Though head coach Jim Caldwell likes to rotate his captains each week of the season, there is little doubt that Matthew Stafford and Glover Quin are the leaders of the Detroit Lions.
So far, the Lions are off to a great start, defending their home turf against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 and then traveling to the Meadowlands and disposing of the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.
A big reason for the Lions success this season has been the play of Stafford and Quin. Through two games, Stafford has completed 71% of his passes while tossing six touchdowns and only one interception (which happened to come on his first pass attempt of the season). The offense has excelled in the “green zone” (money zone) and that directly correlates to Stafford’s control of the offense.
Defensively speaking, the Lions have been extremely impressive in each of their first two games as they rank No. 7 in the NFL with 289 yards allowed per contest. Quin has been brilliant at safety as he already has an interception and a forced fumble, not to mention his two pass deflections and 10 tackles.
The best make each other better
Stafford and Quin were each selected in the 2009 NFL Draft, Stafford by the Lions first overall and Quin by the Houston Texans in the fourth round. Since coming into the league, they have not only shown great improvement but have grown into the leaders they currently are on the Lions.
Both Stafford and Quin told The Detroit News that their daily practices over the past four-plus seasons have been challenging and have made them better players.
“We have a pretty good cat-and-mouse game going,” Quin said. “The older you get at the quarterback, or at any position, the smarter you become. It’s very true at quarterback because you know how to manipulate better, you know how to manipulate, you know what you’re looking at. You’re the one in control.
“As a safety, you may be smart, you’re not in control. They’re in control.”
Stafford acknowledged that he and Quin pick each other’s brains on a regular basis to try and get a better understanding of what each is observing on the field.
“He’ll bat one down or get into a good spot during practice and I want to know what he was thinking,” Stafford said. “I’ll ask him, ‘What did you see me do?’ Then I’ll get him on one and he’ll say, ‘Man, this is really helping me.’
“It’s great to have a guy to be able to bounce ideas off of, who is smart and can articulate football,” Stafford said. “He can really understand where I’m coming from and I can always bounce ideas off of him and off each other.”
Football is the ultimate team sport and though the offense and the defense are often thought of as separate entities, that is clearly not the case for the Lions. Stafford and Quin know they can make each other better every day in practice and that is something they, as leaders, are surely relaying to their teammates.
*H/T to Justin Rogers of The Detroit News for quotes used in this article.
