Legendary Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders speaks to the media at camp
Legendary Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders is excited to be back in training camp ahead of another big season.
I saw it. You saw it. We all saw it. It was so disturbing that it needs to be addressed immediately.
No, I’m not talking about Raygun’s hilariously awful breakdancing “performance” at the Paris Olympics. Although it’s probably not a stretch to think Australia’s national laughingstock could have posted a better passer rating than Nate Sudfeld’s 46.5 in the Lions’ season opener.
I’m talking about the Lions’ backup quarterback situation. After what we saw (but mostly didn’t) from Sudfeld and, to a lesser extent, Hendon Hooker against the New York Giants, it’s clear that the Lions need some serious reinforcements at that position.
There is an important reason for this: It is the year of the Lions after so, so, So many years where it wasn’t their year. They did it. They’re one of the favorites for the Super Bowl. And I can’t believe I just typed that, just like you can’t believe you just read it.
But it’s true. It’s finally true. You can trust me, because I’ve never taken a sip of Honolulu Blue Kool-Aid.
There’s a problem, though. Despite everything the Lions have done to get to this point, there’s one thing that could easily derail everything: an injury to Jared Goff.
I’m not worried about the Lions’ Pro Bowl starter. He’s young (he doesn’t turn 30 until October) and durable (he hasn’t missed a game in three seasons).
But anyone can get injured, and the problem — as we saw last week against the Giants — is that there’s a huge drop in performance between Goff and Sudfeld and even Hooker, who just made his first NFL appearance. With Hooker dealing with a concussion, the Lions signed free agent Jake Fromm on Monday.
WINDSOR: Hendon Hooker of the Lions brought light into a wet and dreary night. Then it was over.
However, that hardly addresses the main problem with all three backups. None of them have been regular NFL starters and all three have played in just nine regular-season games combined.
Even Dan Campbell sounded like he was bringing little more than another arm into camp Monday when he talked about Fromm, a well-traveled 26-year-old journeyman.
“He’s a smart, alert guy,” the Lions coach said. “We felt like he could pick up the offense pretty quickly, so he could go out and help us when he needed to. He can anticipate the shots, and where we’re at, we felt like he could come in and perform.”
“We needed someone we thought could work in the pocket and luckily he was available. He had a practice (Monday). Looked pretty good, so we’ll see where it goes.”
He can come in and work? Wow! Bring out the Lombardi trophy and the engraving tools!
I have nothing against those guys, but I don’t think any of them are capable of starting and winning a game or two, no matter how well they play against losers in the preseason. And winning a game or two is exactly what makes the difference between winning the division or the conference and getting a first-round bye.
While I can’t prove it, I firmly believe that if the Lions and the 49ers had switched spots and the Lions had gotten a bye, played one less game, and played the Niners at home, they would have made the Super Bowl.
Campbell has said many times in the offseason that it will be twice as hard to repeat and improve on last year’s success. I think he’s partly alluding to the fact that the difference between good and great is exponentially greater.
This time last year, general manager Brad Holmes showed he values the backup quarterback position when he signed Teddy Bridgewater during training camp as a backup to Goff, so why would he take the risk this year, when the stakes are even higher?
What options does Holmes have then? Of course, he could do nothing and wait to see how Sudfeld, Hooker or Fromm play when they are called into action during the season.
He could wait until teams have to trim their rosters from 90 to 53 players on August 27th and then see who is available on the waiver list. He could wait until we get closer to the later transfer deadline on November 5th of this year and then see if he can get a cheap deal to replace a team that isn’t moving forward.
Or Holmes could do what Cleveland did last year in late November and sign a veteran player off the street, like the Cleveland Browns did with Joe Flacco, who saved their season and got them into the playoffs after Deshaun Watson was injured.
I think the Flacco situation was an exception. It’s a lot to ask, even for a former Super Bowl MVP, to come in unprepared and start running a new offense right away.
For me, the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles provided the best blueprint for how to make sure an injury to a starting quarterback doesn’t ruin the entire season and you can still win a Super Bowl. Philly signed former starter Nick Foles in March, and when Carson Wentz was out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury in Week 14, Foles didn’t hesitate to step in and lead the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title.
A TEAR-JERKER: A heartwarming moment in the Lions camp: Barry Sanders “a better person” as a running back
Of course, it helped that Foles was familiar with the franchise, but more importantly, he had been with the team all season.
It’s hard to say what the Lions are thinking. Perhaps the next two preseason games will show them how serious the situation is. Then it might come down to who is available or worth trading. Jameis Winston? Andy Dalton? Joshua Dobbs? Flacco?
Remember, championship teams aren’t just about stars and starters. You need good depth. A poor quality player in a key position suddenly thrust into the spotlight has the kind of outsized power that can ruin an entire season. Just ask Raygun, who helped ruin an entire Olympic sport.
Contact Carlos Monarrez: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.
Next: Chiefs
Comparison: Lions (12-5 in 2023) at Kansas City Chiefs (11-6 in 2023), exhibition game.
Start: 4:00 p.m., Saturday; GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri.
Television/Radio: WJBK-TV (Fox 2 in Detroit); WXYT-FM (97.1).
Opening of the regular season: September 8 vs. Rams, Ford Field, NBC.
