- If Matthew Stafford is going to be the top pick, something is going to have to happen today. The Lions' deadline for Stafford to agree to a contract is today, and so far there is no definitive word on whether or not a deal will happen. I would be stunned if Saturday arrived and no deal was worked out, but stranger things have happened. If the Lions stick to their word -- and there is no reason to believe they won't -- then we are waiting on Stafford's agent, Tom Condon, to decide whether or not the contract offer is good enough for his client. Unlike Curry, who said he would be fine with accepting a lesser contract in order to be the top pick, Stafford doesn't appear to be involved in the process.
As for Detroit, that’s the goal. He isn’t worrying about the money – “I’ll believe it when I see it on paper. There’s nothing I can do about it. Tell me where to sign.”
Based on that, it seems like Stafford is letting Condon have full control over whether or not this deal will happen. Considering that, I guess it wouldn't be all that surprising if Curry did end up being the pick. Condon seems like someone who would decline a lesser or low-ball offer, whether it is because he has something else up his sleeve or based on the principle of it. (I say that coming from an agent's perspective, as I think declining an offer as high as the one Stafford got would just be ridiculous.) Regardless, one thing that appears certain is that Condon knows the Lions aren't bluffing. He reportedly understands that if he lets this go beyond Friday, Aaron Curry will be the No. 1 pick. - I've said this before, but despite my negative opinion of Stafford being the top pick, I like his personality quite a bit. He seems like a funny guy, based on past interviews and his appearance on Jimmy Fallon. Below is more evidence of that via a story about his visit with the Lions (Jim Schwartz seems pretty funny as well).
He went back to his visit to Detroit, where he hit it off with the new coaching staff, saying he “loved” head coach Jim Schwartz.
“He and I have a similar sense of humor,” Stafford said. “On my visit there, I forgot my razor. [In the interview] he was like, ‘What part of making millions of dollars made you think this morning, ‘I just won’t shave when I get up?’
“I said, ‘Coach, come on, I’m trying to make you guys think I’m a little bit older and maybe I can do this.’
“He started dying laughing. He’s just a cool dude. He’ll bust your chops a little bit but he doesn’t mind taking a little. Anyway, it wasn’t like full beard. I (just) wasn’t completely shaven.”
He sat in the back seat, rubbed his still boyish face and smiled.
“It’s not like I can grow a sweet beard anyway. I’m still struggling in that aspect.”
- Aaron Curry apparently thinks the Lions will draft Matthew Stafford.
- The Lions claimed linebacker Curtis Gatewood off waivers from the Chiefs, who released him earlier this week. Gatewood was a rookie in Kansas City last year and played for current Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham. I imagine Gatewood is depth for training camp and a long shot to make the roster, but anything is possible.
- Jerry Jones claims that he would rather have Roy Williams than the three picks he gave up to trade for the former Lion. I would have a hard time believing that if it was anyone but Jerry Jones.
- Braylon Edwards is apparently no longer headed to New York. At one time a deal between the Giants and Browns that would have sent Edwards to the NY seemed imminent, but it is now reportedly dead.
- Tony Gonzalez was traded to the Falcons for a second-round pick in 2010.
- The Jaguars also unveiled new uniforms this week. Is it just me, or do their new unis look a lot like the ones the team in ESPN's short-lived show Playmakers wore (minus the stripes, anyways)?
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