Stafford Leads Lions to Dramatic Last-Second Win

DETROIT - The Detroit Lions may have found the leader they have been searching for over the past few decades and that leader may have accomplished a near-impossible feat; winning over the Detroit media.

On his home field in a game against the Cleveland Browns, Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford had been battling all afternoon to lead his team back from a 24-3 deficit and it ended in dramatic fashion.

Down 37-31 Stafford had no timeouts remaining, needed to get into the end zone from the Cleveland 32 and had only :08 seconds to do it. What happened over the next several minutes may become Stafford’s defining moment.

Stafford took the snap and scrambled Favre-style, avoiding an aggressive rush while trying to find an open receiver. He avoided one rusher, then another as the clock ticked to :00. Stafford saw the Browns’ 305-pound lineman C.J. Mosley barreling in at him but stood tall, planted his feet and threw the desperation pass.

As the ball sailed towards the end zone, Mosley crushed Stafford into the Ford Field turf. The rookie quarterback laid flat on the turf, grimacing in pain with an apparent shoulder injury but the Hail Mary pass was answered in the form of yellow hankies blanketing the end zone.

Pass interference on the defense.

While Stafford was helped to the sidelines where team doctors attempted to look at the injury, Cleveland decided to call time out to set up their defense as Lions back-up quarterback Daunte Culpepper was stepping up to the line to take the game’s final snap.

“I heard time-out over the loudspeaker and knew that was probably my only chance of getting back in,” Stafford said. “It was my left shoulder. Don’t really need it to throw.”

The doctors attempted to keep Stafford down to examine and determine the type of injury but Stafford refused to stay down. When he told the doctors to help him up, they refused until he demanded.

“Once one of them helped me up,” Stafford said, “they weren’t going to stop me.”

Lions coach Jim Schwartz must have had a tremendous amount of information swirling through his head. His back-up quarterback was in the huddle on the field, his starter with an obvious injury demanding on returning for the final play, his team needing a touchdown to win, no timeouts remaining.

Ignoring the pain, Stafford found the energy to push his way back onto the field, took the final snap and thread a bullet to tight end Brandon Pettigrew for a touchdown, his record 5th of the game and a 38-37 victory. Stafford also finished with a career-high 422 passing yards.

See dramatic comeback video on NFL.com here.

Schwartz was nearly lost for words during some of the post-game. “[Stafford] popped up, and all the team doctors said, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.’ I said, ‘What does he have?’ They said, ‘We don’t even know.’

Stafford, his shoulder wrapped in ice, elaborated more during post game. “I was in some good pain, but the play goes on. It didn’t feel good, but I didn’t care. It was one play. I knew I didn’t have to play too much, just one snap, and try to throw a TD.”

“I’ve never been a part of [winning with no time on the clock],” said Stafford. “I’ve been a part of some close ones at the end, obviously, but that was wild.”

Wild? Yes. 

True courage? Yes.

Defining moment? Time will tell and more importantly, the Detroit Lions may have finally found their leader.

Related Articles:

No Doubt Now: Stafford Strong Enough to Lead - Detroit Free Press

Stafford Shows True Grit in Beating Browns - The Detroit News

Schwartz: X-Rays Negative on Stafford’s Shoulder - DFP

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

Heisman Trophy Winner Bradford Considers Having Surgery

OKLAHOMA - ESPN reported that last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Oklahoma Sooners’ quarterback Sam Bradford is seriously considering having season-ending surgery on his injured shoulder.

Bradford has missed a majority of the season and when he tried to make a comeback last week, lasted just two series of downs before leaving the field aggravating the injury further.

The Sooners entered the season focused on making a run for a national title but those dreams were shattered in one snap of the ball. The Sooners currently sit at the cellar of the AP Top 25 with a 3-3 record and are struggling to earn a decent bowl bid.

While we watch Bradford’s stock in the NFL 2010 Draft drop like a Wall Street crash, it makes me reminisce about the day Mark Sanchez announced he was leaving the USC Trojans and opting to join the draft.

At the time, USC Coach Pete Carroll showed some displeasure at the press conference and said Sanchez “made a bad choice”.

Since then, Sanchez has been the starting quarterback for the New York Jets, playing under a contract fat enough to support even the family members he has never met ($60 million with $28 million guaranteed).

Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford who went No. 1 overall in last year’s draft is another player who left campus early. Stafford who is currently rehabbing a knee injury suffered this NFL season is the starter for the Detroit Lions and playing with a $72 million contract ($41.7 million guaranteed).

While Bradford contemplates going under the knife with a cloudy future and Sanchez and Stafford cash their checks every week, I would like to now ask Mr. Carroll who he thinks made a “bad choice”.

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

NFL News - Urlacher & McNabb Out; Sanchez and Stafford Debut

All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher, the heart and soul of the Chicago Bears’ defense will miss the remainder of the season after dislocating his wrist in the 21-15 loss to the division rival Green Bay Packers Sunday night.

With the injury occurring so early in the season, Chicago is expected to shop around for a replacement to fill the middle linebacker spot. Derrick Brooks is expected to join the team if the two sides can work out a deal. Brooks is familiar with Chicago coach Lovie Smith and Chicago’s defensive schemes.

Mark Sanchez silenced some of the critics including Pete Carroll, his former coach at USC, when the rookie led his New York Jets to a 24-7 win over the Houston Texans.

Earlier in the year and prior to selection day, Carroll had publicly stated that Sanchez “made a bad choice” in joining the NFL draft.

Sanchez finished 18-of-31 for 272 yards and one TD.

In other injury news, joining Urlacher on the sidelines list is Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb who suffered a cracked rib in his team’s 38-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

With McNabb’s status unknown and Michael Vick ineligible for another week, don’t be surprised to see ex-Eagle Jeff Garcia donning green in Philly this weekend when Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints visit the ‘City of Brotherly Love’.

In other rookie news, Matthew Stafford will have to wait for his first victory. Stafford appears to have a much larger chore ahead of him than Sanchez after his Detroit Lions started this season where they left off last year.

The Lions’ defense who were worst in the NFL last year were ripped apart by fantasy football favorite Drew Brees, who tossed six touchdown passes during the 45-27 blowout over the Lions.

Stafford finished 16-of-37 for 205 yards and 3 INTs.

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

Will Culpepper Ask to Be Traded?

DETROIT - When Daunte Culpepper decided to come out of retirement and sign with the Detroit Lions in October 2008 we covered that story and the first line in our coverage read, “Run Daunte run! In the opposite direction.”

Culpepper, a three-time Pro Bowler, may wish he had heeded that advice as he finds himself relegated to the back-up quarterback position on the worst team in the NFL, riding the bench while Matthew Stafford, an unproven rookie, will be taking snaps Week One in New Orleans.

Prior to signing with the Lions, Culpepper had several meetings and tryouts with other NFL teams and turned down offers to play back-up for two winning teams, Pittsburgh and Green Baybefore deciding to play in Detroit. He was clearly looking for another opportunity to start and his discussion with the Lions is sure to have included that.

Culpepper didn’t speak to reporters after Monday’s practice, there’s an early warning sign he will be wanting out of Motown. If he demands a trade like many of us think he will and should, the pressure on Stafford to succeed multiplies tenfold since there are no veterans on the sidelines to step in if he falters or go to for guidance.

The bench is a strange place to assign a veteran like Culpepper who is a proven NFL quarterback that has thrown for more than 13 miles in his career. Thirteen miles . . . 23,208 yards . . . more than 232 football fields.

Being replaced with a rookie can only add fuel to the fire. Leave it to the Lions to use and hang another veteran out to dry, (Google Tatum Bell).

Culpepper showed great loyalty during his college days at the University of Central Florida.

After running up staggering stats, several top colleges tried to recruit him but he chose to stay in Orlando playing for the only school that offered him an opportunity during the original recruiting process.

Most youngsters his age would have jumped at the chance to play in the SEC but Culpepper stayed loyal to UCF. He went on to set a laundry list of NCAA records before being drafted in the first-round by the Minnesota Vikings.

Since arriving in Motown last fall, Culpepper has shown great commitment to the Lions organization.

He showed up in game shape this summer, dropping 30 pounds in the offseason preparing to lead a 0-16 disaster out of the cellar. The Lions quarterback position was Culpepper’s to lose but he was never given a fair chance to lose it.

Although he showed more poise and confidence and ran stats much more impressive than Stafford during preseason, Stafford connected with wide receiver Calvin Johnson for long gains on several occasions. That is sure to have caught the eye of Lions Coach Jim Schwartz but in all fairness to Culpepper; Johnson sat out with an injury both of Culpepper’s starts.

If anyone thinks Culpepper would have trouble finding a sprinting Johnson down any sideline they didn’t watch Culpepper when he made a living heaving spirals to a guy named Randy Moss. Culpepper’s arm clearly has some life left and he deserved a legitimate chance to reinvent his career and rejuvenate the Lions.

Quarterbacks do it every season. Last year Chad Pennington found his game in Miami and took home the AP Comeback-Player-of-the-Year award, leading the Dolphins to an 11-5 record. A year earlier, Jeff Garcia bounced back and found himself playing into January after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 9-7 division-winning record and playoff spot.

Culpepper must certainly feel burned; shafted. He did nothing that justified losing the starting position this preseason and Stafford didn’t perform well enough in his two starts to earn it.

Curious to see how this latest move by the NFL’s most desperate organization plays out. Snatching an opportunity like this from a veteran like Culpepper can cause bad Karma in your locker room.

Will it lead to trade demands by the 32-year-old quarterback who’s playing years are limited?

Don’t be surprised if it does.

Related Articles:

Starting Stafford Too High a Risk for Lions. 

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

Starting Stafford Too Huge a Risk for Lions

DETROIT - After seeing rookie sensations Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco evolve into legitimate starters last year in the NFL, the temptation was too much for the Detroit Lions and Coach Jim Schwartz.

With the season opening September 13th with a road game in New Orleans followed by a visit from the Minnesota Vikings, Schwartz ignored the risks and named Matthew Stafford the starter.

Putting the young slinger across from Minnesota’s swarming defensive line just eight days into his NFL career may evolve into a human sacrifice and reinvent the name ‘Purple People Eaters’ for the Vikings.

The Vikings sacked Lions quarterbacks a total of 10 times in the two games last year. That is a risky scenario to place a young rookie quarterback in who is trying to build confidence.

Stafford has an incredible arm, there’s no doubt about that but it’s hard to throw with a 300-lb. lineman’s arms wrapped around you.

We’ve been hearing the Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco theories but those two rookies stood behind proven offensive lines last year and were given plenty of protection throughout their 11-5 seasons. There’s talk about how improved the Lions O line is this year but why not wait a few weeks to verify that.

The league’s best quarterbacks crumble under excessive pressure up front, even Tom Brady as seen in the Super Bowl game when the New York Giants knocked Brady totally off his game upsetting the heavily-favored New England Patriots.

The NFL game is a sprint compared to NCAA and Stafford could have gotten a feel for the pace and speed of the game by watching the first few Sundays from the sidelines.

There would be a lesser argument for handing Stafford a clipboard and headset in New Orleans if this were a ‘Stafford vs. Stanton’ or a ‘Stafford vs. Orlovsky’ debate but the Lions have a proven Pro Bowl quarterback on their roster, Daunte Culpepper who has thrown for 23,208 yards in his career. That’s 13 miles; more than 232 football fields.

Culpepper deserves a legitimate chance to reinvent himself. It happens all the time. John Travolta did it on the screen with Pulp Fiction; Chad Pennington did it on the field with Miami last year.

Culpepper, the three-time Pro Bowl player showed up 30 pounds lighter in game shape before the season started expecting to start. Now that he finds himself out of the starting position he was never given a chance to lose, there may be some bad locker room karma heading the Lions way.

When Daunte joined the Lions in October 2008 we covered that story, “Daunte Should Avoid the Lions”. The Lions have a knack for finishing player’s careers on a sour note (Google Tatum Bell and Marcus Pollard). If Culpepper sits rotting away on the bench while he has some arm left, he could join that group. You have to wonder; Will Daunte ask to be traded?

Culpepper appears committed to again making a mark in the NFL and he cannot do that collecting splinters on the bench.

Playing against former teams brings the best out of athletes as we see ever week when ex-Lions visit Detroit and have career days after being traded or cut. I would have expected the best out of Daunte against his former Vikings team during Week Two at Ford Field.

The logical decision would have been to sit Stafford for at least two weeks then re-evaluate his progress, the O line and the team then go from there. William Clay Ford is always more interested in selling tickets as in the case with hurrying quarterback Joey Harrington, a first-round dud that was never given a fair chance to develop.

The Lions got impatient. This is clearly a rebuilding time, just as the past decade has been so what would a few more weeks of development have mattered?

 This is unlikely to be a playoff season but the Lions are taking a chance of destroying the confidence of their franchise $78 million investment-another reason this team is, and may always be, destined to be a loser.

Voice your opinion by taking our front page poll and vote whether Stafford and Mark Sanchez should be taking snaps NFL Week One.

Leave Your Comments in the Section Below.

More Matthew Stafford Articles:

Get Ready Lions, Stafford Knows How to Party!

Why Stafford and Detroit Lions are a Bad Marriage

Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week - Matthew Stafford

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

NCAA Football Weekend in Review

The NCAA Football season opened with a bang this weekend.

Some of the news creating the biggest buzz was #20 BYU upsetting #3 Oklahoma Sooners 14-13 in a game that included Heisman Trophy winner QB Sam Bradford watching a majority of the contest from the sidelines while sporting a sling on his multi-million-dollar throwing arm.

Bradford sprained the shoulder during the final seconds of the first half then was replaced by back-up Landry Jones who finished (6-of-12, 51yds) for the game-quarterback stats unfamiliar with the Sooners and their fans.

In another game, #6 the Ohio State Buckeyes avoided an embarrassing upset, squeaking out a win against Navy in the final minutes.

With the Buckeyes leading 29-27 late in the forth quarter, Navy attempted a two-point conversion but the pass was intercepted by the Buckeyes and taken to the house on the opposite side of the field giving the Buckeyes a narrow 31-27 victory.

Is there a reason to worry in Athens?

The #13 Georgia Bulldogs may be headed in for a long season while they try to compensate for the loss of two members of last year’s dominating offensive backfield, quarterback Matthew Stafford who went #1 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft and running back Knowshon Moreno, another first-round selection.

The Bulldogs offense sputtered out and they lost to #9 Oklahoma State 24-10.

In the days sparring matches, Tim Tebow and his #1 Florida Gators defeated Charleston Southern 62-3, #2 Texas squashed Louisiana-Monroe 59-20 and #4 USC, led by freshman quarterback Matt Barkley crushed San Jose State 56-3.

Related Articles:

Why Stafford and Detroit Lions are a Bad Marriage

Get Ready Lions, Stafford Knows How to Party!

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

Get Ready Lions, Stafford Knows How to Party!

DETROIT - Looks like the Detroit Lions multi-million dollar prize, Matthew Stafford knows how to hoop it up. Pictures of the NFL’s newest millionaire surrounded by half-naked blonds partying it up surfaced on Deadspin this afternoon–I wonder if the photo on the right is a move from Coach Schwartz’ new “bump-and-grind” offense.

While most will find these pics harmless, entertaining and reminiscent of our younger years, they may not be taken too kindly by the Lions old-school owner, William Clay Ford.

But who cares what Ford thinks. The man has proven he doesn’t have a clue how to run an NFL team.

Stafford is exactly what the 0-16 Lions need. A young rambunctious heart full of energy.

Matthew, think you can get some hip-hop blaring through the locker room to awaken the NFL’s most dreadful squad out of their 7-year coma?

Better yet, how about a few of your blond babes replacing the Middle School Cheerleading squads who perform at the Lions games?

Wow, think about it, hip-hop blasting through the halls at Ford Field, hot cheerleaders strutting the sidelines, maybe even throw in a lucky win or two–Stafford may be exactly what the Lions need.

Related Stories:

Stafford’s Agent Bitch-Slaps Lions for a Tune of $78 Million.

Matt Millen Gets the Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

Lions miss out on the draft of the decade

NEW YORK - During this past weekend’s NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions failed to take advantage of stealing several first-round projected players that were staring them right in the face. Snagging these prospects would have patched up several of their holes in their defense and guaranteed them several sure starters for next season.

While many people commented on how ‘genius’ the Lions front office looked by trading their top pick in the 3rd round for three of the N.Y. Jets picks, a former projected first-round pick, 6′ 7″ 260-lb DE Michael Johnson from Georgia Tech was waiting in the wings for a team that would steal him in the third round.

Possibly a Pro-Bowler one day, Johnson’s resume is overflowing with accomplishments that include a record amount of blocked kicks, several forced fumbles, sacks, the tons of awards; the list goes on and on.

If the Lions went into the draft thinking defense, Johnson would have been the fourth pick in what would have clearly been the best draft of any of the NFL teams for 2009 and possible one of the best drafts over the past decade.

Here’s the scenario that was passed up by the Lions.

First overall- LB Aaron Curry and the fans go wild in support.

First round pick #20 - DT Peria Jerry and the fans start believing the Lions new front office knows football. They actually begin to envision a defense on the way to recovery.

First pick in 2nd round (#33 overall) - MLB Rey Maualuga. Fierce hitter, once projected top-ten pick and the steal of the draft. The Lions fans at Ford Field get their chants for “Rey” answered and actually start wanting to inquire about purchasing season tickets.

Third round selection- DE Michael Johnson 6′ 7″ 260 dynamic player; once predicted a top-ten overall pick. Lions fans say, “Who?” but after reading the player’s bio and hearing ESPN analysts start referring to the Lions as being the winner in the draft, their eyes begin to water up, they want to send apologies to Mayhew for all the names they had called him and begin to fantasize about a playoff game within a few years.

All of these players were at some time projected first-round picks and all were available and passed up by the Lions. Adding these four defensive stars would have created a defensive line that included Grady Jackson, Dwayne White, Peria Jerry and Michael Johnson and a linebacker group of Julian Peterson, Ernie Sims and Rey Maualuga.

Overnight the NFL worst defense would find itself with hitters like Sims and Maualuga and could have been one of the more punishing and feared groups in the league while moving way up the ladder against the run.

With Coach Schwartz being a defense specialist, this scenario would have put the Lions as the biggest winners in the draft while filling several of their important needs.

If this upcoming season again features average running backs setting personal-best records every Sunday while running at will against another Lions sieve-filled defense, Lions’ fans can only shake their heads and again say, “Maybe in next year’s draft.”

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

Stafford may skip NFL Combine

ATLANTA - There’s a buzz around Georgia that Bulldog Matthew Stafford may not accept the offer to work out during this month’s NFL Combine.If Stafford refuses to participate, he and his agent should be sent a strong message. Teams high on the draft list like the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs should pass and let the underclassman sit and squirm in his seat as a list of names are called before his.

If you think that cannot happen, Google Brady Quinn and Matt Leinhart. Both award-winning college quarterbacks were projected by many to be No. 1 picks.

Leinhart, a USC standout, sat for hours finally being taken 10th by the Arizona Cardinals and Quinn of Notre Dame was forced to sit and squirm in his seat and listen to 21 names echo in the hall before his was finally called by the Cleveland Browns.

To make matters worse, Quinn was forced to sit out and miss the first several days of camp as his agent tried frantically to get a deal signed, a deal signed so late, it eliminated the quarterback’s chance of taking the snaps on opening day.

Getting back to the Stafford issue. There is a certain amount of pressure in performing in front of an audience like the Combine but organizations deserve an opportunity to see how these young athletes respond under a little pressure, especially when those unproven players have agents who plan on asking for tens of millions of guaranteed dollars.

Bottom line is, if a player, especially an underclassman quarterback, cannot perform up to par at a Combine, should he and his agent walk with a semi-trailer full of millions?

If Stafford does not show as expected, this may prove to be risky advice by his agent. It’s almost like they are hiding something from the NFL scouts.

The Lions or Chiefs are foolish to choose Stafford unless he puts on the spikes and airs out some balls this month.

If the ‘Dawg from Georgia doesn’t show, there may be some extra-motivated lineman that will salivating for the draft.

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax