Gannon: I'll be shocked if Stafford isn't the starter
Rich Gannon, a former NFL MVP at quarterback, weighed in on the Lions' quarterback derby Tuesday. And Gannon, now a co-host on SIRIUS NFL Radio, didn't have much trouble deciding whether it'll be the veteran or the rookie who gets the starting nod Sept. 13 in New Orleans.
"I will be shocked if Matthew Stafford is not the opening day starter in Detroit," Gannon said on the "The SIRIUS Blitz" show. "We look around at what happened a year ago in this league and we see Joe Flacco in Baltimore, we see Matt Ryan in Atlanta, and we feel that these young players can step right in and be successful and thatââ,¬â"¢s not always the case, although those guys I think were exceptions to the rule.
"And I think that Matthew Stafford has a chance to be another guy like that. Certainly he doesnââ,¬â"¢t have the personnel and the talent around him and a veteran team that Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco had in Baltimore and Atlanta, respectively."
As for why he's giving the nod to Stafford, though, Gannon seems to be ignoring the offseason transformation we've seen in Culpepper. Gone is the 295-pound quarterback called in off the street last fall, and in his place is a 265-pounder who runs better than Stafford, though not like he once did in a Vikings uniform.
"I just think, having done a couple of games last year in Detroit, Daunte Culpepper is not the same player he once was five years ago," Gannon continued. "He doesnââ,¬â"¢t get away from the line of scrimmage, he's not the same player because of the knee injury, he doesn't move. The big part of his game was the ability to extend plays with his legs. I just think that Matthew Staffordââ,¬â"¢s their best chance and I think that at the end of the day when they look at all their options, I just think he gives them their best opportunity to win."
That last part may indeed be the case a month from now, but the logic Gannon's using here is faulty.
