NFL QB Comparisons, Pt. 1: Can Matthew Stafford Live Up to Matt Ryan's Success?

If you were Matthew Stafford, would you want the weight of changing the only 0-16 franchise into a winning one?

If you were Mark Sanchez, would you want the daunting task of not only filling in where Brett Favre left off, but also try to do it with a group of receivers who haven't even established themselves yet at the pro level?

Take a moment; I'll wait.

Last year, the bar was set for rookie quarterbacks coming into the NFL thanks to Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco—play like veterans from the get go, or enjoy the bench.

In this Pt. 1 of a two-part series, we will look at the two first-round draft picks, and compare them to the last two first-round picks from last year; are things really that different?

At the beginning of the year, we really didn't know they were gonna be out there so soon, did we?

Ryan was supposed to be the guy who spent a year in training before getting out there. Coach Smith was adamant about keeping his prized rookie away from the game so he could learn—so much for that, and enter in his first pro pass for a TD.

Flacco had a somewhat different entry into the NFL.

Kyle Boller was all but washed up and Troy Smith, as you remember, had that strange bout with an illness that wouldn't go away. Flacco started from day one, despite the worry of Harbaugh, who worried it was too soon. Flacco went a modest 15-of-29 with 129 yards in a win over Cincinnati, and won the next week against Cleveland.

The bar was set by these two even-keeled gunslingers as they surpassed the expectations of their coaches, and enamored their fans with poise and leadership. They afforded their fans with hopes of a brighter future, and solidified themselves as starters with every passing week.

So here we are in 2009. The new crop of QBs focuses on Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez, and fans of New York and Detroit immediately want to know if the same success Atlanta and Baltimore enjoyed is on the horizon for them as well.

Sadly, it isn't—at least not anytime soon.

Ryan was a first round third overall pick by Atlanta.

Matthew Stafford as everyone knows was the number one overall pick for the Lions, and although Stafford is rather comparable to Ryan, there are some things that separate the two:

Ryan was 25-7 as a starter; Stafford was 27-7.

Ryan had 15 games of 200-plus yards for BC; Stafford had 22 for the Bulldogs.

Ryan won three bowls and completed 59.9 percent of his passes; Stafford won two bowls while completing 57.1 percent of his passes.

Ryan was known for his decision-making skills and intangibles that were pro-ready; he was considered a plug-and-play-type guy despite Mike Smith’s early opposition.

Stafford is considered a pocket-oriented QB who played for a pro-style offense at UAG, but has displayed poor decision making skills, particularly his penchant for taking risks and throwing into coverage he shouldn't be throwing into.

The two are very similar, yet interestingly different.

Take Ryan, and what you know about him now, and plug him into the current Detroit team coming into 2009, and you'll probably agree there isn’t much he would be able to do.

Detroit is still very much suspect at the O-line especially the whole left side, and with the Lions making a switch to a more power-based running game, one has to wonder whether or not Kevin Smith will adjust and if not, whether Morris is any better of an option.

The receivers aren't much better, either.

Obviously, the raw talent of Calvin Johnson is the highpoint of the team, but outside of him there really isn’t much to mention. Ronald Curry and Bryant Johnson were nice free agent pickups, but both underachieved.

In addition to all of this comes the defense’s history of being a bad as Matt Millen’s ability to run the team, including the team giving up over 500 points last year—as if 0-16 wasn't bad enough.

A poor defense equals unnecessary stress for a QB. The Lions made strides in the off-season, but overall could have done better.

Stafford’s situation is far worse than Ryan’s ever was considering Ryan benefited from Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood in the backfield, Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, and Brian Finneran as receivers, a solid O-line that gave up only 17 sacks, and a defense that wasn’t all that bad despite having trouble stopping the run.

Ryan had green fields and blue skies in his rookie year while Stafford has looming storm clouds above desolate and shaky ground at his foot.

Stafford will not start right out of the gate so long as Culpepper stays healthy—a task all in its own. But if Culpepper can remain healthy and somewhat effective he can keep Stafford on the bench, affording Detroit more time to build.

All in all, Detroit will not turn things around in the fashion that Atlanta did last year. In fact, it could take two or three years, but, in time, if Stafford can grow, and if the organization can find the right talent, then perhaps the Lions can have their first Pro Bowl quarterback since the days of Bobby Layne—an aspiration only time will tell.

In Pt. 2 we will compare Flacco and Sanchez, but for now let's discuss this comparison. I want to hear from everyone especially Detroit fans.