black_magic
Mass Debater
Doesn't it bother you guys that Calvin, Reggie, and Durham are being used so much? Keep this up and they are going to get hurt, then we'd be screwed. Spread it out evenly. IMO
I don't know where this stance comes from. Other than a desire to have a real deal QB on the Lions. He missed most of his first two seasons. Had a big year in 2011. Stunk to high heaven last year, with lots of meaningless yards. (And I mean LOTS, plus a lot of picks)And is 4-2 this season, his fifth as a starter, which is nice. He's far from proven anything in this league. He lacks patience. He checks down quicker than Id like. Which could be scheme, but seems like a mutual situation. Much was made earlier of Staff hitting multiple receivers. This doesn't show me that he's working thru progressions. It shows me that the play book calls for different options as #1 targets on different plays in different situations. BP, Bell, Bush, and several times Ogletree and Durham were check down options, and they got they ball within two an half seconds of the snap. When Staff was asked to throw downfield, he underthrew an open Edwards badly. Then later got picked at the goaline throwing into double coverage. (Edwards also failed to come up with another deep throw). What bothers me the most about our highly talented, young, possibly rising star, is he has been given more than he has earned during his tenure. From fans,(which is the case with this thread), from the team,(the starting job as a rookie, captain status, his recent extension) from advertisers(Axe, some tire company, JCPenny, The SixthSense box set..,) and at times from the talking heads. He's very talented. But take away his stats with Calvin Johnson and tell me he's raised the games of other players around him. Show me when he's pump faked a safety off a receiver, show me a signature win over a team he wasn't supposed to beat(the browns when he got hurt doesn't count, they're the Browns). It bothers me how a majority of Lions fans can bitch and bitch about Linehan, Schwartz, Mayhew, Lewand, and anyone else with years of experience, yet they blindly have faith in Matthew Stafford. And more than just faith, they have somehow decided Staff is above most QBs. Guys like Romo, Cutler, Palmer, Rivers, Dalton, Schaub, Flacco, Bradford, hell even Alex Smith. It's my opinion that he could be better than all of them. But right now, there's nothing factual that would lead me to say that he is. Other than Im a Lions fan. And any comparison to Favre is not going to met with rave reviews from me. That guy screwed his team(teams) as much as he helped them by not refining his game over the years. He was a gunslinger. And those are not reliable, they win games just like they lose them. I'm not interested in Staff the gunslinger, I'm interested in a refined Staff. Who eventually expands his game. Rather than shrinks it. Which is what, IMO, has been going on this season with the glut of short yardage passes.
Now, im not ripping him. I still love the pimp, I just dont like this aspect of his game
Meow, is that you? Don't forget paragraphs.Put smitty back online.
This is the thing. Being critical of the fifth year, former number 1, insanely high paid QB, means you're ripping on him around here. When it's usually not, it's just being rational and realistic. I agree on your points of decisions being made pre-snap btw. It's one of the refinements that I want to see the most.
Until he goes 30/30 for 30 touchdowns, there will always be things to nitpick about. It doesnt mean that I hate the guy. There's always room for improvement
Staff under threw Edwards and missed an out route to Durham today. I also remember a bad pass on a screen to be fair, but he is human. Only Payton is perfect. We are winning games and the receivers have a lot of room for improvement too.
I'm with you Smitty. But that same defense looked like hot garbage in the first half. Staff threw four TDS today and is still getting ripped by a lot of people. Just sayin.
And less of the two bad long throws in Edwards direct. (One nice pick, one incomplete underthrow)
4-12 man. 4-12. I'd be happy with 3,200 yards 17 TDs and half the picks if it meant a chance at the playoffs. Those yards, Staffs and CJs, were absolutely meaningless, and mostly given away pre-RedZone.