Sunday, March 14, 2010

Some Thoughts To Consider About The Lions Trading for QB Shaun Hill

Reminder: I will have a live chat Tuesday morning at 11:30 at theoaklandpress.com

The Lions reportedly are in the process of trading a seventh-round draft choice to San Francisco for quarterback Shaun Hill.

At 30, Hill is the ideal backup for Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford. Here's why:
- He is just 30 years old and has a 10-6 record in the NFL as a starter.
- He has completed better than 61 percent of his NFL passes.
- He has a touchdown pass-to-interception ratio of better than two-to-one during his career.
- He played Lions' offensive coordinator Scott Linehan when both were with the Vikings, so he knows the offense.

Why he was available:
- After getting off to an impressive start, Hill played two bad games last season and was replaced by former No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith.
- He is not signed long term. He is in the final season of a three-year deal that reportedly will pay him $1.5 million in 2010.
- The 49ers agreed to terms with the more physically-gifted David Carr last week, giving them two No. 1 overall draft choices at QB, neither of whom has had much success in the league.

The Skinny on Hill:
- He has always been undervalued because of a lack of arm strength and overall athleticism, but all Hill has ever done is win.
- He wasn't recruited by Division I schools out of high school and went to junior college.
- He didn't win the starting job at Maryland until his senior year, but then led Maryland its best season in a long time - and to heights it hasn't reached since.
- Hill is not a long-term solution. If he were to start for an extended period, he would be exposed. What he can do is win a few a games if your starter goes down. He is always ready for opportunity and is a cerebral player. And he is in his prime years for an NFL QB, not an aging veteran with little tread remaining.

Question, though:
Would the Lions have been better off with Derek Anderson?

My column in Sunday's Oakland Press about the Lions utter need to draft defensively in the upcoming draft: http://tinyurl.com/yzlqhs4

My column in Monday's Oakland Press about Oakland University getting a disappointing seed, but a great draw in NCAA tournament: http://tinyurl.com/yl4ej2m

Labels:

1 Comments:

Anonymous Marty said...

Pat,

I prefer Hill to Anderson, but both are similar players. I only prefer Hill because Anderson has already played enough that his weaknesses have been exposed and he has been pretty bad the last few years. Hill hasn't had many bad games in comparison.

-Marty

1:11 PM 

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home