Getty Matthew Stafford reacts after a play in San Francisco.
The Detroit Lions are set to come off employing Matthew Stafford, and the quarterback has been a paradox to plenty around the league as well as his own city.
Ahead of Stafford being moved to the Los Angeles Rams, many are outlining where Stafford’s career has been and where it needs to go in order to be considered a bigger success. One such person was Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports. On a recent episode of The Herd, Cowherd explained that while Stafford has talent and has been a solid quarterback through the years, his resume has some holes that can only be solved with winning.
Cowherd said:
“I always hear about this guy’s talented, that guy’s talented. Do you win games? A third of the league, 10, 11 have inquired about acquiring Matthew Stafford. Last three years, 14-33. But he’s talented. Matthew Stafford’s gone 12 years, he’s had four winning seasons. I’m not asking for the Super Bowl, I’m not asking for the NFC Championship. 12 years? No division tittles, no playoff wins? Yeah I know he’s talented but even at Georgia, 9-4 one year, 10-3. Even when he had Georgia talent he was losing three or four times a year. Sometimes you got to show me you can win. Andrew Luck had nothing, nothing, when you tell me Matthew Stafford had nothing. 11-5, 11-5, 11-5 and AFC Championship. Even in his own division against the Bears and Vikings, let’s take Aaron Rodgers out of it. Against the Bears and Vikings he’s 19-22. After a while, you gotta give me more than talent. ‘You got talent’ gets coaches fired. Since Matt Stafford came into the NFC North, Mitch Trubisky’s won a division twice, Case Keenum, Jay Cutler and Teddy Bridgewater. 12 years, gotta give me one. Aaron Rodgers has been hurt twice. Gotta give me one. I got nothing against Matt Stafford, I think he’s talented. If a third of the league is after him, it shows you the mythology of talent. At some point 12 years, you gotta start winning more games.”
Obviously, Stafford has done a lot for the Lions as well as Detroit, so it can be tough for some to be critical of the quarterback. Additionally, the Lions have struggled putting the right team around Stafford for years, so it’s not a black and white situation by any means in terms of what’s happened to the quarterback.
Flash forward a few days and the Rams had agreed on a deal to bring Stafford to California, thus putting Stafford firmly within the backyard of Cowherd. The analyst’s opinion didn’t change much if at all, however.
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Colin Cowherd Wants Matthew Stafford Proving Him Wrong
Now that a deal is official to a team close by him, Cowherd’s mind hasn’t exactly changed as it relates to Stafford. Over the weekend, the Rams and Lions revealed their blockbuster move, and Cowherd as to be expected was all-eyes. As he said, he understands why the Rams made the move as a forward-thinking organization that is trying to go all-in on winning a Super Bowl. Even such, he thinks Stafford has some pressure on him to deliver now that the Rams have made a big commitment.
Cowherd said:
“Matt Stafford, I’m rooting for you, I think you’ll be better, but prove me wrong. I’ve been hearing about your talent for years.”
That talent will be on display full-time in Los Angeles now, and while the Rams may have made a smart move to nab Stafford, the proof will be in the pudding with regards to how everything works out.
Matthew Stafford’s Paradoxical Career
The quarterback is going to be 33 years old in 2021, and has struggled to win big in Detroit for the last decade since he was drafted. The situation is a paradox, because Stafford has been one of the most stable quarterbacks the Lions have had in decades as well. Knowing this, change can be tough, but the Lions might have to start thinking bold if they want to get their franchise over the hump. Stafford’s trade value will only decline in the next few seasons. Exciting young quarterbacks are coming into the league at a fast clip and have seemingly turned around franchises in Arizona, Buffalo, Kansas City, Baltimore, Miami and Los Angeles just to name a few spots. The Lions could need to get in on this in order to give their team a shot at keeping up moving forward. With Jared Goff, the hope is they have a guy to build around. If not, he can serve as an easy bridge for the team.
No matter how good things are in the league, players always have a shelf life, and Detroit was clearly approaching theirs with Stafford. Now that he’s on the move, he gets a chance to show his talent elsewhere.
Arguably, the pressure has only just begun for Stafford as a result as Cowherd explains.
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