Detroit Lions: Is Matthew Stafford ready to take the next step?
Enduring a devastating month of February, Detroit Lions fans will look for their franchise quarterback, Matthew Stafford to carry the success of the franchise’s future.
Let’s be honest, it’s been a devastating month of February if you are a Detroit Lions fan.
Although the departure of Joique Bell, the eventual release of linebacker Stephen Tulloch and the decision not to re-sign safety James Ihedigbo may have been expected, it does not take away from the fact that this team is entering next season with multiple holes. When you also throw the potential and all but inevitable departure of Calvin Johnson in the equation, it really makes wonder what direction this football team is about to take entering 2016.
With so many question marks surrounding the Lions next season, you can assume that if this franchise is going to sustain any success next season, it falls on the shoulders of quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Stafford will be entering his eighth season in 2016, and just turned 28 years old on February 7th. With losing a plethora of leadership in February, the role now falls on Stafford’s shoulders to take the next step in every aspect of his game.
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It seems as if he will no longer have the security blanket of Johnson, while many past vocal leaders of the locker room will be looking for new teams in March. The franchise now lies on the shoulders of the franchise quarterback who was drafted 1st overall in 2009.
But is Stafford ready for that role?
Stafford was sacked 44 times in 2015 and 45 times in 2014, but stood tall after every hit, not missing a start in that two-year span. But we’ve known for a while that Stafford possesses every physical tool needed to play the quarterback position, his problem comes from a mental standpoint.
An inability to step up against big opponents, and the failure to make a play when needed, time and time again draws the main concern when discussing the play of Stafford. He rarely takes the game into his own hands, which draws the failure to put him in the discussion of an elite quarterback, league wide, despite his elite talent.
Although the departure of Johnson will hurt Stafford to a great extent in 2016, there are some things to be excited about concerning his role entering next season.
It seems as if Stafford has already adapted well to the offensive scheme of Lions’ offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, who will continue to tailor the offense to Stafford’s talent. The combination worked tremendously well in closing out the 2015 season, without relying heavily on the talent of Johnson, which is an optimistic angle to factor in.
The Lions also elected to hire Brian Callahan as the new quarterbacks coach, who worked with Cooter for years in Denver. He is the son of Bill Callahan, who coached the 2002 Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl, and has drawn praise from many prominent names around the league. Callahan spent the last six years with the Denver Broncos through numerous offensive personnel positions, which included two Super Bowl appearances, and a record setting season offensively in 2013.
During Super Bowl 50 week (via Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com), eventual champion and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was not only asked about Cooter but also stated that “Brian Callahan is going to be a top-flight quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator, maybe head coach like his dad (Bill) at some point in the near future,”
Even with the departure of somebody like Johnson, the thing to be excited about is that the Lions are putting the pieces in place with coaching personnel from an offensive standpoint, and with around $26,226,314 in cap room, general manager Bob Quinn now has the ability to bring in some talent with his New England pedigree and philosophies.
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So as devastating as this month may have seemed, there are some optimistic angles to look at when dissecting the Detroit Lions next season. But the ultimate discretion of how much success this team will sustain in the future will lie on the shoulders of Matthew Stafford.
The front office is making the moves for Stafford to succeed somewhere down the line, and it ultimately comes down to if he is ready to take the next step into elite hood – only time will tell.