Detroit Lions Are Displaying Childish Stupidity with Daunte Culpepper

Could you fly a plane after having a few days with the manual? Could you run a company after working there as a new hire for a week? Could you run a four-minute mile after practicing your jogging a couple times?

The answer is an obvious no. Anyone could tell you that, so why can't the Lions figure it out?

There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for new Lions quarterback, Daunte Culpepper to be thrown to the wolves on Sunday. No reason.

Culpepper was officially signed last Monday, which means by Sunday, he'll have had less than a week to learn the Lions' playbook in preparation to start at quarterback. He hasn't played professional football in a year.

Oh, and the Lions are currently 0-8 with no hope of making the playoffs. What's the rush?

What does Detroit gain by rushing an obviously unprepared Culpepper to the starting quarterback position? I can think of only one thing: ticket sales.

Someone in the Lions' organization thinks they can avoid another blackout by playing a former Pro-Bowler at quarterback next week. They might be right, but they probably aren't. Detroit fans might be loyal to a fault, but they aren't stupid. They know this is a dumb, dumb decision.

All Detroit would be doing is affecting Culpepper's chances of being a good starting quarterback for the Lions in 2009.

I can see the future now. Culpepper is going to come out, barely knowing anything about the playbook, and probably get sacked five or six times, throw a few picks, possibly get injured, and walk off the field with a damaged psyche.

Culpepper has a chance to be great for Detroit next year. He could represent the transition, along with a new GM and coach from a horrible team to a playoff team in Detroit. There is no need to put him out there now.

If Dan Orlovsky can't play, just start Drew Stanton, even if its only for one game. If he fails, it's no big deal, it will almost be expected. Stanton, as unprepared as the Lions say he is, definitely knows the playbook and system world's better than Culpepper does at this point.

If the Lions are worried about ticket sales, they aren't going to sell much more with Culpepper than they would with a former Michigan State standout that fans have been clamoring for just as much.

This organization seems to get stupider by the day, but this will really take the cake. I promise you, there is no other team in the NFL that would even dream of starting a quarterback who has been out of football for a year and has only had a week with the playbook.

I used to think train wrecks like the Lions were entertaining, but this is just sad. I've reached that point where I've run out of humorous examples to compare the team to, and I didn't think that would ever happen.

The next episode of Saturday Night Live should just show this Sunday's game in its entirety. The jokes write themselves, no commentary necessary.

If Rod Marinelli didn't deserve to get fired before, he certainly deserves it now if Culpepper takes that field on Sunday.