Can Matthew Stafford Lead the Detroit Lions to the Playoffs in 2011?

The last time the Detroit Lions won a playoff game, gas in the US was $1.14 a gallon.

The average price of a new home was $120,000. The cell phone had been invented, but it was the size of a shoebox and weighed as much as a typewriter. OK, you get it – it was a long time ago. 

Twenty years to be exact. On January 5 1992, the Detroit Lions shredded the Dallas Cowboys 38-6 in the NFC Divisional playoffs. 

On that most glorious day in modern Lions history, Erik Kramer sliced up the Cowboys’ secondary like a Sushi chef dicing room-temperature abalone. Kramer completed 29 of 38 (76 percent) for 341 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. 

But Kramer did not do it alone. He got a little help from his friends, the Lions defense (Please make a note of this). 

On their way to knocking the Cowboys' superstar quarterback Troy Aikman out of the game, the Lions defense harassed, hurried, hit, sacked and intercepted him. They welcomed his replacement, Steve Beuerlein, with the same treatment. The Lions defense distributed four sacks and two interceptions between the two Cowboy quarterbacks. 

The victory earned the Lions a trip to the NFC Championship game. Unfortunately for Lions fans, the Washington Redskins dashed their Super Bowl dreams by pounding them 41-10. 

On Sunday, the Lions will embark on their 2011 campaign with a ravenous appetite – built up over 20 years -- for a long-awaited taste of playoff glory. They’ll be led by Matthew Stafford, the best Lions quarterback since Erik Kramer. 

Stafford was white-hot throughout the pre-season. He threw for a combined 25-of-33 for 395 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He blew a near-perfect quarterback rating of 154.7.

Equally as important for the oft-injured Stafford, he was not sacked once. Stafford added 15 pounds of muscle to his upper body during the off-season. He is stronger, and he should be better prepared to take the physical pounding that is inevitable for NFL quarterbacks.

I noticed something else about Stafford watching him closely during the preseason – he is throwing a more catchable ball. He has throttled back a little on that laser-canon arm of his and he is putting more arc on the ball. His passes dropped more than zipped into his receivers’ hands.

Behind good pass protection from an improved and more stable offensive line, and with receiving threats like Calvin (Megatron) Johnson, Nate (“Third and Nate”) Burleson, Brandon Pettigrew, Titus Young and Jahvid Best, a healthy Stafford could have a monster season. 

But, like Kramer, Stafford will not have to do it alone. He will get help from the Lions’ defense, particularly the defensive line. 

By the way, the nickname for the Lions defensive line should not be “The Silver Crush.” The Lions players themselves have already rejected this lame moniker, which is a throwback to the mid 80's and the Pontiac Silverdome. The Lions defensive line nickname can only be “The Disassembly Line.” 

Imagine that you’re an NFL quarterback. You’ve been running for your life for three quarters from All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong (“Suhnami”) Suh. You are relieved that you still retain all of your limbs, and that your head is still firmly attached to your shoulders.

The Lions give Suh a breather. But who’s this Nick Fairley guy they spelled him with? Wait, wasn’t he taken pretty high in the draft? And Corey Williams, their “other” defensive tackle, was formerly franchise-tagged by the Green Bay Packers. He’s pretty good, too.

The defensive ends are an aggressive, talented and quarterback-hungry group comprised of Vanden Bosch, Avril, and Lawrence (LoJack) Jackson. With a rotation that suffers little to no drop-off from one player to the next, the Lions' defensive line could be straight-up dominant. 

Can Matthew Stafford lead the Detroit Lions to the playoffs in 2011? Yes…with a little help from his friends.