11/23/24
April 25, 2009
Lions Sign Stafford to Become NFL Draft's First Pick: With hours to go before this year's NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions began the proceedings late Friday night by inking a six-year $72 million deal with Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, who will become the first overall pick. The deal includes a record $41.7 million in guaranteed money and can end after four years. The signing makes the destination of USC quarterback Mark Sanchez the biggest mystery of the early rounds. The St. Louis Rams are on the clock.
It seems like the kind of deal you'd have to do to sign a big quarterback high in the draft. It's not like those ever come cheap.
If Stafford's as good as Matt Ryan played last year, the deal's cheap and they will be tearing it up after four years to give him a much bigger one.
If he's as bad as Tim Couch, they'll release him after four years.
There's no middle ground. Makes me glad I'm not a GM or an owner.
posted by rcade at 11:59 AM on April 25, 2009
I have mixed feelings about this. I'm a UGA grad and love my dawgs, but I was never terribly impressed with Stafford. Yes, he has all the skills which was evident at times, but the problem was he never seemed to be consistent with being able to put all the skills together to carry his team. I felt more comfortable with David Greene from the earlier this decade at the helm than Stafford. Plus, Stafford had the luxury of having a great RB in Moreno (who I think will be a great NFL back) to take the pressure off.
I think if Stafford was able to start playing on a decent team where he can develop, he'd be a star. With Atlanta, Baltimore, and Steelers, they at least has some other players who could take the pressure off their baby-faced QBs. But I don't see him- or any QB for that matter- being a stud in Detroit if they can't get some D, an O-line, etc. I don't think it's necessarily that they pick horrible QBs...Rather its being in a system where failure is so ingrained in the team culture that turning it around is nearly impossible. At least Stafford has a great WR in Johnson to throw to...Kind of funny that 2 hated rivals, UGA and GT, will be the main offensive connection on Detroit.
posted by jmd82 at 12:41 PM on April 25, 2009
I watched Stafford a few times on TV the last couple of years. I never saw him do anything that really grabbed my attention. I don't understand why he's a 1 pick.
Can't blame this one on Millen if it goes bad.
Somewhere, someone out there is probably saying, whoa, the NFC North is suddenly franchise QB city with Stafford and Cutler.
I'm not sure about that. I've got doubts about both those guys. Aaron Rodgers could still turn out to be the class of the division.
posted by beaverboard at 01:10 PM on April 25, 2009
Millen may be gone but Lions terrible draft history goes back way before his arrival. I have no opinion on Stafford per se but my question is how many times his face will be deep in the Astroturf since the O line leaves much to be desired. Maybe he's lucky and the Lions give Culpepper the starting job for at least the first eight games, or the whole season.
posted by billsaysthis at 04:20 PM on April 25, 2009
If the Lions plan to sit on Stafford for at least a season, then I'll agree this is a good pick. They need at least 2 good drafts to rebuild the O-line and the defense, and Stafford shouldn't take a snap until then. However, if they cave to the pressure and throw him in there this season when the team is losing or Culpepper gets hurt, then he's doomed to Harringtonitis...
posted by MeatSaber at 04:41 PM on April 25, 2009
Anyone else mentioned that Sanchez is now a Jet? That could be very interesting as well.
I'm not sure how Stafford will do, but it'll be interesting to watch and see if anything's different for the Lions this year, if he starts or not.
posted by boredom_08 at 07:05 PM on April 25, 2009
Anyone else mentioned that Sanchez is now a Jet? That could be very interesting as well.
As a Jet fan and an SC fan, I think it's a bad pick. Sanchez underwhelmed me last year. Leinhart, for example, was a much better QB for SC and look what he's doing now. I think Clemens deserved a shot with a functioning O-line. It's true Clemens was 3-6 in 2007 but Pennington was 1-6 that year as well.
This is a move by Jets ownership to sell PSL's for 2010. And Sanchez can join Vernon Gholston, Blair Thomas, Johnny "Lame" Jones, and Carl Barzilauskas as biggest busts in Jets draft history.
And I'd love to be proved wrong.
posted by cjets at 12:24 PM on April 26, 2009
Ugh...
For a team that had the worst defense in the league last year you would think they'd use one of their first two picks on a defensive player. I'm more disappointed with the tight end chosen at pick 20 (I believe) than with Stafford. The Lions need a quarterback and maybe they'll finally get lucky. They shouldn't have paid him as much as they did though, why on earth a rookie who has never played a down gets the most guaranteed money in history is beyond me.
I also don't have high hopes for a general manager who learned how to do the job from Matt Millen.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:03 PM on April 26, 2009
According to a New York Post article Sanchez practically charmed the pants off the Jets owner and coaches when they visited him in Southern California last month.
posted by Newbie Walker at 04:16 AM on April 27, 2009
I originally thought my Niners were just plain crazy stoopid for signing Alex Smith to a six-year, $49.5 million contract including $24 million in guaranteed money.
I thought that was a helluva lot of money for a guy who had never even smelled the grass in an NFL stadium
I thought it was a huge gamble at the time and that he would be a complete bust. And now?
Oh wait, I was right....
posted by irunfromclones at 08:13 PM on April 27, 2009
Saw the Raiders first round pick and realized that the late Al Davis's committment to the vertical game is as strong as ever. NFL get an expansion team in Los Angeles County, please.
posted by Newbie Walker at 01:37 PM on April 28, 2009
Yikes. That's a big deal for someone who wasn't even a sureshot #1 pick.