Thanksgiving Day Game A True Test Of Stafford [BLOG]
By David Hull
Listening to Caputo & Leach Tuesday night, I heard a caller make this statement, "Matthew Stafford is the best Detroit Lions quarterback in my lifetime." I hear fans make this declaration about Stafford all day every day and to be honest with you, I'm getting sick of hearing it!
I'm not saying that this statement may not be true. Yes, the Detroit Lions have had some not so good starting quarterbacks. From Milt Plum to Greg Landry. Chuck Long to Scott Mitchell. And how can we ever forget Andre Ware and Joey 'Blue Eyes' Harrington. That's not a Hall of Fame list of quarterbacks, but it's also not saying much.
Look, two weeks ago against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Matthew Stafford became the Detroit Lions all-time passing leader, passing the last Lions great QB Bobby Layne. But breaking records and throwing 400 yard passing games, is not the only thing the fans in this city deserve. They deserve much more.
Since arriving in Detroit in 2009, Matthew Stafford has posted a 23-33 overall record and a staggering 5-24 record against teams over .500. As you read this, I can here you saying…"well he joined this team after they went 0-16". I've said it and it's true, but the team made the playoffs just 3 seasons removed from that 0-16 season with Matthew Stafford at the helm. The time to win is now.
Thursday's Thanksgiving showdown against the Green Bay Packers is the biggest game in Matthew Stafford's career, and yes this includes the playoff game against the Saints.
In my opinion, Matthew Stafford was the reason the Lions lost the Buccaneers game. Throwing four interceptions is not going to win you games in this league. I'm not too much of a stats guy, but I found this stat to be alarming. Stafford's passer rating in the month of November is just 73.3. That just doesn't cut it! Good teams in the NFL win in November and December to get into the playoffs.
With the Lions quarterback history, it's easy to become the best QB fans have seen in their lifetime. As fans we need to stop comparing Stafford to the Lions past and compare him to the NFL QB expectation. After being selected No. 1 overall in the 2009 NFL draft, this city and these fans need you to be the best QB in the league and lead this team to a Super Bowl. The time is now!
