78°
Apologists point to the Lions' dismal running game and weak offensive line when defending Stafford. Fair points to be sure but then you also have to point out that he gets to throw to Calvin Johnson, perhaps the most physically gifted NFL receiver since Randy Moss was in his prime.
Nearly all of Stafford's troubles as a player can be traced directly to fundamental breakdowns. More than a few observers have whispered that he simply isn't the type to do the extra homework to clean up things like his amateurish footwork, feeling his prodigious arm strength will make up for any deficiency.
Stafford would hardly be the first uber-talented athlete who got by on his physical gifts and ignored the little things that can turn a good player into a great one.
To his credit, however, Stafford has spent the entire offseason in Detroit in an effort to downplay that kind of talk and set an example for his teammates.
"He's evolved into a leader," Lions president Tom Lewand told the Free Press. "Now when rookies walk into the locker room, they see a quarterback who's been here four years and they see a different guy who occupies a different spot on the team, and a lot of that is because of his own efforts."
Optimists might spin that as a positive sign just as surely as a contrarian might point to the fact that nearly all elite quarterbacks are regarded as "leaders" far earlier in their careers and need no evolution. It's almost an intangible trait natural to the position, at least for the upper echelon quarterbacks.
Still, with Detroit's bleak history at the position, it was imperative for the Lions to stick with Stafford moving forward.
The only question now is whether Stafford will finish his career in the company of players like Layne or forever be labeled as the talented underachiever.
RSS
My Yahoo