Last Sunday was as special a day for me personally as I might have ever experienced on a football field.

I was able to accomplish something only two others have done in the past 10 years by throwing a touchdown pass on my first career attempt. Any idea who the other two are?

Lions fans should know one for sure, because it happened against us in Week 1. Michael Bishop, the famous Kansas State quarterback, is the other besides Matt Ryan and myself.

Unfortunately, we still ended up losing the game, but at the time the touchdown put us in the lead. I need to first retrace my steps and explain how everything went down throughout the course of the week.

I found out on Friday that I was going to do the goal-line package for sure and that they were going to name a starter come Saturday morning. After Friday’s practice, with Daunte getting all the reps, I saw the writing on the wall but knew I had to be ready for goal-line.

I found it odd that they wanted me to go in on the most crucial part of the field, but regardless was excited for the opportunity. So after two plays and a touchdown, I was obviously hoping to get down there again so I could go back in. I ended up going back in, but not because we were on the goal-line.

It was the very beginning of the fourth quarter and we were losing by a few touchdowns. Scot Loeffler (my quarterback coach) came up and told me I was going in. It was a great feeling to be out there again, and getting a chance to operate our offense.

My first drive didn’t go as planned as I was sacked twice, on second and third down. You have to remember, I have never taken live snaps against a first-team defense in the NFL. Let me tell you, it is FAST! I know Jacksonville is known for their defense and it is as advertised.

After settling in a little bit we were able to get some things going offensively. To me, playing quarterback in the NFL is like playing a chess match for everyone to see. Because as a quarterback, we receive the play call, go up to the line of scrimmage knowing what is called. Then identify what the defense is doing, first by examining the front, to the linebackers, finishing with the defensive backfield. Then at the
snap of the ball everything changes and I need to be aware of all the things that are going on.

I absolutely loved every second I was on the field playing. I could have cared less about the score, I was going in there and trying to playing within the framework of the offense and put up points. I was thrilled to add another touchdown in the fourth quarter, but like I said the end result is what truly counts and it was not in our favor.

I took a lot away from last Sunday and I hope it is the beginning of a great career here for me in Detroit. The fans who were there were awesome and I loved the support I received.

Now I will go back and continue to work hard and make the most of my opportunities as they come. Thanks for reading and the continued support for me and the Detroit Lions.

Drew Stanton is a quarterback with the Detroit Lions. His blog for playerpress.com runs at www.drewstanton.com.