ESPN NFL front page gives Stafford Props

[tbone413]

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/30406/matthew-staffords-preseason-in-context



The Fever is at its pitch. The Detroit Lions are 3-0 this preseason and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has bulled into the head (sometimes literally) of every quarterback he has faced. But for now, at least, I suggest you put Suh's newfound celebrity aside and consider the most important development for the Lions this summer.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford has arrived.

(Cue the "It's preseason for cripes-sakes, you hyperbolic two-bit blogger" response.)

I fully recognize Stafford hasn't done anything that counts in 2011. And yes, there is great danger in drawing dramatic conclusions from 31 preseason passes. But if you've watched those throws, and if you've seen Stafford running the offense in training camp, it's reasonable to consider him in a new light.

Does this mean Stafford will rank among the NFL's top 10 quarterbacks this season? You know how irrelevant I think such rankings are. To me, the important point is that Stafford can be the difference this season between an entertaining Lions team and a winning one.

Year of the Quarterback

ESPN has dedicated 2011 to examining one of the most crucial positions in all of sports -- the quarterback.
Year of the QB

 

[Mitchrapp]

I'm getting sick of all this praise. Lets just play the damn games.

 

[tbone413]

Ha ya I agree with you here...its very strange going from laughing stock to the 'hot pick'

Its rather annoying seeing all of these talking heads suddenly jump on the Lions bandwagon this offseason.

All this hype doesn't do the Lions any favors...it will just make is infinity more disappointing if the Lions falter this year or Stafford gets injured again.

 

[adam86107]

I may be wrong but I seem to remember some talk about the Lions, albeit not as much as now, just before the 2008 season also, we all see how that turned out. I'm with Mitch, I'm ready to see this team produce during games that actually matter.

 

[wolverine304]

Hey fuck you espn, stop talking about my sleeper qb this year!

 

[MalFunkShun]

Lord I'm having fun with the comments section...

 

[elrod817]

Mitch[/color]]I'm getting sick of all this praise. Lets just play the damn games.

Word...I hear ya Mitch....about 12 more days...

 

[jrange378]

Its about time, after all the trash we take this is nice, even though it doesnt matter yet. But im strangely confident that we can make something happen this year.

 

[sunnydlitex123]

I am not trying to get my hopes up, as we all know that it's only the pre season... One thing that struck me as interesting was right after we made our first major error on defense with the blown coverage and the pats TD, Schwartz pulled the first string offense... I was trying to wrap my head around the thought process there... Perhaps he (JS) thought that an epic collapse was upon us just like the thanksgiving game of last year, and wanted to throw in the 2nd stringers in quick, while we were still up to give the illusion of their ones beating up on our twos?...

I have seen us be up on the pats before and have seen them decimate us in the 4th quarter. I also think that if brady had played 4 qtrs, we may have seen a different final score...

 

[coel73]

The thing that kills me is that to ESPN it's merely something to talk about. There are plenty of storylines going on with our team and it's easy to run to it and make a story of it. They can lick my balls, because I was cool with it at first but now it seems like now they're talking about us because the next guy did. I'm over that stuff. Just ready for the team to back up positive expectations for a change.

 

[tonyballs]

It's what myself and a few others have been saying since Stafford landed in Detroit. Only a few listened. Stafford has All-World talent, he just needs to stay healthy. End of story....

 

[coel73]

It's what myself and a few others have been saying since Stafford landed in Detroit. Only a few listened. Stafford has All-World talent, he just needs to stay healthy. End of story....

lmao that joker was pulling off rocket passes, side-arm darts, floaters and back shoulder passes this last game like it was NOTHING. It was incredible.

 

[tonyballs]

It's what myself and a few others have been saying since Stafford landed in Detroit. Only a few listened. Stafford has All-World talent, he just needs to stay healthy. End of story....

lmao that joker was pulling off rocket passes, side-arm darts, floaters and back shoulder passes this last game like it was NOTHING. It was incredible.

Dude, the throws he was making were off the charts. I have ordered up a pitcher of koolaid and a pound of cornbread on this team. I expect HUGE strides to be made this year. I haven't felt this good about a Lions football team for a long time now. They just need to stay "HEALTHY" and this team goes somewhere.