Lions Name Matthew Stafford As Week One Starter

The Detroit Lions quarterback competition has a winner, but according to coaches no loser.

After naming first overall pick Matthew Stafford his opening game starter under center, head coach Jim Schwartz emphasized that Daunte Culpepper didn’t lose the job.

“I’ve had a lot of very tough decisions in the last few days, but none more difficult than at quarterback,” he said. “We announced to our team this morning that Matt Stafford is going to be our starting quarterback. What made this decision difficult was that I think we can win with Daunte Culpepper, I think we can with Matt Stafford, and I think we can win with Drew Stanton.”

Schwartz went on to say that he liked the chemistry he saw between no. 1 receiver Calvin Johnson and Stafford. That weighed heavily in his decision.

I think he had 15 snaps in the preseason with Calvin, and you could already see what was possible there,” Schwartz said. “The big plays were always there.”