Matthew Stafford isn't worried about being run out of town

John Niyo / The Detroit News

Allen Park -- The catcalls from disgruntled fans are part of the initiation for Detroit quarterbacks. And rookie Matthew Stafford got his first taste of it Sunday in a 17-10 loss to St. Louis at Ford Field.

Center Dominic Raiola got into it with fans behind the Lions' bench who were razzing Stafford late in the fourth quarter. And he reacted angrily in the postgame locker room, saying, "That just hit home with me. Because I've been through it with Joey (Harrington). They sent him packing, quick. They're not gonna do it to this guy. I'm gonna be right here next to him."

Stafford was asked about Raiola's outburst Monday during his weekly WJR radio appearance.

"He didn't say anything terrible," Stafford said on "The Mitch Albom Show."

"It was, you know, 'Give him a break. Get outta here.' That kind of thing. It wasn't a big-time verbal altercation or anything. But he's right. They're not gonna run me out of town. So I'm not too worried about it."

The incident occurred after the Lions' final possession ended with a wild incompletion out of bounds from Stafford on fourth-and-20 with 56 seconds left.

"I was standing by the water cooler and just gettin' it from fans, and that's understandable," Stafford said. "They want to win probably as bad as we do. It's understandable that they're gonna get after guys when your team's not playing well. I like to think that I do a pretty good job of just letting that stuff go.

"Dom was just standing there saying, 'Hey, man, don't let that stuff get to you.' And I know that. I've been in tough situations before. It's just great to have a guy like Dom on your side."

Rookie OK after game

Stafford showed signs of rust Sunday in his first game back since partially dislocating his right kneecap Oct. 4 at Chicago. He was 14-for-33 for 168 yards, enduring a half-dozen drops by his receivers, including one that led to an interception.

But he also showed good mobility on a 4-yard touchdown run and avoided the rush on a pair of screen passes. And there appeared to be no problems with the knee after the game.

"It'll still be a situation where we're monitoring him to try to make sure he doesn't have any setbacks," coach Jim Schwartz said. "But he came out OK. There was no issue after the game. Is he totally out of the woods? Is this behind him? Probably not yet. He probably still has treatments and things like that that'll continue."

As for receiver Calvin Johnson , who was sorely missed for a second straight game with his injured right knee?

"All the swelling, all the pain is pretty much gone away now," Johnson told WXYT-AM on Monday. "So I'm ready to get going this week."

Smith remains lead RB

If Kevin Smith 's shoulder is willing, he'll continue to shoulder the bulk of the workload for the Lions' rushing attack. Schwartz reiterated that Monday, after Smith's day -- 16 carries for 45 yards and four catches for 49 yards -- ended late in the third quarter when he aggravated a shoulder injury. Backup Maurice Morris , bothered by a hip injury prior to the bye week, ran well in relief, with 14 carries for 63 yards.

"I don't think anything has changed," Schwartz said.

"Kevin is our lead running back, and Maurice is the complementary running back. If both are healthy, then that hasn't changed at all. But health plays a part in that dynamic."

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