Sharp: Lions QB Stafford must demand offense that fits him

The Detroit Lions have never been an organization appreciative of urgency. In their mind, there's always time. Instead of recognizing the warning signs, the Lions simply flip the hour glass to give them more sand. More room for more excuses.

They get away with it because there has never been a shortage of public forgiveness for their repeated competitive sins.

In their minds, an 0-3 start isn't grounds for panic but yet another mandate for patience and trust in the vision of the front office and coaching staff. It has worked for the last 50 years. Why wouldn't it work for the next three months?

It's up to Matthew Stafford to speed up the clock. He must recognize that — although he's only 27 — time is running out for him. Even though he hasn't proven himself a "franchise quarterback," he must immediately act like one in demanding dramatic philosophical changes in the Lions' offensive strategy. If that brands him a prima donna, so be it.

Either Jim Caldwell caters his offense more toward Stafford's limited strengths, or the quarterback should plot his exit strategy. He should start thinking seriously about saving himself and what remains of a career primarily branded as underwhelming.

Stafford is a gunslinger, too often unsure exactly where the pistol is pointed. He's equal parts exciting and excruciating. But that's what Stafford is — at his best. He's the quarterbacking personification of 8-8. The best option out of many bad choices. And though the Lions and Caldwell banked on the transformation of Stafford into a replica of the Joe Flacco Caldwell coached at Baltimore as the basis for a more explosive and efficient offense, everyone involved must concede that it can't work this season.

There's not much anybody can do with a porous offensive line.

It may never work.

It's a collective mess. Golden Tate told WMGC-FM (105.1) on Tuesday that players from the other team following the first three games told him that they already knew the Lions' play call before the snap.

It can't help but frustrate Stafford. He didn't look simply beaten following Sunday night's 24-12 loss to Denver when he faced reporters. He looked beaten down. He resembled somebody unsure of what direction he was headed. There has never been a shortage of self-confidence in Stafford. In his mind, there was never a problem that his thunderbolt of a right arm couldn't solve.

But Stafford can change this, if he wants. Given the choice of siding with their quarterback or their coaching staff, the Fords and their executive minions would have no alternative but to side with Stafford because of the immense financial investment already committed. They're married to the fantasy that the organization finally has that high-end quarterback who could end Detroit's long, long wait for a championship football team.

Caldwell insists that he's a patient man, but he admitted this week that his patience wasn't limitless.

"It takes work," Caldwell calmly stated. "It doesn't come easy, particularly when it's not one issue. There's a number of things that are going on right now, and it's a number of different people that are involved in that, and so anytime that happens, it's multiple. So, you've got to try and narrow it down. Focus on those things that you can get corrected and move forward. You can't correct them all in one day. It just takes time. Takes a little time."

But nobody wants to hear that the only logical remedy is waiting longer for the disjointed pieces to fit a little better in the schematics.

Maybe the pieces can't fit. Never will fit. And it's time to move on.

Anything short of a rare playoff victory would render this a failed season for the Lions. They're not making the playoffs after a 0-3 start. But you can already sense what the Lions are plotting: turning 2015 into a 13-game season. And how an 8-5 record in those games would prove that things are improving, deserving of more time and more blind faith from those who still foolishly believe the Lions' flaws are easily correctable.

Just keep flipping the hour glass.

Stafford should think about smashing that glass.

Contact Drew Sharp: dsharp@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @drewsharp. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/drew-sharp/. Beat writer Dave Birkett will answer your Lions questions in a live chat at 10 a.m. Friday at freep.com/sports. Submit early questions here. Then come back Monday night for a live blog of the Lions-Seahawks game. And check out our new Lions Xtra app on Apple and Android!

Up next for Lions

Matchup: Lions (0-3) at Seattle (1-2).

When: 8:30 p.m. Monday.

Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle.

TV: ESPN.

Line: Seattle by 91/ 2 .

Lions on MNF

The Lions are 13-16-1 all-time in Monday night games, but just 2-6-1 on the road. Their last MNF road win was a 20-17 overtime victory at Dallas in 1994.