Detroit Lions: Why sign Matt Cassel over Colin Kaepernick?
By Robert Jones
The Detroit Lions signed Matt Cassel to provide some competition behind Matthew Stafford, but would Colin Kaepernick have been a better choice?
Matthew Stafford is the Detroit Lions starting quarterback. Everyone from here to Seattle knows that. However, in a move to improve depth and competition with Jake Rudock behind Stafford, the Lions brass decided to sign a veteran quarterback.
Both general manager Bob Quinn and new head coach Matt Patricia were familiar with Matt Cassel from his days with the New England Patriots. Quinn was part of the Patriots scouting staff when they used a seventh round draft choice on Cassel out of USC in 2005.
Meanwhile Patricia was on the practice field with him every day for the four seasons Cassel was a Patriot, despite the fact Patricia was the teams defensive coordinator.
All in all, it would appear that once again Quinn and Patricia have found comfort in signing a player they are familiar with. A player they know from the old stomping grounds outside of Boston. But was that the best move they could have made from a competitive standpoint?
Finding a gem at quarterback is never easy outside of when a game-breaker makes it to free agency.
More from SideLion Report
- Top 5 revenge games on the Detroit Lions 2023 schedule
- Lions center Frank Ragnow optimistic about continuing to play through toe injury
- Detroit Lions 2023 preseason schedule: Dates, times and opponents
- A new contract extension projection for Lions quarterback Jared Goff
- 4 wide receivers the Detroit Lions could still look to acquire this offseason
Even the ‘sure bets’ in the draft don’t always pan out. Consider that Andre Ware, Ty Detmer, Gino Toretta, Danny Wuerffel, Eric Crouch, Troy Smith, Tim Tebow and Johnny Manziel all won the Heisman trophy as the best player in the country during their collegiate days, yet none of them ever really panned out in the NFL.
Oh yeah, and the list of Heisman winning failures to live up to the billing goes back much further then this list from the past three decades.
The Lions are ecstatic that they have Matthew Stafford and that he has been so durable for the past seven seasons, but every year is it’s own entity. Every year has the potential for disaster.
Last year Matthew had his hand stepped on in Baltimore during a loss to the Ravens. Luckily he was back in the lineup the very next week, but it could have been a season ending injury. How about when he injured his finger two years ago? That seemed to affect his passing as the Lions lost their final three regular season games and then their playoff cameo in Seattle.
The fact that the Lions want to breed competition for Stafford’s backup is good. You never know when they might be needed. Yet don’t they have a responsibility to find the best available player?