Detroit Lions: 5 Reasons to Have Faith in Matthew Stafford

Follow me and I will bring you to the promised land. 

Matthew Stafford has the god-given ability to be the savior of the Detroit Lions franchise. The Lions have slowly been improving, and in drafting high impact players like Stafford and Ndamukong Suh they have a real chance to make a playoff appearance this year. 

But why should you put your faith in Stafford's glass shoulders? Because the game of football starts, and ends, at the quarterback position.

These five reasons are why you should be high on Stafford for the year, and why you should believe he can remain healthy and carry the Detroit Lions on his fragile, but healed, shoulders.  

Injury Recovery

Stafford's biggest knock is his health. When he hit the field last season he looked like a superb franchise quarterback, but injuries sidelined him yet again. 

There is a difference between being injury-prone and just having plain bad luck. When large people fall on you and drive you into the ground, there's always a chance for injury. Stafford may not have been fully recovered from his injury when he returned last season, which caused him to re-injure the same shoulder later in the season.

Stafford underwent offseason surgery on his throwing shoulder to improve the healing process, and by all accounts it's worked. Stafford has looked good in the preseason throwing the ball and has had a great camp.

Injuries have been a source of some bad luck for Stafford. Sam Bradford suffered as serious a shoulder injury in college and was viewed as an injury risk as the No. 1 overall pick. He played all 16 games last season with ease.

It's a new year, it's a new shoulder. 

Weapons Galore

There's a trend that's been established in the NFL recently: get your quarterback and then get him some targets. 

The Lions have done just that. Stafford has Calvin "Megatron" Johnson to throw to, along with the talented Nate Burleson and Brandon Pettigrew. Maurice Stovall is also solid third or fourth wide receiver. The Lions also drafted the talented Titus Young in the second round this year, who could make an immediate impact.  

Jahvid Best is one of the best pass-catching running backs in the league, though he has the same injury bug that Stafford has experienced. Best caught a whopping 58 passes in limited time last year. It's not impossible to think that he could have a 100 receptions in a full year of time.

Megatron might be all he needs. He still managed to catch 77 balls for 1,120 yards and 12 touchdowns in limited time with Stafford. If Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton can do that, imagine what Stafford will. Every quarterback needs weapons, and it appears that Stafford has many.   

Excellent Preseason

If there's anything Lions fans wanted to see, it was a strong preseason showing for their returning quarterback. He delivered. 

Stafford played in all four preseason games and ended with a stat line of 25-of-33 passing for five touchdowns and no interceptions. To put it simply: he looked brilliant. 

Everyone may question how much the preseason matters, but almost every preseason games involve the starters going after each other for a series or two, and no defense likes to be scored on, pretend game or not. 

Better yet, Stafford didn't get injured. 

Consistent Offense

Few things are more important in the development of young quarterback than having a consistent coaching situation from year to year. Quarterbacks like Jason Campbell and Alex Smith have had a change of offensive coordinator or head coach every single year, and it's clearly hampered their progress.

Stafford knows his offense inside and out now, having had a lot of downtime to learn it. Stafford showed how well he can play in the offense last year, barely playing a full game but putting up six touchdowns and one interception in such a short time.

As Stafford takes the field more and more I expect him to take over the game much in the way Peyton Manning does. He's got the offense and the intelligence to do so.  

A Strong Drive

Stafford, like Peyton Manning, is a workaholic. 

He puts in all the offseason time necessary to compete and has all the intangibles needed to be a successful leader, on the field and off of it. 

Stafford inspires the confidence that his shoulders don't. He's tough in the pocket and is (clearly) willing to take a hit. When he was in college, he carried Georgia on his back to some victories. 

In some cases, the intangibles are just as important as the raw talent. Jay Cutler has all the talent in the world, but when it comes down to it, he's a disgruntled individual who leaves a bad taste in your mouth. The same could be said of many others, such as Matt Leinart, Vince Young or even JaMarcus Russel. 

Being a leader separates you from the pack. Stafford is willing to lead you to the promised land, if you're willing to follow.