Matthew Stafford is arguably the best QB in Lions history, but is he wasting his career in MoTown?

Matthew Stafford’s 11-year career has reached significant heights, including some rare Lions playoff appearances and a 5,000-yard passing season. Yet, the former No. 1 overall pick out of Georgia hasn’t reached the divisional round in the postseason, losing all three playoff appearances thus far.

Now with Matt Patricia at the helm, it’s tough to see the Lions making the necessary strides to be a top playoff performer in 2020. Stafford will be 33 by the time next Super Bowl rolls around, and assuming he’s not playing in it, it’s fair to wonder whether he’s wasting his talent in MoTown.

NFL executives believe Matthew Stafford needs to get out of Detroit.

“It’s the Stafford syndrome — he plays in Detroit, so he’s not in a position to maximize his ability,” one NFC exec told ESPN. “He’s a major talent who’d probably be a top-five quarterback with an established franchise. He can score from anywhere on the field.”

This comment suggests that Stafford has yet to reach his maximum potential, which, at 32 years old, he ought to be nearing. If Stafford’s prime isn’t as a 5,000-yard passer (and nearly reaching that plateau again the year after), then what is? It’s fair to argue that he doesn’t have the necessary talent around him to win, however.

More recently, injuries have played a major role not only in Stafford’s development, but the Lions on-field success as well. Stafford hurt his back in 2019 when he was on pace for yet another 5,000-yard campaign, and the Lions looked like a playoff team early in the season. Without their leader, the floor fell through on Detroit, and with it Patricia is now looking at a make-or-break season.

Stafford’s resume is lacking, but his skillset is surpassed only by a few in today’s NFL. With several top targets returning, is this the year the Lions put it all together?

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Matthew Stafford isn’t why the Detroit Lions don’t win playoff games.

There is a reason Matthew Stafford is the most underrated quarterback in the NFL.

He’s been asked to quarterback arguably the worst run franchise in the NFC for a decade plus. The former blue-chip prospect out of Highland Park, Texas did incredible things during his three-year run as the Georgia Bulldogs quarterback in the SEC. Despite the Detroit Lions being inherently dysfunctional, it was so painfully obvious he needed to be the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

In his 11-year NFL career, Stafford has forced his way into the conversation of being the best quarterback in Lions franchise history alongside the iconic Bobby Layne. While he only has one Pro Bowl and the 2011 NFL Comeback Player of the Year to show for it, we simply cannot blame the Lions’ perpetual playoff futility. It’s not his fault, just look at these numbers.

AllLions’ Logan Lamorandier tweeted out several key stats about how the Lions have performed in the three playoff games Stafford has taken part in. When you average 57 yards rushing on offense and allow 442.7 yards per game on defense, not even the best arm talent Georgia or Lions football has offered to date can save you. It’s incredible what he has to go up against every year.

Matthew Stafford can’t be blamed for the Detroit Lions’ postseason issues.

The Lions have qualified for the playoffs three times since Stafford joined the team in 2009. Those postseason campaigns came in 2011, 2014 and 2016. Sadly, the Lions were unable to beat the New Orleans Saints, the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks in any of those three playoff games. It should be noted Detroit had to play all three of them on the road Wild Card Weekend.

While the Wild Card games in New Orleans and Seattle weren’t close, Detroit was within one score of beating America’s Team in Dallas. That would have been the Lions’ first playoff win since 1991 and their second since Layne was their quarterback back in the franchise’s golden age in the 1950s.

Stafford is the epitome of why wins aren’t a valuable stat when assessing a quarterback’s performance. It would be a crying shame if he never won a postseason game in his football career. Like, how is that even possible for a player of his caliber? It’s not an impossible ask! He’s a top-12 quarterback in football, illustrating what happens when you go to a bad organization.

It is what it is, but let’s hope Stafford can lead the Lions to one playoff victory at some point.

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Chase Daniel’s ability to cash in for holding a clipboard is an art form.

Chase Daniel has perfected the art of getting paid to play very little.

Daniel may be one of the most celebrated quarterbacks in the history of the Missouri Tigers, but he’s averaged half a start per year in his 10 NFL seasons. When it comes to getting paid seven figures to hold a clipboard and help an offensive coordinator coach from the sidelines, Daniel is the most elite backup quarterback in this department on earth.

His compensation for not playing in games is getting out of hand. Bleacher Report’s Adam Lefkoe tweeted out an interesting fact as it relates to Daniel’s bottom line and that of former No. 1 picks Jameis Winston and Cam Newton. “Chase Daniel is being paid more than Jameis Winston and Cam Newton COMBINED.”

Wait, what? Are you flipping serious? Daniel just inked a three-year deal worth over $13 million to watch Matthew Stafford play quarterback for the Detroit Lions from the sidelines. That doesn’t feel right. He previously signed contracts worth $10 million with the Chicago Bears, $21 million with the Philadelphia Eagles and a $10 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.

All told, Daniel has made $34.3 million in his career, according to Spotrac. In 10 NFL seasons, Daniel has played in 65 games, made five starts and has gone 2-3 in those five starts.

Chase Daniel is the most overcompensated backup quarterback of all time.

When Sam Bradford signed a record deal as the No. 1 pick out of Oklahoma, he actually had to play in NFL games when he wasn’t getting hurt for the St. Louis Rams. Daniel has watched Drew Brees, Alex Smith and Mitchell Trubisky as an expensive insurance policy.

He has completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 1,430 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. The bulk of his stats have come in the last two years playing for the Bears.

While it would be easy to hate on the Lions for grossly overpaying for Daniel as a backup, let’s not pile on the Lions too much here. They do dumb stuff all the time. It’s in their DNA as the worst-run football franchise in the NFC by a country mile. It’s why they’ve won one playoff game in the Super Bowl era.

What is frustrating is proven starters like Newton and Winston had to sign deals for pennies on the dollar of their intrinsic value. Are Newton and Winston top-10 quarterbacks in the league? No, but they should be making less than a mid-tier backup in the league. Winston will backup Brees in New Orleans, while Newton will compete for the New England Patriots’ starting job in 2020.

Nobody gets paid more per snap than Daniel, thanks to his mastery of cashing them checks.

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Kenny Golladay took another step last year, and he was literally the best contested-catch receiver in the NFL.

After catching 70 passes and topping 1,000 yards for the first time in his career in 2018, Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay reached another level in his third season last year. He finished third in the NFL in yards per catch (18.3), seventh in receiving yards (1,190), along with a league-high (by himself) 11 touchdowns.

Golladay, or “Babytron” as he is nicknamed, did what he did in 2019 with Matthew Stafford out the final eight games.

Over eight games with Stafford, Golladay had 35 receptions for 640 yards and seven touchdowns with four 100-yard outings.

In eight games with Jeff Driskel and David Blough attempting to play quarterback, Golladay had 30 catches for 550 yards and four touchdowns. He topped 60 yards four times in those last eight games. Without a fluke 75-yard touchdown on Thanksgiving Day, he would not have topped 80 yards in any game of that span.

Given the dramatic drop off in quarterback play during the second half of the season, albeit without direct accounting for a Stafford/without Stafford split, it’s not too surprising Golladay was (or had to be) productive on contested catches last year. He literally had the most receiving yards on contested catches in the league, besting DeVante Parker and more notably Mike Williams and Julio Jones.

Golladay is entering the final year of his rookie contract. There has to be some sense of urgency to get a deal done on the Lions end, sine he would have been even better last year if Stafford had been healthy all the way. Another good season, with a some improvement possible in concert with 16 games of capable quarterbacking, will line Golladay up for a huge contract.

Golladay seems to have another level in him in 2020, as everything ideally comes together. That’s a scary thought for opposing defensive backs who are already struggling to contain him.

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Detroit Lions fans can’t feel good about T.J. Hockenson’s injury update.

It doesn’t seem that T.J. Hockenson‘s ankle is getting any better.

The Detroit Lions used the No. 8 overall pick on the former Iowa Hawkeyes tight end in the 2019 NFL Draft. The idea was he’d be the Motor City’s version of George Kittle for the long-suffering NFC North franchise. Instead, he might be the second-best tight end taken in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Lions fans can’t be ecstatic about his latest injury update.

Rotoworld Football tweeted out some frightening news for Lions fans, regarding Hockenson’s health. “T.J. Hockenson (ankle) ‘might not be 100%’ yet”. That feels ominous for what might be another rough season ahead for Matt Patricia’s team.

The Athletic’s Chris Burke tweeted out Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s comments on the health of his No. 1 tight end. “Darrell Bevell says TJ Hockenson (ankle) is back running and running routes but might not be quite 100% yet. Adds he’s “well on his way to being there” and that the Lions are comfortable with his progress.”

T.J. Hockenson’s ankle looks to be an issue heading into his second season.

As a rookie, Hockenson played in 12 games for the 2019 Lions, as he caught 32 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns. Despite a surprisingly hot start, the bottom fell out of the wet paper bag once starting quarterback Matthew Stafford succumbed to a season-ending injury mid-season. This led to the Lions finishing with a 3-12-1 record and picking No. 3 in the NFL Draft.

For nearly all of Stafford’s decade-plus tenure in Detroit, the Lions have had one of the more prolific passing offenses in the league. Though they can’t run the football worth a damn, the aerial assault stemming from Stafford’s howitzer has been a reason the Lions have made the playoffs a few times during his time as their starting quarterback.

This is an incredibly important year for the Lions. Patricia knows he has to win to keep his job. The same thing could apply to his longtime friend in general manager Bob Quinn. No, the Lions don’t need to make the playoffs for both men to keep their jobs. They just need to hover around .500 and play a competitive brand of football for 16 games. The Lions are a juggernaut by no means.

Having a healthy Hockenson catching passes from Stafford on third down and in the red zone will go a long way in having the Lions be competitive in a tough NFC North division. It’s always a gamble to use a first-round pick on a tight end. Though Hockenson could technically pop in year two like many second-year players do in the league, his ankle concerns are growing worrisome.

If Hockenson’s ankle is a problem this fall, then the Lions will have another problem this fall.

The post T.J. Hockenson’s injury update isn’t what Lions fans want to hear appeared first on Bet Sunday.

There is a Matthew Stafford vs. Matt Ryan Twitter battle going on now.

If you think Matthew Stafford is better than Matt Ryan, you don’t know what you’re talking about.

These are two of my favorite quarterbacks in the NFL today. Stafford played at my alma mater. I’ve never seen an SEC quarterback sling it like he did at Georgia. Ryan has quarterbacked my favorite team for the last decade-plus, leading the Atlanta Falcons to unprecedented heights. Yet, Twitter for some reason thinks Stafford is a better player than Ryan? Just stop it. You’re being so dumb!

The Draft Network’s Benjamin Solak put out a poll to tackle the greatest Twitter debate we never knew we needed in our lives. While people respect the job Stafford has done for making a terrible Detroit Lions team mediocre for the last decade, the amount of disrespect Ryan is getting from this poll is laughable, wrong and downright shameful. This is not that hard to figure out, people.

Ryan has won 40 more regular-season games, made 40 more starts, thrown for 10,161 more yards, 65 more touchdowns and only 13 more interceptions than Stafford. Ryan has missed three NFL starts, while Stafford has missed 27 games due to injury. In only one more year of play, Ryan has won NFL MVP, been to a Super Bowl and won four playoffs. Stafford hasn’t done any of this.

Matt Ryan is an infinitely better NFL quarterback than Matthew Stafford.

The big argument in Stafford’s favor is how deplorably bad the Lions have been since the 1950s. They have won one playoff game since the Falcons became an expansion team in the mid-1960s. Well, it wasn’t like the Dirty Birds were the gold standard of football-winning excellence down south either.

Prior to Ryan’s arrival in Flowery Branch in 2008, Atlanta had never had back-to-back winning seasons. In Ryan’s first five years in the league, the Falcons never had a losing record, made the NFC playoffs four times and won the division twice. Ryan has quarterbacked his team to two NFC Championship games at home. Stafford can’t get the Lions a home playoff game at Ford Field.

Though both quarterbacks are great friends, only one of them will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and that will be Ryan. Through 12 NFL seasons, Ryan has approached the Ken Anderson Line, which means he’s already at the asymptote of getting into Canton or not. With half-a-dozen years or so left in the tank, Ryan earns a gold jacket with one more Pro Bowl nod.

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Stafford, however, will go down as his generation’s version of Vinny Testaverde, one hell of a passer, but more of a stat accumulator than anything. Both went No. 1 overall in their respective drafts to abysmal NFC franchises. Testaverde would leave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to have better personal success with the Baltimore Ravens and most notably the New York Jets.

When healthy, Ryan and Stafford are no-doubt top-15 passers in the league. At his best, Ryan approaches top-five territory, but usually hovers in the seven-to-nine range most years. When Stafford is humming, he can crack the top-10, but he’s typically in the 12-to-15 range more often than not.

Though Stafford has the better arm talent and plays for a more chaotic franchise, Ryan’s accuracy, dependability and leadership are why he’ll end up in Canton one day and Stafford will never surpass the Anderson Line for Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement.

There is no debate, as Ryan is the superior quarterback to Stafford anyway you slice it.

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The Detroit Lions have an incredible running back pairing in the making in Kerryon Johnson and D’Andre Swift.

When the Detroit Lions drafted D’Andre Swift in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, most pundits believed that Kerryon Johnson’s days in Detroit could be numbered. Instead of reveling in that controversy, Johnson has embraced the competition and camaraderie, suggesting that he and Swift can be one of the better running back duos in the NFL.

Upon further examination, he isn’t wrong, and NFC North defenses had better adjust to the ground-and-pound style the Lions can sport alongside Matthew Stafford’s arm in 2020.

Kerryon Johnson is anxious for the opportunity to share the Lions backfield with D’Andre Swift in Detroit.

“He’s a phenomenal player,” Johnson said Wednesday. “I remember playing against him in college. I hated seeing him every time we played against Nick Chubb and Sony [Michel] and I’m telling you, when that kid stepped on the field, he was lightning in a bottle.”

The fact that Swift stood out to Johnson when the likes of Michel and Chubb shared the Bulldogs backfield is astounding. Swift’s NFL potential as a speedy running back has been evident from Day 1 in Athens, but he emerged as a pass-catcher and overall threat out of the backfield once he had it all to himself.

With the Lions, Swift will share carries with Johnson in a role that, while new to him, should scare opposing defenses. Johnson’s tough approach, when paired with a back that has the game-breaking speed Swift possesses, only further highlights the strengths of both backs.

The Lions have expressed a willingness to ride the hot hand in the past. That should remain their strategy with Swift and Johnson. Despite his uncertain future, Johnson’s mentality will get him noticed, one way or another.

Next: Detroit Lions strongly hinting D’Andre Swift is the future, not Kerryon Johnson

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Bo knows the FBI.

Former Alabama Crimson Tide running back Bo Scarbrough is entering his third season in the NFL with his fourth team in the Detroit Lions. Even though he’s only 23-years-old, Scarbrough knows at some point his football career will come to an end. Fortunately for him, he knows exactly what he wants to do post-football: become an FBI agent.

Are we seriously about to see the real-life Johnny Utah? We cannot wait for 21st century Point Break. We loved seeing Scarbrough run over SEC defenders in college and it’s going to be absolutely incredible when he can say, “Bo Scarbrough, FBI” or “I’m an FBI agent” in a few years.

Scarbrough said in an interview with ESPN that he plans to graduate from the University of Alabama with a degree in criminal justice before the start of the 2020 NFL season in Detroit.

“I like hands-on and like to be out in the field,” Scarbrough told ESPN. “I like to help people and I’m caring. I just figured that it would be the right thing for me. That it would be comfortable for me.”

“I want to pursue my dream and graduate. It was something that I was looking forward to after the season and after I was finishing getting my stuff together in Detroit.”

Bo Scarbrough plans to use his criminal justice degree to join the FBI.

This is the type of stuff you love to hear from former college stars like Scarbrough. Eventually, playing football at the highest level will come to an end. Many former star athletes struggle with this reality and are never able to recreate the thrill of playing in a big game. Scarbrough looks to be one of the lucky ones. He knows exactly what he’s doing when he calls it a career in the NFL.

Let’s just hope that Special Agent Scarbrough, better yet, Special Agent Bo, is every bit as awesome at his future career path sounds. If Scarbrough wants to keep playing in the NFL as long as anyone will have him, that would be terrific. So many of us grow up dreaming of playing on fall Sundays and it never manifests. Why does Scarbrough get to live out two incredible dreams?

Scarbrough finishing up his degree to become an FBI agent post-football is what it’s all about.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.

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Will the Detroit Lions finish in the top half of the NFL in rushing?

The Detroit Lions used to dominate on the ground when Barry Sanders was their star running back. But since Sanders hung up the spikes prematurely after the 1998 NFL season, the Lions have yet to finish in the top half of the NFL in rushing. The best they’ve done in the 21 years since is a 17th-place finish back in 2013. Do the Lions have what it takes to buck the trend in 2020?

The Fantasy Footballers believe it is possible the Lions will get into the top half this year but do have some overall roster concerns about their ability to do so. Jason Moore is the most optimistic about the Lions getting into the top half, as he has them finishing exactly at No. 16 in rushing this year. He believes adding D’Andre Swift in the draft will help get them over the top.

Check out The Fantasy Footballers for all their advice

Andy Holloway is not as high on the Lions as his colleague, as he doesn’t think the Lions will be good enough to close out a bunch of games by pounding the rock. Whether they use the rookie Swift or the veteran Kerryon Johnson to do it as the primary ball carrier remains to be seen. Mike Wright has questions about the Lions defense more than anything. So will the Lions get it done?

Can Swift, Johnson give the Lions a top-16 rushing offense?

The guys say eventually the Lions will get over the top-half threshold and no longer be a below-average rushing team. All it really takes in one dynamic runner have a good year and a decent line in front of him to give him more opportunities at carries. Of course, the Lions have become increasingly passing-centric during the Matthew Stafford era, and for good reason. He can sling it.

For head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn to keep their jobs beyond 2020, the Lions will need to push towards a .500 record. Frankly, there were on pace for it a season ago before Stafford suffered a season-ending injury. If the Lions go somewhere in the 6-10 to 7-9 range, they will have done enough to keep Patricia and Quinn around for another season.

Ultimately, this really comes down to how you feel about Swift as a running back. He was dynamic at Georgia, just like Johnson was before him at Auburn. Both former SEC stars are in the early 20s, so they’ve got plenty of tread left on the tires. It’ll surely be a running back by committee approach, but the Lions have a backfield talented enough to get into the top-half this season.

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Which four players are the top legends when it comes to the Detroit Lions?

There was a time that the team from the Motor City was busy appearing in NFL championship games and winning their share as well. The Detroit Lions have captured a total of four league titles, three of those in the 1950s and all of those at the expense of the Cleveland Browns – the other dominating team of that decade.

But there has been no NFL championship since 1957. In fact, the franchise hasn’t won a playoff game since 1991 and there’s been no division title since 1993. And of the four current NFL clubs that have not reached the Super Bowl, the Lions are the only resident of the NFC.

Of course, the team has had some phenomenal players throughout its history. One is obviously wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who become Hall of Fame eligible in 2021. But he is not among the names below, as aren’t Pro Football Hall of Famers Lem Barney, Doak Walker, Jack Christiansen, Dick LeBeau, Alex Karras, Charlie Sanders and Lou Creekmur. Other greats for the Lions include tackle Lomas Brown, wide receiver Herman Moore, linebacker Chris Spielman and kicker Jason Hanson.

All of these phenomenal performer deserve consideration. But when it’s all said and done, which four players (in alphabetical order) are the franchise’s most revered?

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