Culpepper makes a statement

Daunte Culpepper has spent most of the offseason far away from the media, rarely making himself available for questions.  In the wake of the announcement that Matthew Stafford is the Lions’ new permanent starting quarterback, Culpepper has issued the following statement to the media, through the team’s website:

“My position is that if you want to be the best you have to beat the best. Coach Schwartz gave me a fair opportunity to compete for the starting job and now the decision has been made that Matt is the best quarterback in Detroit. I support the decision and I am ready to settle into my role.”

It’s an extremely classy statement, and it speaks well of Daunte.  The absolute worst thing that could happen for the Lions now is for Culpepper to publicly challenge the Lions’ leadership, or privately incite mutiny.  Still, it’s no secret that he went all-out in recommitting himself to football, in hopes of winning the job.  That his effort was in vain hasn’t gone unnoticed by the veterans.

Perhaps it’s an unnerving glimpse into the future for these players; a preview of the day when working their butt off ensures only a spot for that butt on the bench.  Perhaps Matthew Stafford under center is a reminder that no matter how hard they work, how well they execute, or how polished their technique, a day will come when a bright-eyed youngster with fresh knees and an explosive bank account balance takes their job away from them.

However, all of that will go away when the kid performs, and the Lions win.  Coaches Schwartz and Linehan have the ability—and responsibility--to ensure that their bold decision looks like a smart decision come December.

Discuss it here, in The Den!

Brian VanOchten looks in front of the QB battle

Brian VanOchten, of the Grand Rapids press, has written a very interesting article framing the Lions’ quarterback position not in terms of the quarterbacks—but in terms of the offensive line.  Brian’s contention is that since Stafford is certainly going to be the long-term starter for the Lions, whether they allow him to go out there right away depends not on his performance or Culpepper’s performance, but on the performance of the big boys up front.  If the new OL signees jell quickly and prove they can keep the quarterback clean, VanOchten theorizes, Stafford will start sooner rather than later.

Stafford, if he’s half of what he’s been billed to be, is already a better quarterback than Duante Culpepper at this point in time.  The team has—wisely—made no real investment in Culpepper, and has—who knowsly—made an enormous investment in Stafford.  Stafford started as a freshman at Georgia, and for two years more after that.  Outside of the NFL, there’s no more pressure-packed situation.  Matt Stafford is not going to be brought to his knees by the incredible pressure and big stage of the NFL.  Georgia’s football stadium holds more fans than Ford Field—and they’re a lot crazier to boot.  With Stafford’s arm, experience, pedigree, and intelligence (38 on the Wonderlic), he’ll be able to handle it.  With great coaching, plus Megatron and Pettigrew to lean on, he should have no shortage of crutches and safety valves.  I say, let him grip it and rip it—what’s the worst that could happen, 0-16?

Discuss it here, in The Den!

Tom Kowalski scouts the Lions

Tom Kowalski at mlive.com has begun a series of scouting reports on the current Lions roster.  Starting with quarterback Duante Culpepper and wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Kowalski goes in-depth on the pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses of each.  He was very fair with both players; he highlighted Culpepper's highs and lows, and tempered the raging Megatron manlove with a spalsh of cold reality.  There's an especially telling section on Culpepper, where former Lions offensive coordinator Jim Colletto reveals what he thinks really held Culpepper back in 2008. It will be interesting to see how many of these in-depth reports Killer is able (or willing) to crank out, and what he has to say about a few of the key offseason additions the Lions made--especially on the defensive side of the ball. Discuss it here, in The Den!

---

Grim Outlook For Lion Quarterbacks

There is an old maxim that a team with two quarterbacks is a team with no quarterbacks. If this is so, then what is a team with no quarterbacks?

Killer presents a scouting report on Daunte Culpeppper that is less than flattering.

Linehan had a huge influence in the drafting of Stafford. Both Lions general manager Martin Mayhew and head coach Jim Schwartz have talked about Linehan's input, his experience with young quarterbacks and his plan to develop Stafford. It's only reasonable to assume that if Linehan was pushing hard for Stafford that he has some real doubts about whether Culpepper was going to be consistent enough to be a winning quarterback in Detroit. After all, who knows Culpepper better than Linehan? ~ Last year, former Lions offensive coordinator Jim Colletto told me that ... Culpepper's biggest problem was that he too often threw to the wrong receiver in the offensive system.

Even while Kowalski is known to be a bit unreliable in his reporting, this discussion is quite troubling. For Culpepper to have a career renaissance he has to remake himself into a quarterback who relies on savvy rather than physical gifts. He is no longer the quarterback who can disrupt defenses with his size and speed, and he hasn't had a good year since Cris Carter retired. If his decision making hasn't improved in his years since Minnesota then it will be a very long year for Detroit as long as Culpepper is under center.

---

the NFC North quarterback picture

The possibility of Brett Favre joining the Vikings has spawned a lot of conversation about the NFC North, the old black-and-blue division, suddenly boasting the strongest-armed passing attacks in the NFL.  Dave Birkett of the Oakland Press decided to rank the NFC North QBs, first-to-worst.  He assumes that the Favre deal will eventually happen, and that the Lions could be starting either Stafford or Culpepper come Week 1.  Of course, if Culpepper is truly back in 2004 form, his arm is nearly as strong as Stafford's, the autumn "air show" will happen no matter who's under center for the Lions.

---