The subject of injuries in the National Football League is a touchy issue. Injuries often happen as if on a whim.
A player will get absolutely crushed on one play and raise without a problem. Then, on another play that looks relatively innocent, a player will get hurt - sometimes severely.
This much is true about the NFL. Durability, despite its fickle nature, is considered as much - or more - of an asset than any physical skill.
And so it would naive not to have concerns about the durability of Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford. He has suffered three significant injuries in just 11 NFL starts. One was when his knee was rolled upon, another was a shoulder injury when he made an heroic play, and the third, in Sunday's loss to the Bears, was a shoulder injury on a sack.
Already having injuries to each shoulder and a knee equals a question mark about durability.
Stafford has great skill and confidence. I feel like he is capable of becoming the Lions' first Pro Bowl quarterback since Greg Landry in 1972, and in the not-too-distant future - if stays on the field.
It has become THE ISSUE surrounding him.