FanHouse Joey Harrington

Dominic Raiola has played all nine of his NFL seasons in Detroit, never finishing with better than a 7-9 record -- and that streak isn't ending this season. So he's allowed to have some pent-up frustration.

He let some of it out Sunday during the Lions' 17-10 home loss to the previously winless Rams, firing off some choice words at a group of Detroit fans who were heckling rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford. Detroit's final possession of the game consisted of four Stafford incompletions (plus two more pass attempts wiped out by penalties).

After the final misfire landed well wide of its intended target, a few rowdy patrons let Stafford have it -- yelling "Hey Matt, throw it to me, I'm open, I'm open," according to Raiola, who quickly came to his QB's defense.

There used to be a time when teams would use a first-round pick on a quarterback with the understanding that he would sit on the bench for two or three years, learn the offense, and then assume the full-time gig. Recently, with the proliferation of the pro-style offense in college, and the out-of-control salaries top-of-the-draft quarterbacks now command, more is expected sooner.

Since 2002, 20 QBs have been drafted in Round 1, and 10, for different reasons, played in at least nine games as a rookie. Results were mixed (Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Byron Leftwich and Ben Roethlisberger were all stellar; David Carr and Joey Harrington were not), but much of that had to do with the situation these young signal callers were thrust into.

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The picture above is me, a lifelong Lions fan, holding the jerseys of former Lions quarterbacks Joey Harrington and Charlie Batch. It's also a cautionary tale for the people thinking of buying Matthew Stafford jerseys, which are on sale now.

Detroit tried to pretend that it could live without Matthew Stafford. The Lions let rumors swirl about them trading out of the No. 1 pick, taking an offensive tackle, even being satisfied with Aaron Curry.

Their deal with Stafford, announced late Friday night, makes all that seem ridiculous now. A 6-year contract potentially worth more than $70 million is not a deal struck out of reluctance or uncertainty. For better or worse, the Lions have made it known that Stafford is the guy they believe can turn around their franchise.

There is no turning back now -- the next six years of Detroit Lions football will be judged on what Stafford does.

In the weeks leading up to the Biggest Weekend of the NFL Offseason, I've wondered why the Rams haven't shown more interest in quarterbacks Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez. St. Louis has the second overall pick, managed just five wins in two seasons, and Marc Bulger looks like he's had enough.

Bulger's perceived disposition is a familiar one; quarterbacks who play behind an offensive line in name only often exhibit some combination of apprehension and apathy after years of physical abuse (Jon Kitna, David Carr, and Joey Harrington also come to mind). Of course, that's a solid argument for why the Rams should take Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe -- offensive tackles who could start immediately.

The Lions have the first overall pick of the 2009 Draft. This is the reward for going 0-16. Perhaps former team president Matt Millen's biggest accomplishment is that never during his misguided eight-year tenure did Detroit have the first selection. It seems almost impossible in retrospect.

On three occasions the Lions chose second (Joey Harrington in 2002; Charles Rogers in '03; Calvin Johnson in '07), but by the time Millen finally got it right with Johnson it was too late, the team was too far gone.

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Maybe drafting Matthew Stafford would be a total success for Detroit. Maybe it would be an unmitigated disaster. There's just no way to know for sure how things will work out. It's a total crapshoot -- so the Lions should put the dice down, pick their money up and cash in whatever chips they hold in exchange for Denver quarterback Jay Cutler.

While we were all busy taking gratuitous perfectly deserving shots at Matt Millen and his eight-year reign of terror in Detroit as he pursues other professional endeavors, the Free Press' Drew Sharp would like to make a point about everyone's preoccupation with the former Lions president:

Sorting the Sunday Pile looks back at the NFL weekend that was. It's also an unofficial Mittens blog.

Ben Roethlisberger has started 82 games in his five-year career, winning close to 80 percent of them. Yet for most of the football-observing public not located in Western Pennsylvania, he's still nothing more than a game manager. A good quarterback who fell into a great situation and is just along for the ride.

That changed for good Sunday night.

During yesterday's live chat, we spent much of the hour talking about the likelihood Tim Tebow would play quarterback in the NFL. The consensus was "no way in hell," and most of us figured the big-boned Florida Gator for a tight end.

Well, Mel Kiper's hair agrees. Appearing yesterday on the virtually unlistenable Mike and Mike in the Morning, Kiper offered this assessment (via MDS at CFT):

Kiper said ... that Tebow is likely to play tight end when he enters the NFL in 2010.

"I think an H-back, tight end projection, like we've had quarterbacks move to wide receiver in the past," Kiper said. "That's what I think he will be. ... (Tebow) can have a very successful career in the NFL, but not at quarterback."

Of course, as Toni Monkovic of The Fifth Down points out, projecting quarterbacks is a tricky proposition, and for every success story -- first-round pick (Matt Ryan) or late-round surprise (Tom Brady) -- there's a growing scrap heap of "can't-miss" prospects (Ryan Leaf, Joey Harrington, MITTENS, anybody from the '99 draft not named Donovan McNabb).

But, hey, maybe Tebow really can run a pro-style offense, even if the evidence currently suggests otherwise. I'm skeptical, but I'm a blogger, so what do I know? It's just that every time I see Tebow I see Eric Crouch in one of those funhouse fat mirrors. That's not a compliment.