This post is sponsored by Sprint.
This week's Sprint Game Ball could have gone to a number players, which is a very nice change from the first edition of this series. Two weeks ago, I opted for Ndamukong Suh partly because not a whole lot of players did anything worthwhile. I was almost grasping for straws by naming Suh, but this week he was just one of the many nominees for this award. His awesome interception put him in contention with the likes of Alphonso Smith, Calvin Johnson, Stefan Logan, Nate Burleson and Shaun Hill. All were deserving, but I ultimately decided on Hill for this week's recipient of the Spring Game Ball.
While Logan's kick return for a touchdown was the turning point in Sunday's game, Hill's consistently good play is what allowed the Lions to jump out to a big lead and put the game away relatively early on in the second half. He got off to a shaky start when he first replaced Matthew Stafford, but he has really settled in as the Lions' starting quarterback the last few weeks, performing at a very high level. Just look at his stats from Sunday: 21 of 32, 227 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions.
The Lions have been a very pass-happy team this season, so it has been vital that Hill play well. While there have been some frustrating moments, Hill has made Stafford's absence much easier to swallow, and for that he is very deserving of this week's Sprint Game Ball. After all, remember how much of a mess the Lions' offense was last season when Stafford went down? Detroit wasn't even able to stay competitive, but with Hill they have been in every game and actually won without Stafford too. It's a very pleasant change, to say the least, which is why the Lions went out and got Hill in the offseason. A very good move for a very solid player.