Stafford Should Start and Fans Should Sit Tight

The Lions' local fans are some of the toughest in the country, as their local newspapers already have boasted headlines “Lions in mid-season form,” “Stafford struggles in first start as a Lion,” and “Lions fight each other during warm-ups” after a few preseason games with little to no meaning. Lions' fans are upset and still seeing last season’s memories in the front of their minds.

Matthew Stafford should be taking the snaps under center on opening day for the Detroit Lions. Detroit has to start Stafford, otherwise the six-year contract, with $48 million guaranteed and a potential overall $78 million, looks laughable considering Mark Sanchez, the fifth overall pick, has already secured the starting quarterback position for the New York Jets.  Sanchez’s contract is worth a potential $50 million and he has had a solid preseason with 280 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. 

Stafford has looked like a quarterback who needs more experience. So far this preseason,  he has thrown for 308 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.  The upside is that he has shown flashes of looking sharp, specifically on a strong delivery to WR Calvin Johnson. 

If Stafford sits with a contract worth potentially $27 million more than Sanchez’s deal, it would be noteworthy to ask why the Lions would pay all this money to sit a quarterback while the fifth pick is gaining experience and contributing to the team for a lot cheaper price tag.

In recent history, Peyton Manning started every game and took every snap of his rookie season. Stafford has the hype of a Peyton Manning, indicating once again that he should be in the lineup on opening day against the New Orleans Saints.

After losing their last 17 regular season games, including a 0-16 season last year, the expectations are low on a national level. From a local level, the fans seem very upset and disappointed, and are demanding immediate results. 

Fans should understand that Peyton Manning did not win a Super Bowl until his ninth season and went 3-13 his first season. Most quarterbacks do not develop overnight, and it would be anything less than foolish for fans to expect anything different from Detroit and Matthew Stafford.

Some doubters are saying Detroit should start veteran Daunte Culpepper over the rookie Matthew Stafford. The vision behind this, is that Culpepper is the better candidate right now to get an immediate win and get the winless 17 game streak off the team’s back. 

However, fans should not be thinking about losing 17 in a row, but rather, how the team can shape its destiny in the next 3 to 5 years. This means starting Matthew Stafford is the logical choice. 

Stafford, even if he loses games, will gain valuable experience at the starting quarterback position. If Stafford does not start, and Culpepper loses games, it’s a complete setback as Stafford is not gaining any real game experience and the team is not winning.

In practice, players can only simulate so much of what can happen in an actual game.  Stafford needs to get the nerves out of his system and get acquainted with the speed of the NFL. Holding a clipboard and watching Culpepper get hit is only going to increase the nerves and anxiety of the young quarterback.

The coaching staff needs to explain to the fans that this is a learning process and not to expect any miracles this season.  If Stafford is going to be on the level of a Peyton Manning and live up to his record contract, he is going to need to be treated in the same manner. This means taking every snap and gaining experience and not sitting on the bench.