Archie Manning: Lions' Stafford one of my favorite QBs

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Archie Manning is in his 20th year of running a passing academy for aspiring quarterbacks, and the patriarch of the first family of football said one player stands out for having the camp's strongest arm – Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.

"Great young man," Manning said at the Super Bowl last week. "One of my favorite quarterbacks. He's an old Manning Passing Academy guy and I still think the best arm we ever had at the Manning Passing Academy."

Stafford just finished his sixth NFL season and is coming off the first Pro Bowl appearance of his career.

He holds Lions franchise passing records with more than 21,000 yards and 131 touchdowns, and he wowed Manning the summer before his junior year of college at Georgia when he served as a guest instructor working with the camp's top prep quarterbacks.

Manning, the father of NFL stars Peyton and Eli Manning, said it's just a matter of time before Stafford's regular-season success – he has four straight 4,000-plus-yard seasons and is coming off an 11-5 record – yields postseason accomplishment.

Stafford also has worked at the camp as a counselor in the pros.

"He's got a great head coach," Manning said. "I think Jim Caldwell and that group there will get it done. He's had a lot of experiences and I think he'll take the next step, as the Lions have got to take the next step. He's really a fine young guy. Y'all are lucky to have him in Detroit."

Briefly: The Atlanta Falcons officially hired Dan Quinn, Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator, as their head coach on Monday, ensuring Teryl Austin returns for a second season as Lions defensive coordinator. Austin interviewed twice with the Falcons and once each with the San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills, but both he and the Lions organization had been going about business for more than two weeks now as if he'd return.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.