Daunte Culpepper was brought in for a workout this morning, citing a better opportunity in Detroit than in Kansas City, where he was supposed to visit.
After the workout, ESPN's John Clayton reported that the Lions and Culpepper were in contract negotiations on a deal and that Daunte is looking for at least a two-year deal through the 2009 season.
I am excited about this on many levels as I will explain later, but this could be another good move for the interim GM Martin Mayhew in his quest to remain the GM going forward.
Popular thought is that Detroit will bring a new GM in after the season to run things but Mayhew has already made some noteworthy moves. He put Jon Kitna on IR, effectively ending his season and run with the Lions. He traded Roy Williams to the Cowboys for three draft picks, while unloading a heavy contract and potential headache next season. Now he brings in a very capable quarterback in Culpepper who could revive his career and football as we've come to know it in Detroit. Let's examine.
Aside from the glaring and obvious failures of the Detroit Lions over the past 10 years, and the rather bleak past 50 years since their last championship, the poor player and personnel decisions have been unsurpassed by any other franchise.
To expand on this, I will point out that the Lions haven't had a Pro Bowler under center since Greg Landry in 1971, a ridiculous 37 year stretch. Prior to that, you had to go back to Hall of Famer Bobby Layne who was a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time, first team All-Pro, while delivering three NFL Championships to Detroit.
Unfortunately, that was before the NFL/AFL merger and the Super Bowl, meaning that Detroit has never won or even been to a Super Bowl. In fact, they have only won one playoff game, against Dallas in 1991, since their last championship.
In addition to those points, here are my top 10 reasons why the Lions should sign Daunte:
1. The Lions are in need of a capable signal caller to lead this team and offense going forward. Dan Orlovsky seems to have shown that he can be a capable backup in the league, but doesn't have the ability or experience to be a top end QB. He checks down way too often, doesn't take many shots down the field and doesn't have a huge arm.
Drew Stanton is young and unproven. While many fans would like to see what he has, let's not forget that he was an above average quarterback in college, nothing special, and struggled with accuracy and decision making.
2. Daunte is a three-time Pro Bowler. Finished runner up to Peyton Manning in the MVP voting in 2004. You'd have to go back to Barry Sanders, who won in 1997, for the last Lions MVP contender.
3. Daunte was awesome in High School, College, and the Pro's, showing that his talent was for real and that he could succeed at any level. He's a member of the Florida HS All-Century team, is one of only three college players to pass for over 10,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in his career, and holds the record for most total offense in a season with 5,123, which broke Dan Marino's mark in 2004.
4. The Lions need a quarterback that can get out of the pocket and Daunte can do that. He is one of the most prolific rushers from the QB position in NFL history.
5. Daunte has a big arm. He was noted for his seven year run in Minnesota, where he and Randy Moss formed one of the most dangerous and successful connections in history. The Lions have Calvin Johson, who has been compared to Moss in many respects, and both Calvin and Daunte could benefit from each other.
6. Daunte is only 31 years old. There are many current NFL quarterbacks having success well after the age of 31. Some current examples are Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, Kurt Warner, and Marc Bulger.
He is coming off of two sub-standard years with the Dolphins and Raiders, both of which were during his recovery from a devastating knee injury. It typically takes two years for someone to fully recover from knee ligament damage and Daunte has had ample time to rest.
7. Daunte has had the opportunity to sit on the sideline this year, rest and workout, while waiting for the right opportunity to continue his career. He apparently sees the Lions as that place and who are we to disagree? We've been horrible, he's shown he can be great! It's a win-win because if he doesn't do well, we didn't waste a ton of money to find out like we would with a 1st round draft pick (e.g. Joey Harrington).
8. We still can get Stanton some time while Daunte learns the playbook and at the end of games if we are winning/losing by a lot. The true plan, if the Lions are smart, should be to bring him in and let him get used to everything while platooning, then go into 2009 with him raring and ready to go.
9. We need all the help and talent we can get. For all the faults people can try to say about Culpepper, he definitely has the talent and ability.
10. Why not? We've been losers for so long and haven't had much luck drafting QB's as our best seasons by QB's were all by guys we got trough free agency (Scott Mitchell, Jon Kitna, Erik Kramer)
Your comments are encouraged! Fire away!
40 comments Last one added 8 months ago — Leave a Comment
Tim Harper 8 months ago
Dude,
You know how I feel about Daunte. Not only was I in your position 3 years ago when he was fumbled, no sacked into a Dolphins uniform. Coincidentally, he currently holds all the records for the poorest performance in a game all-time for Miami. Remember, this is just 3 years ago. The only benefit I see is I have 3 rarely worn jerseys that attempt to sport the name Culpepper. And since you are one of my best friends. I am here to make a deal. They're yours! Absolutely Free! Take them! You can have them under only one condition. Don't come whining and crying after a couple more years of turmoil as a Lions fan when you have put a vested faith in a washed up superstar. Don't get me wrong, you know that I saw him play at UCF and thought that he was fabulous! Also, for a few years in Minnesota, he was pretty incredible. Yet, I fimly believe that if I could throw the ball 60 yards anywhere on the field, both Moss and Carter could catch my pass and my numbers would look unbelievable too. All I can say is "Good Luck".
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
Tim,
Thanks for the comments and I know that as much as you were excited about DC coming to Miami, you were let down. I have to say though that your offensive line was horrendous, and with DC coming off an injury, he didn't have much of a chance. Also, your Head Coach (Saban) was horrible and DC and him didn't see eye to eye. So, not trying to make excuses but you have to agree that the situation didn't really set him up for success either. I know you are my boy and you know that Miami is my second favorite team, but I don't sport their gear....so the jerseys would be pretty useless to me unless you can figure out a way to make them look like Lions jerseys...lol.
As for the whining and crying, we've sucked forever and especially so since Barry Sanders and Herman Moore left and you have to give me some credit. I get upset when they lose but I don't do much whining and crying. I would whine and cry if I thought we could/should win and then they lost but since I go in with tempered expectations...I cope better. As for you throwing 60 yards, you might be on to something, but if you can combine that with unsurpassed success at the high school and college levels AND run a sub 4.6 40.....I think someone would give you a shot to prove that.
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Robert Kampe 8 months ago
well, let's hope Daunte's injury is truly healed for the better, and not hanicapped him in some repsects. Certainly the Lion's could "use" any talented players they can get; but for some reason this feels like another Lion fumble and stumble. Where's Rod's Big Defense anyway? Where's the guy's who supposedly "learned" a parred down play book for this year, so they wouldn't have to strain thier brains? Best I can see happening, would be if the Defense kicks major butt, and Daunte hooks up with Calvin Johnson like Randy Moss. Big if's, but stranger things have always occurred throughout my lifetime knowing the Lion's and having been to one game way back at the old Tiger Stadium when I was a kid. Watching these guy's every Thanksgiving, playing as the "Kitties takin'another dump in the kitty box". Mabey if they'd change those uniforms; and get that Kitty off thier helmuts; and replace it with "The Big D" Go Lion's Go. harumph.
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Keith Shelton 8 months ago
Your 10 reasons definitely have something to them. It would give Detroit a pro-bowler at quarterback which they haven't had in freaking forever and Culpepper is technically still in his prime as a player...however why do it?
Yes, the Lions have nothing to lose and they can't possibly get worse...but what does signing Culpepper really do for Detroit? This season is lost, we're going nowhere. If you sign him long term, it might make sense, but only if Detroit has a capable backup quarterback or if Culpepper is signed to be the backup. He's injury prone. Very injury prone. Its the reason why he retired at a young age, and he's sucked since he left Minnesota.
I like the guy, I think when healthy AND in the right situation, he's a heck of an athlete, but I just don't think it makes sense for Detroit to sign him. It hinders the growth of Drew Stanton while giving Detroit a shaky and injury prone starter in a year that's already long gone.
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
Keith, of course, I do see your points but sometimes when you are down in a hole, you have to take some risks to try something different. Something that may pay huge dividends. Think about this for a second, you mentioned that Culpepper was injury prone but didn't mention that in addition to missing his ENTIRE rookie season to injury, Stanton was oft injured in college as well. So, i'm not sure what we are clamoring for. I thought Drew was a good QB at State but his success was nowhere near that of Daunte and if you match them up quality for quality....DC is the clear winner.
Stanton's strengths are what?.....Scrambling ability and a good arm. That is exactly what you get with Daunte except you also get experience, accuracy and MVP caliber potential. I don't see that with Stanton.
Like I said, i'd bring him in as the starter for next year and just use this season to get him acclimated while also giving Stanton and Orlovsky some time. That way we know who the backup will be next season.
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kathy strombeck 8 months ago
Orlovsky doesn't have "the experience to be a top end QB"--just how does he get EXPERIENCE to be if he doesn't play! "Daunte was awesome in high school , college and the pros"--well, I doubt that high school or even college come into play here--he was very good a few years in the pros and he was also terrible some years in the pros.
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
Kathy, That wasn't my quote. The quote was "the ability or experience" meaning that he doesn't have the ability and he hasn't had the experience to develop into something more. I don't disagree that he could get better with experience, but the Lions don't have the time to wait for that when the guy's ceiling is fairly low...by that I mean Jeff Hostetler, Trent Green, Brad Johnson, etc.
I just don't see him becoming a Pro Bowl caliber guy no matter how much time he gets. Just my opinion of course and I could be wrong.
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
Also, High School and college come into play only to illustrate that the guy has been good at all levels. Some guys are good at 1 out of 3, some 2 out of 3, the one's that you see as Elite NFL Quarterbacks, usually were top notch at all 3 levels.
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jeremy mcintire 8 months ago
the lions are a joke from top to bottom from the owner down the best things about the lions are jason hanson , ernie sims, and calvin johnson. this is a great example of why they are a joke signing culpepper is a waste he looked good with the vikings but it was a great team who ever was the quarterback there did well the reason he still around is because he sucks I think the only reason he is being brought in is to sell tickets last weekend ford field didn't sell out so bringing in a big named quarterback will sell tickets thats the answer to the lions problem so that will fix it and when he fails coaches will say "well he is still learning the system" but thank you fans for coming out today and wasting your time and money to help willy clay get by. I can't wait till the Lions someday get an owner who cares about winning first. hopefully people will stop going to the games, heck stay home and watch it there gonna lose I wouldn't be surprised if they go defeated ...... honestly that would be sort of impressive
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
Jeremy,
I feel your pain brother. I've been a fan of this team my whole life (27 years) and have not missed more than a handful of games. I've seen it all and agree with your assessment of the franchise...They are a joke. But, they haven't always been a joke and negative thinking and maintaining that low level of standards, expectations and accountability is a sure fire way of keeping things exactly the same.
All i'm saying is that bringing DC for a 2 year contract can only be a good thing. If it doesn't work out, who cares, because we didn't break the bank. But if it does, we have a quality guy for the first time in forever. Easy math here man. Would you rather go into next season with Drew Stanton as the QB? How about Orlovsky? Do you really think either of those guys can take this team to the playoffs. Hell, i'm not sure John Elway, Joe Montana or Dan Marino could take the Lions to the playoffs with the current cast of characters. However, I do think that with a solid draft and a couple good FA pickups, we could be competitive and get to the playoffs next year. We likely can't do that if we stick with DanO or Drew and we almost certainly can't do that if we draft a QB in the first round, pay him an obscene amount of money, and wait for him to develop. IMHO, Daunte is not only a low-risk, potential high-reward signing...It makes sense on a myriad of levels.
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Cody Swartz 8 months ago
Hats off to you, Scott, for being a Lions fan for 27 years. That's quite an accomplishment.
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
Agreed, I should get a plaque or something!...lol.
Thanks for the read.
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Craig Garrison Sr 8 months ago
I don't think they should waste the money on him. I have never been a Culpeper fan, thought he was overrated during his very nice two year run in Minni, and still do.
I suggest that Detroit start splitting time between Orlovsky and Stanton, find out what you've got there, it HAS to be done. The future of that organization depends on the QB position (as it does with all teams) and they need to give themselves field time from Stanton to give themselves a better shot at making a good decision there.
Stay away from Culpeper, and coach what you've got into playing time, and prepare for the future with REAL information rather than guessing from what you see in practice.
NIce job Scott, keep these Lions fans on their toes man!
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
Craig, thanks alot. I have always been a fan of Culpepper and my views therefore differ from yours on his ability, etc. Either way, my main issue is the facts I brought up in the article, more specifically the Lions piss poor play and continued disgraceful performance. Why not bring the guy in based on what he has done. If it doesn't work out, at least you tried and it didn't cost you a ton of money.
Granted, I'm not saying that you should bring in every guy with a pulse that has done something in their career (see: Your Skins signing S. Alexander), but this is a guy that was so good a couple years ago and is still relatively young by NFL QB standards.
Furthermore, he's better than anything we have and his ceiling is higher than Orlovsky or Stanton's. I would like to see Stanton and it's good DanO has gotten some run, but everyone knows the most popular guy on a struggling NFL team is the backup QB. Very seldom does that guy become the savior, more often they fall into oblivion and then the fans are blowing smoke up the new backups skirt.
Let's be honest here, Orlovsky was a 5th round draft pick out of UCONN who put together a pretty good collegiate career but was 3rd string behind JT (just benched) O'Sullivan last year who was signed off the street. Stanton, a 2nd round draft pick out of Michigan State, was injured for his entire rookie year and had injury issues in college. Combine that with the fact that he was the 3rd or 4th best QB in the Big Ten, not in the nation but just in his own conference, and had decision making and accuracy issues at that level. It's not clear to me why folks think this guy is going to be awesome at the pro level. I just don't see it. He reminds me of a guy that played in Detroit a few years back, Mike McMahon. Sure Drew is a bit better overall and is a better passer, but not by much and they are the same type of player.
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Craig Garrison Sr 8 months ago
Well Scott, that's kinda my point though, about Stanton. Nobody really knows yet. So find out, NOW. There is no need getting locked into a contract on a questionable FA QB, which is exactly what Culpeper is (even if you liked what he once was, NO ONE has seen that guy in a LONG time). Move on with the youngsters you have, find out who wants to play and who doesn't, and prepare to re-build this team from the ground up.
Culpeper's got NO UPSIDE. The youngsters have potential, so it's time to find out IMHO.
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James Williamson 8 months ago
I think Culpepper should be signed, and they need to get some lineman or a great college QB to learn from him. To say Culpepper will win a Super Bowl is ridiculous, but to say that he could be a good mentor is not.
If I was the Lions GM, I would be looking at lineman to protect Colt McCoy if I could get him in a year. That guy has brillant accuracy and if you could give him a mentor in Culpepper, who knows how to move in the pocket, and a brick wall of a line then he will just put those passes to any receiver.
I may be jumping the gun on McCoy, but I think you would agree that if he plays in the NFL, like he does at UT then he could be one of the greats. He could be what the Lions need, a field general.
The Lions need a guy who can win them a game. Culpepper can win them a game.
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
James,
I agree wholeheartedly. I also think they should sign Culpepper, let him play the rest of this season and next year, and see where it goes.
This upcoming draft and free agency, I would make the OL a priority, followed closely by a Pass Rushing DE, a legit MLB and a CB or two. Make a couple of other signings in FA to solidify some areas (DT) and you are right there.
I like Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow, as well as McCoy who will come out in 2009. While I don't think Bradford or Tebow are can't miss, the Lions cannot afford to use a high draft pick on an offensive skill position player this year. We have too many other areas to deal with.
So, we can sign DC, let him be the guy. Let Stanton learn under him and then possibly get Colt McCoy next year and let him also learn under Daunte. Then you have turned a position of weakness into a strength, along with strengthening the other vital areas of your team by drafting impact players.
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don juan 8 months ago
I feel your pain, brother!!! I've been a Lions fan for 20 years (thanks to Barry Sanders.......... I love that guy and was CRUSHED by his early retirement, by the way)!!! Anyway......... I agree with you 100% and think we should try ANYTHING to get it turned around in Detroit!!! I'd love it if we signed Culpepper because anything is an upgrade over the bums we have at QB now and I think Culpepper would be a HUGE upgrade and worth the risk, without question!!!
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
Thanks Don for your comments and I appreciate you agreeing with me...haha. Let's hope they get this done.
It would be sooooo nice for this to happen and then Daunte do well, just to see all the folks (especially over on the Lions message board) backtrack and say they thought this was the best thing and that they wanted him all along.
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Raider Card Addict 8 months ago
There's a saying, regarding the sinking of a ship. They didn't really have an idea on how a ship would go down, so they sank one, and then watched what happened.
I'd say, do this with Culpepper. What does he have to lose? Nothing. He's unemployed, with a good record, and the Lions....well, need any and all help they can get, in a hurry.
I'd say stick the two together, and then see if Culpepper can do for you guys, what he did for us to miami last year.
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
Agreed, thanks for the input.
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Chaz Mattson 8 months ago
Scott, yeah at this point Detroit has nothing to lose and everything to gain. I think they should bring in Dante, they might want to think about Aarron Brooks as well if Denver doesn't get him first. I think Dante can be good again, he needs a team and two years plus an option. Brooks is a better athlete right now, but does he have any will to play in the tank who knows. I think you did a good job of bring up some little know facts and details. If I'm in Denver or Detroit I give both of those QB's a look.
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
Chaz, thanks for the input. I am not so sure about Brooks though because it seems like forever since he was any good and even when he had decent years in New Orleans, he made a ton of bad plays, throws, INT's, etc.
Then again, Daunte has always been on a different level than Brooks too. I guess it's possible that Brooks could be a decent backup in the right situation.
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Brandon Keener 8 months ago
Pretty good article and all of your comments are well noted. I'm in the boat with you on comment number ten. The Lions are bad. Real bad. Right now I think even bringing Montana, Marino, or Elway out of retirement for the rest of the season would help ya'll because they need all the help they can get. I'm sure Vinny Testeverde would still play even though he's 60! DC is young still. He's had the arm forever. Its his planting and throwing on the knee that worry me. I don't think he'll ever be the scrambler he was because of the knee making him become a pocket passer, something he's obviously not used to doing. I still think his reaction and mobility will help him though. In my opinion two of the most mobile QB's in the NFL are Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Sure they couldn't run the 40 in 4.2 but they are always moving within the pocket and their moves are fluid. I think DC has that capability with a few test runs to get used to sliding within the pocket instead of either tucking and running or moving outside of the pocket to let them chase him down. I believe his eyes will be better than Orlovsky and Stanton by a mile because he has been a starter before and knows the feel. I watched Orlovsky against the Redskins and the man just would not throw the ball to the sidelines he'd keep looking and take the sack. Stanton and Orl need to realize what kind of a career that can make for you if you stand around and let yourself get hit. See the old Redskin QB Patrick Ramsey, the backup for the Broncos now. He got shaken early by bigger NFL d-linemen than he was used to in college and that probably cost him a good career. With the Lions shaky at best O-line they need someone who can slide and DC will give that to them. The longer they wait the less time they have to get the playbook into his head and give him some playing time next week. He needs all the study time they can get. Give the dude $5 million over two years with no bonus. That ways its $2.5 mill a year for a guy whose proven he can play but your not locked into long term cash if he craps out and 2.5 mil for a starting QB is not that much for an NFL player today. I doubt DC would turn down $5. Plus if you do that at a flat rate you can budget that next year for the cap and you don't have the signing bonus guaranteed cash if he does get hurt. Good luck Lions and DC. I hope it works out well for ya.
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
Thanks Brandon for your well thought out response. I agree that they should offer Daunte something manageable that doesn't hamper us if things don't work out, but I could see how a incentive based contract would work giving escalators for certain performance milestones. That way, we are off the hook if he bombs but have to give him his due if he plays well. That's a win-win. I don't think many people would mind paying him a ton if he could get this offense rolling and help the team win.
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Dan Parzych 8 months ago
Nice article here Scott. I agree with you, I think Daunte would be a great pickup for the Lions. They are in need of a quarterback with the experience Culpepper's had. We have seen what he is capable of doing. With the position the Lions are in, why not give it a chance? It's like you said, Orlovsky's proven that he's good enough to be a backup and Stanton is inexperienced. At 0-7, they might as well give it a shot.
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
Exactly, I don't see the logic in trying to lose as many games as possible just to improve our draft position because the truth is that our draft history in recent years has been horrific. Who cares if you get the #1 or #2 pick if the guy you select ends up being a bum. All that does is set your franchise back 5 years. What I'd like to see is us set ourselves up for success next year by utilizing the rest of this year to solidify some areas of the team and guage the talent on the team. If we win a few games, great! If not, cool. Then in the draft, make darn sure that the guys you draft (hopefully an OLineman and MLB or DE) with your two 1st Rounders are people capable of coming in right away and making an impact.
It's not rocket science, good teams build through the draft and supplement through free agency.
If we signed Daunte, that gives us some insurance at the QB position and means we don't have to take a chance on a rookie signal caller in the draft, allowing us to focus on our real need areas, which are the trenches, defense and secondary.
I'd be ecstatic if we could go into next year with Daunte at QB, with Stanton and Orlovsky as the backups. Sign Albert Haynesworth and Terrell Suggs in Free Agency.
Then in the draft get the following guys with our first 5 picks.
1. Michael Oher, OT Ole Miss or Andre Smith OT Alabama
1. James Lauranitis, MLB Ohio State or George Selvie, DE USF
2. Tim Jamison, DE Michigan or Brandon Spikes, MLB Florida
3. Terrance Taylor, DT Michigan
3. Joe Burnett, CB Central Florida
Then in the later rounds, scoop up a nice receiver and some more OLine prospects.
By doing that, we just improved our team to one that is capable of contending for a playoff spot...in one year.
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Austin Drake 8 months ago
I don't care if the Lions call Trent Dilfer out of retirement, just do something!
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
haha, I hear you Austin, but we gotta shoot higher than Trent Dilfer...lol
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Anthony Wadleigh 8 months ago
Sorry but I don't agree. Didn't anyone learn from the ongoing Rudi Johnson experiment. A pro bowler that can do nothing with this O-line that is taking away precious playing time from an untested rookie. Go with Stanton and see what he has. If Culpepper was any good he would be playing in New England right now. Did anyone watch any of the Miami games? He was a sitting duck and is going to get creamed if he comes to Detroit.
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
It's okay for you not to agree. This isn't a dictatorship. I think that signing Rudi is completely different and something that didn't even need to be done. Is Rudi giving us more than Tatum Bell could have, no. Is he going to be the feature guy, no, not with Kevin Smith there making the most of his opportunities.
Culpepper is different in the respect that he could give us a better signal caller than either of our current guys. I don't really need to see what Stanton has, we already know. He's a decent scrambler that will get you some first downs with his legs but will make a myriad of bonehead throws and will likely be injured about 30-40% of the time. That's the book on him in college, where he wasn't all that great to begin with. So, forgive me for not wanting to make him "the guy".
It's well known that DC came back too early from his injury which was a mistake, that had a lot to do with his poor performance. Plus the Phins were horrible that year at WR, OL, etc. What did they expect?
He played decent last year in Oakland behind another horrible OL. Our OL has played badly, but in recent weeks HAS given plenty of time to throw to Dan O. If they give that time to Daunte, he will make plays...bottom line. If not, of course we'll struggle but that is the case no matter who is under center.
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
Also, New England isn't a good fit for him. Sure, it would reunite him with Randy but it would be strictly a one year thing and then Brady would be back and Daunte would be the odd man out. He wants to go somewhere where he can get a multi-year deal (at least 2) and a chance to compete for the starting job. NE couldn't offer that.
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Jonathan Maltese 8 months ago
I think what they need to do is bring Daunte for a mutli year deal...we have no leader at all on our team. Sure he had the knee injury, but look at the other teams he played on after he was released from the Vikings....terrible by themselves. But you have to look at the advantages, I mean we have two first round draft picks, we get a QB and lineman 1st round. Hopefully Juice Williams or Tebow and not have them start their first year, but have Culpepper mentor the rookie with his veteran knowledge. Then with the 1st round lineman along with Cherilus we could have a line that might give some time in the pocket. From that point we have plenty of picks left to fill in on the offensive side of the ball and defensive now without Millen making terrible picks. Also I think the fact the Culpepper has Calvin to throw to, the 6'4 foot 200lbs+ monster, will be intresting... reminescent of his Randy Moss days. We need to throw deep to the man when he's in single coverge there no way a corner one on one could match his ups and throwing deep is what Culpepper can still do. Not only that, but it spreads out the defense as we now always do the short slant, short yardage plays and it never works. Culpepper has the awareness and experience we need...Kitna, Orlovsky, Stanton they are terrible decision makers and crumble under pressure and make terrible plays. Most importantly thought is that he can mentor the young QB we plan to bring in to be our franchise leader. This year is apparently finished, so we have to look to next season which could be promising considering that they make the right picks. Millen has made some of the worst draft picks in years and now with him gone hopefully they get it right as the future of the franchise depends upon it.
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
I completely agree with everything you said except the drafting of a QB in round 1. I don't think we'll need it as Daunte is the man now and will do very well. I do think that Stanton or Orlovsky could be the backup and learn from Daunte though. Let's not forget Stanton was a 2nd round pick. Bottom line is that Daunte is only 31 and could feasibly play for us for a long time if he remains healthy. Things are looking up as the Lions are finally doing the things I want them to...lol.
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Bob Biscigliano 8 months ago
Completely agree. Besides, can it possibly get any worse?
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Jonathan Maltese 8 months ago
what do you think we should do with our picks..anyone got any ideas? I've been watching a lot of college and there's tons of talent spread out. Where to start offense or defense? God knows our defense plays worse than middle schoolers and tackle like it as well and our offense... well if your a fan you are well aware of the productivity of the offense. I feel that the offensive line needs to be secured with a high pick and a scramblinbg quaterback wouldn't hurt either. But we need a leader on defense a true playmaker who can shut down those 3rd down plays and bring the defense into a whole. Possibly a right or left end, linebacker, corner or safety? I've been pondering at the numerous possiblities and dammit there are a lot.
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
Well, Considering that we have two 1st rd picks, two 3rd round picks and two 5th rd picks now, we should be able to get quite a few talented players. We need to build the trenches on offense and defense, and need some help in the Linebacking core and the secondary. I don't think we need too much help at the offensive skill positions now that we have signed Daunte. We just need to make sure he's protected and build the worst defense in the NFL.
For the 1st 4 rounds, I'd like to go with....
1a. Andre Smith, OT or Michael Oher, OT
1b. George Selvie, DE, or Taylor Mays, S
2. Brandon Spikes, MLB or Duke Robinson, OG
3a. Terrance Taylor, DT or Darry Beckwith, MLB
3b. Joe Burnett, CB
4. C.J. Spiller, RB or Alex Boone, OT
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b parker 8 months ago
So by signing Culpepper and giving him time to learn the playbook, your saying... and it's sounds obvious to me that there won't be a new playbook next year (or a new coach with a new playbook) and the Lions will still have Marinelli ?
It's sounds more and more to me like the Lions are building a team where aging NFL vet's can go to, if their not quite ready to retire and think they can still play. Culpepper is going to find out soon enough what all other ex Lions QB's already have. Until you put forth a real effort at puttting together a offensive line that can can block, and play together, not clutch & grab or get an start early (aka False Start) It won't matter who is back there, until they address O'Line problem first.
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Scott Rieger 8 months ago
B, I absolutely, 100% agree with you and that is precisely why this move makes sense. Look, teams have won in the past with decent offenses and great defenses. Unfortunately, our defense in offensive (dead last). Our OLine, while they played decently yesterday, aren't very good. That is why it makes sense to sign a QB who has talent, experience, and ability at the age of 31 to get the job done from a QB perspective. That allows us to concentrate on the areas you touched on in the draft. Think about it, if we draft OLine and defense with our entire draft, i'd be happy and we'd likely be much improved. Throw in an impact FA signing or two in the offseason and the Lions aren't bad anymore. The reality is that the team as a whole isn't that far away from being good, but it's a fine line and we need to make our draft picks and FA signings count instead of what we've done in the past (which is constantly select the wrong guy)
Thanks for your comments.
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Ryan Gaydos 8 months ago
Your reasons must've inspired Culpepper to play in Detroit.
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