PHOENIX –It was almost an afterthought when Matthew Stafford’s name came up Wednesday morning near the end of Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell’s 45-minute interview session with the media at the NFL Annual Meeting.
That was more a sign of Stafford’s rising stature than a slight that Caldwell had fielded questions on just about every position group before a question arose about his franchise quarterback.
As Stafford goes into his ninth season, he could not be more entrenched as the Lions’ starter and leader. While other NFL teams struggle to put the pieces of their quarterback puzzle together, Stafford is locked in place in Detroit.