QB Stanton needs surgery, will be out at least a month

[RichP]

“It’s unfortunate for the time, but it happens,” Millen said.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070730/SPORTS01/70730059

yeah, I think you could copy and paste that quote a lot throughout the millen era.

[Violator22]

Not like he is a starter. Les

[Joe Archer]

He was placed on IR today, but I pretty much could see that coming. O'sullivan and Orvlaski are having a huge battle for number 2. It sounds like it would have been tough to cut either of them, and Stanton would not have been ready to go this year even if he was not injured. Now, we can keep both O's (any woman will tell ya that two "O's" should be the very minimum anyway;) ) and have some insurance at back up. Stanton can't practice with the team; but he can work out, attend meetings, study film, and learn the offense.
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[thousandcasts]

And for this year, when this team needs to get some wins, it becomes another wasted 2nd round pick...one that could've gotten them a solid linebacker to replace, Teddy "Balsa Wood" Lehman. Wait a minute...wasn't he a 2nd rounder as well?

[jpollman]

Gee what a shock! Yet another Lions draft pick injured in training camp and unavailable for a while. Go figure!

This franchise is laughable....:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

John

[Jimmer]

HO'sullivan and Orvlaski are having a huge battle for number 2.
heh-heh
You said #2.............
Anyway, wishing the best for Drew. It'll be 2 years before I call the pick wasted. I wish he hadn't been put on IR, I wanted to watch him in preseason games. All things considered with the NFL's obscure rules regarding rookies, contracts, roster spots, and various lists you can be on this is probably better than being cut.

[Munsterlndr]

Wasted pick. It will be three years at the earliest until Stanton is in a position to contribute anything to this team, I.E. see any meaningful playing time.

As far as building for the future, it's unlikely that Martz will still be in town in 3 years, so who is going to school Stanton after he leaves? Chances are a new OC will want to pick his own project QB not take over Martz's work in progress. I hope I'm wrong and that Stanton turns into a franchise QB but my gut tells me that he will end up being given away for peanuts in a few years, another high draft pick that did not pan out.

That second round pick should have been used on an LB or a corner or a safety, who could have made a meaningful contribution this year.

[Joe Archer]

Here is a link to an article by Brian VanOchten
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2007/08/millen_makes_good_moves.html

For once, Millen makes good moves-
I spent some time reading lots of posts about the Detroit Lions and their exchange of welcoming first-round pick Calvin Johnson into training camp and placing second-round pick Drew Stanton on the injured reserve list with a knee injury, ending his season.

A lot of folks are thrashing Matt Millen again.

For once, though, I'll defend the Lions president and general manager. He made sure he got Johnson into camp in time to prepare for the team's preseason opener later this week. He got the deal done. In fact, Johnson jumped right into Friday's morning session and ran drills with the first team. He's the real deal. Yes, it took a little longer than it should've for the Lions to get Johnson into camp, but he's there. Imagine the frustration levels of fans in both Oakland and Cleveland while they await the arrivals of quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn, respectively. I'd hate to be either Russell or Quinn after that first exhibition game has been played.

The criticism of Millen is that he puts the No. 2 pick on the injured list when he's not really not hurt that bad.

True enough.

Stanton could rehab and be prepared to return to the active roster by about Week 4 of the regular season. Except, he'd be returning to hold a clipboard and nothing more. He entered camp on a steep learning curve with a massive Mike Martz playbook to digest. Now, he'll spend all season doing just that. Dan Orlovsky is the backup quarterback who's most familiar with the team's offense, so he'll be the No. 2, for better or worse. J.T. O'Sullivan, a NFL Europa refugee, has looked good in camp. He's the No. 3 by default.

Stanton needs time to mature into an NFL quarterback. The Lions chose him in the second round based upon his potential. He should be prepared to play in 2008 or 2009, and, if you watched him throw in camp last week, no one throws the deep ball any better than he does.

So, in the meantime, fans need to understand that Millen made the right move by keeping O'Sullivan, who has a better grasp of the offense and a nice, short, quick release for the Martz passing game, on the roster.

Whether the Lions should've picked Stanton in the second round of the draft is another debate. The point is Millen shouldn't be getting beaten up for making a couple of important personnel moves Friday. He made the right moves.

Hey, there's a couple of sentences I never thought I'd write.

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[thousandcasts]

Even if Martz isn't going to be in town in three years, I'm pretty sure marinelli has someone (i.e. running backs coach, recievers, coach et al) stuck to Martz' hip so the system can still be in place should Martz leave.

[Munsterlndr]

Even if Martz isn't going to be in town in three years, I'm pretty sure marinelli has someone (i.e. running backs coach, recievers, coach et al) stuck to Martz' hip so the system can still be in place should Martz leave.

Your assuming that Marinelli will still be here, too. Given the Lions track record on coach longevity, the only way Marinelli is still here in three years is if this team has turned the corner and is achieving a winning record. If we have a couple more seasons of losing records we'll likely see a new coaching staff and probably a new offensive scheme. If Stanton is schooled in the Martz offense, he would likely be dumped if another offensive scheme is put in place by a new coach.

Here are the Lions coaches in the last ten years. 3 years is the longest that any have served.

Ross - 1997 - 2000
Moeller - 2000 - 2001
Morningwheg - 2001 - 2002
Marucci - 2002 - 2005
Jauron - 2005
Marinelli - 2006 - ?