New Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi discussed his new quarterback, Matthew Stafford, with Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports.
“The good news is that he’s not broken, that much is clear,” Lombardi said. “There’s an awful amount of talent there. His arm is something to behold. We used to sit in the Saints quarterback room and just marvel at his passes — all the depths, the whole field in play. He really can sling it. That’s a great thing to have.”
Stafford, a former first overall pick, should evoke higher praise at this point in his career than “not broken.” While he has put up huge number the past few years, he has struggled with turning the football over, and the Lions were perceived to have underachieved, only reaching the playoffs one time with Stafford under center. Still, the Lions quarterback is here to stay, on an big contract that runs through 2017. Hopefully for Lombardi and new head coach Jim Caldwell, they can get him from “not broken” to “very good” in a short amount of time. Here is some other news from around the league:
- Packers receiver James Jones will hit free agency this offseason, and Weston Hodkiewicz of PackersNews.com is skeptical that the Packers will be able to keep the third member of their dangerous receiving corps. Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson are both on team friendly contracts, but each is entering the last years of those deals. Both could get big extensions, and with the emergence of undrafted rookie Jarrett Boykin, the 30-year-old Jones may be the odd man out.
- While the Seahawks are preparing for the Super Bowl, general manager John Schneider has been in Mobile, Alabama preparing for the 2014 NFL Draft, writes Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Schneider is also going to have some decisions to make in free agency, as receiver Golden Tate and defensive end Michael Bennett will be among the team’s unrestricted free agents this offseason. Up against the cap as the Seahawks are, even after they cut some of their expensive contracts, they will still have to prepare for Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman to reach free agency after 2014, and Russell Wilson the year after that.
- The Dolphins’ general manager search continues, as they have started their second round of interviews with in-house finalist, assistant general manager Brian Gaine, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. They interviewed Patriots director of pro personell Nick Caserio earlier today. Caserio is also a finalist, and will interview for the second time tomorrow, reports Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com (via Twitter).