The Lions are on a bye, hoping that the week off will be enough to heal injured young stars quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson.
The early signs aren’t great.
Stafford didn’t practice with the team Friday and wasn’t seen on the sidelines of the session. Stafford declined interview requests after practice. Johnson, meanwhile, watched practice and was seen walking with an “obvious limp.”
It’s not a surprise the Lions are trying to give both players as much time to heal as possible, but it’s a mystery when Stafford will be on the field again.
“We’re not going to test it if it’s not feeling good, if it’s not
ready,” head coach Jim Schwartz said. “But if he’s feeling good, at some point, we’re
going to have to test it to see how it responds and see what he’s able
to accomplish and what we can do on the field.”
Johnson’s injury doesn’t seem as serious, and the city of Detroit is rightly worried a lot more about Stafford.
Every game played without the promising rookie quarterback this season seems like a wasted opportunity for his development.
Lions actually look more competitive with Stafford playing as well.
with their starters in and healthy, the lions would have beat the packers 21-10