Burnng Questions: Stafford, Culpepper, Lions’ Depth and Michigan Football Flap
Burning Questions | by Mike O'Hara | 09.2.2009/6:35PM
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Burning questions about key issues facing the Lions going into their final exhibition game at Buffalo – and a bonus question about the flap over the University of Michigan’s football program:
Matthew Stafford is making his second start, and Daunte Culpepper has a cut toe which likely will keep him from playing. Does Stafford have an advantage in winning the starting job?
“Only if he plays well. Schwartz said Wednesday that Stafford will play about 25 plays. That works out to most of the first half.
“If Stafford plays great, he wins the job. If he just plays well, he probably wins the job. If he plays average, he might win the job.
“If he plays like he did against Cleveland, the advantage shifts to Culpepper – even if he doesn’t play against Buffalo.”
Why should a poor performance against the Bills work against Stafford?
“Stafford played well in the two home games. But a second poor game on the road would hurt his chances because the Lions open the season at New Orleans. The game will be faster and tougher – and the environment will be a lot more hostile than anything he experienced at Cleveland or probably will see against the Bills.”
Should a cut toe keep Culpepper from winning the starting job?
“It wouldn’t have if he was the clear winner, but that’s not the case. A strong case can be made for either quarterback. Culpepper has been more conservative and has avoided turnovers. Stafford has gone for the bigger plays and thrown downfield more.
“However, there should be no question about Culpepper’s ability to throw the deep ball. He made his reputation in Minnesota with a strong arm, not dumping the ball off.”
Is there anything else to look for that could tip which way Schwartz is leaning in naming a starting quarterback?
“You have to start with the reality that Stafford is going to be the starter sometime this year – first game, first month, after the bye, whenever. And it’s not going to be an experiment. He’s going to be the quarterback for a long time.
“Using that to build a case, let’s assume that Schwartz and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan want Stafford to start the opener. In that case, they can protect Stafford against Buffalo by giving him easy throws that will build his confidence – and the confidence of his teammates – going into the regular-season opener.
“If you see a lot of dump-offs and short, high percentage patterns, it could be a sign that the coaches are giving Stafford a maximum opportunity to succeed in an exhibition game to strengthen the case for making him the starter. And that would make sense.
“On the other hand, this could be baseless conspiracy-theory logic on my part.”
What does the knee injury mean to Drew Stanton?
“It puts a bad ending on what had been a good training camp and exhibition season. This is the third straight year that Stanton has been injured in training camp or the regular season. It was his right knee early in camp as a rookie in 2007. Last year, he jammed a thumb the week before the first game. And now a knee.
“Backups have to be reliable, and Stanton has been anything but reliable. It’s too bad, because he took about six steps up from nowhere this year. But if he can’t stay healthy for even a short period, his value is further diminished.”
Quarterback aside, what are the key positions on offense against Buffalo?
“Depth on the offensive line. Depth at tight end. Depth at wide receiver behind Calvin Johnson and Bryant Johnson. Some receiver must step up. Rookie running back Aaron Brown has to be more consistent if he’s going to be a legitimate contributor.”
What about defense?
“Name the spot – defensive line, depth at linebacker, backup cornerbacks and one starting safety to go with rookie Louis Delmas. The coaches can be tinkering with that all season.”
Were you surprised that Keith Smith was released Wednesday?
“I didn’t predict it, but it shouldn’t have been a shock. Five starts in five years for a third-round draft pick doesn’t make a strong case for keeping a job. He didn’t do enough to warrant having a future.”
What sign did GM Martin Mayhew send by releasing Smith?
“The same sign Mayhew has sent since he got the job in January. There aren’t many jobs that are really safe. The Lions will be claiming and signing players all year.
“After the final cuts are made Saturday afternoon, I expect the Lions to claim three to four players, who aren’t vested veterans, on waivers.”
Finally, what about the uproar over the University of Michigan, and the story that rules were broken regarding the number of hours the players can spend working on football?
“The story itself will play out eventually. The rationale that other schools are doing it, so it’s no big deal, doesn’t hold water. Other schools are winning Big Ten championships and winning national championships, so if you want to do what other schools do, try winning those titles.
“There seems to be a culture in Ann Arbor that’s anti-Rich Rodriguez. In that regard, Michigan is looking like Michigan State, when the perpetually disgruntled Spartan alums wanted to get the coach and athletic director fired, no matter who held either job.
“And the other side to this Michigan story involves those who are so bent on demeaning the coverage by two veteran, respected Free Press reporters – both of whom are Michigan grads.
“When you hear and read – and mostly hear – attacks on the coverage, ask what agenda those attacking the coverage might have.”
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New Logo, Colors, Good Fit for Matthew Stafford
Burning Questions | by Mike O'Hara | 04.20.2009/2:04PM
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Five burning questions as the Lions rolled out their new logo, uniform and design on Monday:
Q. What was the best part – the color, the design or just the change in general?
A. None of the three. What stood out was the enthusiasm of the fans at the Dunham’s sporting goods outlet in Madison Heights. They were excited and loud. They came to cheer.
Obviously, they’re the core fans – the ones who live and die with their team. They want the Lions do win and get disappointed when they don’t. They aren’t the ones who criticize everything.
Q. They kept the old colors – Honolulu blue and Silver, with some black trim – and changed the logo and the Lions’ script. Should they have made a radical change and gone away from the traditional color scheme?
A. No. Keeping the blue and silver is the right thing to do. The Lions have a long history, dating to 1934. Those colors are part of their history and heritage. They’re part of the franchise, for better or worse.
Q. Fans were chanting for the Lions to draft linebacker Aaron Curry of Wake Forest with the first pick. Should the Lions listen to their fans?
A. Of course they should listen. And after that, they should make what they think is the right pick. I remember how the fans went bananas over Charles Rogers in 2003. The year before, they cheered for Joey Harrington – and wanted him to be the opening-day starter.
The fans have a voice, but it’s more important for them to cheer on game day when the team wins games, not in March and April when they’re signing free agents and drafting players.
Q. Lions President Tom Lewand responded to the fans, basically saying he respected their enthusiasm. He was upbeat and cheerful about it. What should be read into that?
A. It’s another bread crumb in the trail that leads to drafting quarterback Matthew Stafford of Georgia. Lewand could have told the fans they wouldn’t be disappointed on draft day. He didn’t – and I didn’t expect him to say that.
But nothing has happened in this offseason that would lead the Lions away from drafting Stafford. Daunte Culpepper is the only veteran on the roster with any possibility of being a starter or a backup. The other two quarterbacks, Drew Stanton and Drew Henson, are third-stringers at best.
It’s still set up for a young quarterback to come in and get groomed to start.
Q. OK, bonus question. What odds do you give now that Stafford is the Lions’ pick?
A. No odds, but a percentage – 100 percent for Stafford, zero percent for anyone else.
And it doesn’t matter if the he isn’t signed before draft day. GM Martin Mayhew and Lewand have said it’s important to have the player signed before the draft, but it isn’t a deal-breaker.
“We don’t have any preconditions,” Lewand said.
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