While Stafford is clearly endowed with a wealth of potential and talent, it remains to be seen whether the Detroit Lions organization has the resources that can help Stafford develop to his fullest.

The Lions have a mixed track record in developing young offensive players and their culture of under-investment in players doesn’t help. Like many of the fans in attendance at Ford Field, I agree that it would have been smarter to draft defensive talent and stock the offense through trades and free agency.

The opportunity to acquire a player like Jay Cutler was a blown opportunity. If the Lions had acquired Cutler, they could have traded down their number one pick and made more selections later in round one and round two. The holes in the Lions roster are many and spreading additional talent across key positions needs to be the goal of the management and coaching staff.

As a Lions fan, I want to remain optimistic that the team has an effective master plan in place. However, I remember the big words and hopes when “Piano” Joey Harrington was drafted in 2002. And we all know how that turned out.