Getty Herman Moore stretches before training camp.
Matthew Stafford is still facing down his back injury, and the Detroit Lions will have to decide how they want to proceed with Stafford when he is able to get back to the field.
Many folks have been of the opinion that Stafford should be shut down for the rest of the year to rest his injured back, and former wideout Herman Moore can be counted as someone who thinks that to be the case. Recently, as Moore was making his way around the state, he offered an opinion on what the team needs to do.
In a piece by Brandon Folsom of the Port Huron Times Herald that was ran in the Detroit Free Press, Moore shared his opinion and admitted that from where he sits, Stafford should be taking a seat the rest of the season in order to be able to rest up.
Here’s a look at what Moore said in the piece:
“You can add Herman Moore to the list of people who think the Detroit Lions should place Matthew Stafford on injured reserve and end the quarterback’s season.
“I would look at it and say, ‘What is there to gain?’ ” said the former Lions receiver, who was in Port Huron on Tuesday for Fox Sports Detroit’s Football Week in Michigan Bus Tour.
“If this team was postseason bound, which it looks very bleak right now, I would try to bring Stafford back. But I don’t know if it’s worth the risk.”
Detroit is 3-6-1 and in last place of the NFC North. Making a playoff push in the final six games seems unlikely.
“I do believe at this point it may not be a bad idea to consider it,” Moore said. “That’s ultimately not my decision or the fans’ — that’s the team’s.”
Stafford has been said to be fighting what amounts to a six week back injury, and the Lions, as Moore correctly points out, are essentially dead in the water in terms of their playoff lives. All of this could and should very well add up to sitting Stafford down for a while.
As Moore says, sitting down Stafford might actually be for the best.
Matthew Stafford’s Initial Timetable
After Stafford was revealed to be sidelined with the ailment, ESPN’s Adam Schefter explained that while the injury could be shorter term in nature, the likelihood is that it would be a week by week thing the Lions would have to watch. Here’s a look at what he wrote:
“Stafford is now considered week-to-week with an injury that one source said could sideline him for “this week or 3 weeks.” Stafford had started 136 consecutive regular-season games entering Sunday, the sixth-longest streak for a quarterback in NFL history.”
Before the injury, Stafford was rolling along and having an MVP caliber season. Safe to say that all of this puts a major damper on that, no matter how much time Stafford is to miss. Stafford is a warrior however, and has never been shy about trying to play in the past through the pain.
Previously, Chao had said after looking at video of the purported injury, what Stafford is facing is a short term painful injury. Still, it’s not something which is long term, nor has any immediate impacts on the spinal cord. That’s good news not simply for Stafford the player, but Stafford the person.
Obviously, the major hurdle for him moving forward will be finding a way to get cleared by the medical staff for any type of return in the month of November with this news.
If Chao’s latest diagnosis is correct, Stafford could be on track for a return which could make this diagnosis look correct.
Matthew Stafford’s Injury
Listed on the report with a hip and back ailment, Stafford picked up the back injury while playing the Oakland Raiders. The hip trouble had been lingering since the Kansas City game, but Stafford had found a way to play through the pain of that, and was actually looking better on the injury report in the weeks since. The back injury limited him in practice most of the week leading up to the Chicago game, casting doubt on whether he’d actually play. Reports in the hours before hinted Stafford could be in trouble, and the decision was quickly made to sit him down a few weeks ago ahead of the game against the Bears.
Late last season, Stafford dealt with broken bones in his back as well and played through the pain, and the back injury in consecutive seasons has become a troubling trend for the quarterback. With the Lions depending on Stafford in not just the present but the future, they will have to be careful about how they proceed in this case.
For some like Moore, that should lead to Stafford sitting down.
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