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Vikings vs. Lions: Minnesota Unsure how to prepare for injured Matt Stafford

The Minnesota Vikings are having to prep for two different quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Shaun Hill, with the former riding the injury report.

Don McPeak-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire

The Minnesota Vikings already have a tall order preparing for the Detroit Lions on Sunday, what with wide receiver Calvin Johnson being one of the best receivers in the NFL and all. On top of that, they're not sure who will be throwing the ball to him. As ESPN Twin Cities notes, the Lions have continually changed their stance on what exactly is wrong with quarterback Matthew Stafford:

The Lions have changed the description of what's wrong with Stafford three times. Initially they said he had leg muscle strain, then they changed it to a hamstring issue on the first injury report issued Wednesday and then they revised that report to make it a hip injury.

Stafford suffered a hip injury late in the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3, and Shaun Hill came into the game. Hill threw two touchdown passes in the final 18 seconds to force the game into overtime, so it's not as though the Lions are lost without Stafford. Still, the two quarterbacks are very, very different.

Hill doesn't have a great arm (Hail Mary notwithstanding), and is more of a game manager, though that term has become a little taboo these days. He's a serviceable backup, but Stafford has that big play ability and has a knack for finding Johnson (glossing over just how easy he seems to be to find) when he needs him the most. The radical difference in play style is definitely having an effect on the Vikings and their preparation.

Photographs by Micah Taylor, clairity, and Fibonacci Blue used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.