Culpepper Thinks He Can Still Start

Yep, you read that right John Niyo of the Detroit News reports that Detroit Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper thinks he can still be a starter in the NFL. The years about to change to 2010 but I guess Culepper is still living in 2005. You know fresh off of those great years in Minnesota with a guy named Randy Moss.

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“I know the player that I am,” Culpepper said Wednesday. “I feel like a starter, I know I’m a starter. But I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”

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I just have one question. Duante do you know the player that you are? Seriously.

You haven’t had a solid season since 2004, which was the last year you played with the previously mentioned Moss. SInce then you’ve put up the type of numbers we’d expect from backup QBs.

2005 – 7 games, 64.4 completion %, 1564 yards, 6 tds, 12 ints
2006 – 4 games, 60.4 comp %, 929 yards, 2 tds, 3 ints
2007 – 7 games, 58.1 comp %, 1331 yards, 5 tds, 5 ints
2008 – 5 games, 52.2 comp %, 786 yards, 4 tds, 6 ints
2009 – 7 games, 53.7 comp %, 683 yards, 1 td, 5 ints

Looking at the past five years, the only season you put up anything starter like was 2005 and the numbers have gotten progressively worse. Can’t blame it on playing time either cause at least in 2009 when you get consecutive outings the numbers actually get worse.

If Daunte was really starter material still he’d have already been named the Week 17 starter for the Lions. Instead his own head coach Jim Schwartz won’t name him the starter of Drew Stanton. Culpepper’s been getting the first team reps but must be doing just enough bad to make the coach consider making a chance.

So can Duante get a starting job in 2010? Not a chance.

His best chance of starting is signing with a bad team and then the starter gets hurt. That’s his best opportunity to start and they’ll be at least one bad team that would give him a chance as a backup.