Russell's Take

After watching the 2009 NFL Draft for most of the weekend, it's still hard to say who the bigger loser is - the Detroit Lions or their No. 1 overall pick, Matthew Stafford?

Though current reality shows make being a "loser" sound like a positive thing, I don't see much positivity coming out of Detroit in the coming year. Or years, for that matter.

I don't say that just because I'm a Green Bay Packers fan and cackle with delight anytime a division rival suffers, but because the Lions genuinely do not want to win.

They proved this by locking up Stafford to a reported 6-year, $78 million contract, which automatically guarantees him $41.7 million.

I'm not saying Stafford isn't a good quarterback - he put up astounding numbers at Georgia. During his junior year in 2008, he completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 3,459 yards and 25 touchdowns, with 10 interceptions.

I can't even do that in a video game.

But even though those are good numbers, are they worthy of a guaranteed $42 million? The kid hasn't played a single down of NFL football, and he is already one of the highest paid players in the NFL. In fact, the contract given to him by the Lions is the highest rookie wage in the history of the league, and his guaranteed salary is double that of Eli Manning's five years ago.

WHAT?

So just a year after the Lions cement themselves as the worst team in the history of the NFL by going 0-16, what do they do? Put millions of dollars and the fate of the franchise in the hands of a 21-year-old kid.

By putting so much faith into a single player, the Lions have essentially killed any chance of him succeeding. There's no way he'll last.

First off, Detroit fans didn't even want Stafford. They booed when he was on stage at the NFL Draft. For a team that didn't win a single game last season, their fans wanted defense. They wanted Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry. Instead, they got a quarterback.

After the Joey Harrington debacle, you'd think Detroit would have learned their lesson with drafting quarterbacks.

At even the first sign of trouble, no matter how much he may win over the hearts of Lions fans, they will turn on him. Detroit fans are impatient and they won't wait around long enough to see this kid develop. Add on all of the money the Lions are giving him and it's safe to say the blue-collar workers of Detroit already don't like the guy.

That sentiment isn't left just to the fans, either.

Imagine you've put in five or six years as a third-string linebacker on any NFL team, earning the league minimum and working as hard as you can to be just another player. Then this hotshot rookie hits the league, scoops up all the loose money lying around and is crowned a franchise player.

Just writing that makes me want to lay a hit on Stafford.

There's no telling what guys who are actually in that situation want to do.

Even though he's walking into a deathtrap, Stafford seems positive.

"I'm a competitive guy, and I'm excited about going to Detroit," said Stafford at a press conference at the team's practice facility. "I know there were a lot of people that might have been scared away by an 0-16 team, but I can't wait to take on that challenge."

I suppose with $42 million already in his pocket, Stafford can afford to buy some confidence.

So let's tally it up: the Lions pay their unproven rookie quarterback almost $80 million. He hasn't done anything to earn it. Detroit fans are rabid right now. Also, Detroit has become the place where players go for their careers to die (see current quarterback Daunte Culpepper).

So who's the bigger loser? They all seem like losers to me.