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Lions Stafford completes 'Jaw-dropping' passes
It’s an old adage that an NFL quarterback takes huge strides between his rookie and second seasons.
Most everyone in Detroit expects that to happen with Matthew Stafford, the first overall pick in 2009, who showed glimpses of greatness in the 2-14 2009 season.
He got beat up pretty badly due to a few holes in the offense — to put it mildly. Still, he proved he’s a warrior. No Texas pansy.
It’s hard not to hype the kid (He’s just 22 years old.) His passes during OTAs have put smiles on coaches, coordinators and fellow teammates.
Perhaps linebacker Zack Follett, who was a rookie last year too, put it best: “Stafford, you can tell he’s comfortable out there because the throws he’s making are pretty jaw-dropping.”
Enough said.
(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)
Labels: Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford, Zack Follett
posted by Paula Pasche at
2:23 PM
31 Comments:
jaw-dropping as in "wow he threw in 60 yards right to the safety" or jaw-dropping as in "he threw in 100 mph right at the receiver's feet?"
stafford won 2 games last year. settle down. he stinks.
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I'm keeping an open mind with Stafford. That being said I still think we overpaid. Until I see results I will not change that opinion. Too often we look at "the best in the draft" rather than the best period.
we shoulda drafted marc sanchez
Lol Morgan. You must not know much about football. Or you either get all of your opinions from EPSN, which sucks for NFL analysis. Stafford and Sanchez almost had the same exact stats and Sanchez had the best rushing game in the league, not to mention their defense which was ranked in the top 10.
Stafford was trying to play catch up every single game, had hardly no running game, one of the worst defenses. Plus watch the highlights, there is at least 10-12 dropped passes from receivers nearly every game.
I love to read along with my feelow Lions Fans. The ridiculus stuff that you packer's bears, and viking fans write to our papers and try to put down OUR great QBs to be.
What a bunch of morons Morgan and what's his name are! Hey moran morgan kinda has a ring to it!
Anyways Now that Stafford has a better TEAM around him he should be able to show you ninconpoops what he can do.
Stafford will turn out to be the best of the best QBs that ever entered the NFL and he will prove it while being on the LIONS! Thats pretty cool huh!
If either of you nuts have bothered to look at Staffords Machanics (The way he throws)if you don't understand what i'm talking about? You would know just from watching him that this QB is something special. I read one of the writers from the free press Drew Sharp and he was saying that you would have to be crazy to name Stafford as someone really special or blessed. Well I was doing that before we even drafted him.
And I Stand by that NOW!
Stafford isn't just some QB? HE IS something SUPER SPECIAL!
And he is and will BE a great QB in this league on this TEAM!
I know it. UNLESS an act of God stop's him. And I am hoping that The lord created him to Succeed.
WE all know that any mans greatness comes from him anyways so I hope that the Lord shows his glory through him(Stafford).
Go Stafford!
Go LIONS!
all I'm saying is we won 2 games last year.
I know Sanchez had a better supporting cast, I'm not an idiot.
I know their stats are similar. And I know the Jets had a great running game/defense, and the Lions of course did not.
If you put Staff on the Jets and Sanch on the Lions last year, I'm not saying the Lions make the playoffs. Not even close. But I do think we woulda beat the Rams. I think we woulda won 4 or 5 games.
And the Jets woulda won at least 7 or 8, but Stafford doesn't have the poise or leadership Sanchez has. Or the decision making. He doesn't have the intangibles.
Just because Stafford was drafted first doesn't mean he's better. Think outside the box.
Remember JaMarcus and VY and Alex Smith and Ryan Leaf and Harrington? Aaron Rodgers was picked after Alex Smith. It IS possible that Sanchez is better than Stafford. Intangibles go a long way. It's not all about arm strength. Just ask JaMarcus. Stafford lacks poise. I know no one wants to admit it, but it's true. Will he develop poise this year? I hope so.
All I know is, Sanchez already has poise. And if Stifford was on the 09 Jets, I'm positive they wouldn't have made the AFC Championship game.
Until Stafford wins 3+ games as a starter, I'm not ready to call him jaw-dropping. I've been a delusional Lions fan long enough.
I know we added Suh and Burleson, but we lost Foote and Sims. Let's not act like Chris Houston and Rob Sims are really the answer.
Call me whatever names you want, all I said is "WE SHOULD HAVE DRAFTED MARC SANCHEZ" and I stand by that statement.
Sorry Morgan,
You fail. Sanchez COST the Jets a number of games, and almost cost them even more, but for a great defense. Give me a single game, where Sanchez exhibited anything even close to what Stafford did against the browns. The kid is tough, and he doesn't eat fucking hotdogs on the sideline. Sanchez will be bad next year. Wait and see. Sanchez was a game manager and struggled to do that. Stafford had nothing around him, nothing at all. CJ in triple coverage makes him a non factor. I will guarantee you that Stafford puts up a better QB rating next year than Sanchez.
Also saw a rookie special on ESPN where Stafford was at the goalline, and in the huddle (was wired for sound) was tapping his oline on the helmets saying "Hey guys I am tapping you guys on the head so they think I am being a stupid rookie and giving teh play away, playaction pass." It went for a TD and that shows teh kids smarts.
Also when is the last time you remember the lions getting a 90 yard RD drive? Stafford led what 3-4 last year? Including a 99 yard, SUSTAINED drive (ie not one big play)
further proof:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wg9lmL2DyI4/SnMq8T92nDI/AAAAAAAACSg/a88kk51wOb4/s400/matt%2Bstafford%2Bbikini%2Bgirls.jpg&imgrefurl=http://berniesdawgblawg.blogspot.com/2009/07/detroit-rock-city.html&usg=__NuhpoC-MfyjXg7V6AxliL_c5TgE=&h=400&w=300&sz=24&hl=en&start=1&sig2=LuvckR6wMB79IYN2XIe4kQ&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=o8AdnTmmrZcrbM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=93&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmatt%2Bstafford%2Bgirls%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rlz%3D1T4GGLG_enUS310US310%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=ZM_9S8K4AYvMM_zOkN4H
look at this pathetic picture of the QB you all seem to think is so focused on winning and such a great leadder.
or this one:
http://blog.mlive.com/lions_impact/2009/06/medium_070429-matthew-stafford-keg-and-hottie.jpg
he's a joke.
in 5 years you'll all realize that he was only ever interested in money and girls. he's too immature. winning is not at the top of his priority list. he's good at pretending it is; he says all the right things. but anyone can say the right things. i want to see some damn victories before i call him jaw-dropping.
and i did watch the lions last year, every game, and there weren't as many dropped passes as you say. a few yeah, but most because they were badly thrown. not 8-10. that's an exaggeration.
a good QB makes his supporting cast good. you telling me that matt ryan or joe flacco or phillip rivers couldnt join the lions right now and lead them to 8-8? of course they could. and by the way, we have one of the most talented WRs in the game and stafford couldn't get him the ball. I know he's triple covered, but you gotta be able to get him the ball. that's your job. know the playbook, know the defenses, improvise. stafford isn't close to that level. defenses own him.
And yeah I know about the rookie payscale, we didn't have a choice but to pay the #1 pick what we paid (that's why being #1 pick is actually a curse). Duh. BUT if we had drafted a LT or Aaron Curry we wouldn't have had to pay as much. QBs cost more. he's vastly overpaid, considering he gets paid as a top 5 QB in the league but talent wise he's probably somewhere in the 26-30 range.
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Morgan... you a litterally the dumbast person I've ever seen commenting on anything... Stafford had better stats, with less starts, on a horrible offense and defensive team... End of story... Marc Sanchez would have CRUMBLED in Detroit.. Lions would have went winless or maybe 1 win against the Rams, but thats it... Seriously, learn the facts before you run your mouth... I'm not even a Lions fan and I know how much better Stafford is then Sanchez... get real
And look at how much Bradford will make vs Matt idiot.... QBs of course would be more money then a LB....Oh... were was Aaron Curry last year? That would have been a great pick..... lmao on how dumb you are.
I want to know why you people that doubt Stafford think you know more than coaches that have been doing nothing but football for years. They make millions by coaching FOOTBALL. What do you do? They are happy, they know his maturity, they know him personally. His teammates have nothing but good things to say. If they didn't actually believe the things they are saying they would say nothing at all. So other than a few pictures of him having fun (during the offseason)can you question his character??
Look guys, Stafford cannot be compaired to anyone but himself. There is no QB out there on a team as woefull as the Lions. You take a rookie and place him on a team with the worst defense in the league and an offense near the bottom. Then allow the Lions to fall behind and forced to take chances. Then mix in the continuous sacks and bone crushing hits. Take away his only real receiver (CJ) and what do you expect?
This year will show more about the real Stofford. Assuming there are no injuries (HA) he will have a real chance to prove himself. Naturally the Lions now have a decent starting line up, but keep in mind, there is no real depth. So Stafford will be out there every offensive play, but his starters won't. You can't wish for a Manning, or Brees this year. Maybe a McNabb or Romo. Now the 2011 season (assuming there will be one) will be the year to really take note of. Schwartz should get some depth on the roster and possibly some better starters.
What I'm saying is give the kid a break. You can't judge him by last year. Way way way to many bad thing's around him to really give him a fair chance.
Look guys, Stafford cannot be compaired to anyone but himself. There is no QB out there on a team as woefull as the Lions. You take a rookie and place him on a team with the worst defense in the league and an offense near the bottom. Then allow the Lions to fall behind and forced to take chances. Then mix in the continuous sacks and bone crushing hits. Take away his only real receiver (CJ) and what do you expect?
This year will show more about the real Stofford. Assuming there are no injuries (HA) he will have a real chance to prove himself. Naturally the Lions now have a decent starting line up, but keep in mind, there is no real depth. So Stafford will be out there every offensive play, but his starters won't. You can't wish for a Manning, or Brees this year. Maybe a McNabb or Romo. Now the 2011 season (assuming there will be one) will be the year to really take note of. Schwartz should get some depth on the roster and possibly some better starters.
What I'm saying is give the kid a break. You can't judge him by last year. Way way way to many bad thing's around him to really give him a fair chance.
that's fair. He didn't have anything to work with last year. I'm sure this year will be better.
Let's drop the Sanchez comparison for now ... I now Marc didn't have great stats and lost a lot of games for the Jets. He played like a typical rookie. I just like his leadership and poise more and think he'll be better 10 years from now. Whatever.
For Stafford, or any QB, it isn't about stats. It's about WINS. End of story.
Cutler had great stats 2 years ago. He stinks.
Tracy McGrady used to put up good stats. So did Iverson.
Stafford beat a REdskins team that wasn't even trying at that point, and a horrible Browns team thanks to a pass interference on a hail mary. If they hadn't committed that stupid penalty, we were 1-15.
We lost, AT HOME, to the Rams. We only scored 10 points against the Rams. That's on Stafford.
We went 0-6 in the division. We were embarrassed and uncompetitive.
All I'm saying is, wait until he does something before you praise him.
None of us are coaches, none of us are in the locker room. It's not a question of "who knows more about football." You keep saying I don't know anything about football. I do. Maybe you do too. Whatever.
It's just my OPINION, based on watching Stafford's play and his demeanor over the past year, that he's not gonna be a good NFL QB. He'll be like a Leinart or a Quinn. That's my opinion.
And I hope more than anything that he proves me wrong.
Placing most the blame of Stafford is crazy. I'll be the first to admit I didn't want Stafford and I'm not sold he's a star in the making. He has a great arm, but a lot of his throws were just off the mark last year. He was forced to make quick decisions and he tried to force throws vs. throwing it away. That is something that held true all through college. Not a big shocker for people who scouted him. Hopefully his line with give him a bit more time so his WR's can make it into their routes.
The reason most of the blame isn't on Stafford's shoulders is because:
1) His supporting cast was AWFUL. His only weapon on offense was double and triple teamed at all times. His only other weapon that he finally started to develop chemistry with went down with a knee injury (Pettigrew).
2) The defense was even worse than his supporting cast. When you're down 21 in the 1st quarter, a defense will play nickel all game long. Most QB's except the elite ones won't put up great numbers against nickel D's. Most teams can't just jump into nickel and dime defenses because they don't get so far ahead so quickly.
Sanchez is a good QB. To say Stafford doesn't have the intangibles is crazy. His poise and leadership are the two biggest selling points he has besides his arm. Ask ANYONE who is involved in football. I know because I'm friends with a few who are scouts for a couple of NFL teams.
For me to admit Stafford is making progress, he needs to play at least 14 games, have 3,000+ yards and have more TD's than INT's. People need to do some research. Look at Elway's first 7 seasons. He sucked. He made Kitna look good. Last time I checked though, his considered one of the better QB's in history. Elway is the one I'd compare Stafford to most. Hoping it doesn't take him as long to stop forcing throws and calm down though.
-anonymous at 8:52
couldnt' have said it better myself.
finally somebody who makes sense.
David Morgan
I'm not going to call you names like many other posters, but if you are gauging someones leadership abilities on some pictures taken in the off-season then you really are a moron. Sorry I just couldn't refrain from calling you a name. You had some asinine comments, based solely on your opinion and no facts.
also for David Morgan
You saying that you couldn't have said Anon at 8:52 better yourself? Every post of yours prior to that basically said the exact opposite of what anon wrote.
based solely on my opinion and not facts??
the FACTS are we won two games last year. we went 2-14. that's not good enough.
i agree with anon 8:52 where he says
I'm not sold he's a star in the making. He has a great arm, but a lot of his throws were just off the mark last year. He was forced to make quick decisions and he tried to force throws vs. throwing it away. That is something that held true all through college.
I have hope that Stafford will be good in 2011, but i'm not dilusional enough to think he will be. i think it'll take 3-4 years before he's even close to considered pro bowl caliber.
you want facts?
try this:
his passer rating was 61 last year. that's 4th worst among starters.
he threw 13 TDs and 20 INTs. his completion percentage was 53.3, good eough for 30th.
he was 25th in the league in yards, and that's playing from behind in every game.
oh and by the way, WE WON TWO GAMES.
if you all could stop being biased and think outside the box, you would realize that Stafford had a D- rookie season, so expecting him to suddenly be a star is ridiculous.
i know elway, and peyton, and others started slow. that's why i maintain a glimmer of hope.
but other guys have started out slow, like joey harrington and jamarcus russell.
just because albert einstein failed in elementary school doesnt mean all stupid kids are geniuses.
you want an asinine comment, how about this from anon 7:42:
Stafford will turn out to be the best of the best QBs that ever entered the NFL and he will prove it while being on the LIONS! Thats pretty cool huh!
why isn't anyone calling him a moron?
i'm just the one being realistic.
David
he played in 10 games with 1 WR, so of course his stats aren't going to be good. He took over an 0-16 team and won those two games. It's not like he took over the Jets and brought them down to 2 wins. Fundamentally he has a near perfect throwing motion, a rocket for an arm, and the intangibles between the ears. I don't get your comments about Sanchez having poise and not Stafford. You seem to disregard things that oppose your point of view (i.e. Sanchez and Stafford having near identical #'s, despite a playoff team surrounding Sanchez and an 0-16 team surrounding Stafford.) Stafford had an average rookie season IMO. He had times that he looked like the greatest QB in the league and times that he looked like the worst QB in the league. But go back and look. 14 of his 20 picks were on 3 and at least 9 while trailing. I guess I don't understand what you were expecting from a rookie Qb taking over the worst team in NFL history. Did you happen to see this team when he wasn't in there? The #'s are much, much worse.
what did i expect?
i don't know, not much. not the playoffs. but i think i expected 5 wins. i didn't expect him to throw 20 picks in 10 games.
i expected ACCURACY and good decision making. i expected poise in the pocket.
is that too much to ask for from a guy worth $72,000,000?
whatever hopefully next season he'll be awesome.
go lions.
Stafford will be fine, and all on here saying he sucks are way off base. Did you guys not see the CLE game? Or are the 16 losses the previous year still clouding your brains capacity for optimism??? Haha jk!
I love this site! Come talk Lions anytime guys, we need some fellow fans, its an upstart site with moderators for some team rooms needed, with a vision for insult free Lions talk and a spam/company advertisement free board!!! Put it in your favorites with the rest of all your favorite Lions sites like The Lions Lowdown! You too Paula, good to hear a ladies side of it, come talk with us anytime! ;)
http://www.prosportsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?48-Detroit-Lions&order=desc
David
You'll be lucky to see 5 wins THIS season, let alone last season.
i'm sick and tired of hearing about the cleveland game. i watched that entire game, twice in fact, and anyone who says that stafford played great in that game is out of their mind. he threw 5 TDs, yeah, but against a horrendous defense and we were losing 21-0 in about 5 minutes, plus mangini practically gave the game away with stupid decisions. it was stafford's best game of the season, but beating up a bad defense at home isn't such a great accomplishment people. especially when you remember that we should have lost this game. cleveland self destrcuted. they gave the game away, not once but about 4 times in the last 2 minutes. if they didn't commit that ridiculous pass interference on the hailmary, we lose, stafford throws just 4 tds, and we went 1-15 last season.
Dave
I guess some people will look at the negative in everything. You obviously seem to be one of those people. Check and see what other QB's did against that "horrendous" defense. Stafford had the best game of a rookie QB EVER! I'm sorry you lost your job or that your wife left you or whatever it is that makes you such a pessimistic person. Hopefully things will get better for you in the future.
best game from a rookie QB ever, in terms of stats. in terms of TDs. yeah. but not in terms of how he actually played.
again, it was at home against a terrible defense, and we were losing 21-0 right off the bat so he had to throw. every time we were near the goal line we threw. 2 or 3 of those TDs could have easily been runs. i wasn't impressed with the cleveland game because we still almost lost. should have lost. got lucky. got completely bailed out.
i have a great job and a great wife. i'm a very happy and positive and optimistic person. i'm a real nice guy. the personal attacks are so unnecessary.
but i've been duped into believing in the lions for decades. every offseason i convince myself that they'll be good. this year, i'm trying a new approach: realism.
i didn't like stafford when he was at georgia. he wasn't terribly accurate or a great decision maker, and more than anything, he wasn't a WINNER. i didn't like the idea of drafting him #1 when he wasn't even the best college qb. we would have drafted bradford if he went pro that year. i hated stafford in preseason when he looked awful. i wanted culpepper to start from week 1. stafford looked bad from game 1 against the saints and i didn't see nearly enough progress by the time his year ended for me to think that he'll be "great." he will likely be medioce, and that's not enough for me to get all excited and start tossing around words like "jaw-dropping" and "greatness" and "legendary."
he will be mediocre. average. decent. serviceable. maybe he'll make the pro bowl once or twice.
strong arm, poor accuracy.
blah blah blah congratulations, we have the next jay cutler.
which means the drought of playoffs will continue.
again, like i said before, i hope he proves me wrong.
Mr David Moron:
I suspect you are not old enough to be married nor intelligent enough to hold down a job. But I digress. I've been a Lion's fan since 1956. Believe when I tell you this is the best Front Office combonation we have had for years. ( Thank you Mr. Ford )
Mr Morgan: Be advised, we have taken a vote and you have been "kicked off the island" by a landslide. Feel free in becoming a loyal blogger for the Chicago Bears or the Oakland Raiders. (Sorry, the only BLOGS that would have you,) If you write to the Raiders make sure you mention "how fast" the team is otherwisw Al Davis will hire some guy to find you and kick you butt. I wish I could say it was nice knowing you but that would be a lie...
Best wishes,
Major Upheaval
jeffrey - you call somebody a moron and then misspell a simple word like combination. come on.
and if the Fords are doing so great, can you tell me why we've won 2 games in the past 2 years?
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