Matthew Stafford, No. 9, didn't throw a touchdown pass in the pre-season. (Rick Stewart/Getty Images)Top draft pick Matthew Stafford has won the starting quarterback job with the Detroit Lions.
Stafford, chosen No. 1 overall in April's NFL draft out of the University of Georgia, will start the Lions' opener next weekend at New Orleans, new head coach Jim Schwartz announced Monday.
Stafford beat out veteran Daunte Culpepper, who needed stitches last week to close a cut on his foot. Culpepper joined the Lions midway through last season, but couldn't prevent the team from becoming the first in NFL history to finish 0-16.
Despite the veteran presence at backup, Schwartz insisted Stafford won't be put on a short leash.
"This isn't an internship," Schwartz said. "This isn't a trial basis. He's our starting quarterback. We said that, to win the job, he had to be ready, and he had to be our best quarterback, and that's what he has shown."
Detroit gave Stafford a six-year contract worth as much as $78 million US with $41.7 million in guarantees, hoping he can replicate the success of Atlanta's Matt Ryan and Baltimore's Joe Flacco, both of whom quarterbacked their teams into the playoffs as rookies last year.
In three pre-season games, Stafford completed 23 of 41 passes for 275 yards. He threw three interceptions and had no touchdown passes.
"I don't want to go out there and see how many mistakes it takes to change [Schwartz's] mind," Stafford said with a laugh. "I've had successes and failures in my career and in this pre-season, but I feel like I know this offence very well and I'm ready to go out and win games."
With files from The Associated Press
