No Controversy in the Detroit Lions' Offensive Line

Training camp is under way at Allen Park, and the reports are in.

Matt Stafford is very good.  Daunte Culpepper looks as great as his “back in shape” look would suggest.

Even Drew Stanton, a guy who I said less than two weeks ago is a dark horse to get cut in training camp, has “thrown some darts,” to use the words of MLive.com’s Tom Kowalski.

The strong performance of each quarterback all but guarantees a swirling, season-long quarterback controversy.

But fear not! For there is one area, very near to the quarterback position, where there is no controversy whatsoever.

Nobody is arguing the fact that the offensive line is bad. The starters are bad, the reserves are aged, and bright spots are hard to find.

In a “pass rush” drill, a basic offensive line vs. defensive line situation, a red punching bag is suspended where a quarterback would be (roughly), and the offensive line’s sole job is to protect it.

Suffice to say, the punching bag took more shots than Jon Kitna with a 28-point deficit.

“Well,” you say, “maybe that’s a good thing! Maybe the defensive line is better than advertised!”

Don’t be naive.

Sure, Julian Peterson thinks Cliff Avril can be a top pass rusher. He’s not there yet, so what does that say for when the offensive line actually has to contain a top pass rusher?

Projected starter Grady Jackson wasn’t even in practice while the offensive line was getting pushed around. So who was dominating them? Landon Cohen? Jared DeVries? Ikaika Alama-Francis?

If that’s all it takes to overpower this group, what’s going to happen when they face the Vikings’ Williams Wall twice a year? Albert Haynesworth and the Redskins? The blitzing Steelers?

In a word, “crunch.”

The offensive line’s woes add an interesting dynamic to quarterback competition, as well. Lions quarterbacks have looked sharp in camp, but they are participating in seven-on-seven drills that do not involve a pass rush.

Perhaps the winner of the starting job is the one who shows most capable of handling consistent pressure in the pocket.

Worse yet, maybe it will be the one who survives.