Sporting News: Lions aren't ready for Stafford to step in

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Vinnie Iyer at Sporting News.com says it's not so much a matter of Matthew Stafford being ready to play for the Lions, it's whether the Lions are ready to put in Stafford -- and he thinks they're not. Iyer notes the porous offensive line from last year (and calls the Lions' offseason O-line signings "desperate"), a running game that ranked 30th despite the talented Kevin Smith, and the Lions' bad defense that will put any QB behind on the scoreboard far too often and pressure them to avoid making any mistakes. Iyer states that Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan entered far better situations, and adds that Mark Sanchez is entering a better-supported situation than Stafford as well. What do you think? Discuss it in The Den!