Matthew Stafford Is the Future Face of the Detroit Lions, but Not the NFL

For all the uncertainty surrounding Matthew Stafford, there is one thing we can say without question. The kid likes to party.

I'm sure Stafford's latest escapades have made the rounds on the Internet, but just in case you haven't seen it yet, here's a primer.

Now, let's first get a couple of things straight. First, it's fairly obvious that this site wants desperately to be TMZ for athletes, and as such, the coverage is offensively sensationalist.

I'm a little angry with myself for actually linking to the website, but I'll need that story to prove a point later.

The point they're trying to make here is that Stafford has put on weight, presumably due to lots and lots of beer consumption. I can't argue about the beer, but if that picture of Stafford qualifies him as "out of shape," then tell me what I need to do to get "out of shape" like that.

I'll start the regimen tomorrow.

If there is a story here at all, it's that Stafford went out partying with his buds again, as he has shown a penchant for doing.

This is something that has been out there ever since before he was drafted, when several pictures surfaced involving Stafford, a keg and a girl quickly identified as Georgia cheerleader and Stafford's girlfriend, Kelly Hall.

But is this something to chastise the man for? Are you kidding me? Stafford isn't violating the league's substance abuse policy with beer. He's not even driving drunk afterwards.

He's not blowing off steam by getting into fights at strip clubs or illegally concealing weapons (and then shooting himself in the leg with them) or running dogfighting rings.

He's not even drinking in bars and having sex with random college women, and that would even be an understandable activity for a 23-year-old millionaire (at 28 though, maybe you scale it back a bit, Big Ben).

He's hanging out and drinking with his friends on the Fourth of July. Is that so wrong?

Of course not. If anything, it should endear him to middle America at large. That said, this kind of thing might affect his overall marketability, even if he becomes a huge star on the field.

And please note, that last phrase is extremely important. Stafford has accomplished nothing as of yet, not even a full slate of games in a season.

Most of the following argument is just assuming (for argument's sake) that he becomes a superstar on the field, enough to make him a candidate to be an NFL poster boy.

Stafford is a wide-eyed country kid. He went to high school in Dallas, Texas and college in Georgia. He drinks beer on his houseboat with girls who can remember neither their original hair color or bust size and guys who can't even remember where they are.

He's as much one of the boys as the guys you invite to bring a 12-pack over on Sunday.

Now consider, if you will, the current "faces" of the NFL. Particularly when it comes to quarterbacks, you have Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.

Brady is a California kid. He's glamorous and stylish, is married to a supermodel and is pretty much as Hollywood as an NFL quarterback can get.

Manning is a country boy, but he's also a Manning. He's football aristocracy and has a sort of hokey humor about him that has made him millions in commercial deals.

Brees wasn't always an icon, but then he led New Orleans to a Super Bowl, and he built his legend as an underdog. He was too short, not strong enough, then had a shoulder injury and ended up with a perpetual loser in a city ravaged by disaster.

Now look at Stafford. He's not a pretty boy like Brady, not part of a football family like Manning and doesn't have Brees' rags-to-riches story.

Of course, Stafford could become an icon if he leads Detroit (perpetual loser ravaged by economic troubles) to a Super Bowl, but his character is still not going to resonate with the rest of the country like Brees'.

Brees is a humble, quiet guy. It's easy to throw your support behind him. I sincerely doubt there are pictures of him boozing it up at the beach with his shirt off.

In contrast, Stafford is boisterous, cocky and probably has a few beers in him as you're reading this right now.

If you don't see the problem there, that's because you're a Lions fan.  Maybe you're even from Detroit. Either way, you understand that Stafford is a blue-collar guy who fits perfectly in a blue-collar town.

He's just a more talented version of the "Average Joe" Lions fans watching him at home.

And that average Lions fan has something to say about Stafford's recent behavior. "So Stafford likes to knock a few back on the beach with his buds. So what? I do too, I just wish I had a big boat to do it on."

If anything, Stafford's appreciation for a cold one should just confirm that he's the right guy for the Lions. Joey Harrington came to the team with the ability to play classical piano, and everyone scoffed.

Stafford, in his blue-collar, slightly trashy kind of way, is the anti-Harrington.

If anything, Stafford compares more in demeanor to a nicer, less alcoholic Bobby Layne. Stafford drinks beer out of red Solo cups on the beach during the lockout. Layne played games hungover from a bender.

Count the number of pictures of Stafford partying on the Internet, and compare it to the number of days Layne was sober, and they'll probably come close.

Stafford isn't an alcoholic. He's just a 23-year-old kid waiting for football. Lions fans can relate.

But those same aspects of Stafford that will endear him to Detroit over time are the ones that will keep him from being an ambassador for the NFL.

After all, is this the guy you want representing your multi-billion dollar industry? Or perhaps this?

Of course not. He looks like a buffoon. And to an extent, he is.

But Lions fans ought to know better.  Detroit knows he's just one of the boys.