Steve Young Says Matthew Stafford Needs an 'Iron Stomach'

Steve Young has been where Matthew Stafford is going, and he has some advice for the kid: Good luck.

"You have to be a really unique person, not player, but person," Young told FanHouse on Friday. "You can be a phenomenal player, but you have to have an iron stomach. It's not going to be easy for him."

Before Young earned his spot in the Hall of Fame with the 49ers, he struggled trying to be the savior for the woeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now, Stafford, the No. 1 pick in last month's draft, finds himself in that spot with the Detroit Lions.

"It's insurmountable in some ways," Young said of the pressure Stafford will face. "Matthew Stafford can not do it alone. He can do it with a lot of help."

Young said he could only think of two quarterbacks who were able to successfully lift downtrodden franchises in their first few years.

"Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning were the only ones I can think of," Young said. "They both had teams that were bad, but they were on the rise. I don't know if you can say Detroit is on the rise."

Stafford is expected to start this year for the Lions, learning on the job, and Young said expectations of him should be tempered.

"Please don't expect Matthew Stafford to be Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco," Young said. "It's too much. You want him to be Troy Aikman, who was (1-14) as a starter then he started winning. You've got to have a longer view of it."

Young said he's impressed with Stafford's physical tools, but he's still got learning to do.

"He throws the football like crazy, but he's got so many little throws he's got to work on. He's got to become a pro. That's a process ...

"He has a great start with Calvin Johnson, because he'll be open. He's unbelievable. If he gets some protection, then Matthew Stafford can do it. It takes a kid who is rally genetically tough-minded, like 'Over my dead body.' If Matthew Stafford is that way, then he's got a chance."