Despite Stafford’s cash, Culpepper still starting in Detroit
Being the #1 overall pick in the draft can get you a lot of nice perks, but in Detroit, a guaranteed starting job is not necessarily one of them.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the Lions are currently planning on Daunte Culpepper starting the season as the first team quarterback, while Matt Stafford sits on the bench and learns the game. Detroit GM Martin Mayhew did not rule out Stafford earning the starting job in training camp, but would prefer that the team not rush him into the lineup just because he’s getting paid big time money.
That has been the recipe for disaster with other young QBs coming into the league according to Mayhew:
“They get drafted early by teams that haven’t been successful, and then they got rushed onto the field, which makes it tough to succeed. I think that’s been a pattern if you look at a lot of these guys.”
“I’ll never forget Tim Couch,” Mayhew said. “When they drafted him, they got Ty Detmer. They were going to take their time and work him in and all that, and in Week 2, there he was starting. And so I think that’s something you have to be very cognizant of.
“But on the other hand, there are guys that have been able to go in and play early. I think you can’t plan for that.”
To fans of Stafford and the Lions, that simple statement means the world, as they’ve invested so much into him becoming the team’s future savior, and can ill afford to allow him to go the route of Couch, Carr, Smith, or Leaf. Rebuilding a Detroit franchise that sunk to the lowest depth possible last season with an 0-16 record is not a process that can be completed overnight and Mayhew seems to get that, unlike his predecessor.
Sticking with Culpepper early on in the season until Stafford is ready may not pay off in the win column this season. But it will benefit the team in the long term, as they’ll have a healthy and confident young quarterback to build their franchise around over the next five to ten seasons. And in a world comprised of a win-now mantra, that approach is a refreshing one to say the least.
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