Marianne O’Leary-Flickr
Right now is the time for Matthew Stafford to prove he can lead a team and win big games. He’s always shown the potential of to be an ”elite” Quarterback in flashes but right now he needs to show consistency. The Offense is primed and ready to take the team to new heights. And this is exactly how they’re going to do it; Stafford WILL show his worth.
Coming into the new season, the Detroit Lions have several question marks, but none may be as big as the most important position on the field. Lions Quarterback Matt Stafford has always put up big numbers, but always seems to come up short. Sure he has plenty of game winning drives, and comeback victories, but also manages to cost the Lions the game a little too much. Although he has his 3-year, $53 Million extension, the Lions need him to step up and do it big this time. Stafford has put up 14,655-yards over the past three-seasons, along with 90-touchdowns. Also only throwing 52-interceptions in those three years, and posting an 87.0 QBR average.
Looking at his numbers it seems like the Lions should be Super Bowl contenders year in and year out, but he just can’t seem to get it done. With new additions to the team such as Golden Tate, and Eric Ebron it appears they may finally contend for the top of the Division, and maybe some Super Bowls for years to come Along with new Head Coach Jim Caldwell, who helped the Baltimore Ravens win a Super Bowl and new Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi who helped the New Orleans Saints win their first ring, it looks like Stafford has the right pieces and attitudes around him.
Caldwell is coming off of a down year with the Ravens, in which the team ranked 29th in total Offense. Although Caldwell will not be the coordinator for Detroit, that is something to keep in mind. He’s a veteran coach who knows what it takes for an organization to win, so I’m looking for him to bring some discipline and experience to this Lions team. Lombardi comes from coaching Drew Brees to Stafford, who is a gunslinger in the pocket I’m thinking that Stafford is going to continue putting up big numbers. Lombardi’s coaching doesn’t just stop with Brees. Since he joined the Saints in ’07, they lead the league in Passing yards (33,349) 297.8 per game, Completions (3,022) and Passing Touchdowns (257).
With the offensive weapons the Lions have, everyone should be expecting a huge year from the Offense. Even though it’s the second week of preseason, the new Offense is showing what they can do. Against the Oakland Raiders, Stafford went 9/10 passing for 88 yards and 2 Touchdowns.
Overall this upcoming season is looking pretty good for Stafford, and will show a lot about the player he really is. If he takes the Lions to the postseason this year (which I think he will) watch out for them to make a deep run. As long as he keeps his turnovers down and gets some help from the defense, he will be solid and have a bright future in Detroit. But if he continues his woes and turns the ball over at inopportune times, and struggles to keep the Lions in games it may be signs that he isn’t their man after all. For him to prove he is the man in Detroit, he needs to make the postseason the next two seasons, and win at least 2-3 playoff games. If he can’t do that with this offense, it may be time to show him on his way out.
Brandon Vallar is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Facebook or twitter.
