Three reasons Detroit Lions fans should panic, and three reasons they should not.
By Ash Thompson
The backup quarterbacks
Jake Rudock got his shot against the second team defense and did not fare better than Cassel. Rudock’s stat sheet does not even begin to tell the real story of his day. He was abjectly terrible during his time against NFL players.
Rodock was low, high, behind, and in front on different throws. He is an inaccurate passer. That may be offensive to some Michigan fans, but it doesn’t change the reality of who Rudock is as a quarterback.
He walked into a sack on some decent pass blocking by Taylor Decker Bryce Rossler of Lionswire did a solid write up on who was really at fault when Lorenzo Carter and Jake Rudock shared some space at the back of the pocket. Spoiler alert: it was 100% Rudock’s fault.
Rudock stares down his receivers as well. If he does move down his progression, he stares a hole into his target before throwing the ball. NFL safeties are collectively saying prayers every night to their spiritual being of choice that Rudock someday get on the field against them.
Telegraphed throws that lack velocity and accuracy are the tastiest of meats to the predators that are NFL safeties. Rudock is like a walking vending machine, all you have to do is apply pressure and the outcome is assured.
Matt Cassel has not been great either, but he has been less awful, despite Rudock’s surge against the eighth-string Giants defense. Rudock’s inconsistency is far more dangerous to the Lions in a late-game situation than Cassel’s mediocre consistency.
None of that matters because the only quarterback that will get meaningful snaps if Matthew Stafford. The backup quarterback is a position that only matters for the Lions in the preseason. They are never going to see the field.
Stafford has not missed a game due to injury since 2010. He has completely shed the reputation of being injury prone. His first two seasons were shortened by freak injuries, but since then it has been a different story. He has started 112 consecutive games for the Lions.
The Lions season is over if he gets seriously injured. There is no doubt of that. Realistically though, it always was, and very likely always will be. The Lions are spending so much on Stafford that allocating resources to the backup QB spot is just poor use of limited cap space.
Next. 3 Lions that need to rebound against the Bucs. dark
The Lions are not a perfect team, but I have a secret to tell you: there are none. There has been no scheming to stop opponents to this point in the preseason. It is still too early to hit the panic button. There are individual players that need to work on their game, but that is what the preseason is for.