DETROIT -- Whether he plays a series, a quarter or some random number of plays in between, all eyes will be on Matthew Stafford in the Lions' exhibition opener Friday against the Bengals.
Stafford has not thrown a football in a game situation since November, when he went down with his second separated shoulder of the season against the Jets.
He underwent surgery on his throwing arm in January, and as strong as he has looked in training camp, even part of Stafford is eager to put his shoulder to the real test - contact.
"Can't wait to just get drilled," Stafford said this week. "No, I'm kidding. I think that's definitely part of it. I'd love to go out there and test it out there a little bit."
The Lions aren't quite as eager to subject the man they built their offense around to unnecessary contact a month before playing a game that matters.
"If we go into a game thinking stay healthy, that's not a good attitude to have going in," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said.
But ask anyone in the organization about Stafford's recovery, or how he has looked in camp, and the response is overwhelming.
"He's bigger and stronger, and he's still got that great head on his shoulders," offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. "I just see him physically different (than last year), and he worked really hard at that. It's paying off because I see him - he's never even showed any signs of a weary arm or anything. I can tell he's probably worked harder this off-season on his game and himself physically than he ever has in his whole career, which is a good thing."
Stafford spent the first 10 weeks of his rehab from surgery working primarily on building strength in his shoulder and back .
He said that he did more band exercises than ever before, that he follows a regular weight-training routine now, and that he doesn't think about his injuries unless he's asked. Along with last year's separated shoulders, Stafford missed six games as a rookie with knee and left shoulder ailments.
"You have to move on," Stafford said. "That's the way it is. Me personally, and as a team with guys that we've lost so far this season, we've got to go out there and try to produce."
The Lions have dealt with more injuries than most teams through the early part of training camp.
Both starting offensive tackles, Gosder Cherilus (knee) and Jeff Backus (pectoral), have missed significant time with injuries, and rookie running back Mikel Leshoure suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon this week.
Still, Stafford is surrounded by an enviable cache of weapons, including Pro Bowl receiver Calvin Johnson, the most versatile trio of tight ends in the NFL, and explosive second-year running back Jahvid Best, who looks healthy after battling two turf-toe injuries last year.
With so much firepower, Schwartz said he's looking for the "same things that we always expect" from Stafford when he takes the field Friday.
"Execute the offense. Go to the right places with the ball. Get us in the right plays. Control the game and score," Schwartz said. "Those are all important things to do."
Linehan isn't worried about seeing a different Stafford when live bullets start flying, either.
"He's going to get hit," Linehan said. "He's probably going to get hit Friday. He's going to get hit the next week sometime. It's going to happen. I'm not at all worried about it. He's better than ever and doesn't even cross my mind. Honestly, it doesn't."
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