Daunte Culpepper will start the Lions’ third preseason game on Saturday against Indianapolis over first overall pick Matthew Stafford, Detroit head coach Jim Schwartz announced today.  He added that Culpepper will play into the second quarter before giving the ball up to Stafford.

Schwartz insists that competition for the starting job on September 13 at New Orleans is still wide open.

“I don’t want to handicap it one way or the other,” Schwartz said. “But the final decision has not been made.”

Stafford, a rocket-armed Georgia product, has looked shaky in two preseason efforts.  His poor accuracy through two exhibition contests has led to him completing only 12 of 27 passes with two interceptions. The young QB looked especially green in his first preseason start last week, during which his passer rating was a mere 14.6.

Culpepper, a 10-year veteran with Minnesota, Miami and Oakland, played five games for the Lions last season.  He threw for 4 touchdowns and six interceptions while contributing to the worst regular season record in NFL history.   But although he possesses a boatload of experience over Stafford along with two thirty touchdown seasons under his belt, Stafford’s raw talent is making this race tight. Jim Schwartz, welcome to the NFL.

“It’s going to be based on the information we have at hand,” he said, “not from wetting our finger and holding it up in the air, not from taking a poll and not from an ‘ask the audience’ lifeline or anything like that.”

He added, “We’re going to do what’s best for our club.  We’re going to do what’s best for the guy that we drafted, not what somebody outside of the building says and not what worked best for another player. Every player is different.”

Matthew Stafford is the QB of the future for the Detroit Lions but that future won’t likely be this September.  Daunte Culpepper will likely be the starting QB for the Lions when the 2009 season starts.  He still has a good arm and enough mobility to evade the rush buying time to pass or run.  But, he’s nowhere near the QB he was with the Vikings as he appears to be getting near the end of the line.  The Lions gave Matthew Stafford a ton of cash and he’s a smart cookie but the Lions would be smart to let him watch a few games from the sideline before throwing him into the fire.  Regardless, Stafford has all of the tools to be a impact performer in the very near future for the Lions.  The #3 QB will be Drew Stanton who has disappointed to this point in his NFL career.  Stanton doesn’t have a big time arm but he does have good mobility.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  D+

The Lions always seem to be looking to replace 38-year old Jason Hanson but he keeps beating out whoever they bring in.  Hanson played in all 16 games for the Lions last season and he made 29 of 35 field goals (82.9%).  He also connected on 35 of 36 extra points last year.  Look for Hanson to have another decent year in 2008 for the Lions as he always seems to do a decent job for them.  Hanson has now played in 255 games in his NFL career and he has made 385 of 472 field goals (81.6%).  Hanson has also connected on 504 of 511 extra points (98.6%) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C+

If the Lions are indeed going to shift to a more regular pro style offense then they are going to need some production in the passing game from the TEs.  32-year old Dan Campbell appears to be ahead at the start of training camp for the starting job at TE.  He only played in 2 games last season for the Lions and he caught 1 pass for 1 whole yard.  Campbell will need to catch a few passes if he wants to get any playing time in 2008 with the Lions.  Campbell has now played in 113 games in his NFL career and he has caught 90 passes for 913 yards (10.1 avg) with 11 TD grabs.

6′3″, 277 pound Michael Gaines was brought in as a free agent in the offseason from Buffalo and he will likely play a lot on running down for the Lions.  Gaines played in 15 games with the Bills last season and he caught 25 passes for 215 yards (8.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Gaines to probably also catch a few more passes this season for the Lions.  Gaines has now played in 57 games in his NFL career and he has caught 56 passes for 550 yards (9.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

27-year old Casey FitzSimmons will also have a legit chance to earn a lot of playing time this season for the Lions.  FitzSimmons played in all 16 games for the Lions last season and he caught 8 passes for 85 yards (10.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  FitzSimmons should catch more passes in 2008 than he did in 2007.  He has now played in 73 games in his NFL career and he has caught 58 passes for 464 yards (8.0 ag) with 4 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D

The Detroit Lions’ offense will be changing in 2008 without Mike Martz in charge so roles will be different in the upcoming season.  26-year old Roy Williams will likely again be the focal point in the passing game.  He has a great combo of size (6′2″, 220 pounds) and speed.  He also makes the acrobatic catch quite often putting himself on SportsCenter.  Williams played in 12 games for the Lions last season and he caught 63 passes for 836 yards (13.3 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Look for Williams to still lead the Lions in receptions and yards in 2008 as long as he can stay healthy.  Williams has now played in 55 games in his NFL career and he has caught 244 passes for 3,650 yards (15.0 avg) with 28 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 4 yards (0.8 ypc) in his career.

22-year old Calvin Johnson is a very physical receiver at 6′5″, 235 pounds and he has the speed to stretch the field.  Johnson played in 15 games as a rookie last season for the Lions and he caught 48 passes for 756 yards (15.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Johnson also carried the ball 4 times for 52 yards (13.0 avg) with 1 TD run last season.  Look for big things in 2008 for Johnson.

27-year old Shaun McDonald was a Mike Martz favorite but he will have to battle Mike Furrey for the #3 job in 2008.  McDonald played in all 16 games for the Lions last season and he caught 79 passes for 943 yards (11.9 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  He also carried the football 4 times for 2 yards (0.5 ypc) last season.  Look for McDonald’s numbers to be cut in half in 2008 due to the change in offensive style for the Lions.  McDonald has now played in 72 games in his NFL career and he has caught 185 passes for 2,158 yards (11.7 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 11 times for 16 yards (1.5 ypc) in his career.

‘31-year old Mike Furrey is around for another season with the Lions and he’s a pretty good player.  Furrey knows where the sticks are on third down and he goes all out to get there.  Furrey played in 16 games for the Lions last season and he caught 61 passes for 664 yards (10.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for his numbers to also take a tumble due to the change in offensive philosophy for the 2008 season by the Lions.  Furrey has now played in 53 games in his NFL career and he has caught 180 passes for 1,947 yards (10.8 avg) with 7 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A