I want to believe, because I am rooting for him. However I am still very concerned every time he gets hit. I physically winced when he took that first big hit in the Patriots game. My mental psyche as a Lions fan has been as injured and wounded as his shoulders and knee have been. I have scars. It will take time for them to heal. Eventually when he gets hit I will stop flinching, eventually I will be able to unclench my fists, eventually I will stop holding my breath. But I am not fully healed yet, my psyche is still wounded, and each time he gets hit and pops back up I will feel a little better, just like mama kissed my boo boo.

The media always remembers that sorta stuff. I don’t pay much attention to it myself.

4. Matthew Stafford(notes), Detroit Lions.
When Matthew Stafford played last year, he was really good. The only problem is that the sample size is tiny, because he spent most of the year injured, just as he was the last few weeks of his rookie year in 2009. The Lions are ready to win right now. Another year of “We might have been really good if Matthew Stafford had stayed healthy” will not be acceptable.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/The-Shutdown-Five-Quarterbacks-with-something-t?urn=nfl-wp6544

Stafford, CJ,Suf, doesn’t matter. Now multiple player injuries, for multiple game is another story.