Detroit Lions Weblog

Will the Lions Ever Be Spared From the Duel Embarrassments of Matt Millen and Charles Rogers, Matthew Stafford on the Lions QB Job

Between Matt Millen and Charles Rogers, I often wonder, which one is more likely to grab a fiery, red hot poker and jab it directly into your eye, or even more likely, their own eye? Neither is what I would describe as being very intelligent nor seem to have any innate or learned ability to deftly navigate any oncoming media pratfalls that may obstruct each of their paths along the way.

Little time passes, as a Michigander, without either of them emerging from the depths of seemingly comfortable (and desirable) anonymity to remind us of their ineptitude, much like a sadistic pet owner who rubs a puppy’s nose in it’s own “mess” in order to “train” it, so to speak.

Matt Millen can barely stay out of his own way, let alone avoid oozing stupidity from his every pore:

(Listen to this comment Millen made to Don Banks of si.com): “I don’t go backwards. I just don’t think like that. There’s nothing I can do about (Detroit). All I can do is from here on out.

“I understand. In Detroit, they need a bad guy. I was a bad guy. I was to blame for the fall of the auto industry and the housing market. Somehow, I had something to do with Kwame Kilpatrick, although I’m not sure what.

“But that’s what happens when you lose in this game. You give everyone a cheap and easy story to jump on.”

Millen’s patent denial and clear stupidity, as the worst executive in the history of professional sports, is nearly without peer. It is difficult to find a ready-made, naturally occurring equivalent outside of some sort of “controlled’ environment, but wait….

Playing Tweedle Dee to Millen’s ridiculous Tweedle Dum, Charles Rogers never fails to deliver maxims of pie-in-the-sky, “I coulda been a contender”-type comments, without ever fully acknowledging that he is so “yesterday’s news”, kind of like “MySpace” or a world without “Twitter”, and has already received a number of chances along the way to revive his failed career.

“Charles Rogers claims Charles Rogers finally gets it, finally is ready to make the commitment needed to fulfill Charles Rogers’ promise as an NFL player.

According to Rogers, the change in attitude came two months ago, about the same time he finished a month in jail for testing positive for alcohol and for falsifying Alcoholics Anonymous records.

‘I know my next shot might be my last shot,” Rogers said. “I know I have to work harder than I ever worked before. I’m willing to do that.’

Neither seems to be able to see that they have exhausted any sympathy anyone might reserve for their individual respective causes. Both have always pulled up short of taking full accountability for their failings, either. Hopefully, they each will serve as a near unforgettable reminder, rather than an omen of things to come.

Speaking of things to come, Matthew Stafford was particularly verbose on his future with the Lions and his perspective on the Lions Qb competition, which he is about to embark upon, on ESPN radio:

Coach Jim Schwartz has said the arms race between Stafford and veteran Daunte Culpepper will begin during next week’s minicamp and go into training camp.

Stafford said Wednesday he had not talked to the coaches about when he will play, but he sounded eager to compete for the starting job.

“I would love to start Game 1,” Stafford said when asked for his ideal scenario on ESPN Radio’s Galloway and Co. in his hometown of Dallas. “I think every player that plays in the NFL would love to play every game, and that’s just how I am, and that’s how I attack this season.

“I know there’s going to be a learning curve, and if I don’t start Game 1, I’m not going to get down on myself. I’m going to go out there and try to win a job at some point. I’m in here to win it, though.”

Stafford said the biggest transition from college to the NFL was learning the offense, but it hasn’t been as tough as he thought it would be.

“As far as the mental side of the game goes, I’m keeping up with the other guys and doing a pretty good job of giving myself a chance to compete,” Stafford said on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio. “The first day I got on the field, I was struggling to call plays, and then now I feel I know exactly how to call them and what we’re looking to do against the defense.”

Stafford said his goal this season is to learn as much as he can. “Hopefully that’s playing and learning through playing, rather than sitting. I’m a competitive guy, and I want to be playing the game rather than watching, as anybody does. I want to get a grasp of what this league is like and hopefully get out there and help this team win some games.”

As a fatalistic Lions fan, who hopes that your day in the sun will soon come, Matthew, I still have to issue a warning: Be Careful What You Wish For!

The more I hear, the more I like about Stafford and his future with the team. The issue I take is, how quickly can the organization build a complimentary and competent coterie of players around him, so that he can blossom and thrive. It is clearly a situation that won’t be fixed by game 1 of the 2009 season, that’s for certain.