Matthew Stafford, Daunte Culpepper and the rest of the Detroit Lions were on buses Friday night, rolling two and a half hours to Cleveland in advance of Saturday's preseason game against the Browns. Roughing it? Nah, the Lions just figured it'd take them as long, with more hassle, to negotiate the airport and fly to Cleveland. And besides, the Lions sound like a group that's enjoying being together these days. New coach Jim Schwartz has worked hard to erase the memory of last year's 0-16 debacle and present the 2009 Lions as a chance for a fresh start for everybody."He's presenting this as the land of opportunity here," Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan told FanHouse in a phone interview from the bus. "We're all going to be given fair shakes."
"I'm really happy with where they're at right now, both of them," Linehan said. "We've got such a good environment for everybody to come in here and establish or re-establish their roles and careers, and those are two of the guys who are benefiting from that."
Stafford, of course, represents the future in Detroit. His role is "long-term savior," the face of the franchise for the next decade if all goes well. But he is still a rookie, an underclassman quarterback with lots to learn before he masters the NFL game. And that means the Lions have to be careful. They have to decide exactly what the right time is to give Stafford the title of starting quarterback. That may be this September, it may be this November and it may not be until next year. They still say they don't know.
"He's certainly showed a lot of maturity for a rookie," Linehan said. "You don't get the feeling that you're dealing with a rookie quarterback, and I think a lot of that has to do with his personality and his background and the success he's had at the position."
Linehan said Stafford would play the majority of the first half, just as Culpepper did in the first game. And he declined to say whether there were specific signs for which the coaching staff would be looking.
"You can't predict exactly what the situations are going to be," Linehan said. "You just have to get him in the flow of the offense and see how it plays out. He just needs playing time."
Culpepper has it all over Stafford in terms of playing time. He's been in the league for 10 years. With Linehan as his offensive coordinator and Randy Moss as his primary receiver, he threw for 4,717 yards for the Vikings in 2004. He's got experience, and as has been widely reported he showed up in good shape this year. That served him well in the Lions' first preseason game, as he consistently left the pocket and scrambled to make plays.
It may well be that the Lions' suspect offensive line is the reason Culpepper had to do so much scrambling last week, and that may well be a reason to hold Stafford back. But Linehan (who coaches the line, too) isn't going to admit to that. He chooses to view it as a positive about Culpepper.
"That's just a part of his game," Linehan said. "A lot of those were pretty well-protected plays, but that's always been his strength, being able to make plays with his arm and with his feet. It's certainly something you don't want to take away from him now that his mobility is back."
Culpepper is only 32 years old, so it's not as if he should be washed up by now. Linehan thinks the reason he's in such better shape this year is that he's actually had some stability this offseason. He was injured in 2005, traded to Miami just before the start of the 2006 season and had knee surgery in November of that year. The Dolphins released him in June of 2007, in the middle of the offseason program. He signed with the Raiders and blew out his hamstring that year, and he didn't sign with the Lions until November of 2008.
"This was really his first full and healthy offseason since 2005," Linehan said. "He really hasn't been able to be in one place, and it really helps to have the training regimen and to practice in one system. Not to mention the commitment he's made to getting back to it."The more you hear out of Lions camp, the more you think they might actually start the season with Culpepper at quarterback. Stafford has a lot to learn. The team didn't win a game last year, and they might want to spare him the pressure of being the guy who has to break the losing streak. The line is a mess. Fellow rookie tight end Brandon Pettigrew, whom the Lions have viewed as a polished, ready tight end that could be a huge benefit to a young quarterback, is out with a mysterious quad injury that won't seem to heal. There are a lot of reasons it makes sense not to rush Stafford, and one of them is the way Culpepper has looked.
Back in May, Linehan called the Lions' quarterback situation a "win-win." He still feels that way. But they are going to have to make a decision on a starter, and Saturday night, with Stafford taking the first snaps with the first team, is the latest step in their decision-making process.
