Detroit Lions: Careful what you wish for hoping for a QB change

Detroit Lions starting quarterback Jared Goff has been awful this season; there is no denying that, but I urge you to be careful what you wish for as a fan.

The backup quarterback for the Detroit Lions has been a topic of discussion throughout the fanbase for as long as I can remember; so much so that I remember the love affair fans had with Shaun Hill, and most won’t admit it today, but many wanted Hill in over Stafford early on in his career.

Hill did make ten starts in 2010 with Stafford sidelined and guided the Lions to a 3-7 record and spent four seasons overall in Detroit mentoring a young Stafford.

The other common comment I recall seeing was that Detroit never pushed Stafford to be at his best by drafting someone to sit behind him and compete with him for the starting quarterback job each summer.

Detroit avoided any unnecessary drama in this regard, and I’m not sure doing that is worth the headache.  Just look at Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay; he hated the fact that the Packers drafted Jordan Love in the first round rather than providing him with a much-needed offensive weapon.

I understand there is a need for healthy competition, but Detroit needed to build around their young quarterback rather than use picks hoping to replace him during the first half of his career, and they clearly failed in that regard as well.

The Detroit Lions will turn to Tim Boyle Sunday in Cleveland.

It was clear watching Jared Goff last week in Pittsburgh that something was wrong.  He struggles to throw the football when he’s healthy, so adding an obvious injury to the mix made for a long afternoon of awful football.

Goff suffered an oblique injury during the first quarter. Knowing he couldn’t throw the football effectively, even laughing about it in his postgame press conference, head coach Dan Campbell stayed with his starter rather than turning things over to backup David Blough.

Now, it’s Boyle ready for game-action and in-line to start Sunday returning from the injured reserve list where he’s nursed a thumb injury throughout the first half of the regular season.

The 27-year old Boyle has completed three passes in his NFL career totaling 15 yards and has never made a start.

On the other hand, Blough has made five starts with the Detroit Lions and, despite failing to win a game, does have more experience.  It’s clear the coaching staff prefers Boyle over Blough but don’t be shocked if we see both at some point in Cleveland.

If you were wondering, Tim Boyle went undrafted out of Connecticut, where he appeared in 19 games in three seasons from 2013-2015, throwing for 1,237 yards, one touchdown, and a whopping 13 interceptions.

After that, Boyle transferred to Eastern Kentucky for one season where he threw for 2,134 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.

Again, I warn you, be careful what you wish for Lions fans.