By Dean Holden 

First, take that red flag popping up in the back of your mind, and burn it, along with the words “quarterback controversy.” 

I’ll tell you what this isn’t, and that’s me saying that Matthew Stafford won’t be missed, or that Shaun Hill isn’t a step down in talent level.

No, regardless of wins or losses, Stafford needs to play. His progression as a quarterback this season is far more important than the Detroit Lions’ win-loss record, which is why I could really care less if Hill goes 2-0, 3-0, or whatever-and-oh, depending on how long Stafford is out.

I’m not suggesting that Shaun Hill never loses a game as the Lions’ starter, I’m only saying that even if he does, Stafford still needs to get back ASAP. The Lions are his team, and nobody else’s. The more he plays, the better off the team will be.

That being said, let’s look at the facts, here. The move to bring Hill in as a backup quarterback was highly lauded when it was made, and for good reason.

Hill had reasonable success in a lackluster San Francisco 49ers offense last year, and was really only traded away (for a seventh-round pick) so that Mike Singletary could clear the path (and the competition) for former No. 1 overall draft selection, Alex Smith.

How’s that working out for you, San Francisco?

Don’t believe me about Hill’s success? Let’s consult the stat book. In 2008, when Hill started half the season (which was the most games he’s played in one season), he completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 13 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and 2,046 total yards.

Extrapolate that over the course of an entire season, and you have a stat line featuring 26 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, and 4,092 total yards.

Oh, and by the way, he has a 10-6 record as a starter on a team that, like the Lions, typically lost more games than it won.

I’ll leave out his solid preseason performance because, bah, preseason. But he wasn’t bad there, either.

I’m not saying the guy gets a Pro Bowl nod, or even that he provides a lift for the Lions in Stafford’s absence.

What I am saying is that he’s not as bad as he looked against the Bears. The Bears’ defense was simply swarming all day.

For starters, Hill had two turnovers, and neither one was his fault. The interception was on a deep route to Calvin Johnson, but Johnson tripped over the turf and fell down, making it look like Hill was throwing a fly route to Charles Tillman

Then there was the fumble. It’s always a bad thing to fumble inside your own five-yard line, but can we go ahead and admit that when the quarterback gets hit before handing the ball off on a dive play, somebody really, really missed an assignment?

Sure, Hill wasn’t a model of efficiency on Sunday, but then, who was?

Even Stafford was only able to score off of turnovers and great field position. Hill started most of his drives inside his own five-yard line, and it didn’t help that the running game had done approximately zero all day.

Yet, something that people tend to forget, amidst the anger about Calvin Johnson’s no-catch and the anxiety about Stafford’s injury, is that Shaun Hill, when given the ball and told to pass the team down the field, ran a masterful two-minute drill.

With under 90 seconds left in the game, one timeout, and starting from his own 17-yard line, Hill drove the Lions down the field and threw what was effectively a game-winning touchdown pass.

With all the emphasis on the catch, it’s easy to forget the pass. If you can stomach it, watch that play again. The pass is released with a high arc and lots of touch, giving Johnson enough time to run under it, gather himself, and out-leap Zachary Bowman by about a foot in the end zone. Perfect pass, perfect timing, near-perfect catch.

It’s wrong to think Hill will bring anything more than solid, steady backup play to the Lions. He won’t push Stafford for the starting job, and he won’t open anybody’s eyes to his vast, untapped potential. He’s a 30-year-old journeyman from Parsons, Kansas who played quarterback at Maryland, and went undrafted eight years ago.

He is what he is, and he’s not what he’s not.

He is a solid backup quarterback with a record of moderate success, who will likely play much better with a week of preparation and against a defense without Brian Urlacher.

What he’s not is any kind of long-term solution to anything except backup quarterback.

But then, he’s also not Daunte Culpepper.

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