Stafford and Detroit Lions are a Bad Marriage

Article published on Sports Climax on April 25, 2009.  

DETROIT – When Matt Stafford smiles at the camera and explains how he will “do whatever it takes to win in Detroit” I see a naïve  young man who is oblivious to the fact he has just been thrown into the Lions’ den.

Stafford’s agent Tom Condon has represented his client well in landing the largest rookie contract in the history of the NFL but is money everything? Isn’t the idea supposed to be to play a game you love and have fun while you make the big bucks? If so, Detroit is the wrong place for Stafford.

In and around Atlanta, many of the UGA fans I have spoken to are quick to say how Stafford’s erratic play has frustrated them over the years. They remember how many quarters he spent overthrowing open targets and how he buckled under pressure in many of the big games.

How will that translate to the Detroit Lions and their fans?

Following the organization since the days they played during snow squalls in historic Tiger Stadium, I have to say not very well. Many teams in the NFL have rosters that would support a long-term development case like Stafford but Detroit is not one of them.

Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay is a great example. Rodgers worked the clipboard for years developing his talent while watching one of the all-time greats in Brett Favre before stepping into a starting position years later.

That’s how the transition from college to the NFL normally happens and there lies the problem with this marriage.

The Lions’ fans and the city of Detroit have totally lost their patience with this organization. To the point they have spent the past month saturating blogs around the country with threats of dropping support for the team if they draft Stafford. Groups of fans have gone to the extreme of showing up at press conferences filling the air with “Don’t draft Stafford” chants.

These actions truly are nothing personal toward Stafford but rebounding from the most disastrous run in NFL history under a guy named Millen should not include converting a #1 overall pick into a high-risk player like Stafford when there are guaranteed starters like Aaron Curry and Jason Smith available who are projected to step in game one and play in the league for 8-10 years.

While some may argue that Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco are examples of the contrary to long-term quarterback development, look at the Falcons and Ravens rosters compared to Detroit and realize that Stafford’s situation is not the same scenario, it’s nowhere close.

Ryan and Flacco both stood behind offensive lines with time to pass; Stafford goes to a team who allowed a ridiculous amount of sacks in the NFL over the past few seasons.

Stafford will not have a mentor like Favre, instead he will have an aging quarterback who is clinging to his final few years in the league and unhappy fans and media he will be pressured into trying to please.

Stars like Tom Brady looked flawless during the Patriots’ 16-0 season, standing tall and confident in the pocket hitting receivers but when pressure was applied during the Super Bowl game against the N.Y. Giants, even the greatest passers like Brady look lost and will fail.

Yes, Stafford’s contract carries an earth-shattering $41.7 million guarantee and keeps the checks coming in for 6 years but athletes want to win and regardless what they say in front of the lights and cameras, their egos are huge and need to be fed.

Right now the kid may be celebrating what he and his agent have accomplished but when it comes down to playing in Honolulu Blue, reality is going to hit and the fun will be over. How can a kid live up to a $78 million contract in a blue-collar city where unemployment lines wrap around buildings and boarded up foreclosures line the streets?

Stepping in and delivering results immediately like Matt Ryan did in Atlanta when he threw a 60 yard bomb for a TD in his first NFL pass may help a bit. A 60-yard Hail Mary to Calvin Johnson streaking down the sideline may make the fans momentarily forget how stupid of a move the Lions made.

The only problem with that is, that play was against the Lions and there is no other defense in the NFL bad enough to allow that to happen. That is the reason we heard the supportive “Aaron Curry” chants and degrading “Don’t draft Stafford” chants; the team needs defense and they need it now.

Playing quarterback or goalie positions in Detroit takes the thickest of skin and I have never seen a rookie with skin thick enough to withstand the repercussions that comes with that territory, especially if they are not wanted to begin with.

Money creates happiness for a certain amount of time but after the enormous homes, extravagant vacations and collections of cars becomes commonplace, it will all come down how much fun is a guy having playing the game he has grown to love.

After the dust from the party settles and he is two years into his journey in a Lions uniform, will the few extra million he received by going #1 as opposed to #3 or #4 be worth it?

Falcons and Hawks offer healthy ‘fix’ for Atlanta

Published in The Sunday Paper, Atlanta on November 16, 2008.

There’s a buzz around the ATL that is gaining momentum by the week.

The buzz is about the new ‘fix’ in town that provides relief to the stress of multi-billion dollar wars, historical home foreclosure numbers and it eliminates the foul stench of national recession that is in the air.

It works like potent medication but with no side effects. Be forewarned though, it can become addictive.

This ‘fix’ comes in the form of two birds . . . Hawks and Falcons.

The Atlanta Falcons, (6-3 overall and 4-0 at the Georgia Dome) and Atlanta Hawks (6-0) both sprinted out the gate with ferocious starts in 2008 and are putting the ATL back on the sport’s map. It is the Hawks best start since 1997 and after underachieving seasons by both the Braves and Thrashers, the timing couldn’t be better.

For years, sports fans have leaned on their teams to provide an escape from life’s stresses and when those teams are winning, it helps pull the city and fans out of their funks.

Detroit is a great example of that. The Motor City holds the crown for most troubling economy and severe collapse in real estate values but when their Red Wings or Pistons take home a crown, millions take to the streets to celebrate, leaving their troubles locked up at home (if it hadn’t been taken back by the bank yet).

The spirit of Atlantans is being lifted. Sports chatter is picking up steam at the local coffee houses and on the streets.

Vinings resident Megan Harpring is no stranger to sports. Her brother plays for the NBA Utah Jazz and she played basketball at Georgia Tech.

When asked about the current Falcons and Hawks run she said, “The sports bars have been packed with local fans. It’s filling everyone’s lives with something positive, something exciting. The success of the Falcons . . . it’s a motivator. We’re getting excited about the next game, the next weekend.”

Lawrenceville resident Derek Wheeler, another avid sports fan who played baseball for UGA attended the Falcons miraculous last-second comeback against the Bears this year at the Dome and last year’s Hawks Game 6 win against the Celtics. He is thrilled with his local teams, “It’s unbelievable isn’t it! Ryan is unbelievable. I never would have thought the Falcons would have a year like this. And the Hawks–last year wasn’t a fluke at all.”

This excitement and attitude is quite different from the aura that hovered over the city in recent past.

When Atlanta’s All-Pro, hometown favorite, Michael Vick was sent off to live behind bars, doom and gloom set in for the sports fans in this city.

Their star player was in shackles, their head coach Bobby Petrino like the ‘Cowardly Lion’ snuck out of town with his tail between his legs and many of the Falcons’ star players abandoned ship or were traded away for pennies on the dollar.

A lot has changed since then. Sundays suddenly have a new meaning and Atlanta’s sports have injected new life into the city and its people.

The Falcons, under the leadership of rookie head coach Mike Smith and rookie-of-the-year candidate QB Matt Ryan, continue to find ways to overcome the underdog role and win.

New questions on the street are Michael who? Bobby who?

The NFL is certainly taking notice of the new Falcons. The league pushed the November 23 Falcons/Panthers kickoff to 4:15 and upgraded the matchup to a national game. Coach Smith commented on that compliment from the league, “I think that it is confirmation that we are doing things right. It’s an honor for our football team for that to take place.”

The 23-year-old Ryan out of Boston College replaced Vick who is still listed as ‘Suspended’ on the Falcon’s team roster. After Ryan’s hot start, most expect Vick to be released soon after he swaps his prison garb for civilian clothes sometime during 2009.

At the Falcons’ side are the over-achieving Atlanta Hawks led by All-Star Joe Johnson who always manages to shine while coasting under the NBA radar.

The Hawks’ performance in last year’s NBA playoff series against the heavily favored Boston Celtics brought life back to the lackluster franchise. Those young inexperienced Hawks were expected to be swept off the planet in four merciless games but refused to go down without a fight, taking the NBA Champion Celtics to seven games.

Six games into this 2008-09 season the Hawks are continuing where they left off and were the only unbeaten team in the entire Eastern Conference, that’s right, a hotter start than the Celtics, Pistons and Cavaliers.

The 2009 NBA All-Star Ballot includes five of our Hawks; Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Mike Bibby, Al Horford and Marvin Williams. Callers into popular radio shows on 680 The Fan are sharing in the excitement with recent comments about the Hawks like, “They’re playing with passion” and “It’s awesome to watch.”

The hosts of some of the shows on 680 The Fan shared their thoughts. Christopher Rude of “The Rude Awakening” show believes, “Sports fans in Atlanta are guardedly optimistic.”

His afternoon counterparts Buck and Kincade said, “The black cloud that was hanging over the Falcons the last few years with Vick and Petrino is gone. There’s an attitude change in the locker room. Joe Horn was griping. Horn, Crumpler and DeAngelo Hall all moved on. The old stuff was washed out and new leaders like Matt Ryan have stepped up. There has been a locker room purge.”

Marc Stein’s week two NBA power rankings on ESPN.com had the Hawks ranked 5 out of 30 teams in the league and wrote this about our Hawks, “Atlanta has deservedly gate-crashed the top five with its first 5-0 start in a decade.”

It’s incredible how these overachieving teams whose rosters recently contained unknowns and rookies considered fortunate to be wearing a pro uniform, have stepped up and are quickly making names for themselves while bringing pride back to the city of Atlanta.

I was at Ryan’s first game against the Detroit Lions and witnessed his first NFL pass in front of his hometown fans. The pass was snatched up by Michael Jenkins who galloped 62 yards into the end zone.

Last week against the New Orleans Saints, 22-year-old
rookie, Chevis Jackson intercepted a Drew Brees pass and raced 95 yards for a TD with 1:17 left to play to seal another victory for the Falcons at the Dome.

Plays like these are like paper shredders. They take those heart-wrenching, negative headlines we’ve been force-fed all week and shred them to dust at least for that moment.

We all need heroes.

The heroes in the summer blockbuster films sweep us away from the doldrums of our current world. Young enthusiastic athletes like Matt Ryan and Al Horford and men like Joe Johnson and John Abraham who show up every day playing their hearts out, determined to overcome the adversities they face do the same.