COLUMN

With a quality game against Green Bay on Sunday, a congratulations to the Detroit Lions might have been in order for rejoining the ranks of respectability. Unfortunately for those people expecting such adulation, the Lions were unceremoniously shut out, for the first time since December of 2001.

There was no question that this season would serve as a developmental year. The Lions’ plan was for their $41 million man, quarterback Matthew Stafford, to gain valuable experience and learn on the job. The hope was that he’d quickly develop chemistry with Calvin Johnson to pave the way for future years of touchdown hookups. The goal was for the team’s youth and promise for a better tomorrow to garner enough excitement to bring the fan base back to Ford Field.

But like seemingly every other blueprint this franchise has ever come up with, the design is proving faulty. Stafford has been hurt — perhaps not too seriously, though reports over the weekend suggested otherwise — and the progress he was making in his rookie season has halted.

Stafford was badly missed against the Packers Sunday. His absence was noted every time Detroit attempted a pass.

In just his third career start Sept. 27, the young signal caller was largely responsible for ending the NFL’s second-longest losing streak in history, waking Lions fans from a nightmare that had lasted nearly two years. All of the promise and potential that Stafford possesses has already revealed itself.

Stafford is already the second best player the Lions have. Despite some of his troubles with decision making, which has led to turnovers, his value to Detroit is unmatched.

The difference between the offense when run by Stafford and the offense with Daunte Culpepper or Drew Stanton behind center is immense. On any given throw, Stafford has demonstrated the ability to complete a pass few quarterbacks in the league could dream of. His arm is that strong. Defenses already respect Stafford’s ability to beat them. Opposing coaches show no hesitation in dialing up full-house blitzes against Detroit’s other quarterbacks, as witnessed the past two Sunday’s since Stafford was hurt.

Most people probably expect Stafford to return from injury following the bye week. If that proves to be the case, it will be interesting to see if he can build upon the success he had before he hurt his knee.

Stafford will forever be compared to Mark Sanchez, the New York Jets’ starting quarterback who many NFL scouts had ranked higher in this year’s draft. Sanchez looked primed to win Rookie of the Year after three weeks, but has since struggled mightily. Stafford has done a lot more with a lot less so far this season.

The decision to select Stafford first overall in April was decried by a majority of the team’s supporters. But calls for general manager Martin Mayhew’s dismissal have subsided. It’s blatantly clear already that Stafford was undoubtedly the correct choice. Comparisons to Joey Harrington can now cease and discussion of the “Curse of Bobby Layne” should be hushed. Stafford won’t be a bust.

Team management needs to turn its attention squarely to putting Stafford in a better position to utilize his unparalleled talent. Chief among the future priorities should be keeping him healthy and upright. The team must find upgrades on the offensive line in order to protect the enormous investment they made when signing Stafford.

Jeff Backus has been a tremendous liability and the Lions need to address the left tackle position immediately, even at the expense of improving their porous defense. Pundits and fans will argue that the Lions’ track record for ignoring the defense and spending their top draft picks on offense must end, but this logic is flawed. To try and atone for Matt Millen’s failings by merely doing the opposite would be equally irresponsible. The Lions must simply do what makes the most sense.

Detroit’s young offense has the makings of a formidable unit, but Stafford is the linchpin. The long-awaited resurgence of the Lions is in the hands of a 21-year-old kid, but you could argue that the hardest part of the comeback is over — identifying the player to lead you back to winning days.