: Matthew Stafford

Lions QB Matthew Stafford (ribs) practiced fully Wednes...
Lions QB Matthew Stafford (ribs) practiced fully Wednesday. Stafford is expected to play, but isn’t an appealing start against a tough Broncos defense.

Matthew Stafford keeps getting hit. And he keeps getting right back up.
The Detroit Lions quarterback was hit at least 10 times in Sunday's 26-16 loss against the Minnesota Vikings, including twice as he was running defenselessly out of bounds. He suffered a rib injury in the beating, and underwent X-rays after the game.
His status for the home opener on Sunday night against the Denver Broncos is unclear. But if Monday was any indication, he stands a pretty good chance of being in the lineup.
Stafford led Detroit's walk-through on Monday, and multiple players said he was moving much better.
He refused to take any questions in the locker room afterward, but he looked and sounded much better than he did after the game, when he had to wheeze his way through a 4-minute press conference, the story said. While is status is in doubt, this is at least a good sign he has a chance to play in Week 3. The story also added that Stafford said he was feeling "all right" in a radio interview Monday.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford tried to carry the load in the team's 26-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. He dropped back to pass 54 times and also led the team on the ground with four rushes for 20 yards. After the game, Stafford, who took a bit of a beating, needed X-rays on his chest, according to Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman. "Obviously getting hit out here as many times as he got hit, obviously that took a toll on him," Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said, per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. "But he hung in there."
The results for Stafford's X-rays were not disclosed after the game, and there's no word yet on his status for the Denver Broncos game next Sunday night. It's worth noting that Stafford also suffered an elbow injury during Detroit's Week 1 loss to the San Diego Chargers. MLive.com is reporting it's a rib injury but the team isn't saying if anything is broke. Stafford's status for Week 3 looks to be up in the air at this point. Caldwell added Stafford is very sore, according to MLive.com.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford (right upper arm, probable) t...
Lions QB Matthew Stafford (right upper arm, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 2. Stafford should be fine to face Minnesota in Week 2. Calvin Johnson owners are hoping for more than four targets against the Vikings.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford (right upper arm) took full p...
Lions QB Matthew Stafford (right upper arm) took full practice reps again Thursday. tafford should be fine to face Minnesota in Week 2. Calvin Johnson owners are hoping for more than four targets against the Vikings.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford (right upper arm) practiced f...
Lions QB Matthew Stafford (right upper arm) practiced fully Wednesday. Stafford should be fine to face Minnesota in Week 2. Calvin Johnson owners are hoping for more than four targets against the Vikings.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford finished last Sunday's loss against the San Diego Chargers with a protective sleeve on his throwing arm. His status for Detroit's Week 2 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings is a legitimate concern.
After a walk-through on Monday, Stafford wore a "big wrap" on his right elbow and said he'll be "good to go" against the Vikings, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Stafford's Week 1 performance, like that of the rest of the team, started out strong but faded as the game went on. He finished with a 63.3 percent completion rate, 246 yards through the air, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Stafford looks like he'll play Week 2 against the Vikigns but it's a situation to monitor for the rest of the week as he may not be 100-percent for Sunday.

Some notes from Lions camp:Theo Riddick got some re...
Some notes from Lions camp:
Theo Riddick got some receiver work: I’m not sure if this has been going on for the majority of camp because I’ve often been focused on line and running back play, but Riddick ran receiver-versus-cornerback drills with the wideouts Monday night. He didn’t receive too many reps there, but he did beat Nevin Lawson on a nice route.
Riddick's primary role during his first two seasons has been as a pass-catcher out of the backfield and he has experience as a slot receiver in college. This could be an instance of the Lions getting Riddick some extra receiving work, especially since he had a bunch of carries during team period. But it is something to watch.
Offense dominated the goal-line session: The Lions ran a period of goal-line offense with the three top quarterbacks Monday and the offense was dominant throughout. Matthew Stafford’s group scored on at least four of five tries. He was credited for scoring on all five tries, but his pass to Calvin Johnson appeared to hit the ground. The referee called it a touchdown, but from my view it looked like it would have been overturned.
The most important thing to take away is the offensive line was particularly dominant during this period, a good sign for the team’s run game. George Winn, Zach Zenner and Theo Riddick all had rushing touchdowns with the first group. One of the only stops for the defense during the drill was a Desmond Martin carry that was blown dead before he reached the end zone. To add more insult there, Martin kept running and was hit pretty squarely by Isa Abdul-Quddus. The safety has been one of the fiercest hitters in camp, although keep in mind the goal during practice is not to take players to the ground.
Perhaps the team is trying to find ways to get Riddick involved in the offense as more than just a RB3. The team has struggled to find a third receiving option behind Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate so this is something to keep an eye on. It's also probably safe to assume Joique Bell would get a lot of touches in goal-line running situations.

Calvin Johnson was the player of the day at Lions camp Tuesday.
He kept himself off the ground -- a Jim Caldwell mandate -- and blew by both Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis during one-on-one receiver-cornerback drills for easy tosses from Matthew Stafford.
Johnson caught everything thrown to him and looks completely healthy as he enters his ninth NFL season. He is still the Lions' top playmaker and Matthew Stafford's favorite target. He even caught a touchdown pass from Kellen Moore during red zone drills as the Lions had a little bit of everybody working with everybody.
The Lions are trying hard to keep Johnson as healthy as possible and so far, so good, the story said. Johnson ranks fifth on our WR list which is loaded with talent at the top. It's a big "if," but if Johnson can stay healthy, he's a steal having a mid-second round ADP.

Here are some notes from Monday's Lions camp:- Tigh...
Here are some notes from Monday's Lions camp:
- Tight end Eric Ebron, always a focal point, made a pair of nice grabs across the middle of the field. A couple snaps later, Ebron made a difficult back-shoulder grab over linebacker Stephen Tulloch, leaping and twisting to haul in the Matthew Stafford throw.
- Stafford picked up right where he left off from minicamp, with good accuracy at all levels. He completed eight of his first 10 passes in team drills, with the two incompletions both being knocked away from Corey Fuller by a defender. Late in the session, Stafford connected on a bomb down the middle to Calvin Johnson, over Darius Slay and Glover Quin.
- Johnson, perhaps energized by the crowd and the first day of the camp, was more aggressive than usual. The star wide receiver ended up on the ground multiple times during the non-contact session, including a diving grab on an out route against Slay in one-on-one drills. Coach Jim Caldwell said he'll need to remind Johnson not to willingly leave his feet during practice.
- We can still only tell so much without pads, but running back Ameer Abdullah's ability to change direction and burst through the running lane is evident. He also successfully ran a nice delayed screen, weaving his way through the second level of defenders. The second-round draft pick has shown steady improvement from the day he stepped on the field with this organization and looks like he's going to be a significant contributor from the start.
- Joseph Fauria looks healthy after missing much of the early portion of the offseason program. The big tight end caught a pass down the middle, double-clutching it as safety Don Carey dove in front trying to knock it down. Fauria then sprinted all the way to the end zone and revved up the crowd with a little, let's call it gyration.
- Joique Bell worked out on the side with a trainer, with the running back aggressively running suicide sprints. It doesn't appear he'll be out of action long.
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