Should the Lions bench Matthew Stafford?

November 10, 12:16 PMDetroit Lions ExaminerChris Morgan

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Bring back Charlie Batch! (Getty Images)

Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks was the worst game of Matthew Stafford's brief career. Hopefully, it remains the worst game of his career for a long time, because I'd prefer to not see too many five interception performances from a Detroit Lions quarterback. On the season, Stafford has 12 interceptions and only five touchdowns. Suffice to say, it has been a rough start to Stafford's career, and that is part of the reason the team is currently sitting at 1-7.

Not that the Lions poor record is entirely Stafford's fault. Daunte Culpepper was under center for a couple of losses. Kevin Smith has struggled. The offensive line is still mediocre at best. Calvin Johnson has been hurt. The defense is still one of the league's worst. Detroit has a ton of troubles. However, Stafford's play is definitely hurting the team. That cannot be denied.

From the beginning, I wanted Stafford on the bench. Ideally, he would have been on the bench the entire season, but I would have begrudgingly accepted him starting from week 15 on to get his feet wet. However, the Lions decided to start him from day one with predictable results. That being said, they can still fix their mistake. They can bench Matthew Stafford.

It would probably be the best thing for Stafford, and more importantly for the team. You could make an argument that getting experience out there is helping Stafford. I say playing behind a terrible offensive line with no running game and throwing tons of picks won't help much. He'd probably be better served working on his mechanics and learning to read defenses from the sideline. However, I don't think the Lions are in danger of turning Stafford into David Carr if he continues to play. It might hinder his development, but only slightly, and it is entirely possible the experience will help next season.

I don't think a reasonable argument can be made stating that starting Stafford helps the Lions, however. He's clearly far from ready, which was obviously going to be the case. This is a team that has won a single game since the start of last season. This is a team that is trying to shed the label of the NFL's worst franchise. They need to win some more games. That's the key for every team, every season. Sure, Culpepper has no future with the team. However, I think he is the best option in the present. After this week's game against the Minnesota Vikings, the Lions play the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers at home. Those are winnable games. After that, I see nothing but losses. If the Lions play Stafford, he continues to struggle, and the Lions lose both those games, they will likely finish 1-15. Does that help the team going forward? Does that help Stafford?

Free agents don't sign with teams that win one game out of 32. Sure, 2-14 or 3-13 wouldn't help much, but I know I am tired of seeing the Lions lose, and the attendance at Ford Field seems to indicate I'm not the only one. I'd greatly prefer 3-13 to 1-15. They'll stick pick high in the NFL Draft, and they will also likely not be the worst team in the NFL again. I, for one, would like to see that happen.

People are saying Stafford's knee is still bothering him. Even more reason, and perhaps justification, for benching him. Under the guise of resting his knee, Stafford could be replaced with Culpepper with little to no consternation. Will Culpepper guarantee Lions victories against the Browns or Packers? No, but I like his chances of winning more than Stafford's at this point.

Maybe someday, hopefully as soon as next season, Stafford gets up to NFL speed and can be at least a decent quarterback. He clearly isn't there yet. He's a bad quarterback right now, and the Lions can't afford to let a potentially better option sit on the bench. If Culpepper was starting and playing like this, everybody would be clamoring for Stafford to get a shot. Why should Stafford get any better treatment? Because he's the future of the franchise? Well, it's not the future, it's the present, and he's not the answer right now. At the very least, let Culpepper start the next three games. The rest of the season is pretty much a lost cause, so if you want Stafford to get some game time then, fine. It won't hurt the team. Although, with Cincinnati and Baltimore on the docket after the Packers, maybe keeping Culpepper out there wouldn't be a bad thing. Whatever the Lions decide to do, I hope it involves Stafford sitting on the bench for the next few weeks. It's probably what's best for the team.