For my fellow Lion fans, some QB information from the Detroit Free Press
Shaun Hill wore a black cast up to his elbow on his left arm and took all the first-team reps in the open portion of Detroit Lions practice this morning, making it likely he'll start Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills.
Hill has been out since fracturing his left forearm in an Oct. 17 loss to the New York Giants. He used that arm to hand off during practice today and took snaps from the shotgun formation, using both hands to catch the ball.
Drew Stanton worked behind Hill, with starter Matthew Stafford watching from the sidelines because of a separated throwing shoulder, his second of the year.
Guard Stephen Peterman, defensive linemen Cliff Avril and Corey Williams, linebacker Isaiah Ekejiuba and running back Kevin Smith also missed practice today.
Safety C.C. Brown returned after sitting out the Jets game with a knee injury, and cornerback Chris Houston practiced after dislocating his shoulder last week.
http://www.freep.com/article/2010111...ikely-to-start
Article regarding Stafford
I haven't seen Matthew Stafford's shoulder and wouldn't know what I was looking at if I did, anyway. I suspect my official diagnosis would be "Ewww," with a strong recommendation to "cover that thing up." Then, to make Stafford feel like he got sound medical advice, I would bill him $14 million.
Nonetheless, I did find two people who ... well, who also haven't seen Stafford's shoulder. But they would know what they were looking at, because they are experts in shoulder injuries.
As you probably know, Stafford injured his right shoulder Sunday, two months after injuring that same shoulder in the season opener, and a year after injuring his left shoulder as a rookie. This has led a lot of people to wonder whether Stafford has some sort of shoulder-injuring addiction, or put another way: Is he injury-prone and are the Lions jinxed and why isn't life fair and why do the Steelers get to win all the time and Detroit can't have ONE decent season?
Well, settle down.
"One way or the other, he is going to be fine," said Dr. David Altchek of the Hospital for Special Surgery, who is medical director for the New York Mets and a medical consultant for the NBA. "It's not that bad an injury. I've never seen a quarterback have a career-ending injury of this kind."
Dr. Paul Saluan of the Cleveland Clinic said, although he has not examined Stafford, the most likely scenario is that he is just unlucky. This would jibe with Lions coach Jim Schwartz's comments this week that Stafford's two shoulder injuries this season were unrelated. "I would be willing to bet that 20-30% of quarterbacks in the NFL have had AC separations," Saluan said.
The chances of Stafford being 100% are not great, but let's face it: Nobody is ever 100% in the NFL. If this is a normal case, Stafford should return at something close to his normal physical ability. This injury -- or these two injuries -- should not define his career.
Mlive.com reported that Stafford has a Grade 3 AC separation, which reminds me of a study I read back in 2005 by Dr. Richard Hawkins called "Grade 3 AC Separations and NFL Quarterbacks." It was a riveting piece of literature, full of plot twists and nuance, and I especially loved the part when Eli Manning's shoulder screams that Archie Manning's shoulder always liked Peyton's shoulder better, and ... OK, fine. I didn't actually read it. Saluan told me about it.
Anyway, Hawkins looked at 15 NFL quarterbacks who suffered Grade 3 AC separations. Twelve chose not to undergo surgery, and they missed an average of five games. Three underwent surgery immediately. They missed an average of eight games.
The conclusion? There isn't one, really. Apparently there is some disagreement in the medical profession about whether surgery should be performed on Grade 3 AC separations.
"This is a tricky issue," Altchek said. "It's very individual." Altchek said that the convention used to be to avoid surgery. Now, though, he thinks there is "a subset" of players who should undergo surgery.
The Lions aren't saying much. Their options, though, are pretty clear. They can wait to see how Stafford's shoulder heals without surgery, with the hope that he can return to get some experience at the end of the year. Or they can opt for surgery now.
Either way, I know this is frustrating, but it does not mean Stafford is doomed to spend the rest of his career in hospitals. As the Lions have shown, bad talent can kill a team. Bad luck should go away. We know Stafford has talent. Now he just needs better luck.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...te=fullarticle
And even some news about that douchebag from Michigan State
Third-string quarterback Drew Stanton said he is getting ready for his second career NFL start Sunday when the Lions play at Buffalo.
"(I'll) go in later today and watch film and prepare as if I'm going to be the starter," Stanton said Tuesday morning. "It doesn't change I think any of our preparation. We're all going to approach it that way."
Coach Jim Schwartz declined to address reports that said QB Matthew Stafford suffered a Grade 3 separated right shoulder Sunday against the Jets. The injury would be slightly worse than the separation he suffered to the same shoulder in the opener that caused him to miss five games.
The Lions and Stafford are waiting for Birmingham, Ala.-based orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews to review the MRI results before determining how to proceed with treatment and rehab. A source familiar with the situation told the Free Press that there was "no other damage" believed to have occurred to Stafford's shoulder.
With backup Shaun Hill still healing from a fractured left forearm, which made him available only to hand off the ball last Sunday, Stanton could get the start.
Players spoke about Stanton as the de facto starter Tuesday and voiced their support for the 2007 second-round pick from Michigan State and Farmington Hills Harrison.
"The thing about Drew is we know Drew's a dog, in a good way," Calvin Johnson said. "He's going to go out there and get the job done, whether it might be pretty or ugly. We're going to stand by him and he's going to stand by us."
He's confident he can do the job
Stanton has not had the easiest road in his NFL career.
The Farmington Hills Harrison product once was thought to be the Lions' quarterback of the future after the team drafted him in the second round of the 2007 draft out of Michigan State. But Stanton's future beyond Sunday, when he could get his second NFL start when the Lions visit Buffalo, is rather hazy.
Stanton is in the final year of his contract. He has played in only nine games, he threw three interceptions last season in his first NFL start, and he made a poor decision to throw on a crucial third down Sunday against the Jets.
With Stafford's separated right shoulder likely to sideline him for Sunday's game and possibly the season, and Hill still healing from a fractured left forearm, the starting job this week appears to be Stanton's, even though he didn't count out the gritty Hill.
"Knowing the type of person that Shaun is," Stanton said Tuesday, "he's probably going to do everything in his power to get back and play."
Stanton did prove to be capable when he entered the game against the New York Giants late in the second quarter after Hill suffered his arm injury. Stanton was 19-for-34 and passed for 222 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown to Calvin Johnson.
Stanton said he was preparing to be the starter this week and was confident in his ability to lead the offense.
" Very confident," Stanton said. "I think that I draw from the strengths of what we do in our (quarterback) room. I've said many times that this is the best quarterback room that I've been around. We depend on each other and we rely on each other for a lot of different things.
"But I think the confidence that comes out of that room is a direct effect of the preparation that we put in throughout the week. We know the weapons we have on offense. It's our job to get the ball in their hands and allow them to make the plays."
The Lions have a high-octane offense with playmakers like Johnson, Nate Burleson, tight end Brandon Pettigrew and running back Jahvid Best. Their 25.4-point average ranks seventh in the NFL. But most of that comes from the passing offense, which ranks eighth with 247.8 yards per game. The rushing offense ranks 30th.
The question will be whether Stanton, a mobile quarterback with a career completion percentage of 52.9%, can power the passing attack against the Bills, whose passing defense ranks sixth.
"We know what Drew can do," right tackle Gosder Cherilus said. "He has a very strong arm and he can run the ball, too. It's our job to execute and make Drew look good and do whatever we can to give 110%. If it's time for Drew to run, then let Drew be Drew."
If Stanton gets the start, the work will begin with today's practice when the starting quarterback gets the bulk of the snaps. Even when Stafford returned two weeks ago from his initial shoulder injury, he was a little rusty.
Johnson said receivers get used to each quarterback in practice throughout the season, but he still expected some adjustment period with Stanton. "It might be a little rust to knock off come Wednesday, but as we get it going, things will be smoothing out," Johnson said.
Stanton is in the final year of his contract. A start Sunday would help him increase his value as well as provide him with an opportunity to show what he can do.
"Yeah, definitely," Stanton said. "To be able to get out there and play is why you put all the hard work in. ... All this stuff that we do is in pursuit of that time that you get to get out there and have the chance to operate an offense. You continue to prep and get ready and when that test comes on Sunday, you want to be prepared for it."
BACK TO SCHOOL: Stanton, Johnson, Cherilus and safety Louis Delmas visited Vandenberg Elementary in Redford to promote physical fitness and present the school with a $10,000 check on behalf of the Lions and the NFL. Principal Syndee Malek said the money would help provide playground and gym equipment.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...te=fullarticle
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Originally Posted by PETE'S BROTHER
