Matthew Stafford Tracker

Posted: 12:19 p.m. Nov. 25, 2009
Lions QB Stafford has a fan in Aikman
Stats put Lions rookie above Cowboys icon

By NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

It was almost exactly 20 years ago. Troy Aikman was the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, a rookie quarterback on a terrible team. He shook off a previous injury and gave a record-setting performance. At the end of the game, he took a hard hit and got hurt again, but made a great play and put his team on top.

Aikman returned from a broken finger Nov. 12, 1989, and threw for 379 yards, then an NFL rookie record. He threw a 75-yard touchdown pass after the two-minute warning, giving the Cowboys a 20-17 lead over the Cardinals, while taking a blind-side hit and suffering a concussion.

The parallels with the Lions’ Matthew Stafford are striking – except Aikman’s story didn’t have a dramatic, happy ending. The Cardinals came back and scored with 58 seconds left. The Cowboys lost, 24-20.

“A little bit similar to what he went through last week, but he’s much further along,” said Aikman, who went on to win three Super Bowls and make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Aikman is in Detroit to broadcast the Lions’ Thanksgiving game against Green Bay for Fox. Even though Stafford probably won’t play because of his left shoulder injury, he’s the talk of the league for what he did in Sunday’s 38-37 victory over Cleveland.

Still playing through a right knee injury, Stafford become the first rookie since 1937 – and, at 21, the youngest quarterback ever – to throw five touchdown passes.

He threw for 422 yards, the most ever by a Lions QB in a victory. As he threw a Hail Mary on the second-to-last play of the game, he took a blind-side hit and suffered an AC joint separation. But he returned and threw the winning touchdown with no time left.

That didn't put him in the Hall of Fame. But the hall is displaying the jersey he wore and it gives long-suffering Lions fans hope.

“I think what he did last week was pretty incredible,” Aikman said this morning over the phone. “I think there’s moments in everybody’s career that kind of move you along, and I think that was one. As far as within the locker room, I don’t know that that surprised anybody. I don’t know if he gained any more respect. I just think what he had done up to that point had pretty much proven his toughness and what he’s capable of doing.”

Aikman can relate to Stafford. When the Cowboys drafted him first overall, they were coming off a 1-15 season. He started immediately and went through some pretty rough times.

“I can appreciate how hard it is to come to a team that’s not real good and be asked to play right away,” Aikman said. “As expected, he’s taken a lot of hits. For the most part, he’s gotten back up and he just keeps playing.”

Aikman has followed Stafford for years, too. Aikman lives in the same part of Dallas where Stafford grew up. He knows his history all the way back to high school.

“I’ve taken a real interest in his career,” Aikman said. “I think he’s got great skills. I’ve seen him make plays that I knew he could make. You always want to see whether or not he can kind of handle the physical part of it, when you are getting knocked around, and he’s proven that to me as well.”

When Stafford was training for the draft in Phoenix early this year, he and Aikman had dinner together one night. Stafford asked him a lot of questions – from what it was like to play for a bad team to how to manage his finances. The two keep in touch, though Aikman is more of a booster than a mentor.

“We’ve text messaged with each other,” Aikman said. “It’s been more me just trying to be encouraging to him in going through difficult times.”

Stafford said when he talked to Aikman on Monday, it was mostly about new golf courses and a great Mexican place in Dallas.

“He said he was at that restaurant last night,” Stafford said, smiling. “It made me really jealous, because it’s really good food.”

But they did talk a little football. Since the draft, the Lions’ coaches have raved about Stafford’s recall. Stafford told Aikman about some plays Nov. 15 at Minnesota. When Aikman watched the film, he saw them pretty much as Stafford described – and didn’t see him throw into coverage much.

“A lot of times they’ll kind of refer to it as a quarterback kind of seeing ghosts,” Aikman said. “Sometimes a quarterback will come off the field and say, ‘Hey, the safety did this, and that’s why I didn’t throw the ball there.’ And then you look at the Polaroids that come across, and the safety was never even anywhere near the play.

“That happens a lot with young quarterbacks. They think they see things, but they really don’t. And that has not been the case for him. That’s pretty telling. He’s a guy who’s not getting fooled on the field and has a pretty good understanding of what he’s looking at and where he wants to go with the ball.”

Aikman played 11 games as a rookie. His stats: 52.9 completion percentage, 1,749 yards, nine touchdowns, 18 interceptions, 55.7 passer rating.

Stafford has played eight games. His stats: 55.2 completion percentage, 1,911 yards, 11 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 66.9 passer rating.

And Stafford is 2-6 as a starter.

“I was 0-11 as a starter my rookie year, so he’s already well ahead of me,” Aikman said. “In fact, I would argue that the Detroit Lions are (ahead of where the Cowboys were in 1989) – as strange as that sounds, for a team that didn’t win a game a year ago. I think that this team and his supporting cast is probably better than what I had when I was a rookie.”

Aikman had Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin then; Stafford has Calvin Johnson now. The Cowboys built a team from there; the Lions have to do the same.

“I don’t know that anyone should be surprised by what they’ve seen,” Aikman said. “I think he’s just confirmed what a lot of people already thought, and that’s encouraging."

“Whether it was my career or others that were high picks that have gone on and had success, there’s some other pieces that have to fall in place for him, and hopefully that will happen. At least the organization has a guy that I believe is going to be around for a while and they can start building around.”

Contact NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA: 313-222-8831 or ncotsonika@freepress.com. Check out his Lions blog at freep.com/section/blog21.

Join Free Press sports writer Shawn Windsor for a live blog of the Lions-Packers game on Thanksgiving afternoon at freep.com/sports.

Posted: Nov. 25, 2009
The ticker
Lions QB Matthew Stafford reminds Jerome Bettis of a young Peyton Manning

BY STEVE SCHRADER
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

It's sure getting crowded in the Matthew Stafford Fan Club this week, but here's another new member: Jerome Bettis, formerly of Detroit and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Writing for SI.com, Bettis compared Stafford to a rookie Peyton Manning:

"Manning took his beating like a man. He took his lumps. ... Even during those struggles, I can remember thinking: If he can really pick himself up off the mat like that, and if he can cut out some of those interceptions, this kid could be something special one day. I watch Stafford play today, and I feel some of the same emotions."

...

Last Updated: December 25. 2009 5:32PM
Matthew Stafford's season over; he'll have 'minor' surgery
John Niyo / The Detroit News

Allen Park -- It's time to end the pain and suffering.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford's rookie season with the Lions officially will end when he's placed on the injured reserve list, perhaps as early as today.

Stafford, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2009, will undergo a "minor" outpatient procedure on his right knee Tuesday in Birmingham, Ala., when he visits renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. Coach Jim Schwartz made the announcement before his team's final practice Thursday in preparation for Sunday's game at San Francisco.

It's the same knee that has bothered Stafford since he suffered a partially dislocated kneecap Oct. 4 at Chicago.

"We anticipate a minor surgery just to clean out some irritants and debris," Schwartz said. "Since he's had (the injury), he's had just on-and-off swelling. It's been stuff he's been able to play through. But it's also something we knew we needed to address after the season."

And with Stafford already ruled out for the 49ers game -- and likely the Jan. 3 finale against the Bears -- "there's no reason to wait," Stafford said.

"He'll probably walk out of the operating room most likely," Schwartz said. "It's a minor clean-out -- there's no repair or anything else -- and we anticipate a quick rehab and back to full speed."

Stafford, who won the job over Daunte Culpepper, ends with 10 starts, going 201-for-377 (53.3 pct.) for 2,267 yards, 13 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

"Obviously, I'd loved to have played every game," he said. "But it didn't work out that way."

Asked to sum up his year, Stafford said, "Won a couple, lost a bunch. And hopefully that changes. But I definitely learned a lot and got to know a bunch of guys I didn't really know going into the season. So it's been good."

Better than good, according to Scott Linehan, the Lions offensive coordinator.

"We got a lot accomplished for the first year," he said. "I mean, it wasn't mistake-free. But any rookie's going to go through that kind of a transformation. I really think you can't replace the experience he got. ...

"He's gonna be a great quarterback for this franchise, and we can start building a lot of things around him."

Stafford, who signed a record six-year, $72 million contract, quickly won over coaches and teammates during offseason workouts, both with his physical ability and his grasp of the offense. The last few months, he impressed everyone with his toughness, too.

Stafford returned to the lineup in early November after missing two games with the knee injury, then suffered a separated left (non-throwing) shoulder at the end of the last-second victory over Cleveland on Nov. 22. He started the next two games in obvious discomfort, but aggravated the shoulder injury late in a Dec. 6 loss at Cincinnati and hadn't played or practiced since.

"And the fact that he was out there said a lot about him," Linehan said. "He wanted to help this team in any way he could. And once it got to where he was not able to be effective, he had to come to the realization."

Linehan smiled and added, "But I don't want to have to find that out anymore. Let's find out how he plays (when he's) just sore, not hurt."

Schwartz said there's no need for surgery on Stafford's shoulder, and insisted there's no structural concerns with the knee. Andrews first reviewed Stafford's MRI results in October. At that point, Stafford and the team knew he'd need minor surgery in the offseason.

"The one thing you want to do is you want to put that behind you," Schwartz said of next week's procedure. "You don't want to have to manage that in the spring, next year, further on in your career."

Stafford said he didn't know what the timetable would be for his rehabilitation, but said, "I don't think it's gonna be a big, major thing at all. So it'll be, I would think, a month. Maybe a month, or something like that."

When asked if he was looking forward to playing again without pain, he forced a smile and answered, "Yes, I am."