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Who are the 5 greatest Detroit Lions players of all-time?

By Ryan Russell

CANTON, OH - AUGUST 8: Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee Barry Sanders looks at his bust during the 2004 NFL Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony August 8, 2004 in Canton, Ohio. (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images)
CANTON, OH - AUGUST 8: Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee Barry Sanders looks at his bust during the 2004 NFL Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony August 8, 2004 in Canton, Ohio. (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images
Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images /

2. Matthew Stafford, QB (2009-Present)

The Detroit Lions present quarterback, Matthew Stafford is both loved and hated among their fanbase. I’m sure that there are far more lovers than haters though. At least I hope so, Stafford is my number two Lion of All-Time.

Stafford is the quarterback that any team would love to have. He does everything well. From outstanding arm strength to incredible accuracy and terrific awareness to great footwork. Stafford really is an outstanding quarterback.

The only real knock on Stafford is his lack of success. In his 11 seasons with the Lions, Stafford has only led Detroit to the playoffs three times. All three trips ended in a first-round loss. Some fans have a hard time backing a veteran quarterback without some playoff success.

There are three things that everyone needs to remember here, Stafford took over an 0-16 team, has been through an embarrassing amount of bad coaching, and hasn’t had much around him to help. These aren’t excuses either, these are facts.

Related Story. Ranking the top 10 quarterbacks in Detroit Lions history. light

On the bright side, I can see Stafford and the Lions finding some post-season success very soon. All these problems seem to have been solved and make no mistake … Matthew Stafford is an elite quarterback!

Stafford owns nearly every Detroit Lions quarterback record. He also has 18 different NFL records, including the most fourth-quarter comebacks in a single season with eight in 2014 and the most game-winning drives in a single season in 2014.

Stafford went to the Pro Bowl in 2014 where he received the Offensive Pro Bowl MVP award. He was named the NFL comeback player of the year in 2011. Stafford has played in 145 NFL games, starting every single one of them.

Throughout his 11 season career, Lions quarterback Stafford has thrown 246 touchdowns to 131 interceptions. He has thrown for a total of 39,648 yards and has plenty left in the tank. Stafford has also rushed the ball 308 times for 1,074 yards with another 14 rushing touchdowns.

Matthew Stafford definitely deserves to be on this list. To be quite honest with you, I nearly chose him as my number one Detroit Lion of All-Time.

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