Culpepper Will Likely Start This Sunday, Lions Need Him to Fill Leadership Void

For an 0-9 outfit, expectations are surprisingly high in Detroit. Daunte Culpepper, freshly unretired and with one start already under his belt, will likely be under center this Sunday when the Lions take on the Panthers.

Head coach Rod Marinelli said he was pleased with what he saw from both Culpepper and the backup to the backup, Drew Stanton, in the team's most recent loss (thanks, Jaguars!), but admitted there is room for improvement. (Because the sterling record wasn't proof enough, I guess.)

In any event, Marinelli noted that Culpepper's "presence is really good, his leadership. He's got the arm. So now it's just about having another week and going out and doing it."

I suppose quarterbacks, by default, are team leaders, though it seems reasonable to give Culpepper time to grow into that role since, you know, he still doesn't know all his co-workers' names. Nope. Apparently not. Mlive.com's Tom Kowalski writes that Culpepper needs to fill the Lions leadership void, the sooner the better.

And as he stood in Detroit's locker room some 24 hours after the latest loss, Kowalski observed the unconscionable:

... [T]here was music playing near the lockers of several offensive linemen. They were joking and laughing, and, at one point, even jacked the music to a deafening level. ... It was bad enough that a player, or group of players, thought it was appropriate, given the circumstances, to play the music. It was even worse that none of their teammates had either the awareness or temperament to tell them to knock it off. ...

I started looking for Daunte Culpepper, the nine-year veteran who was signed last week to be the team's starting quarterback. ... I was curious how Culpepper might react when he stepped into the locker room and heard the tunes. ...

Unfortunately, during the 45-minute media availability period, Culpepper never entered the locker room. I'd like to believe that Culpepper would have done what the great leaders do, and that's send a message without saying anything. ...

For all of [center Dominic] Raiola's leadership qualities, though, the guy who has to take control of the locker room is Culpepper. He's the quarterback, he's the veteran and he's the one who has played at a level that commands respect. He must be the leader and embrace that role.

I actually agree with Kowalski on virtually every point; Culpepper has certainly been a leader in previous NFL stops, and there's no reason to believe that won't continue in Detroit. That said, the dude just got there. Can he unpack his bags first? (Don't worry, it's safe.)

And by the way, shouldn't leadership come from the head coach? You know, the guy who wore his favorite acid-washed work t-shirt during the latest loss?