Oct 22, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) is sacked by Detroit Lions middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch (55) and outside linebacker Justin Durant (52) during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

With the NFL draft long gone and training camp still a couple of months away, don’t think for a minute that the NFL is going to slip into the background and let the NBA, hockey playoffs, and baseball hog the sports pages. No, the NFL is entering the “list” season where they compare and rank players like a meat market. There is a reason the NFL is king. Besides the greatness of the sport itself, the NFL excels at keeping its name on the sports pages year around. These lists also provide fodder for the sports talk radio hosts when they run out of baseball topics.

The NFL Network has been rolling out its annual list of top 100 players and it has Matthew Stafford listed as the 76th best player in the league. It also lists Lions middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch as the 63rd best player. HUH? I know the players are the ones that are polled and this is the result, but what tapes are they watching? Stafford’s rookie year? I know Tulloch is a very capable linebacker, but I watched every minute of the Lions last year and there are times you barely notice him. Sure he’s solid, but the dude must have a lot friends in the league.

Matthew Stafford is a hot topic around the league. Reggie Bush was quoted on NFL Network last week in a interview that he felt that Stafford would someday be in the Hall of Fame. Not everybody shares that opinion. Stafford was completely omitted from the Top 100 Rankings of CBS Sports.com’s Pete Prisco. Seriously Pete, There are a 100 players in the league you would rather have than Matt Stafford? It’s the Megatron factor. So many of Stafford’s critics devalue his contribution because he’s throwing the ball to the best receiver on the planet. I didn’t see too many people going gaga over Calvin Johnson when Jon Kitna was his quarterback.

The new and improved Nick Fairley was talking about how he and his linemate, Ndumakong Suh, are the best defensive tackle combo in the NFL. No sooner did he say that, NFL.com came out and agree with him. The fact that these two are in their second and third year is very exciting for Lions fans.

With Fairley seemingly poised to make his mark in the league and the always relentless Suh holding down the middle, it will be up to newcomers Ziggy Ansah and Jason Jones to bring back the roar to the defense. Once that happens, I think you’ll be seeing a lot more Lions defenders showing up on next year’s list.

2013 needs to be the year Matthew Stafford becomes the unquestioned leader of the Detroit Lions. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Lions started their offseason workouts today, and if they came out of the tunnel all at once like they do at a game, then I expect that Matthew Stafford was leading the charge. Things have changed over at the Lions headquarters in Allen Park. There’s a new sheriff in town, and he wears number 9.

It may have been a coincidence, but after the Lions stinker of a season last year, the old guard was ushered out of the building through cuts and retirement. Defensive vocal leader Kyle Vanden Bosch was cut immediately after the season. Head coach Jim Schwartz brought him over here from Tennessee to teach the Lions players how to practice, and how to conduct themselves the correct way. While always trying 110%, Vanden Bosch’s best days were far behind him. Although the quiet, lead-by-example Jeff Backus wasn’t a vocal leader in the clubhouse, he was a calming influence that will be missed. That leaves Dominic Raiola and Nate Burleson as the only ones left from the old guard. Burleson probably isn’t going anywhere since the Lions seem to perpetually need receivers every year while it would seem this is definitely Raiola’s last year with the team. If the Lions draft a center/guard in the draft next week, then there’s a slight chance that Raiola doesn’t even make it out of camp.

All of the great quarterbacks in this game have been the leaders of their respective teams. John Elway, Dan Marino, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning–the list goes on and on. It took Stafford more time to ascend as the leader of the Lions because he missed more than half of the games his first two years in the league. That set his development back big time. Still, at only 25, he’s poised to take the next step in his career with the Lions.

The first thing Stafford did different was to stay in Detroit during the offseason. “There is not a guy that’s done more for this franchise in this off-season than Matthew Stafford,” said president Tom Lewand. “The guy’s been in the building every day. He’s been living here the entire off-season. He’s been working out, he’s helped us recruit free agents, he’s been involved on a daily basis in trying to get ready for the season, and he would do anything to help us be successful.”

You can count retired kicker Jason Hanson as a fan of Stafford’s rise to taking over the reins of the Lions. “He’s got a good leadership personality. He knows what he’s doing on the football field and he’s still young. He’s still putting it all together and putting up some amazing numbers,” Hanson told WDFN in Detroit “As he matures, as he keeps becoming more football savvy, I think really taking the football team under his wing is what’s going to start happening — not that I was a leader — but as some of the old guys leave, (Kyle) Vanden Bosch, (Jeff) Backus and that guard, this is going to become his football team.”

I can see Stafford is starting to take this Captain thing pretty seriously now, and is taking ownership of this team. Of course it doesn’t hurt that he’s in line for a 20 million per year contract either. He seems like he’s ready to make that leap into the top tier of quarterbacks in the league.

Whenever you see Matthew Stafford away from the field, he’s always sporting a Tiger’s baseball cap. It seems like he’s honest about his love for this city. I’ve always felt like he’s one of us, proud to be from the D. He just has more disposable income than most of us.

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Matthew Stafford wants to stay; Lions ready to pay?
Dave Birkett – Detroit Free Press

Just 25 and with a handful of team passing records, Stafford has made it abundantly clear that he wants to be a Lion for the foreseeable future.

The Lions, who have spent the past four seasons trying to construct their team around Stafford’s considerable skills, feel the same way.

That’s why it’s just a matter of time before the sides agree on a long-term deal that will keep Stafford in Detroit for years to come at a price that probably tops $100 million.

Jason Hanson all-time Detroit Lions great, but no Hall of Famer
Pat Caputo – The Oakland Press

There is only one full-time kicker in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Jan Stenerud, and in retrospect, there probably shouldn’t be any. There are no full-time punters. If the Pro Football Hall of Fame decides to change its views on kickers and punters, Hanson is going to have to get in line.

Tight ends the Lions might draft
Chris McCosky – The Detroit News

Chris McCosky of The Detroit News is taking a position-by-position look at players the Lions might have on their wish list in the upcoming NFL draft. Today: Tight ends.

Cleveland Browns and their fans adapt to a world bereft of PSL requirements
Tom Reed – The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Only the Detroit Lions have won fewer games than the Browns since 1999. But Lions season-ticket holders don’t need to fret over the impact of losing on their PSLs. They were never required to buy them.