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ALLEN PARK -- How confident are you in the Detroit Lions' quarterback situation?
If you're ESPN, the answer is very.
The Mothership released its latest QB Confidence Index, which is a measure of each team's situation at the position, both now and into the future. So it's more than a mere ranking of starting quarterbacks, taking into account factors like availability, age, backups, etc.
And they ranked the Lions fourth in the league, trailing only New England, Green Bay and Atlanta -- and ahead of teams like Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Indianapolis and Seattle, who have some pretty good quarterbacks too.
Their reasoning?
"Matthew Stafford hasn't missed a game since 2010," ESPN's Dan Graziano writes. "Although he doesn't chuck it as much as he used to, people around the Lions rave about the way he and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter have connected. Stafford is enjoying his role at the helm of Cooter's offense, which relies more on shorter, quicker throws than the offenses Stafford used to operate. It would be a big drop-off to backup Jake Rudock, but sixth-round pick Brad Kaaya offers interesting possibilities if he can develop quickly into the No. 2."
Stafford's stock is indeed on the rise. He's thrown 44 touchdowns and just 14 interceptions in the 25 games since Cooter was promoted to offensive coordinator. He led Detroit to fourth-quarter comebacks in nine of those 25 games, while amassing a QB rating of 97.5.
He's also posted the two most accurate seasons of his career under Cooter, coming in at 67.2 percent in 2015 and 65.3 percent last season -- despite playing the final month of the season with a busted finger on his throwing hand.
When you account for the fact he lost Calvin Johnson during that stretch, and had almost no running game to support him, the numbers are terrific. But to see him (plus Rudock and Kaaya) ahead of others like Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson was a bit jarring.
Age likely had something to do with it. Roethlisberger, 35, has already talked about retirement. He's also played 16 games just three times in his career, while Stafford has done it the last six in a row.
Brees, 38, is even older and entering a contract year.
So is Stafford, of course, but a new deal is already in the works and there's a growing expectation around Allen Park that something will get done this summer. The deal is expected to make Stafford the highest-paid player in the history of the game -- but it would also preserve one of the league's best quarterback situations, now and into the future.
ESPN's QB Confidence Index:
1. New England
2. Green Bay
3. Atlanta
4. Detroit
5. Pittsburgh
6. New Orleans
7. Los Angeles Chargers
8. New York Giants
9. Indianapolis
10. Seattle
If you're ESPN, the answer is very.
The Mothership released its latest QB Confidence Index, which is a measure of each team's situation at the position, both now and into the future. So it's more than a mere ranking of starting quarterbacks, taking into account factors like availability, age, backups, etc.
And they ranked the Lions fourth in the league, trailing only New England, Green Bay and Atlanta -- and ahead of teams like Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Indianapolis and Seattle, who have some pretty good quarterbacks too.
Their reasoning?
"Matthew Stafford hasn't missed a game since 2010," ESPN's Dan Graziano writes. "Although he doesn't chuck it as much as he used to, people around the Lions rave about the way he and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter have connected. Stafford is enjoying his role at the helm of Cooter's offense, which relies more on shorter, quicker throws than the offenses Stafford used to operate. It would be a big drop-off to backup Jake Rudock, but sixth-round pick Brad Kaaya offers interesting possibilities if he can develop quickly into the No. 2."
Stafford's stock is indeed on the rise. He's thrown 44 touchdowns and just 14 interceptions in the 25 games since Cooter was promoted to offensive coordinator. He led Detroit to fourth-quarter comebacks in nine of those 25 games, while amassing a QB rating of 97.5.
He's also posted the two most accurate seasons of his career under Cooter, coming in at 67.2 percent in 2015 and 65.3 percent last season -- despite playing the final month of the season with a busted finger on his throwing hand.
When you account for the fact he lost Calvin Johnson during that stretch, and had almost no running game to support him, the numbers are terrific. But to see him (plus Rudock and Kaaya) ahead of others like Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson was a bit jarring.
Age likely had something to do with it. Roethlisberger, 35, has already talked about retirement. He's also played 16 games just three times in his career, while Stafford has done it the last six in a row.
Brees, 38, is even older and entering a contract year.
So is Stafford, of course, but a new deal is already in the works and there's a growing expectation around Allen Park that something will get done this summer. The deal is expected to make Stafford the highest-paid player in the history of the game -- but it would also preserve one of the league's best quarterback situations, now and into the future.
ESPN's QB Confidence Index:
1. New England
2. Green Bay
3. Atlanta
4. Detroit
5. Pittsburgh
6. New Orleans
7. Los Angeles Chargers
8. New York Giants
9. Indianapolis
10. Seattle
