Trade Matthew Stafford? Market might not get any better

The Detroit Lions may have to consider trading their quarterback because his value might never be higher. Otherwise, they need to build around him.

Going into the season, I was hopeful for a change in results for the Detroit Lions – a new head coach with a knack for defense, a new commitment to run the ball, a franchise quarterback at the helm.

The Lions underachieved at 9-7 in 2017, so this was the year that they hit the ground running. And the final result – a whopping six wins.

The home opener against the New York Jets (48-17 loss) was a sobering experience for my drunken fantasies of winning football in Detroit. There was supposed to be enough talent on this roster to make a run, but all that is left is another season of excuses.

Although it is hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong, the offense was certainly a culprit in the losing efforts. And with a Detroit Lions roster that lacks impact players, there is little chance of winning when quarterback Matthew Stafford plays poorly.

The Lions hope to have fixed part of the problem by firing offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter on Tuesday. This was probably a necessary step because the offense took such a nosedive this season. But what Detroit does to replace Cooter will be interesting to watch.

Will they spend the time to find (and pay) someone innovative at offense? It seems doubtful. This franchise always finds a way to justify ‘promoting from within’, even though ‘within’ this year is a bunch of guys that failed miserably.