Jerry Green

Lions QB Matthew Stafford should watch how Tom Brady does it

Sunday is the day the Lions join the rest of us motley fools and scrunch down in their easy chairs in front of their television devices. They could have a six-pack handy. They are free to shriek at their fellow athletes who are spending the day earning their million-dollar wages.

The annual bye Sunday is a time for rest and relaxation -- and for observation.

For example, I would hope young Matthew Stafford, with his aching knee, takes in the telly showing of Tom Brady playing quarterback for the Patriots in old Londontown.

The Brits are somewhat enamored of this brand of football played here in the Colonies. And Brady is an international celebrity for manifold reasons, such as his romantic activities and his success in winning three Super Bowls in four attempts. The smiling, friendly Tom Brady we knew at Michigan has morphed into a multitask individual, hasn't he?

London's Evening Telegraph went so far off the edge Friday as to compare visiting Yank Tom Brady to the revered -- in England -- David Beckham. And apparently we American ink-stained wretches do not have any monopoly on clichés.

"Stardust is stardust, though," wrote one Ian Chadband, identified as the Telegraph's chief sports correspondent, after Brady appeared at a London news conference, standing before a Dunkin' Donuts backdrop. "... The man with a claim as being the finest American team sportsman to compete across the Pond quickly had his Limey hosts eating out of his hand."

That is a touch Stafford still must learn from Brady.

Long shot made it

Stafford and Brady represent opposite poles in the Quarterback Mystique, one of my favorite NFL subjects. No. 1 vs. No. 199. Stafford, 21, the guy guaranteed to be a whopping success in the NFL. And Brady, the guy who was drafted in the sixth round to be used as cannon fodder in training camp, a long shot to make the team -- and if he did, to spend Sundays charting plays on a clipboard.

I guess that is a thumbnail analysis -- amateur, of course -- about why the Lions have had stumblebum teams for most of the seasons since the middle of last century and the Patriots have won three championships in this century.

That part is history.

What is important with Brady currently an object of media worship in England is the good, old knobby, busted knee.

He should be -- ought to be -- a role model for Stafford.

Knees can be fixed. Some require surgery. Others heal with ample rest.

And when the knees are fixed, quarterbacks earn the right to thumb their noses -- or perhaps use a different digit -- to express their emotions to their detractors.

Just a few weeks ago, Brady, 32, was being given the bum's rush out of the NFL by some in the national and New England media. This guy had been the NFL's star of stars. Charming, humorous, beloved -- Brady nonetheless suffered the carping of critics early this season.

He had been inactive for all but the first few plays of the Patriots' 2008 season because of his crushed left knee. The Patriots, being as secretive as they are, never actually offered a truthful diagnosis of the seriousness of Brady's injury. There was surgery, hush-hush as to details.

And this season, Brady came back, his knee fixed, but with doubts about his fitness.

The Patriots almost lost to the Bills. Then the Patriots lost to the Jets. Brady was beaten by Mark Sanchez, the rookie quarterback passed over by the Lions for Stafford. The Patriots edged the Ravens. But Brady was outplayed by Joe Flacco, a second-year pro who once wore the Michigan-imitated winged helmet at Delaware. In the fifth game, the Patriots were beaten again, by the Broncos in overtime. And Brady was outdueled by a quarterbacking journeyman, Kyle Orton.

The Internet, where all of us are free to write pretty much whatever makes us feel cocky, was flooded with stories about the demise of Brady. It was posted he was done as a premier quarterback. There were blogged taunts -- according to something that I discovered on Google -- that "Tom Brady will never be the same." A national news organization put up for debate the question whether Brady was through.

Brady terminated that debate last Sunday. The Patriots defeated the Titans, 59-0. Brady threw six touchdown passes. With his fixed knee.

A time for learning

That should be some sort of inspiration for Stafford, No. 1 off the board this season, and No. 1 in Jim Schwartz's first delicate decision as coach of the Lions.

For the record, Schwartz must be a magical football wizard. A year ago, he was defensive coordinator for the Titans. They went 13-3, the best regular-season record in the NFL. This year, the Titans are winless, 0-6, suitably embarrassed after surrendering the 59 points last Sunday.

There is a fickle nature to all of those who follow pro football, especially in this town. The Lions have a history of quarterback controversies -- all the way back to their most recent championship season. It was Bobby Layne vs. Tobin Rote through most of that 1957 season. Rote, the lesser quarterback in the judgment of pro football historians, carried the Lions to the championship only after Layne was injured.

So first, Stafford had to overcome quarterback controversy in training camp before Schwartz awarded him the No. 1 assignment over Daunte Culpepper. Then Stafford was forced to operate in danger as rookie leader of the Lions' often futile offense.

The most fickle of Lions fans must be those who phone the sports talk shows. After the Lions lost their first two games, Stafford was the recipient of savage criticisms from too many listeners. A week later, when the Lions' ended their 19-game losing streak, the folks with the same voices hailed Stafford as being the savior of this distraught Detroit NFL franchise.

Then with the Lions getting hammed by the Bears, Stafford was himself hammered -- a dislocated knee.

Having apprenticed under the tutelage of Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Schwartz has been rather secretive about the depth of Stafford's injury.

The bye Sunday helps the healing process. And it gives Schwartz and the Lions players the opportunity to sit back and observe how a quality team coaches and plays.

And light on the doughnuts!

Jerry Green is a retired Detroit News sportswriter. Read his Web-exclusive column every Sunday at detnews.com.