Why the Culpepper Signing Makes Sense

The following is a Guest Post by Kyle Vasatka, formally of the Power Alley.

The Lions have reportedly signed Daunte Culpepper to a 2-year deal.  The common belief is that the remainder of the 2008 season will be used to accustom Culpepper to the Lions’ offense and determine whether or not he could be a legitimate option to start at quarterback for Detroit in 2009.  This is a good signing for a franchise that has, in recent years, become synonymous with losing, futility, and bad decisions.  I’ll give you 5 reasons why this signing is a good move:

1.)  Despite not posting a solid season since 2004 with the Vikings (4,717 yds., 39 TD), Culpepper’s career stats are pretty great:

• 63.8 % completion rate, over 22,000 yards passing, 142 TD, 94 INT, 89.9 passer rating

2.)  The crop of quarterbacks due to become free agents in 2009 are not overly impressive.

Charlie Batch

No thanks.  Batch could very well retire after the 2008 season.  He is 33 years old and is out for the season with a collarbone injury.  Plus, he was not good for the Lions in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

Kyle Boller

Boller’s stock has fallen significantly over the past few years.  Initially regarded as an up-and-coming young quarterback with a cannon arm, the 27 year old Boller is out for 2008 with a shoulder injury.  He could become a solid start in the future, but I wonder if anyone will give him a shot.

Matt Cassel

You could do worse at quarterback than Matt Cassel.  I question whether or not he will do enough this season as the Pats starter to show teams that he is a legitimate starting QB.  He’s only 26, so his career is far from over.  Depending on what the long-term prognosis is for Tom Brady, the Patriots might have motivation to re-sign Cassel as an insurance policy.

Kerry Collins

Depending on how deep the Titans go in the playoffs (c’mon, they’re going), Collins might choose to ride into the sunset and retire at the age of 35.  If he decides to stick around, I can’t see him starting for anyone.  He would not have made sense for the Lions, who seem to be looking for a longer term solution at the starting quarterback position.

Charlie Frye

What have you done for me lately Charlie Frye?  The answer, nothing.  With regular starting QB Matt Hasselback on the shelf with an injury, Frye had the opportunity to start for the Seahawks in Week 6 and stunk it up, throwing for only 83 yards.  Frye, who once battled to be the Browns’ starting QB, is not doing anything to move himself to the head of the 2009 free agent QB class.  I think he could have worked for the Lions, but signing him would be a greater risk than signing Culpepper.

Jeff Garcia

Garcia parlayed his success as the Eagles starting QB in the waning weeks of 2007 into a starting QB job for the Buccaneers in 2008.  Garcia will be nearing 40 in 2009 and isn’t doing anything impressive this year.  He could be another player to retire after the 2008 season, especially if Tampa Bay fades towards the end of the 2008 season.  He would not have provided the Lions with a potential playmaker at the QB position.  In addition, he already had a stint with the Lions, so he is very familiar with the culture of losing.

Patrick Ramsey

Ramsey would’ve been a good option for Detroit in 2009.  He has a rifle for an arm and could really spread the ball to Detroit’s talented receiving corps.  He hasn’t started consistently since 2003 and 2004 with the Redskins, so you’d have to wonder whether he still possesses that gunslinger mentality.  If Culpepper doesn’t pan out for the Lions and they need to sign someone for 2009, I wouldn’t be surprised if they took a serious look at Ramsey.

J.P. Losman

Remember when Bills’ fans were jazzed about Losman?  He put up pretty good numbers in 2006 (3,051 yards, 19 TD, 14 INT), but he was ultimately succeeded by Trent Edwards.  With the Bills’ success so far this year, I can’t see why they would feel the need to resign Losman.  He’s only 27, so he’s got some years ahead of him if he can hone his skills and emerge as a solid starting QB.  I would put his name along with Ramsey’s as options for the Lions in 2009 if the Culpepper signing doesn’t work.

Rex Grossman

With Kyle Orton out at least a month with a high-ankle sprain, Grossman has the chance to prove himself as a starting quarterback.  After all, he’s not too far removed from quarterbacking the Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006.  The big knock on Grossman is that he doesn’t take care of the football.  The Lions are past the point of signing a quarterback who needs to develop and “work through” his bad habits.  You’d be hard pressed to find a team that would sign Grossman with the intention of having him start.

Likely to be resigned by their current teams: Kurt Warner, Kyle Orton, David Garrard

Thanks, but no thanks: J.T. O’Sullivan, Anthony Wright, Luke McCown, Brock Berlin

Who??:  Bruce Eugene, Gibran Hamdan

3.)  The quarterbacks in the 2009 NFL Draft class are, as always, a risk.

• I reserve the right to withdraw reason #3 if Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford declares early. He would definitely be an option for Detroit if he comes out after his junior season. The same thing can be said for Colt McCoy and Mark Sanchez. The Lions can’t afford to count on any of these guys declaring early though.
• The remaining quarterbacks in the 2009 draft worth mentioning: Tim Tebow (Florida), Matthew Stafford (Georgia), Curtis Painter (Purdue), Hunter Cantwell (Louisville), Pat White (West Virginia), Cullen Harper (Clemson)
• Top picks in recent years have not turned into big-time starting quarterbacks in the NFL (Leinart, Harrington, Akili Smith, etc.), meaning that drafting a quarterback early is a crapshoot. Culpepper has been successful on the big stage, so I wouldn’t consider drafting a quarterback to be any more or less risky than taking a chance on Daunte.

4.)  The Lions need a playmaker at the quarterback position.

• Have you ever heard of Scott Mitchell? What if I told you that he was, arguably, the best Lions quarterback of the past 15 years? Mitchell threw for a team record 32 touchdowns in 1995. Since then, the Lions have went through quarterbacks like Kleenex: Charlie Batch, Gus Frerotte, Ty Detmer, Mike McMahon, Joey Harrington, Jeff Garcia, Jon Kitna, Dan Orlovsky
• Culpepper could give the Lions a solid starting quarterback for years to come, something they haven’t had since the mid-90’s.

5.)  The deal is just what Culpepper needs.  It’s a win-win situation.

• Culpepper claimed in his farewell letter that he was not welcomed by any teams to compete for a roster spot, as a starter or a back-up. All indications are that the Lions’ starting QB spot is his, assuming that he is in playing shape and has his head straight. He’s being given the opportunity that he said wasn’t available during the off-season.
• When Culpepper was at his best, he had a receiver that could play fetch. Daunte would let it fly and Randy Moss would go get it. The pairing of Culpepper’s strong arm and Moss’s freakish ability to run down balls and out leap defenders was a thing of beauty. The Lions’ Calvin Johnson is big, strong, young, and fast. He can be Culpepper’s new Moss. If Culpepper can still throw it, he can count on Johnson to go get it. This combination could be very dynamic if and when Culpepper gets back on the field. I can only imagine what type of player Calvin Johnson could develop into if he had a quality quarterback throwing to him.
• What is there to lose? Culpepper was ready to retire and move on to other things in his life. If the deal with the Lions doesn’t work out, he’s no worse off than when he walked away from the game. Maybe his pride is hurt a bit, but if he was willing to walk away once, he’ll be willing to walk away again. The Lions too have nothing to lose. The franchise has become the running joke in the NFL for quite a few years. Culpepper surely can’t make the Lions any worse than they already are.