Finally in The Right Layne?: Stafford Lifts The Lions in One Fell Swoop

On Sunday at around 1pm Pacific time, I felt a slight breeze out on the West Coast in my small apartment in Portland. 

And while the fact that I live in the Willamette Valley may have figured into this breeze, I know in my hear that the real cause was a collective sigh of relief coming from my old home in the Midwest.

That's right, folks, the Detroit Lions finally won a game!

While Monday morning quarterbacks (like myself) can argue over whether or not it was all about Detroit winning or Washington losing, the real story was about a rookie quarterback winning over a city.

Hold on east-coasters, I am not talking about your beloved Mark Sanchez and his inevitable (and premature) enshrinement in Canton, Ohio. 

Sure, Sanchez and the Jets have been impressive and his head first dive into the end zone may have won over his teammates; but to those in Michigan, the real story was about another rookie and his impressive run.

Early in the first half, the Lions found themselves in a third and long situation.  Upon receiving the snap, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford scanned the field only to find his receivers well covered.

For Lions fans, this has been a common experience.  On countless occasions, we have seen our newly anointed franchise quarterbacks in a make-or-break situation.

During the Chuck Long years, this would have resulted in a costly sack and a punt.

During the Andre Ware years, this would have led to an even costlier interception, if not a pick six.

During the Scott Mitchell years, this would have led to either a sack by a man half his size, or an interception that preceded the 6'6" 250 lb weakling being run over by a cornerback, leading to an injury.

During the Joey Harrington years, this would have led to a completion that fell five yards short of the first down marker.

In a lot of ways, how Stafford handled this situation would be the first opportunity for Lions fans to size up their young gunslinger.

So, instead of launching an ill-advised pass, the usual pocket passer fled his confines and decided to try to make a go of it on his own.

At one point during his scramble, Stafford appeared to be in trouble, but with a fairly slick hip shimmy, he sprung past the defender and passed the first down marker.

This alone would have been impressive.  However, Stafford wasn't done.  With a full head of steam, the signal caller kept going and instead of safely sliding, he offered himself up to the defender and took his hit like a man.

Instead of nursing what should have been the hardest hit of his young career, the youngster jumped to his feet and pleaded with the non-sellout crowd to acknowledge their team.

Needless to say, nobody needed his gesture; the crowd was already out of their seats.

In that moment, the fans had their new quarterback, and a new hope. 

However, this time, it feels different.  This time, the new franchise savior had actually earned his applause.

During the previous quarterback tenures, the loudest applause that each received was when they were first introduced. 

Sure, there were some good times with many of his predecessors.  Harrington in particular was at the helm of some impressive wins.  But the fans never connected with those quarterbacks, and they never cheered them with unfettered hope and optimism that was rooted in something real.

Often times, when his predecessors made a big play, they followed it up with a costly mistake. 

Instead, Stafford fired a 21 yard pass to Bryant Johnson for the Lions first score of the game.

So much for following the trend.

Stafford right now is the most exciting thing to happen to the Lions since Barry Sanders retired.  He has a canon for an arm and just enough swagger, arrogance and perhaps ignorance to buck the trend of the past 50 plus years of quarterback futility.

Before you jump all over me and rightfully point out that this was just one game against a very flawed Washington Redskins team, lets point out some very obvious points to temper our optimism.

The Lions are still a long way away from being a contender.  They are playing in a division with three playoff-caliber teams in Green Bay, Minnesota and Chicago.  Additionally, the Lions have many tough non-divisional opponents on their schedule.

Add to this the fact that their defensive line is still very thin, their secondary is a mess, and their offensive line leaves a lot to be desired.  This team is still likely going to lose more than twice as many games as it wins this year.

However, for the first time in years, Lions fans can actually see a real NFL team with a coherent plan for the future.  Make no mistake about it, this team is finally heading in the right direction behind the best quarterback to man the position in Detroit since Bobby Layne.

Before this season began, I was one of the biggest opponents of starting Stafford from day one.  I believed that the Lions lack of talent combined with a brutal schedule and the usual blunders that come from starting a first year quarterback would add up to a nightmare that could have irreparably stunted the development of Stafford and set the Lions back another five years.

And while Stafford has definitely made some of those blunders (and likely will make many more before it is all said and done), he has shown something special in his first three games for this franchise.  In a word, he has shown heart.

One of my favorite expressions is that life is not about the destination, but rather about the trip.

Only time will tell whether this story has a happy ending.  But if this past Sunday is any indication, it sure will be one heck of a ride.