It's been quite a while since I did one of my "pros and cons" posts. What better time to bring an old bit back after seeing Matthew Stafford play like Matthew Broderick on the field? There is no better time...

Pro: Stafford started for 3 seasons at a big time football school (Georgia) in a big time football conference (SEC).

Con: Stafford did play well at Georgia, but what did he ever win? Never won the SEC or the BCS title. Stafford's teams did win all 3 of their bowl games, but blowing out an over matched and undermanned Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl and having to make a comeback against an imploding Michigan State in the Capitol One Bowl isn't exactly something you brag about.

Pro: Stafford has a rocket launcher for an arm, could throw a football through a brick wall, the strongest armed QB we've ever seen come through Detroit.

Con: He's as accurate as the steering was on my first car, a '73 Montego. My Mercury, like Stafford's throws, would go in the general direction you aimed it, but there's no guarantee it would end up the correct spot. You just hoped to be close, like in horseshoes and hand grenades. Unfortunately, close doesn't work when you are an NFL QB.

Pro: Stafford is built like your prototypical NFL QB, at 6'3", 232.

Con: So was Joey Harrington.

Pro: Stafford isn't Joey Harrington.

Con: Though they went to the same high school, he isn't Bobby Layne reincarnated, either.

Pro: Stafford's not Andre Ware.

Con: He's putting up Ware-like numbers.

Pro: I trust the opinion of head coach Jim Schwartz, often called the "smartest man in the room," and he believes Stafford is his QB of the future.

Con: The "smartest man in the room" has inexorably tied his NFL fortunes to a 21 year old early entry QB with accuracy issues. Does that sound very smart?

Pro: What Stafford does best is wing the ball deep downfield, making the Lions' best player, Calvin Johnson, a threat to score from anywhere on the field.

Con: What Stafford has done as well as throwing deep is throw interceptions, making the defense a threat to score from anywhere on the field.

Pro: Drafting Stafford was a fresh start for the Detroit Lions.

Con: It's still the Detroit Lions.

Pro: One of these years, the Lions will strike gold with a draft pick, and signs still point to Stafford being that pick.

Con: It'll be gold alright...fool's gold.

I was being semi-facetious when I wrote this set of Matthew Stafford pros and cons. I want Stafford to succeed. DESPERATELY. Even if starting Stafford from game one ends up being the correct decision, you can't help but be nervous after watching his first 2 games. Turnovers outnumber tuouchdowns 5-1. His arm hasn't been a rifle, it's  been a scattergun. The Lions rookie is forcing things, rather than taking what he can get. He's yet to learn discretion is the better part of valor. The NFL is moving too fast for Stafford at this point of his young career, as shown by his league low 40.5 QB rating.

All of which can be corrected. But will it be? Your guess is as good as mine, and I really can't say. Then I look at the other rookie QB Stafford will always be compared to, the Jets' Mark Sanchez, and see a 91.5 rating and 2-0 record. Yes, I realize Sanchez stepped into a much better situation for a rookie to succeed, but...come on...you still have to wonder, right? What if?

So bear with me while Stafford works through his NFL growing pains. This is my way of dealing with disappointment...being snarky as all Hell.

We all need to remember before we see this Stafford every Sunday...

We'll have to deal with this Stafford while he learns the NFL...

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