Lions quarterback Stanton not big Martz fan

The Lions' third-string quarterback, Drew Stanton, will be making just his second NFL start Sunday against the Bears.

Stanton, who gets the call because Matthew Stafford and Shaun Hill are both out with injuries, was a rookie in Detroit when Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz was running the Lions' offense.

Stanton does not recall that year fondly.

“That's behind me, and I want to leave it back there,” he told mlive.com. “That was something that I had to go through, and I grew up in the process. I'm stronger now because of it.

“Obviously, with some of the stuff that he was doing with my mechanics and whatnot just wasn't natural for me. That's not my focus.

“I'm not taking a snap against Mike Martz, so I'm not really too worried about what he's got going on over there, other than just trying to get more points than they do.”

Asked if he had retained any of the many changes that Martz made in his fundamentals, Stanton said,

“Not a single one. This is a different offense. (Quarterbacks coach Scot) Loeffler definitely helped me change all of that around and showed me how to get my body in a position to throw.”

Stanton, whose only start was last season, has completed 20 of 36 passes this season for 233 yards with 1 TD, 1 interception and a 73.0 passer rating.

Martz had this to say about Stanton: “Great competitor, smart guy. He's a strong guy, but when things break down he can make plays with his feet.

“The thing that impressed us in college was his ability to come back and make plays to win big games. That's what the job at quarterback is, to get that team in the end zone and win however you do it. He's got that about him, he's got that quality.”

The winner is …:

Defensive end Julius Peppers was less than overwhelmed with his NFC defensive player of the month for November.

“I like to get those things, but it doesn't really mean anything,” Peppers said. “Winning games is what's important, and that's what we're trying to do.”

For the month, Peppers had 4 sacks (second best in the NFL), 13 tackles, deflected a pass that led to an interception and had 2 tackles for loss.

More important, according to Peppers, the defense held opponents to an NFL-low 65 rushing yards per game in November and quarterbacks to an NFL-low 69.5 passer rating.

“My name is on it, but it's a team award,” Peppers said. “It's good recognition to show how hard and how well we've been playing as a unit.

“We don't want to have Pro Bowl players; we want to have Super Bowlers. That's what a coach told me one time. We don't want to get too full of ourselves just yet.”

Winner II:

Quarterback Jay Cutler was named NFC offensive player of the week after completing 14 of 21 passing attempts for 247 yards and 4 touchdowns with a career-high 146.2 passer rating in the 31-26 victory over Philadelphia.

“It's special, especially for the rest of the guys in this offense,” Cutler said. “Without them, I'm not able to do anything, so the offensive line should take a lot of pride in that.”

Injury update:

Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee) was the only Bear who did not practice Wednesday, although wide receiver Rashied Davis was limited. Both are expected to play Sunday.