Five Reasons Detroit Lions Will Contend
By Joe Chapp
Aug 13, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) reacts after a play during the first quarter of a preseason NFL football game against the New York Jets at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Matthew Stafford, It’s Time To Shine.
To some Stafford is a terrible quarterback, and to many people Stafford is a solid quarterback who can play the position, and win with the right pieces around him.
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Stafford excelled in the first year of Joe Lombardi’s offense his interceptions were drastically down at career low (12), but his touchdowns weren’t enough as Stafford had 22 touchdowns.
It’s always a tough change going to a new offensive scheme, and specifically the scheme the Lions ran in 2014. Under Joe Lombardi they ran an offense that resembled the New Orleans Saints, after all that is where Lombardi came from.
Drew Brees and Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lomardi spent many years together, and during that time no quarterback threw more touchdowns then Drew Brees.
“Last year I saw a ton of Detroit tape,” Brees said to Detroit Lions Writer Stuart Zaas while in Ann Arbor, Mich. for the NFL’s franchising boot camp at the University of Michigan. “So, I’m looking at their personnel – Golden Tate had a great year and of course Calvin – Megatron is Megatron. He’s just a beast. You’ve got these tight ends – you’ve got all these pieces in place where you’re like ‘Man, this could be a pretty electric offense.’”
In Lombardi’s first year as the Quarterback coach of Drew Brees, Brees saw his interceptions drop and his completion make a slight rise. Stafford has followed the same trend, and that’s interesting because of the similarities between Brees and Stafford.
Brees didn’t win a playoff game until he was 27, Stafford turned 27 in February.
In 2009 the New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl, and the Lions went to the playoffs both showed success. Obviously Detroit couldn’t win a playoff game, or in some minds was taken away.
However Brees continues to give Stafford credit per DetroitLions.com
"“I feel like he picked it up very well,” Brees said. “Just watching his command of the system and some of the check-with-me stuff – he seemed to do a very good job with it. I was impressed.” “He’s a lot more talented of a thrower than I am,” Brees continued. “I’m serious. The dude can sling it. He is ultra-talented.”"
The praise from a Super Bowl winning quarterback is great, but was Stafford good last year? Analytically, Stafford was a top 5 QB in regards to the metric – “WPA” – which values how a quarterback takes care of the ball, and many other aspects of the game.
Even in Detroit, people say Stafford hasn’t done enough – while completely fair and logical there’s reasons he hasn’t won a playoff game, he hasn’t beat a winning team on the road and he hasn’t won the North.
The Lions weren’t good.
Let’s not kid ourselves, 2011 was the most fraudulent team in Stafford’s time they weren’t any good. It took Stafford to have the best season of his career, and that still wasn’t enough they had an awful defense they had to score to win.
It was a team who played way above their talent, and it showed in 2012.
Stafford never had the coaching he has now, Jim Schwartz put Detroit – “Back on the map” however it still wasn’t good enough.
Schwartz never blamed Stafford, he was soft to Stafford and by all means that’s why Stafford is, who he is.
The hiring of coach Jim Caldwell was something the Lions needed, Caldwell was apart of Peyton Manning’s best years, and he was part of the magical Super Bowl run of the Baltimore Ravens with Joe Flacco.
Detroit for the first time has championship pedigree at the head coaching position. Jim Caldwell and Joe Lombardi combine for three Super Bowl championships.
There’s no doubt Matthew Stafford must be better, but in my opinion I think the best is yet to come I see Stafford excelling in the second year of this offense, and most importantly I see them finally winning a playoff game.
Next: Suh Gone, Lions Defense Is Now Mediocre?