Matthew Stafford Still Has Room To Grow for Detroit Lions

Leaping Lions, Matthew Stafford has looked great!  Of all the Lions that we have watched in preseason action, Stafford has probably shown the most significant and encouraging progress from last season.  The comfort level that the Lions second year quarterback has with the offense is light years ahead of last season. 

That has resulted in better decisions and sustained drives down the field.  This leap forward by Stafford has Lions fans buzzing about the possibilities of the upcoming season.  But in all of the euphoria have we given Stafford a pass for the things he still needs to improve?

Long-time fans of the Detroit Lions have been put into a trap.  We are accustomed to failure from Lions quarterbacks.  That expectation translated into fear during the months before the 2009 NFL draft when Stafford was selected. 

Many fans wanted the Lions to take Aaron Curry, or an offensive lineman, because of the fear that Stafford would be another bust in a long line of failed Detroit quarterbacks.  The wounds opened by the Joey Harrington saga were still too fresh to ignore.  We can all be thankful that the Lions front office was not afraid to make Matthew Stafford their first pick. 

But with all of the encouraging signs aside, Stafford is not yet a complete quarterback.  In our profound relief over the progress Matthew has made, we must be careful to keep our sense about where he is at and where he needs to go. 

The largest remaining problems with Matthew Stafford's game are passing accuracy and placing "touch" on his passes when required.  We have seen numerous examples of Stafford blazing a pass in to the receiver regardless of situation. 

While that is not a fatal flaw, it is definitely not ideal.  We have to think of the passing game as an exchange between the quarterback and the receiver.  How that exchange is executed can make a large difference in the chances of success for the play.

In the passing game, the quarterback must deliver the ball in a good position.  Ideally that means that the ball is placed where the receiver is the only one that can catch it to avoid interceptions.  It also means that the ball should be placed where the receiver can catch it in full stride in order to maintain their speed.  That allows the receiver to make additional yards after the catch more easily. 

The speed of the receiver through the catch is a critical part of catching defenses out of position for large gains.  Putting the ball in the ideal place to accomplish these goals is how a quarterback is evaluated for accuracy. It has a huge impact on how consistent and explosive the offense can be.

The accuracy of Matthew Stafford is a work in progress.  So far this preseason, Stafford has shown a tendency to overthrow the ball.  Many passes have forced receivers to jump or lay out in order to get their hands on the ball.  Some passes are so far overthrown that the receiver doesn't have a chance and the ball sails over their head. 

This lack of accuracy on passes results in shorter gains when passes are caught as well.  The receivers are not being hit in stride and it is keeping them from maintaining their speed.  High throws have resulted in one interception this preseason and will result in more if it is not corrected.

The issue of touch is a little more complex.  The problem comes when there is a defender between the receiver and the quarterback.  The quarterback must get the ball over the head of the defender and drop it in to a spot where the receiver can catch it.  That means that a very flat, hard pass is not the right throw for that situation. 

Throwing hard will mean that the pass will come in high to the receiver if you are to get it over the defender.  Stafford needs to recognize that situation and learn to put a little air under the pass so that he can get it to the receiver in a better position to catch.

I suspect that Stafford's problems with accuracy are related to his problems with touch.  He is too dependent on his arm strength, which has served him well throughout his career.  I feel that throwing the ball hard has become a panacea for Stafford that overrides the ability to recognize what type of touch needs to be placed on a throw. 

Hopefully, that is not the case and Stafford has the ability to fit one more decision into the time before he has to deliver the pass.  That decision needs to be about how much air he will put under the ball when he throws.

Playing quarterback at NFL speeds requires a quarterback to make decisions quickly.  The decision of what kind of throw to make is done after a dozen (or more) other decisions, and they all have to be made in a few seconds.  Exactly how to throw a pass is the last thing a quarterback decides before actually throwing the ball.  So that decision is often made with pressure coming from the pass rush. 

This makes the touch placed on a pass a matter of poise and discipline.  You can almost forgive a quarterback for just slinging the ball out of instinct.  But developing accuracy and touch will be the difference between whether Matthew Stafford becomes a Hall of Fame-caliber talent, or whether he plateaus at just being a "pretty good" quarterback.

It is important to understand that Matthew Stafford is not behind the learning curve in any way.  His progress in becoming a top notch NFL quarterback has been impressive.  Stafford has become a very good NFL quarterback in a little more than one season.  Most NFL quarterbacks never reach the level that Matthew has already accomplished in this short time. 

Watching Stafford perform consistently at a high level during this preseason is incredibly encouraging to everyone but his opponents.  It is this quick progress that makes me feel that Stafford is capable of learning this last important decisions as well.  The time that he has bought through better recognition of defenses, and a more complete understanding of the offense, will buy him the time to make this one last decision.

Thankfully, the Lions coaches and players do not seem to be as starstruck by the progress of Stafford as many fans are.  Statements from Lions coach Jim Schwartz and Stafford himself show that they recognize the problem.  While fans make excuses, Matthew Stafford owns his responsibilities. 

Stafford continues to impress observers with the approach he is taking.  Stafford is the first to admit that he could make better throws on a lot of the plays that misfire.  Given that Stafford has mastered the other challenges that he has identified gives us encouragement that he will beat this one too.

Dare I say it?  The Detroit Lions may actually deliver on the promise of an explosive offense this season!  When is the last time that we have watched the Lions actually deliver on promise as a team?  The string of disappointments has been longer than we would care to reflect upon.  All of this confidence is based on the play of Matthew Stafford,  but if the past year is any indication, our confidence is well-placed.