Detroit Lions: 5 Keys for Matthew Stafford To Become an Elite NFL Quarterback

Matthew Stafford is not an elite NFL quarterback, yet.

The 23-year-old, young signal-caller is already fulfilling the promise shown at Georgia and the Lions’ practice facility.

Spending much of his first two seasons in the league on the sidelines, this year has been a welcomed change. Stafford has not missed a game this season, knock on wood, playing through pain and putting up gaudy numbers.

So far, Magic Matt No. 9 has 4,145 yards passing, nearly 300 yards per game, with a passer rating of 93.8—fifth-best among active quarterbacks this year. The NFL has not seen these type of numbers from a quarterback this young since Dan Marino was rockin’ a white-man fro.

His four-touchdown performance last weekend gave Matt the Lions’ franchise record for most touchdown passes in a season, eclipsing the record of 32 set by Scott Mitchell.

Additionally, he’ll take Scott’s other claim to fame this weekend, total yards passing, with only 194 more. Leaving Scott his Halloween costumed portrayal of Wayne Fontes as his only moment of Lions' relevance.

But playing hurt and breaking Mitchell’s records won’t make you elite; it just makes Stafford tougher and better than his Lion predecessors.

So what does Stafford need to become a partner in the law firm of Brady, Brees and Rodgers?

Here are the five biggest keys for Stafford to continue making the evolution from good to elite.

Keep Scott Linehan in the Fold

Not enough has been made of the job Scott Linehan has done with Stafford.

So often in Detroit, the head coach was the offensive coordinator as well, and it had him ultimately spread too thin.

The CEO cannot be in charge of balancing the books in a large corporation, right? So why should we ever expect development of a young quarterback when his OC is fulfilling all the necessary obligations of a head coach?

Stafford has benefited from the tutelage of Linehan, and it was most apparent to me in the comeback victory against Carolina when Linehan sat with Stafford after a brutal start and modified the game plan.

The results? A nearly perfect 24-of-27 for 289 yards and five touchdowns.

It helps that Linehan’s system is very similar to the one Stafford ran at Georgia. A system in which his statistics improved yearly, and if history repeats itself; Matt should continue to trend upward with Linehan calling the plays.

This will be Stafford’s sixth season within two very similar systems. Stability in philosophy and coaching accelerates development and is common amongst the league’s best.

The concern is that in today’s NFL, head coaches are changed like coffee filters. Like Janet Jackson said, “What have you done for me lately?”

If Scott wants another crack at a head coaching gig, Stafford will be helping him get the interview, but Linehan will be much closer to Super Bowl jewelry in Detroit than starting fresh in another city. 

Re-Sign Calvin Johnson

The NFL has never seen a 6’5”, 236-pound wide receiver with sprinter speed and hands that could hide Rhode Island.

For a point of reference, Calvin and Ben Roethlisberger are the same height and weight. Can you see Big Ben striding by a 5’ nothing cornerback and leaping over a safety to go get the football?

Calvin has saved this football team, and Stafford, on multiple occasions this season. His Willie Mays cradle in Minnesota, the end-zone grab between three defenders in Dallas and last week coming back for the underthrown ball between a pair of Raiders to set up the winning score.

These three catches are just a glimpse of what Calvin is capable of and why it's so important the Lions keep him in Detroit.

It wasn’t too long ago Calvin was publicly contemplating leaving the Motor City when his contract expired. He was tired of the losing and truth be told, weren’t we all?

Now with a quarterback who can make any throw, the sideline throw-and-catch to Calvin to begin the final drive last week was just sick; Calvin appears happy being a Lion, and as Stafford develops, Calvin’s dominance will continue to grow.

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and yes, winning does cure all.

Megatron will be a free agent after next season, but the Lions never want negotiations to get to that point.

Keeping No. 81 as Stafford’s primary target puts pressure on the defense to double or even triple Calvin and opens up opportunities for the rest of the receiving corps. He must be locked up, long-term.

Make Titus Young a Star

Who would you rather have:  Calvin Johnson, Wes Welker, Jimmy Graham or Jordy Nelson?

Obvious, right? But Brady, Brees and Rodgers have made these other three great as they're all leading their respective teams in receiving yards.

It’s easy to toss it up and have Calvin Johnson morph into Megatron and create the reception; it’s quite another to turn everyday players into fantasy superstars.

Part of the development of Stafford is to transform his own average Joe into a borderline Pro Bowler, that should be Titus Young.

Titus is blossoming nicely in his first year with top-10 yards and receptions to go along with fourth-best touchdown receptions in the 2011 rookie class.

For Stafford to become elite, he needs to make his receivers better with him, than without him, and with Young’s talent, he should become a star.

Stay Healthy

You can have all the talent in the world, but if you can’t stay on the field, you can’t be elite.

Stafford was thought to be injury-prone with the knee problems in his rookie campaign and the shoulder problems last year, but this season, he has proved the doubters to be wrong.

He has played through the pain of a bum ankle when he carved up the Broncos and never missed a snap with a broken index finger in the middle of the season. His fragile label should be a thing of the past, and any thoughts of him needing a bubble-wrap jersey should now be dismissed.

The great ones play through pain when necessary, but more importantly, they're able to stay healthy.

Improving the offensive line this offseason will go a long way towards keeping No. 9 off the IR list, but improved beef upfront will also help his mechanics.

People complain about Stafford throwing off his back foot or side-arming the ball far too often. What do you want the guy to do when he’s got a 350-pound DT ripping through the “A” gap, step into his super-sized belly?

Stafford is being criticized for his improvisations when he really should be commended. The arm strength necessary to pull off those kind of throws is not found in many quarterbacks and having the vision and accuracy to “clock” his throwing motion to different planes makes up for many of the misgivings of his offensive line.

Tweaking his mechanics has allowed Stafford to minimize the shots sustained throughout the season, and he still has the 10th-highest total in sacks at 31, plus countless knockdowns.

The Lions and Stafford both know he needs to be on the field for them to have a chance in January, even if he doesn’t have Tom Brady’s textbook release, mechanics be damned!

Quarterbacks do not become elite over the course of one season, Stafford will need to string a few seasons together before anybody can make that claim regarding "Nine."

Stats, Stats, Stats

When a friendly discussion cannot be resolved, it always comes back to statistics.

Numbers are tangible, unifying and ultimately cut through the prejudice of the respective point of view.

Stafford’s yards, touchdowns and passer rating are all fantastic and would send him home with a gold star on his forehead if this were kindergarten, but it’s not. Big boy school requires more from the man under center.

Stafford’s touchdown-to-interception ratio is 33-14, roughly 2:1. The big three of Brady, Brees and Rodgers all carry a ratio of better than 3:1.

I realize nine of the picks came during Matt’s “glove period,” if we were to speak in artist terms, but you can’t just throw out games that don’t fit your argument.

Remember, elite players are on the field and play through pain. Stafford needs to cut down on the interceptions and be safer with the ball if he's ailing.

His completion percentage for the year is 62.7 percent, the big three all average over 66 percent. Well, that’s because they don’t push the ball down the field like Stafford, right?

Wrong. Stafford averages seven yards per reception; the big three all average eight yards or better.

High completion percentages have never been Stafford’s Modus Operandi, and truth be told, 63 percent is just fine. But in the context of being elite; he’ll need to improve this statistic, regardless of the drops incurred by his receiving corps.

Finally, the only statistic that really counts—wins. More importantly, playoff wins.

We all know about the dismal playoff record of the Lions. Hell, some of you probably have the “Rebuilding Since 57” t-shirt; I know I do.

Quarterbacks, rightly or wrongly, are ultimately judged by the most simplistic of statistics—wins and loses.

Stafford has shown he can win in the regular season, and now in a few weeks, his hard work will soon be rewarded with magnified analysis as he will likely start his first NFL playoff game on the road.

Dan Marino and Dan Fouts could light up the scoreboard like a Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, but they never got their Super Bowl rings, and to this day, are a repeatedly cited blemish for both.

The big three have a fistful of Super Bowl Ice between them, and for Stafford to attain their status, he’ll have to win in the postseason to become elite in the eyes of Lions fans and probably need to win the whole thing to be considered the same across the country.

If Stafford does eventually deliver the Holy Grail of pro football, the Vince Lombardi Trophy, back to Motown, the deity-like praise for Tim Tebow in Denver will be laughable compared to the worship Matthew Stafford will receive throughout the State of Michigan.