Last night’s 16-12 loss to South Carolina was nearly a perfect storm of ineptitude on offense. The line had its problems with protection, especially in the first half. Then when Stafford had time, he made several poor decisions and throws. Then when Stafford was close to target, the dreaded drops plagued the Dawgs again.

But when he faced the inevitable barrage of questions after the game, Stafford was quick to fall on the sword.

“I lost us the game,” said Stafford, without hesitation. “There’s no question about that.”

That statement might be stretching it a bit much – as I said above, most players on offense (save Moreno)  could do with some introspection today.  Not to pile on Stafford, but it is good to see him taking a very critical look at his performance last night.  He should – it wasn’t good. 

The protection will have lapses.  Receivers will drop passes.  But Stafford still had the chance to make several more plays than he did.  His growth and progress won’t be linear, and bumps in the road like last night should be important lessons along the way.  We know that he can and will have much better games, but they won’t come without much more work.

Stafford arrived with much hype and promise, and his performance at South Carolina last season stepping in for the injured starter got the ball rolling.  Though he finished the 2006 season much better than he started it, I think he would be the first to tell you that he’s not there yet.  Last night was an opportunity for him to place a struggling and lethargic offense on his shoulders, and he wasn’t up to it. 

Stafford was harsh on himself, but there was no finger-pointing.  “I’ve just got to go back to the film room and do what I can to get better,” he said.  That’s exactly the approach you hope for from the leader of the offense, and, given Stafford’s talent, it’s slightly reassuring to know that he’s not satisfied with his performance either.