Getty Matthew Stafford enters the field before a Lions game.
The 2020 offseason has been the offseason of Matthew Stafford, and while the quarterback gets overlooked routinely during the season, he has received plenty of support this year.
Stafford, though, was never properly on the radar at all as far as Quandre Diggs is concerned. The former Detroit Lions safety got on the internet and re-tweeted a video of Stafford letting loose with huge passes from 2019 and admitted he thinks Stafford is actually underrated in the league at this point in his career.
Here’s the video:
Obviously, it’s safe to say Diggs has liked what he has seen from Stafford in his career, and after playing with him in Detroit, only has a stronger opinion about his overall talent. Diggs was traded to the Seattle Seahawks last season, but that hasn’t changed his take on his former teammate.
Perhaps there will be a time when Stafford isn’t so underrated, but current teammates and former ones alike seem to agree that he’s a major talent.
Damon Harrison Thinks Matthew Stafford ‘Disrespected’
Former Detroit Lions defensive tackle Damon Harrison got a look at a new ESPN list from NFL personnel showing a ranking of quarterbacks 1-10 in the league. Stafford placed in the No. 10 spot, and for Harrison, that wasn’t nearly good enough.
Harrison tweeted about the slight he perceived for a couple of NFC quarterbacks in Stafford and Tom Brady saying everyone was disrespecting the duo and it was “amazing.”
Stafford placing on the list at all is probably a miracle given how undervalued he has been for a long time with the Lions, but clearly, Harrison thinks he will be even better than the 10th best quarterback in the NFL next season. As for Brady, he’s joining a new league and a new team, but the track record should probably push him even higher on the list.
Harrison remains an NFL free agent, but it’s clear his time in Detroit has made him a believer as it relates to Stafford’s obvious talents.
Matthew Stafford Rated Top 10 NFL QB
Even though there is a measure of disrespect, the league opinion of Stafford is changing a bit. The Lions quarterback, often overlooked, is getting more than his fair share of hype this offseason and most recently, Stafford was named to another prestigious list. NFL executives were polled for an ESPN piece revealing the top 10 quarterbacks in 2020. Stafford made the cut in the No. 10 position for this coming season.
We’re just gonna leave this here.
Have at it.
Stafford isn’t within the top 5, but it’s a mild surprise to see him rising on such lists anyhow. Typically, Stafford is a middle of the pack quarterback in the mind of most across the league. This list only points to the fact that Stafford is on the rise in several circles, and it could be due to the expectation that he will have a great season this year.
That’s just what folks around the league seem to expect with this poll considered.
Matthew Stafford Played ‘Best Football’ During 2019
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky went back and watched the tape from early in the 2019 season when Stafford was healthy. What he found was a quarterback that he thinks was playing the best football in the entire league at that point at his position.
Go re-watch the first 8 games for the @Lions last year. Matthew Stafford was the best QB in football.
Orlovsky’s take might be shocking to some. Quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and company had great seasons. Stafford was on their level until he suffered a back injury which cost him the second half of the year and a chance at team and personal success.
How good would Stafford have finished? Nobody knows, but it’s clear if the player that was around in the beginning of last season shows up in 2020, the team will benefit in a significant way.
It might even make the Lions a better team and help Stafford get properly rated in the future.
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