ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Once labeled as fragile and injury-prone, Matthew Stafford has started 40 straight games at quarterback for the Detroit Lions.
So much for those perceptions that began when Stafford appeared in only 13 games over his first two seasons in the NFL.
His 2 1/2-year stretch is nowhere near Brett Favre’s all-time record for a quarterback (297 consecutive starts) or the current longest streak held by Eli Manning (164), but Stafford is starting to show that he does have some durability despite those first impressions.
“I think he did answer those questions,” teammate Nate Burleson said. “I think he’s proved time and time again that he’s as tough as tough gets when you’re talking about the QB position.”
There’s a three-way tie for first place in the NFC North midway through the season, but Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler is trying to recover from a torn groin muscle while Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers reportedly will miss at least three games because of a broken collarbone in his non-throwing shoulder.
Advantage, Detroit - as long as Stafford stays healthy.
“It’s something you don’t really have a lot of control over,” Stafford said. “I’m conscious of trying to make sure I’m out there for the next snap, but at the same time, I’m just playing the game the way I’ve always played it.”
A few years ago, there were doubts whether Stafford would live up to the hype of being the No. 1 pick overall coming out of Georgia in 2009.
Knee and shoulder injuries slowed him down early in his career. Zack Follett, one of his teammates at the time, called Stafford a “china doll” after the strong-armed quarterback missed 13 games in 2010.
“People kept saying ‘injury-prone,’” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. “But the injuries he had, we felt very confident would heal up and he’d be able to put behind him.
“He works very hard at conditioning and staying healthy. He hasn’t been 100 percent healthy for (all) 40 games. He’s had some games where he’s been nicked up (finger, hamstring, knee, etc.)
“Part of this game is being available on Sunday. I think he’s done a very good job of dealing with the things that have come up and being available on Sundays.”
Erasing a label like Stafford had to do isn’t easy, especially in professional football where those perceptions often turn into reality.
It had to be annoying for him to hear all the criticism about how he wasn’t capable of staying healthy for a full season.
Stafford never bought into any of it.
“It was something, honestly, in my mind wasn’t an issue,” Stafford said. “Obviously, I didn’t like missing games the first two seasons. It was something I never really experienced (in college or high school), didn’t have a lot of history with.
“So I knew it would get back to normal soon enough. I feel like it’s gotten that way. I’ve played through some stuff to make sure I stay on the field. It’s something I take pride in for sure, being out there every Sunday.”
In retrospect, Stafford wasn’t a china doll at all. He simply had some misfortunes in consecutive years in a violent sport where injuries are inevitable.
Just ask Cutler and Rodgers about that right now.
Stafford, meanwhile, played in all 16 games the last two seasons – plus one playoff game in 2011 - and he’s taken every offensive snap in eight games this year.
Back-up quarterback Shaun Hill hasn’t even gotten on the field yet.
In the Lions’ last game, Stafford rallied his club in the final minute for a 31-30 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. He scored on a 1-yard sneak with 12 seconds remaining when he faked a spike to everyone’s surprise, including his teammates.
This is only Stafford’s fifth year in the league, but he’s already on the verge of becoming the Lions’ all-time passing leader. He needs 287 yards in Sunday’s game at Chicago to surpass Bobby Layne, who threw for 15,710 yards while playing for Detroit from 1950-58.
Burleson has grown to appreciate every hit his quarterback takes while still delivering the ball on time and on target.
There have been moments when Burleson felt good about himself after taking a pounding while making a catch over the middle, only to see Stafford get hit even harder on the replay.
“That kind of puts everything in perspective,” Burleson said. “I go right up to him (and say), ‘You keep taking shots like that, I promise you I’ll come down with every ball you throw to me.’
“Matt can take a shot that most guys will not bounce back from. There’s a lot of injuries that he doesn’t report, stuff that you guys will never find out about. He’s not one to complain.”
EXTRA POINTS
--- Burleson, who has missed the last five games because of a broken forearm suffered in a car accident, returned to practice Tuesday.
“My legs feel great, I feel fast and I’m catching the ball,” he said.
As for whether he’ll play Sunday, Burleson said, “I’m going to just say let’s leave it to the doctors.”
--- Schwartz, on the topic of rookie hazing in the wake of the Miami Dolphins' controversy:
“We do allow stuff like guys carrying helmets in, guys fetching water, making runs for food before we go on away trips and stuff like that. I think that’s part of guys sort of paying their dues in the NFL.
“We don’t allow hazing the way you would consider hazing. We’re a $12 billion business, whatever it is. We’re not a fraternity.
“The bottom line is we’re expecting everybody to do their job. Anything that takes away from a player’s ability to do his job or a coach’s ability to do his job is something we don’t want to have happen.”
--- Schwartz, following the recent health issues involving two NFL coaches, on how he deals with the stress of the job:
“Tylenol, caffeine. I don’t workout. Most coaches don’t from the time training camp starts until the end of the season. I think it shows (in his waist line).
“Honestly, from a coaching standpoint, you don’t have time to think about your own health. That’s just the way it is. You’re conditioned to do it. I’ve been doing this for 20 years. We have the offseason to stay in shape and take care of ourselves.
“Coaches don’t work 100 hours a week because that’s healthy. They do it because the job requires it. There’s no martyrs. That’s what you do in this profession. We’re worried about getting wins on Sunday. We can get ready for the beach some other time.”
--- With Jason Jones out for the season following knee surgery and rookie Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah in a protective boot after missing practice with an ankle injury, the Lions signed a defensive end, Austen Lane, to bolster their D-line depth. Lane played the last three years with Jacksonville.
To make room on the 53-man roster, the club released offensive tackle Barry Richardson, who had been signed a couple weeks ago when it was the offensive line that was hit by injuries and needed some temporary depth.
--- The Lions also signed former Michigan tight end Martell Webb to the practice squad while releasing running back Steven Miller.
