Mathew Stafford has had a rough time in Detroit. He's had some highs and lows. He wasn't able to help us win a playoff game but I don't believe that it's his fault. In fact, I believe he is the greatest quarterback in Lions history. He leaves Detroit with a 74-90-1 record with only three playoff appearances. Thirty-one of those wins came as 4th quarter comebacks and 38 game winning-drives. And that's the upside. He competed for every game for the whole game. I recall his first game-winning drive against the Browns like it was yesterday. Stafford displayed toughness and competitive nature. Those were the highs...Now for the lows.
The Lions were never able to put together an excellent team with Stafford. In his 12 years in Detroit, he played for three different coaches: Schwartz, Caldwell, and Patricia. Each coach had their own shortcomings and the roster constantly had major issues.
How many running backs were advertised as the solution? Aside from Reggie Bush, how many legitimate running backs did the Lions have? Even Bush was more of a receiving back. We've never been able to run the ball.
Let's not waste time discussing the lack of an offensive line and multiple lucrative deals wasted on players that couldn't keep any defense out of the backfield. Stafford has been sacked around 40 times per season over the majority of his career. How many times have we watched Stafford running away from the defense only seconds after the snap? How many times have we watched him play injured? We'll always love him for that.
Honestly, I'm excited to see what he can do with some time in the pocket and his body not in shambles. The one saving grace Stafford ever had was with Calvin Johnson at wide receiver. Unfortunately, that was wasted with bad offensive schemes. "Hey, Calvin! Just run in the corner with triple coverage. Hey, Matthew! Just toss it up to him!" At no point did anyone think that they should use the defensive strategy of running everyone at MegaTron to take advantage of the lopsided coverage. If we could have created an offensive scheme even a little more complex than "chuck it," maybe we would have had more success.
Quite frankly, Matthew Stafford deserved a better supporting staff than he ever got in Detroit. I hope with his new coach, Sean McVay, and his new team, the Los Angeles Rams, he'll get a legitimate opportunity to contend for a Super Bowl. The Rams went to the Super Bowl with the Lions' new quarterback Jared Goff, and I believe they are now legitimate contenders to go back next season. They have a top-tier defense and an offensive scheme that will allow Stafford to shine.
The fact that Jared Goff has been to more Pro Bowls than Matthew Stafford is, I believe, a reflection of the organizations they have played for. As excited as I am for Stafford, I'm honestly scared for Jared Goff. Most critics have said that the Rams offense has hidden some of his weaknesses. Well, welcome to Detroit. Those weaknesses will be exposed as you are being dragged to the ground within mere seconds of snapping the ball. I know it's cynical, but hey, cynicism comes with being a Lions fan.
All in all, I think everyone is a winner here: The Lions get some draft picks; The Rams get a quarterback that places them in the Super Bowl conversation; Matthew Stafford receives relief from the non-stop scheme/coach/personnel carousal and more than 2 seconds to throw the ball; Jared Goff gets out of the spotlight. Honestly, this may not be a win for him. But we'll see. We've begun another rebuild. Seems like we can never get the foundation completed before we tear it down, doesn't it?
We Lions fans will still switch the game on in the fall. We just have to hope Goff is better than advertised and that we don't use the new draft picks to select 3 wide receivers. We just may tune in to some Rams games, too. I have much the same feeling about Stafford and the Rams as I did when the Tigers sent Verlander to the Astros. It was time for him to move on, and he deserved a shot at a title. Verlander got one. Maybe Stafford can, too.
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