Lions should pass on Stafford, tackle other needs with top pick

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:37:00 -0400

Before discussing Matt Cassel, a stellar week in the NBA and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model Bar Refaeli…

Like many of my fellow mock drafters (or is it mock draftees? draftites?), I have the Detroit Lions selecting quarterback Matthew Stafford with the overall number one pick.

If the lot of us is correct, the Lions will have made a mistake.

In the role of prognosticator, my job is to predict what each team will do when its turn during the April 25 draft comes up, putting its needs, the draft board, rumors, team history and other factors over my own personal opinion.

The latter is why God (or Bill Simmons; I am never sure whom to give credit to) created blogs.

(Um, Ben, how does that make sense? Sounds like political double talk to me, affording you the opportunity to be correct regardless how the pick turns out. Hmmm).

Ok, hear me out. Yes, the Lions are in dire need of a quarterback. In fact, no team has a worse collection of signal callers right now and I’m not sure how much my opinion would change even if Jon Kitna were to return.

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Big Ben's performance clocks in as one the best

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:17:00 -0400

Before discussing Anquan Boldin, A-Rod and Carrie Underwood...

Now that the 2008 NFL season is officially over (for me it was the moment Kurt Warner fumbled the ball for the final time. Seriously, who over the age of 25 actually watches the Pro Bowl anymore?), but before the clock on the Super Bowl chatter strikes 12, I want to add one final take on the performance of Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger.

Now, every Super Bowl winning quarterback not named Trent Dilfer (or perhaps even Roethlisberger when the Steelers beat the Seahawks) ultimately gets props for winning the big game (in Eli Manning's case, it apparently will come in the form of a massive new contract) and certainly Big Ben is no exception. Yet, as I see it, the praise has not been loud enough.

Seriously, does everyone really understand what Big Ben did during the regular season, the playoffs, the Super Bowl and yes, on that final breathtaking drive? He directed a typically run-based offense that was without its first-round pick (Rashard Mendenhall) for most of the season, spent several weeks with their third-string runner (Mewelde Moore) as the starter and for nearly the entire campaign was simply unable to punch it in on short yardage plays.

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Lions should pass on Stafford, tackle other needs with top pick

Big Ben's performance clocks in as one the best