2009 NFL Draft: Detroit Lions Would Be Better Off Without Matthew Stafford

There are many, many reports out there right now.

Some say the Lions have a deal in place for Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford and won't budge, others say they have a deal in place for Aaron Curry which is supposed to cost less.

I am sad to write that, judging from the all media outlets and rumors and such, it sounds like the Lions are going to pick Mathew Stafford No. 1 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Whoever is running the Lions—wake up!

Just because Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco had some success in their rookie years, doesn't mean Stafford will. They had talent around them to succeed, and better offensive lines.

What will Stafford have? Calvin Johnson? We saw how that worked out last year for the Lions, 0-16 with a great receiver. Ladies and gentlemen, the Lions could do it again.

They have no offensive line. That unit up front made Jon Kitna go bonkers and start throwing interceptions left and right, not to mention the 10 wins he would predict—that was funny.

Investing in a quarterback, an underclassmen at that, is the wrong way to go here. The Lions have already failed twice with early first round quarterbacks:

Andre Ware, Drafted Seventh Overall in 1990 Out of Houston

The guy broke all the school records, only to have another quarterback bust in after him and break them.

Joey Harrington, Drafted Third Overall in 2002 Out of Oregon

This guy failed from the get-go. Why? No offensive line, no defense, no consistent coaching.

Sound familiar?

The Lions (if it's true they are set on Stafford and he accepts their deal) have to be out of their minds. They're going to pick another quarterback without someone to block for him and a defense that essentially lays down in games.

What are they thinking? They have already had two previous busts at quarterback, because there was no offensive line or defense to help them out.

The Lions should take a page out of Tony Sparano's and Bill Parcell's playbook and grab the best offensive tackle, in Jason Smith from Baylor, or the best defensive (and arguably best overall) player in the draft, in Aaron Curry from Wake Forest.

The Lions have Daunte Culpepper. People are quick to write him off because he had two stints with bad teams after his injury in Minnesota. Scott Linehan and Culpepper made some great magic happen in Minnesota not five years ago—and it can happen again.

If the Lions aren't sure about Culpepper, well it wouldn't be the first time somebody wasn't. Spend less money and draft a quarterback with your next pick, or look to see who's available via trade.

Jason Campbell from the Redskins and Brady Quinn from the Browns may even be on the block (per profootballtalk.com), and would come at a way lower salary cap figure.

My advice to the Lions; take someone who can help you now with the best offensive tackle or defensive player in the draft. You don't have the talent around you, nor the time to develop a quarterback. You saw what happened with Ware and Harrington, can you afford to miss again?

I really feel for you Lions fans, though Matt Millen may be finally gone—the mentality lives on. Let's hope (for their sake and yours) they don't draft Mathew Stafford.

Keep the faith Lions fans, you're going to need it if Stafford is your team's choice come April 25.