The Detroit Lions need to Draft or bring in a Backup Quarterback

Published: 13th Feb 12 11:21 pm
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by Greg Bolotin
Greg Bolotin
Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE

The Detroit Lions need to have a quarterback they can count on to handle their offense in case Matthew Stafford gets injured and misses games in 2012. We all saw what happened to the Chicago Bears during the 2011 season. They started out 7-3 and then Jay Cutler was injured and lost for the season. They thought they had a backup quarterback in Caleb Hanie who knew their offense and could help manage the Bears offense to the playoffs. They were wrong. Caleb Hanie was a horrible replacement for Jay Cutler and the Bears lost every game but one down the stretch. They missed the playoffs after reaching the NFC title game the previous season.

Jim Schwartz and the rest of the Lions took notice of this and will either draft a quarterback or bring in a quarterback that can manage the Lions offense if Matthew Stafford goes down with an injury. The Lions saw firsthand, during the last regular season game of the 2011 season, when Matt Flynn , backup quarterback for Aaron Rodgers, threw for six touchdowns and beat the Lions. Now no one expects a backup quarterback to have those numbers. But drafting and developing a quarterback who can be ready and knows the Lions offensive system would be key to the Lions as an insurance policy.

After the Lions draft players to solidify their defense and offensive line in the first few rounds they should look for a backup quarterback in the later rounds. This way the backup that the Lions draft is low risk and cost effective for the Lions. They should draft a quarterback like Dan Persa from Northwestern. He missed the first few games of the season but had solid numbers. He completed 73.5 percent of passes; he rushed for 519 yards as well as passed for 2,581 yards. He is a tough player and can throw well out of the pocket which can be a real asset in the Lions passing offense.

Another quarterback the Lions could take in the later rounds is GJ Kinne from Tulsa.  Kinne completed 63 percent of his passes while passing for 3,090 yards. He also threw 28 touchdowns while only throwing 12 interceptions. The one negative is that Kinne played well against teams he was supposed to do well against. He did not play well against Tulsa top opponents: Boise State and Oklahoma State. Most scouts think he will not be more than a back up in the NFL, but this is exactly what the Lions are looking for: a player who can learn their system, come in when needed, and do the job that is needed to win a ball game.

On the other hand, the Lions could bring in a free agent quarterback to be their back up, but that would not be cost effective. Probably the best and most effective quarterback to bring in and be willing to be a back up is Donovan McNabb. His best years are behind him but he knows how to win and has had a history of playing in big games. If the Lions decide not to draft a backup quarterback they should re-sign Drew Stanton.  Stanton, for the most part, has been involved in the Lions offensive system for a couple of seasons now. He would never be expected to play as good as Matthew Stafford but if he can just manage the offense and most importantly not cause costly turnovers, he will be a good option as backup. At the end of the day, the Detroit Lions need to be able to feel better should Matthew Stafford go down with an injury.

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    1. NFL Draft 2012: Will The Lions Draft A Backup Quarterback? | Detroit MI DIRECTV Service says:

      [...] RantSports on Monday threw out the idea that the Lions could go for a backup QB in the draft simply so they don’t experience the same thing that the Chicago Bears did in 2011, having a talented team go down when their QB goes down because of a sub-par back up. [...]

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