Schwartz eager to solve Lions' quarterback riddle

Jim Schwartz is ready for it. At least, he's pretty sure he's ready for it, not that he has a choice now.

Schwartz's first year as Lions coach will be evaluated many ways, including by the number of victories, presumably more than zero. But it will be defined only one way, by how he handles his high-priced prize.

Shortly after the Lions picked a first-time head coach, they picked a quarterback at No. 1. Perhaps you've heard of him. Schwartz hears Matthew Stafford's name everywhere he goes. When Schwartz played in the Buick Open pro-am, he estimated he was asked about the quarterback situation 15 times at each hole. He'll be asked again and again by annoyances like me, as training camp opens today.

Stafford will start eventually, but the Lions also have former star Daunte Culpepper, who dropped 30 pounds and raised their interest. Many, many Lions coaches have been sidetracked by sideshows and waylaid by quarterback battles. Now, Schwartz takes over one of the toughest battles imaginable, inheriting the first 0-16 team and tying it to a rookie from Georgia.

Does Schwartz have the smarts and confidence to bring Stafford along at the proper pace despite outside pressures, despite Stafford's own impatience? I think he does.

Does he have the experience handling quarterbacks? Nope. So while Stafford is learning, Schwartz must do the same. He's only 43 but has worked in the NFL 16 years, always on the defensive side, the last eight as Tennessee's respected defensive coordinator.

Keeping options open

At some point, the touted young coach will have to make the crucial decision on the touted young quarterback. Right now, Schwartz says he honestly has no idea, and all three quarterbacks, including Drew Stanton, will get an equal chance. And he swears he won't be fazed by the scrutiny.

"As a coach, you can't be thin-skinned, you can't take anything personal," Schwartz said. "You never know until you go through it, but I was hired to do this job. I wasn't hired to hold my finger in the air and see which way the wind is blowing.

"Let's not go in with any preconceived ideas. Let's make some legitimate competition and keep all our options open. We're gonna chart every single throw and try to rotate these guys, but in the end, its gonna be a bit of a gut call."

Of course, the fans' wind always blows for the hotshot kid, a temptation Schwartz must be careful to resist. I still think it was ultra-risky for the Lions to draft Stafford when they needed so much elsewhere. I still think Culpepper should start for a while before easing the youngster in.

I also believe, by overhauling the roster with a young GM, Martin Mayhew, the Lions are in no rush. No one expects them to leap from zero victories to more than four or five.

Lofty expectations

Because Joe Flacco stepped in last year and led Baltimore to the playoffs, and Matt Ryan did the same for Atlanta, perceptions about rookie quarterbacks have gotten skewed. Those teams weren't nearly as decimated as the Lions, so let's stop the silly comparisons right now.

That said, Schwartz has no problem lauding Stafford, stoking the anticipation.

"I've been in the NFL 16 years, and when you're in a draft room, there always are a lot of opinions," Schwartz said. "(Drafting Stafford) was one of the first times I saw consensus, from the scouts to the GM to the quarterback coach to the offensive coordinator to the head coach. When that happens, you feel a lot better about it."

Schwartz is no quarterback guru, and I imagine he'll lean heavily on offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. But one thing you'll notice quickly is, Schwartz doesn't lack self-confidence.

"Even though I never coached the (quarterback) position, I coached against the position," he said. "Everybody talks about the chess match between an offensive coordinator and a defensive coordinator. But in this league, the quarterback has so much ability to change plays, it's generally the defensive coordinator against the quarterback."

Schwartz repeatedly says Stafford will play when he proves he's the best option and he's ready, mentally and emotionally. That's safe criteria but also completely subjective, and the man making the decision on readiness will be doing so for the first time.

So far, Schwartz says all the right things, although the real test is just starting.

"We're gonna have a very clear philosophy in what we do," he said. "So many times when you see teams sputtering, they overreact. It's like paddling a canoe. You paddle too much on the right side and you start veering, and then you paddle too hard on the left, and pretty soon you're just weaving back and forth."

It's easy to get caught weaving with a young quarterback, especially if others are shrieking for him. If Schwartz can handle this, he might be able to handle anything.

bob.wojnowski@detnews.com">bob.wojnowski@detnews.com