Matthew Stafford Hurt: Why He May Be the Next Jim McMahon

I must admit that I didn't see the play first hand. I was playing with my dogs on the Pacific, so I had to witness the horror via text messages from my friends back in Michigan.

But the refrain was the same. Matthew Stafford was again injured. More importantly, Stafford had injured his right shoulder again.

The Lions have not stated whether or not Stafford had separated his throwing shoulder again, but it is safe to say that Stafford will probably be shut down again.

If you are playing along at home, that will be two straight seasons in which the team's franchise quarterback will finish the season on the injured reserve list.

Last season, it was his non-throwing shoulder that ended his rookie season.

I have to admit, Stafford has looked great in his first two seasons. However, this also makes it that much more frustrating when he repeatedly gets hurt, adding yet another chapter to the curse of the Lions.

The Lions have had terrible luck with quarterbacks since the team's hayday in the 1950's with Bobby Layne.

From Eric Hipple to Chuck Long to Andre Ware to Rodney Peete to Scott Mitchell to Charlie Batch to Joey Harrington to Jon Kitna, the Lions have had by far the worst history with quarterbacks of any team in the league.

But this time it is different. Unlike those other quarterbacks, Stafford can actually play. He has a stronger arm than any of his predecessors, great instincts and the "it" factor. Stafford just looks like a quarterback and his teammates and fans love him.

This is what makes his injury history so frustrating for fans that are more than starved for a winner and a winning quarterback. It's as though what Lions fans have craved is dangling right in front of us and we can't grab it.

This brings us to Jim McMahon.  For the younger fans, this name probably only evokes memories of the terrible "Super Bowl Shuffle" that you may have caught on some 80's flashback show on VH1.

But to those somewhat seasoned fans, McMahon is the poster child for tantalizing talent that was never fully realized.

Personally, I remember McMahon for his headbands, Corey Hart-inspired sunglasses, and the fact that he was almost always on the sideline.

I remember hearing stories about how powerful his arm was, how strong-willed he was and how he was one of the most talented QB's in the game.

But it was always just stories. I don't remember seeing him play a whole lot, and when he did he tended to not make it through the entire game. Bears fans were left wondering "what if" and hoping that the next year would be the one in which McMahon would finally reach his potential.

Of course the Bears qb never did realize his vast potential, and finished his career as a journeyman backup signal caller. At the very end, he was the grizzled old veteran gunslinger.

The Bears have had a similar history with QB's since then, and each time they draft or trade for a new strong-armed stud I hear the same thing from my friends that are Bear fans-"he's gonna be the next McMahon".

This need to have a gun slinger as a quarterback has led them to take chances, the most recent being jettisoning Kyle Orton to Denver for Jay Cutler. Time will tell if that will pay off, but as of now, it looks like a bad move.

Stafford and McMahon have quite a few similarities. Both had huge natural ability and were strong-armed. Both were quite durable during their college days, raising very few red flags. Also, both were very high first round picks (Stafford went number one and McMahon went number five).

There is one other similarity that brought McMahon to my mind when Stafford was drafted. They both wear the number nine.

Of course there are just as many differences between the two. McMahon was brash, charismatic and had a penchant for partying. Stafford, however, is much more laid back, quiet and more workmanlike in his approach. Where McMahon was the bad boy that you fear your daughter will date, Stafford is more like the boy next door that you hope she marries.

The one thing that truly separates the two is the fact that McMahon won a Super Bowl with the Bears in just his fourth year. While this could still happen in Detroit, chances are that it will take longer than two more years for the Lions to get to that level.

So for all the heartache McMahon caused, the Bears fans still got a Super Bowl out of it.

But the truth of the matter is that Stafford's repeated injuries and lack of durability will undoubtedly draw comparisons to the old Bears signal caller, and the possibility that this could prove to be his path may be more than Lions fans can stomach.

However, as all Detroit fans know, Murphy's Law was written about the Lions. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong when it comes to the Motor City Kitties.