The Lions have taken care of their need for a backup quarterback by reportedly trading for 49ers signal-caller Shaun Hill. San Francisco recently signed David Carr, making Hill expendable, and the Lions wasted little time in making a move to add him by sending a seventh-round pick in 2011 to the 49ers.
Hill has spent the last four seasons of his career in San Francisco. In 2006, he didn't appear in any games, but in 2007, he made two starts and played in three contests. Hill got substantially more playing time in the last two seasons, making a total of 14 starts and playing in a total of 15 games. His numbers weren't out of this world with San Francisco, but they were definitely respectable and certainly more than okay for somebody who will be a backup in Detroit.
Before playing for the 49ers, Hill was a member of the Minnesota Vikings from 2002-05. He only appeared in one game during that time, but Scott Linehan served as his offensive coordinator for all but one of those seasons, so there is some familiarity there.
My initial reaction to this move is very positive. For only a seventh-rounder in 2011 (Detroit has two of them because of the Kevin O'Connell deal with the Jets), the Lions have taken care of the need they have at quarterback. We all knew Daunte Culpepper probably wasn't going to return unless the Lions really got desperate, so there was a void behind Matthew Stafford. By adding Hill, the Lions can worry about other positions and just let he and Drew Stanton compete to be Stafford's backup. Chances are Hill will win that job, and if Stafford were to go down with an injury, Hill certainly seems like someone who can replace him and perform well enough that the Lions will actually have a chance to win.