Stafford's surgery is a success

According to DetroitLions.com, Matthew's knee surgery was a success.

DetNews.com - Surgery on knee of Lions' Matthew Stafford's a success
MLive.com - Surprise, surprise: Matthew Stafford and the Lions didn't always stick to script

Stafford schedule to have surgery today

According to DetroitLions.com, Matthew was schedule to have knee surgery in Brimingham, Alabama today. Let's hope everything went well.

Mlive.com - Lions' Jim Schwartz: 'We have a starting quarterback (he just won't play Sunday)'
ESPN Rise - All-Decade Team
Morning Sun - PAULA PASCHE: Besides Stafford Lions have lots of questions at QB

Friday update

Nothing much to update. I doubt we'll hear much until after Matthew's knee surgery next week. Let's hope everything goes great, and he doesn't have any complications. Get well soon Matthew.

DetroitLions.com - Stafford placed on IR
ESPN - Air and space: Play action
CBSSports.com - Rapid reports
ESPN - John Clayton talks about Stafford

Matthew Stafford placed on injured reserve

Unfortunately, Matthew's season is done. He was placed on injured reserved today and will have minor knee surgery on Tuesday. Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Ala., will perform the surgery. According to reports, Matthew will not need surgery on his injured left shoulder.

ESPN.com - Stafford's rookie season ends on IR
USAToday.com - Lions send QB Matthew Stafford to injured reserve
Associated Press - Lions place rookie QB Stafford on injured reserve
DetNews.com - Matthew Stafford's season over; he'll have 'minor' surgery

Matthew Stafford helping children tackle obesity

WoodTV.com is reporting that Matthew is working with Blue Cross Blue Shield and a Grand Rapids-based program called FIT to try and reduce childhood obesity. According to the station, the program focuses on physical activity, improved nutrition and working with students' families and community organizations to promote a healthy lifestyle.



Matthew will not start on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. Head coach Jim Schwartz announced on Wednesday that backup QB Drew Stanton will get the start.

Plus, Matthew's performance against the Cleveland Browns made the NFL Network's Top 10 Moments of the Decade.

Stafford will 'most likely not' play on Sunday

FreeP.com - Lions' Jim Schwartz: Matthew Stafford unlikely to play
MLive.com - Lions' Jim Schwartz moves step closer to ruling out Matthew Stafford
Athlon Sports - Athlon Sports Deputy Editor

WJR.com - Matthew's weekly interview with Mitch Albom

Unknown if Stafford will play on Sunday

NameDrop. It seems that Matthew is battling the cold weather up in Michigan.

DetNews.com - Stafford's pains limiting Lions gains
FreeP.com - Lions' Jim Schwartz unsure who will start at QB vs. 49ers
MLive.com - Lions' Jim Schwartz: No decision yet on starting QB
FreeP.com - Schwartz: It's possible Stafford could start next week

Here's a funny quote: "You want to have the Wells Fargo truck out there without a lock on the door?" - Fox color man Tim Ryan, on whether the Lions will risk playing Matthew Stafford any more this season (Detroit Free Press)

Cool Tweets
doodoodave: Just saw matthew stafford from the lions while at lunch with my girlfriend. I was way too scared to say anything to him.
manningtheship: Hmmm I wonder if a layover in Detroit (rock city) constitutes a violation of the Matt Stafford restraining order.

Saturday update

Not much to update lately since Matthew is most likely not going to play on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. He didn't practice at all this week.

FreeP.com - Lions probably won't have Matthew Stafford, so Daunte Culpepper to start Sunday
MLive.com - Tom Kowalski's The Insider on WDFN -- Second Segment: Matthew Stafford garners respect from teammates, NFL

Thursday update

DetroitLions.com - Head coach Jim Schwartz post-practice quote sheet
DetrotiLions.com - Post-Practice Video: Jim Schwartz addresses the injuries to the rookies
ESPN - Stephania Bell blog
ESPN - Air and Space: Pass attempts rising
DetNews.com - Lions: Trading Calvin Johnson would be 'completely insane'
MySanAntonio.com - Q&A with Texas Tech safety Cody Davis

Stafford doesn't practice; Unlikely he'll play on Sunday

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Not only was my internet service out, but managing a business seven days a week doesn't leave much time for anything else. Hopefully things will improve next week once things settle down.

Matthew has updated his NameDrop blog.

FreeP.com - Matthew Stafford sits out practice
DetNews.com - Schwartz: Matthew Stafford not likely to play vs. Cardinals
SI.com - Limping Lions
ESPN - Cardinals-Lions preview
MLive.com - Lions don't want to make same mistake twice by rushing Matthew Stafford back into action
MLive.com - Don Banks: Four Lions rookies would go in first round if teams could have a do-over in 2009 NFL draft

WJR.com - Stafford talks to Mitch Albom on the Lions performance against the Ravens, and when he’ll be back.

In an NFL Films' tribute to Alfred Hitchcock, NFL Films has posted an un-cut video of the last eight seconds of Matthew playing against the Cleveland Browns. Steve Sabol, president and founder of NFL Films, says that Matthew gave "one of the most courageous performances" he has ever seen. Sabol and NFL Films have been wiring players since the early 1960s.

Pass-happy Rookie

I found this amazing stat on ColdHardFootballFacts.com: Matthew throws 37.7 passes per game, that's the most by a rookie in NFL history.

I knew he was throwing the ball a bunch every game, in fact, the game against Cincinnati is the first time he didn't throw over 30 times, but the most by a rookie in NFL history? Wow! I think Matthew's doing very well considering how much he's being asked to throw the ball. I don't know much about football, but one thing that I have learned is that most teams would rather not have their rookie QBs do too much. Not the Lions though. I think that tells a lot about how much confidence they have come to have in Matthew in such a short amount of time. He's expected to make plays not just manage the game.

As we know by now, due to his injured shoulder Matthew will not play against the Ravens on Sunday.

There's some new stuff on Matthew's NameDrop site. He has updated his NameDrop blog and photo album. Apparently, he had a photo shoot on Tuesday for one of his corporate partners, and he has posted some behind-the-scenes photos.

Former UGA head coach Vince Dooley has released the book “Dooley’s Playbook,” and in it he counts down the 34 most memorable plays in UGA football history. Matthew's touchdown pass against Alabama in overtime in 2007 made the list.

WJR.com - Listen to Matthew's weekly interview with Micht Albom. In this segment, he talks about the team and his injury.
MLive.com - Lunch with Killer recap: Matthew Stafford 'will take a huge leap next season' according to one veteran Lions player
Fox Sports Detroit - Lions, without Stafford, look to rebound at Baltimore
MLive.com - Jim Schwartz: Matthew Stafford's injury was not the cause of incompletions, interceptions

Stafford will not play against Ravens

Head coach Jim Schwartz announced today that Matthew will sit out against the Ravens. Matthew said that he was still too sore and in pain so a collective decision was made that he should rest the shoulder. Schwartz said that there was a good chance that it would only be a one-week situation. Daunte Culpepper will get the start this week.

MLive.com - Lions' Matthew Stafford sits out practice; Daunte Culpepper takes No. 1 reps
DetroitLions.com - Stafford won't go this week
MLive.com - Lions' Jim Schwartz names Daunte Culpepper starter; Matthew Stafford out vs. Ravens
FreeP.com - Matthew Stafford will sit, Daunte Culpepper will start for Lions on Sunday
DetNews.com - Stafford will not play against Ravens
Fanhouse.com - Mark Sanchez, Matthew Stafford Out for Week 14

Should Stafford sit or play?

Lots of media calling for Matthew to sit to rest his shoulder, but I think that if he thinks he can play then let him play. Matthew knows better than anyone his ability, his limitations and his pain threshold. If he thinks the pain is going to negatively affect his play on the field or if the injury is going to affect his career in the long run, I'm sure he'll make the right decision that's best for the team, his health and his career.

FreeP.com - No second-guessing handling of Matthew Stafford
Lionsfans.com - Schwartz Defends Stafford's Presence
Daily Tribune - Call on Stafford's injury is an easy one — let him rest
MLive.com - Lions need to sit Matthew Stafford, start Drew Stanton at quarterback against the Ravens
SI.com - MMQB Mailbag: I stand by what I said

Lions not saying much about Stafford's injury

The Lions are not saying much about Matthew's injury, but head coach Jim Schwartz did say that he had a good idea of whether Matthew will start or not against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

DetroitLions.com - Schwartz Mum on Stafford's Status
FreeP.com - Lions' Jim Schwartz coy about Matthew Stafford's status
ESPN - Schwartz won't tip hand to Ravens
DetNews.com - Lions: Mathew Stafford sore, status for Sunday unknown
DetNews.com - Mike O'Hara: Enough, already! Lions should sit Stafford
MLive.com - Reader Poll: Should Detroit Lions shut down Matthew Stafford for remainder of season
MLive.com - Status of Lions' Matthew Stafford is still uncertain -- and likely to remain so
MLive.com - Tom Kowalski on 'The Point After': Lions should sit Matthew Stafford against Ravens
Bengals.com - Johnson, defense get Stafford

Matthew Stafford inspires teammates

Matthew's teammate OT Gosder Cherilus, who had an AC joint injury in college, expressed his respect of Matthew and talked about what an inspiration it has been to the team the way that Matthew has handled his injury.

“Anything you do, you feel it. You’re sleeping and you roll the wrong way, you’ll feel it. Some mornings, I didn’t think I could deal with it. It takes awhile to get it moving in the morning before it feels better. For him to be doing what he is doing, my hat is off to the kid. I respect him," Cherilus said. "When you think about who we are and look at our record, it's easy for a lot of guys to shut it down. He's not one of those guys. He's right there next to us. When you see that, you appreciate it and try to give him the same in return."

Matthew Stafford re-injures shoulder against Bengals

Another rough day for Matthew. He re-injured his left shoulder, and this time he did not return to the game. He said that he didn't think he injured it any worse, but that it was as painful as when he injured it against Cleveland. He doesn't know if he'll play next week, but he did say that he'll consider sitting out to rest his shoulder. We'll probably know more as the week progresses since he'll undergo additional exams on Monday.

Matthew was 11 of 26 for 143 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. It was the first time this season that Matthew didn't have over 30 pass attempts. The 54-yard touchdown to Calvin Johnson was a thing of beauty though. Check it out. By the way, Matthew's TD pass to Johnson was his 13th of the season, and it set a new franchise record for TD passes in a season by a rookie quarterback.

FreeP.com - Matthew Stafford planted on bad shoulder vs. Bengals
DetNews.com - Matthew Stafford injures shoulder; status for next week unclear
MLive.com - Matthew Stafford re-injures shoulder in Lions' 23-13 loss to Bengals
MLive.com - Lions' Matthew Stafford says he's not sure he'll play next week
Fanhouse.com - Matthew Stafford Re-Aggravates Injury
SI.com - Matthew Stafford will consider resting sore shoulder
FreeP.com - Matthew Stafford’s health more important than last four games
DetNews.com - Shouldering the load too much for Matthew Stafford
DetNews.com - Bengals hand Lions 18th straight road defeat
DetroitLions.com - Lions at Bengals: Game Notes
CBSSports.com - Rapid Reports
NFL.com - Game Center

Photos
Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, DetroitLions.com (1st half)

DetroitLions.com - Video: Stafford highlight, lowlights and injury

To Jared Smith

It's gameday! The Lions play the Cincinnati Bengals today. I think it's going to be a tough game for the Lions because the Bengals have one of the best run defenses in the league, and the Lions have struggled in the running game. Matthew has been the second leading rusher for the Lions in their last three games. That's never a good sign. Let's hope Matthew doesn't have to throw the ball 50+ times again.

NFL.com - Game Center
Cincinnati.com - Bengals-Lions scouting report
DetroitLions.com - Post-Practice Video: Schwartz, Stafford
DetNews.com - Ex-Wolverine Leon Hall part of NFL's 'best corner tandem'
ESPN - What would NFL fan bases advertise for

And finally, I would like to dedicate this post to Jared Smith of The Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law. Why? Check out the t-shirt that he's sporting.

Stafford answers questions for SI's The Pop Culture Grid

Matthew is featured in "The Pop Culture Grid" section of this week's edition of Sports Illustrated. He's asked five questions along with four other athletes. The questions are interesting. They involve Martha Stewart, Twilight, fine tunning skills, furniture and obsessions.

DetroitLions.com - Matthew Stafford Conference Call 12-2-09
FreeP.com - Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford's mom: Quit the cussing
MLive.com - John Matthew Stafford, watch your language!
SI.com - Will Bengals finally air it out?
Cincy Jungle - Pride of Detroit answers the question: Who are these Detroit Lions?
Bengals.com - Lions in Bengals' den
DetNews.com - Lions can learn from Bengals' rebound
DetNews - Lions' Culpepper admits irritation over Thanksgiving switch

I would like to give a shout-out to my high school team the Colquitt County Packers for reaching the state semifinals. Although they lost to Camden County on Friday, they still had a great season. Go Pack!

Cincinnati Bengals week

Matthew still listed on the Lions injury reports, but he did practice on Tuesday and Wednesday.

DetroitLions.com - Post-Practice Video 12-2-09
DetNews.com - Stafford, C. Johnson practicing; Sims, D. White also back
DetroitLions.com - Stafford, Johnson Better After Time Off
Bengals.com - Marvin Lewis Press Conference Transcript

WJR.com - Matthew Stafford talks about the Thanksgiving game also Mitch [Albom] and Ken coach him on reacting when injured.